DIY Electric Piano Stand
I bought this electric piano four years ago and I’ve loved having it in the house. One day, I would love to get a real piano (my dream is a baby grand!), but while we’re still moving around and having to lug things up apartment stairs, this electric piano has been wonderful. However, I have never loved the look of it, and felt the black plastic base cheapened the look of the piano. This project was done using scrap material, so it was truly a win-win. Got to clean out the pile of wood scraps sitting in my garage and also gained a beautiful piano case!
Inspiration
While looking on Pinterest for ways to spruce up this piano, I came across a lot of minimal and sleek electric piano bases. I particularly liked these two, but I was looking for something that resembled a traditional upright piano. But, my biggest inspiration came from Taylor Swift. One night on here Eras Tour, she started to play her piano and I realized it was an electric piano mounted in a traditional-looking case! I wanted to do something similar. I particularly liked how short the back of the piano is. For her purposes, it’s to see the crowd, but I like the aesthetic of the short back.
I never realized an electric piano could look this good until I saw Taylor play this one on her Eras Tour.
Woodshop Diaries did a great job on this fold-down style. Check out their tutorial here
I also started to look up upright pianos and pick out details I wanted to include on mine. I instantly fell in love with intricate music holders, and, of course, having turned legs was a must.
Building a Frame
I started by taking apart my electric piano and figuring out the most secure way to attach the keyboard to the new stand. Every keyboard will e different, but figuring out how to attach it securely to the new build is an important first step.
The first step was building a frame. I built mine out of 1x3s, but 2x4s would work as well. I cut my frame to be 10 inches longer than my keyboard so I would have 5 inches on either side for decorative pieces. Using a nail gun, I attached half inch plywood to the sides and front of the frame, making a box.
The keyboard is supported on 2x4s that are attached to the main frame. While working, I supported the 2x4s with scrap pieces of 4×4. With the main framing pieces completed, it was time to add the decorative pieces. I knew I wanted curved sidewalls, so that’s where I started.
Adding Decorative Trim
For the sidewalls, I glued together four pieces of half inch plywood and used a jigsaw to cut the shape I wanted. In order to cover the rough edges of the plywood, I used iron-on edge banding. This provided me with a smooth, stainable surface.
During one of the final steps, I added a small bit of fluted wood to the front of these sidewalls, and overall, I love how they turned out!
The exposed parts of the framing are covered in 1x2s and I added legs that I found at Lowes. To make this keyboard look as piano-like as possible, I also encased much of the black keyboard. I attached a front panel made from half-inch plywood as well as a top piece that nicely covers the buttons. (I made this piece removable to have greater access to the many buttons, but the power and volume are functional without removing this piece).
The Music Stand
One of my favorite parts of this piano is the music stand. I really loved the intricate, lattice-like designs I saw in my inspiration photos. Using a template, and a little math, I was able to draw out a lattice design onto a piece of wood. My router helped me carve out each individual hole and I was left with a lovely lattice design
The Final Product
After putting everything together, I sanded it down and stained everything Honey by Minwax. It’s a warm, mid-toned brown with slight red undertones.
