DIY digital piano stand

This article 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 and other studio equipment.
Project doesn't involve using expensive materials or complicated tools and can be completed even by beginner-musician without extraordinary trade skills (like myself). 

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 even during very emotional performance.

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

Low budget home music studio.
Featuring YAMAHA P95B.

All parts and materials should be available at Home depot or any hardware store.
Always remember: most stores may cut lumber for you upon request. 

Tools and materials.

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.

I got lumber cut to length 60' at local Home depot and that's greatly simplified farther construction process and saved lots of  labor time.

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. 

Inner structure revealed.
Right side panel not shown for clarity purpose.

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.

DIY piano stand.
Main shelf.

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.

DIY piano stand.
Main shelf with reinforcing beam attached.

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.    

DIY piano stand.
Top shelf view.

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.    

DIY piano stand.
Top and bottom back braces add rigidity.

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

DIY piano stand.
Parts are stained and finished.

For final touch and to add more professional appearance to my homemade piano stand I've used wonderful wood stain and acrylic top coat that I've discovered at local Lee Valley shop.

DIY piano stand. Completed. 

I'm very impressed with this stuff. It's water based non toxic product made by "General finishes".  Completely odorless and safe to use indoor. Drips and spills can be cleaned with water. Very short drying time. Greet selection of colors and 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.  

Water based stain and top coat.

I'm pretty sure I've found just right material for all my future wooden projects.