How To: Make a Kitchen Speaker Tidy

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Design J.F Make R.E
Kitchens attract clutter like nobody’s business. The speaker-box-tidy was inspired by (1) our boss who subtly suggested we might benefit from tidying up a bit, (2) a broken speaker and (3) a snapped deck.
 
Cost $15 | Time 2 hours
 
 
What You’ll Need
 1. Old Speaker. These are in plentiful supply kerbside during suburban hard rubbish collection.Failing that, check out audio repair shops for unclaimed stock.
 
2. Old Skateboard. If you’ve ever skated, you’ve snapped boards. We wanted to add a shelf to the interior and exterior of the design and a broken skateboard is perfect.
 
3. Power Tools. A jigsaw and drill are essential.
 
4. Odds and Ends. 1 x packet of wood screws (short) 2 x small brass hinges. 2 x eyelet screws. 30 cm of light chain. 4 x Angle Brackets. 1 x magnetic catch. 1 x Stanley knife. 1 x set square. 1 x 2b pencil.
 
5. Safety. If it’s a bright day, sunglasses will suffice but if working inside, don some safety goggles eh?
Step 1 Disassemble the speaker box and remove speakers. Decide which way the speaker is going to lie and how wide your skateboard is in comparison to the width of the speaker. Trim the skateboard straight where it was snapped. Use the set square to get a straight line with your pencil, then score the grip tape with the Stanley knife by cutting along the line. Repeat this with the wood where you’re going to slot in the shelf. This prevents the grip tape and wood veneer from splintering and helps maintain a straight line when cutting with the jigsaw.
Step 2 Once the space is cut for the skateboard shelf, slot the board in and test how it fits. It may need more wood taken out of the speaker to get the board level. Take three angle brackets and position them either side of the slot where you’ll be sliding in the board. Adjust the height of the brackets to create tension on your skateboard in order to get your shelf level. Before putting in the screws, mark the wood with your pencil through the bracket holes and pre-drill holes for the screws so they sit comfortably. Note: use a drill bit thinner than the width of the screw.
Step 3 Fit the skateboard into the shelf slot and fix with short screws. Be careful the screws aren’t too long and poke out the bottom. Take the final bracket and fix it to the back of the speaker box for added support at the far end of the skateboard shelf. 
Step 4 Fit the hinges to the speaker box and the mesh speaker cover. Be sure to make sure the mesh front can open fully flat without lifting the entire speaker box up and putting stress on the hinges. Now fix the chain to two eyelet screws you’ve placed carefully on the inside of the mesh cover and speaker box. Make sure they don’t collide and prevent closure. Finally fix the magnetic catch to the top side of the box and mesh front and make sure they hold. Finito!