RECORD CUBE - 1ST SECTION

Instead of starting our vinyl storage unit from the bottom up, efforts are being channelled into making the stained rectangular cube.  This has been fashioned from an old pine bookcase. The timber was just too good to chuck out – make do and mend is what I say!  You can save a few pennies repurposing good wood.

Recycling an old pine bookcase

Begin at the outer edges and work inwards is my motto. Cut 2 x long panels for the top and bottom of your rectangular frame and 2 x side panels plus an extra side piece for the internal riser.  In total, you should have 2 long bits and 3 shorter bits.

Stain, wax then screw together at the corners to make a 3-sided frame. Don’t screw the top panel on as this will be done later once all the inner sections are added.

Remember your unit needs to be wide enough to accommodate a vinyl LP and in our case the wooden storage boxes so the base and side panels have been cut to a 37 cm width.

Now that you’ve constructed your base section, it’s time to add the interior compartments. I’ve begun by using three of the CD storage boxes to work out the length of each of the horizontal dividers. This can be done simply by placing a length of timber across the top of the boxes then carefully marking the overall length. Cut two of these long horizontal pieces.

Idiots way of working out length

To determine the position of the third vertical riser, I placed three CD boxes on top of the bottom part of the frame abutting the boxes tightly to the end panel. 

Working out position of middle vertical riser

Hold the internal vertical riser panel against the CD boxes. Carefully draw a pencil line across the base piece marking the position of the outer edge of the vertical riser. Drill countersunk holes and screw the vertical piece into position from underneath the base. You should now have something that looks like this:

Base and 3 vertical panels

Next attach divider pieces for the record storage compartments. I’ve gone for two supporting dividers but you can add as many as you wish, spacing these out evenly across the length of the timber base.   Remember these will be holding up the top compartment so there should be enough dividers to give good support.

As I don’t want a disjointed look to the overall front of the unit then I’ve aligned the dividers to the edges where two CD drawers meet. Again, drill and fix from the bottom then screws won’t be visible once placed on top of the wooden boxes.

Attach dividers to bottom horizontal piece

To assemble the first compartment, lay all 3 wooden boxes on top of the base making sure that the drawers are aligned to the front of the bottom bit of timber. As our base is wider than the boxes, a wooden batten has been fixed behind the row of boxes to prevent them sliding backwards each time a drawer is opened.

Chocking the back of the wooden boxes with a batten

Place the piece of timber with the dividers on top of the boxes. If you have measured and cut correctly, everything should fit snuggly within your rectangular frame. Drill and fix this horizontal section from each outer edge inwards. 

Voila! – the first compartment completed.

First compartment finished