DIY Now Playing Record Stand

I got a record player for Christmas (yay!) and was super excited to use my xTool P2 to make a “Now Playing” Record stand.

I wanted something that looked great even when I wasn’t playing a record and designed a record stand that used walnut plywood for the structure with black and white acrylic for accents. I think it’s pretty cool…what do you think?

As always, I’m sharing my design file for free so if you want to make this Now Playing Record stand just scroll down further in this post to access the cut file.

Now Playing Record Stand – Step-by-step Process Using Laser Cutting Machine

I should first note that I used my xTool P2 for this project. That thing is a beast and can handle so many material types and colors. If you are working with a less powerful laser machine you may need to alter the materials a bit. For example, a diode laser won’t be able to cut the white acrylic.

Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will make a commission if you click through and make a purchase. Thanks for the support!

Tools & Materials

Step 1 – Choose your design

You can either create your own design or if you want to download the design that I created, just enter your name and email address in the form below and you’ll get it sent straight to your inbox.

All of the free designs on Handmade Weekly are for personal use only.

Step 2 – Cut the wood stand pieces

I used walnut plywood for the stand and I think it looks amazing. Unfortunately I didn’t have two sheets of the 8″x10″ walnut plywood so I had to use birch for the back supports. You cant see them so I wasn’t concerned about mixing wood species.

Here are the walnut pieces after they were cut on my P2.

And here are the birch back supports. I originally cut one and then realized that two would be better for stability.

Step 3 – Cut the Acrylic Decorative Pieces

For the acrylic decorative pieces I chose to have black “Now Playing” text with a white border. I also designed a black record with a white center.

Here are the pieces cut from the black acrylic.

And here are the pieces cut from the white acrylic.

Step 4 – Assemble the Pieces

Before you start gluing up your pieces be sure to remove any of the protective film from the acrylic pieces.

Laser cut acrylic and wood parts for record stand

Glue Letters to Front Piece

Center the letters on the front arched walnut piece and then glue them with super glue. Some of the pieces are very small and you may need tweezers to get them in place.

Glue triangle supports to back piece

Attach the triangle support pieces to the back of the larger walnut piece. Make sure to align the bottom of the triangle to be flush with the bottom of the walnut piece. Also be sure to glue on the side with the smaller angle (it’s about 6 degrees). I placed each of the supports about 1.5″ from the edge.

add decorative record pieces

Now flip the piece over. You’ll need something to prop it up since you’ve added the triangle supports on the back. I used a few coasters to raise it up.

Lay the front piece (with the text) so that it is on top of the back piece and flush with the bottom. This will allow you to measure for the center of the exposed top area so that you can properly center your record. I added some painters tape to mark the edges so that I knew exactly where to place it after I added the glue.

Glue the record pieces down. Be careful not to get glue too close to the lines that are cut out of the black acrylic otherwise it will show in the finished product.

Attach Bottom Piece

Now stand it upright so that you can attach the bottom piece with super glue. To protect my table I put some painters tape down.

Attach Front Piece

Once the bottom piece glue has dried you can add the last piece which is the front support. Glue that on just like everything else.

Now Playing Record Stand

Here are some finished photos of the record stand. I love how this turned out and I had a lot of fun designing and making it.

Now I just need to work on building out my record collection!

If you make this record stand please tag me on social media. I’d love to see it in your home!

Some of my favorite Laser Cutting Projects

If you’re reading this post you likely have a laser cutting machine or you’re considering getting one. I love mine so much! I can bring just about anything in my brain to life with my laser machines. Here are some of my favorite projects so far.