LED Liquor Shelf With Bluetooth Music

Hi everyone. I became obsessed with the led light strips when they first came out, especially when I found out that music controllers were available for them. I am building a 2 tier glass top shelf for liquor. This is going to be a great project for a game room, bar, or man cave. Inside the shelf, I am using a RGB led bias lighting set with a built-in music controller. I will also be using speakers with a Bluetooth controller. The end result should be a really nice looking shelf with Bluetooth music and dancing led lights. Let's get started and see how this comes together.

Supplies

Supplies Needed for Project:

Bluetooth speaker (Mine came from one with broken housing) Bias lighting set with music controller

Power cable (Small extension cord plus usb power block)

Extra wire and splices for speaker

Wood (1 of each for the size I am making): 1x2x6, 1x6x6, 1x12x6, trim (to go around edge of glass)

Wood glue

Screws/Straps to retain wiring

Nails

Sandpaper

Paint or stain

Frosted Shelf Glass

Tools:

Saw

Tape measure

Square

Clamps

Drill

Drill bits

3 "Hole Saw or Router

Screwdriver

Nail gun

Step 1: Decide on Dimensions

I removed the bias lights from the package. They are plug and play, with several options on the remote. Once I had them plugged together, I laid them out to decide how wide to make the shelf and 28 inches was perfect. I already knew from previous research that the dimensions for the shelves should be around 5 inches tall and deep. This made the dimensions 10H x 10D x 28 W. These measurements are for the finished size.

Step 2: Front and Back Pieces

I decided to cut the front and back pieces first because they were straight cuts. I took my square to check the end of the 1 x 12 to make sure it was straight and square. I measured 28 inches and made my first cut. I did not rip the board down to 10 because I wanted a lip on the back side. For the front pieces, I ripped the 1 x 6 down to 4 3/4 inches. This allowed 1/4 inch for the trim that I was using to hold the glass. I checked to make sure it was square and measured for my first piece. Once cut, I placed it on the back piece to make sure the cuts matched. I measured the second front piece and cut it. My measurement was off a hair, so I trimmed a little more off to make it match.

Step 3: Side Pieces

I already knew that the two steps would be 4 3/4 each from the previous step, so I added those together and came up with 9 1/2 for the height of the sides. I made sure to use my square on all measurements for this step because no one wants crooked steps. I ripped the 1 x 12 first. I proceeded to measure the 2 steps. The first measurement was easy. I measured up 4 3/4 for the top of the first step. Now, I had to figure out how deep they needed to be cut. I had to make allowances for the front boards. The top step was easy. I measured it 4 3/4. I allowed 3/4 for the front piece and deducted the lip on the trim. On the bottom step, I had to allow for both front pieces. I thought about it and measured several times. I measured 5 1/4 for the top of the bottom shelf and 4 3/4 on the front. I went ahead and cut the first one. I was using a table saw, so I had marked everything on the outside. For the inside cut on the step, I cut very slowly and stopped when I could see the edge of the blade go into the corner. I checked all of the angles with a square. It looked right, so I used it as a template for the other side. I cut the second piece and realized that I had marked the wrong side, so the overlapping cuts from the saw were on the outside. This wasn't a big deal since I was painting the shelf. I used wood filler to fix my mistake. Another thing that I made a mistake on was that the bottom step measurement was wrong. I didn't realize this until I was measuring to have the glass cut. The measurement should have been 5 1/2 instead of 5 1/4.

Step 4: Prepare for Assembly

Now, it was time to get everything ready to assemble. I hand sanded any rough edges and cut my braces. I ripped the 1 x 2 in half. I would have bought 1 x 1 lumber, but the ones at the store was full of knots and warped. I cut 4 pieces 4 3/4 for the front bracing. and 2 pieces 9 1/2 for the back. I used wood glue and clamped the pieces to the sides. Then, I used a nail gun to tack these in place.

Step 5: Cabinet Assembly

Once the glue had set, I attached the back and front pieces. I used glue, clamps, and a nail gun to attach these too. Once the frame was ready, I got ready to cut the trim. The profile was too high for my glass, so I ripped the edge off of it. I used a miter saw and square to make sure the pieces fit properly. I used a nail gun and glue with small finishing nails. It was time to stop for the night, so I painted the cabinet black. I also painted the front pieces of trim so that they would be ready when the glass was cut.

The next morning, I was ready to start. It was at this point that I realized that I should have used a drill press and hole saw to cut holes for the speakers. It would have been so much easier. I had a circle template that I attached to the sides, then used a trim router to cut the holes. I also used the router to cut a small notch on the back left side for the cord. I went ahead and painted the inside of the holes so that I wouldn't get paint on the speakers.

Step 6: Install Internal Parts

The speaker wires were too short to reach across the cabinet, so I spliced a longer piece of wire. I used a couple of screws to attach each speaker. I didn't have any wire staples, so I used electrical tape to temporarily hold the excess wire out of the way. I took the remaining ripped down 1 x 2 and cut 2 pieces to mount the lights to, 26 1/2 long. I used the tape that was attached to the lights. It seemed pretty secure so I didn't use staples or anything else. I plugged in the light strip to determine the best location. At this time, I just had the precut frosted glass slid in the molding on the top. I used a nail gun to tack these in place. I found 1 staple that I used on the small extension cord. Then, I tucked the speaker control and excess wiring up out of the way. I plan on going back and stapling everything so that it stays in place. I installed the glass and tacked the 2 remaining pieces of trim in place. Last thing was touching up the paint.

The only thing was that the front was too plain. I went out and took an emblem off of a MGB that I have for parts. You could decorate yours any way you want.

Step 7: Testing

I plugged in the cord. With the placement of the components inside, the remotes have to be pointed at the left end of the lower glass. I turned on the power to the lights. They don't have to be used with music if you don't want. There are a variety of settings available, but I wanted music! I turned on the speakers and connected my phone. The result was great. The lights and speakers worked just as I wanted them to. Hope everyone enjoyed my instructable.