DIY Digital Piano Stand

This instructable describes how to build portable piano stand with two 12" x 60" shelves. It has enough room to  accommodate  full size 88 key digital piano, computer monitor, active speakers, few chunks of pizza,  case of beer and so on...

Project doesn't involve using expensive materials or complicated tools and it's been developed in accordance with best traditions of KISS principle;-)

Homemade piano stand is fabricated from laminated pine panels and boards. It's a quite lightweight piece of furniture so one person can easy lift it and move around, but itself stand is solid and stable and doesn't wobble during performance.

All wooden parts are fastened together with 1/4"-20 machine screws and stand can be disassembled within few minutes by using only screwdriver.

All parts and materials should be available at any hardware store.

For this project I used:

- pine laminated panel - 20" x 36" x 3/4"  (2 pcs);
- pine laminated panel - 12" x 60" x 3/4" (2 pcs);
- pine board - 6" x 60" x 3/4" (2 pcs);
- pine board - 2" x 3" x 60" (1 pc);
- pine board - 2" x 2" x 96" (to be cut to pieces of various length );
- 1/4"-20 x 2-1/2" machine screws and washers;
- 1/4"-20 t-nuts;
- 8 x 2" wooden screws;
- 6 x 1-1/5" brass wooden screws and washers (optional). 

Required tools:
- measuring tape;
- carpenter's square;
- wooden saw;
- miter box (optional);
- cordless drill;
- screwdriver.

Design of piano stand is very simple and the are no critical dimensions here.
In my case only dimension of available wooden parts have determined geometrical shape and size of final product. 
I got lumber cut to length 60' at local Home depot and assembled stand using only drill and screwdriver.

For main piano shelf distance from floor to the top surface of the shelf is 24".
For comfortable performance player's elbows should be at the same level as keys and proper player's position should be achieved with adjustable chair.
Top shelf is situated 1" below top edge of side panel.

Assembling procedure is simple and fast: measure board, mark position for fastener, drill hole, install screws...  

2" x 2" supporting boards are permanently fastened to side panel with 2" wooden screws. 
To avoid wood splitting all screws should be inserted into predrilled holes. For wooden screw #8 I used 5/64" drill bit.

In order to make stand easy to take apart, shelves are fastened with 1/4"-20 machine screws and t-nuts so I need only one screwdriver to disassemble joint.  

2" x 3" reinforcing beam is attached to one side of main shelf to eliminate possible sagging.
Top shelf is combined from 12" x 60" pine laminated panel and 6" x 60" board to form T-shape.
Shelf is mounted 1" below top edge of side panels so back board forms barrier to prevent things from rolling off the shelf.
 
To make piano stand more stable and rigid one 6" x 60" board fastened to bottom of side panels.
Since pine is very soft wood screw's head sinks below top level of board leaving ugly hole on board's surface. I've filled all holes with wood  putty, let it dry and then sanded boards with fine grit sandpaper.
After application stain and finish board looks very nice and smooth without any noticeable traces of screws.      

I've developed this project as portable piece of furniture.
Final design of piano stand includes only five wooden parts and 18 1/4"-20 machine screws and requires only one screwdriver to assemble it. 

For final touch I've used wood stain and acrylic top coat made by "General finishes".
It's a water based non toxic product, completely odorless and safe to use indoor. Drips and spills can be cleaned with water. Very short drying time. Different stains can be mixed to create custom color.

Stain can be applied with foam brush and excess should be wiped out. Drying time is about 30 min. Stain lifts some wooden fibers but after quick polishing with piece of cloth wooden surface becomes nice and smooth. For additional protection few coats of acrylic top finish can be applied.