DIY Retro Wooden Bluetooth Speaker Box

I’m not sure a day goes by that I don’t listen to at least a few hours’ worth of music. Legit. I wouldn’t survive the day without some tunes to get me through. Now pair that with my love of woodworking, and you can understand why I’ve been eyeing one of these cool little speakers so I could make a cool little DIY wooden Bluetooth speaker box for it and get my jam on.

But I hesitated…because I wasn’t sure what kind of box to make. I wanted something fairly simple, but not plain. Something that would catch your eye, but not be too busy. Something a little retro, a little modern, a little…different. I’ve literally been thinking about box ideas for months, but never actually buying the speaker. I kept thinking I’d eventually buy one and come up with some decent idea.

Then one day, the UPS man dropped off a package and I opened it to find this! Rockler had sent me a speaker kit and I wasn’t even expecting it!

You have no idea the excitement that followed. Squeals and screams and I even called my dad to tell him I got a little wireless Bluetooth speaker and I was going to make a speaker box. Poor Dad…he thinks I’m crazy. HA.

Then, I remembered….I didn’t have a box idea yet. So I doodled and doodled and googled, then doodled some more until I had an idea that seemed like it would work and made my heart beat a little faster. Something that fit my retro style. Something like this 🙂

Isn’t it CUTE? It reminds me of a mid century style credenza you’d find in like the Brady Bunch house or something. I LOVE that….Danny, well, he’s not quite as into that as I am haha. If you remember, I’ve made a few “retro” style pieces before if you’re into that too 😉 The Pegboard Cabinet was one of my favs, and there was the Mid Century Dresser, and the other Mid Century Dresser, the woven bench, and the modern sliding door and floating vanity. But anyway…back to the speaker box–it’s even got a hidden compartment to hide the charging cord! WHA?!

I made the whole thing from scraps and I’m going to show you how to make your own 🙂 Check out the video tutorial I posted for it below, then find the step by step after that. Let’s get building!

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You will need:

Miter saw

Table Saw

Jig Saw

1 ⅞″ forstner bit, OR 1 ⅞″ hole saw (or just use jig saw)

Drill

Ratchet Clamp

Wood Glue

Wireless Bluetooth Speaker

1×6 wood scraps (about 3-4 foot)

1×4 wood scraps (about 2 foot)

¾″ square wood dowels (or just rip your own on table saw)

Step 1: Bevel the Bluetooth speaker box sides

This is optional, but I think the bevel really gives it more of a retro feel. I set up my table saw blade to cut a 45 degree bevel and ran my 1×6 boards through so that both ends were beveled towards the middle. I actually ripped the boards to about 5″ wide during this process to help with cutting the miters later (see step 3).

Step 2: Cut the Front and Back of the Speaker Box

For the front and back, I used poplar wood. I had some scraps, so I trimmed them down to 3 ½″ wide and cut two pieces exactly the same size. They had both ends mitered 30 degrees NOT parallel to each other and about 12″ long at the longest points. You can customize your size here if you want. By the way, you will see my new miter saw stand in the pictures and video of this project. It’s been a pretty popular post, so if you want your own stand, I’ve got the plans for you here 🙂

Step 3: Cut to fit speaker box sides

For the top of the speaker box, I mitered my corners at 60 degrees. The easiest way to do this is with a miter saw that has at least a 60 degree capacity and the ability to cut a board at least 5 ” tall. I made sure to miter the corners on the same side of the board as the bevels from step 1. It’s best to cut to fit for a tight box.

Once the top box piece was cut, I continued around the sides and bottom cutting to fit my pieces the same way. The side pieces will need a 60 degree miter on top and 30 degree on the bottom. The bottom piece will need both sides at 30 degrees. For the short sides, it’s best to cut the 60 degree miter first on a longer piece, then switch the saw back to a 0 degree miter and set the bevel to 30 degrees. The back rest on my saw wasn’t long enough to safely cut 60 degree miters on such a short piece.

I cut a little long so I could trim until I got a really tight fit. Here I dry fitted the pieces around the box front before gluing. Side note: the scrap poplar I used had a pocket hole drilled in it. I didn’t use the pocket hole for this project…just in case you were wondering 🙂

Step 4: Glue Up DIY Bluetooth Speaker Box

Now for the fun part. I simply glued my box together. No nails, no screws, just glue. It worked out well. I used a silicone brush and a silicone mat to keep my glue from getting all over the place and brushed glue onto the corners of the wood.

Then, I placed the pieces together and used a ratcheting band clamp to hold everything in place.

Step 5: Prepare Front and Back of Bluetooth Speaker Box

While the glue was drying, I cut the speaker holes. The instructions for the speakers say to use a scroll saw, 1 ⅞″ hole saw or 1 ⅞″ forstner bit to cut the hole for the speaker. I didn’t have that size hole saw or forstner bit, and my scroll saw needs a new blade…so I just used a jig saw and it worked fine.

I used the top clamping piece of my little Kreg Jig to trace out the circle. This piece was 2″ diameter, so I kept in mind that while cutting on the jig saw, to cut on the inside of the line and it would be pretty close to 1 ⅞″ diameter 😉 I drilled a hole to fit the blade in, then just cut the circle.

I did this on both the front and back pieces. These holes need to be cut so that the speaker piece and the controller piece are back to back…so make sure they will both be on the same side of the box–left, right, or middle.

I also cut my front piece into two pieces–one to hold the speaker and the other to act as the door for the hidden compartment.

It’s best to finish BEFORE gluing these pieces in–especially if you are doing the two tone thing. I oiled my poplar with mineral oil and painted the “door” piece white before the next steps.

Step 6: Glue Front and Back Pieces of Speaker Box in Place

Once the glue was dry in the box, I puttied and sanded the corners for a clean look, painted it, then it was ready to finish assembly. I lined the inside of the back side with glue and placed the back piece inside.

You may have to use a rubber mallet or a scrap piece of wood and a hammer. Just be careful not to break your box in the process.

Then, I did the same for the front side, but only where the speaker part would go…I didn’t have to glue in the hidden compartment door. The speaker has to be installed into the front and back pieces and connected according to the instructions before gluing the front piece in place. It’s super easy…just slide the speaker and controller into their holes and plug in two little wires.

Step 7: Add Legs to Speaker Box

I ripped a couple strips of poplar to ¾″ square on my table saw and used these for legs. I mitered everything to 30 degrees for the legs and made two sets of legs to fit onto the box. I used wood glue to attach the legs together and to attach to the bottom of the box.

Finally, I added a little “knob” to my compartment door and it was ready to go! I had to trim down my compartment door slightly for it to fit into the box loosely enough to easily remove.

The speakers come with a charging cord because the battery is rechargeable. I love this because I hate buying batteries haha. But I knew if it had cord, I would lose it because that’s just the kind of person that I am. So I love the idea of having a “hidden compartment” to store it.