Semi-invisible Surround Sound Speaker Shelves

Intro: Semi-invisible Surround Sound Speaker Shelves

Semi-invisible shelves made from glass to hold surround sound speakers. I just moved into my own place and wanted to mount my 5.1 surround sound system. Not knowing the exact thread for the speakers and well not wanting to buy anything, making my own was the next best option. Wanting to keep the mounts low profile I decided on something thin and clear... glass. Luckily my new neighbor just threw out a big sheet of glass which I used.

Things you will need"

• Safety Glassed
• Gloves
• Glass cutter
• Outlet blanks
• Gorilla Glue
• L-Brackets (2"x5/8")
• Glass
• Sand paper (small grit)
• Surround sound system
• Large of heavy ruler

My speaker wire were run through the wall for me. Other options could include cutting a slit in the wall shoving the wire in and then plaster and paint over it or you could try some of this "flat" wire i just found in the internet here http://eupgrader.com/635/living/hide-your-wires-in-plain-sight-with-flatwires-flat-wire/

STEP 1: The Glass

Now the glass I used I had found so I don't know exactly had I had. It looked like It was from a coffee table and most likely was tempered. With a small glass cutter like mine I had to score both sides and apply an even amount of pressure all along the score. When I was dealing with the large sheet it would almost never break where I wanted it to, at least until it was in pieces small enough to deal with.

Using the heavy ruler I measured off a 4"x5" piece of glass which was almost the exact foot print of my speakers. Cutting along the ruler gave me a strait cut and would be easily breakable. After scoring both sides I simply hit it with the bottom of my fist and broke it in two. probably not the best way but if the pieces are small enough it works.

Now once the squares were done. A quick sanding of the edges gets rid of any sharp corners and splinters.

If you don't have a sheet of glass you can use, you can probably buy the squares the size you need from a glass store. Also if you buy the pieces you can get all of the edges nicely beveled for probably a little more.

Don't forget safety classes and gloves!

STEP 2: Making the Shelves

Once all five pieces of glass were cut, the hardest part is over and assembly can begin. Building the shelves is relatively easy, implying you know how to use gorilla glue.

Assembly Part 1:

• Apply a very small amount of Gorilla Glue to the inside of the L-Bracket.
• Center the piece of glass on the L-Bracket.

-Make sure the bottom hole of the L-Bracket lines up with the bottom hole of the outlet blank.

• Press them together firmly.
• Place the pieces in a vice for drying.

Once the two pieces are done drying they should look something like the picture below.

Assembly Part 2:
The next steps are almost the same as the previous ones.

• Apply a little Gorilla Glue to the outside of the L-Bracket.
• Firmly press the L-Bracket the the outlet blank.

Although I didn't do this it is probably advisable to place a small piece of wood inside the outlet blank and clamp the whole assembly in a vise.

The final assembly step:
*I drove a screw that came with the L-Bracket through the free hole on the L-Bracket and then glued it more. I know Gorilla glue is strong but I trust a mechanical bond more.

STEP 3: Almost Done

The final step is to just mount the shelves. My right and left speakers have electric conduit box behind them so no special mounting is needed. Just slide the wire through the hole and screw the shelf on. My center and surround speakers don't have a conduit box so two drywall screws each can be used to fix then to the wall and they will be hidden from sight because the speaker.

Comments

[tross3]

Is the blank plate really necessary? Could the L brackets not just be screwed straight in to some wall plugs in the wall?

[smccormick]

Did a long shelf similar to these with 1/4 plexi glass to support my dvd s and cd s.warpage is not an issue.My next version will have led s to "glow" the supports

[cavalencia]

Great idea, thanks! Here you can find a guide to build Speaker Wall Mounts in metal: http://ideastosave.blogspot.com/2011/03/diy-speaker-mount.html

[solarblade90]

This is really cool :)

[begusquiza]

BUen protecto justo lo que andaba buscando... gracias.

[hcold]

Wouldn't it be easier/cheaper to do with with acrylic rather than actual glass? I suppose they wouldn't have the same pizazz, but a cheap/easy alternative.

[Frank R]

Yeah, When I was cutting the glass and the pieces wouldn't break where i needed them i was considering plexiglass. But like you said it wouldn't have looked as good.

[urbosssez]

yeah, and over hot summer days the plexiglass might warp and u risk those nice speakers falling on teh ground

[verence]

Plexiglass is melting at 130–140 °C (265–285 °F) (according to: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plexiglass) ??!??

So maybe my sarcasm detector is offline now, but Acrylic 'glass' will not wrap and drop your precious speakers.

Nice 'ible anyway!

[urbosssez]

true it will melt at that high temp but it can still warp at 100 degrees F leave some plexiglass out in a texas summer and u'll see

[ShaunHill]

How did you manage to hide the wires?

[Frank R]

The wires were run through the wall. I didn't do it. sorry.

[ShaunHill]

Damn! That's frustrating...

[Frank R]

Sorry, if you have time you can cut a little slit in the dry wall shove the wire in and plaster and paint over it. That's how i was originally going to do it, but my dad had it done professionally so i had no say.

[ShaunHill]

Sweet, thank you.

[Frank R]

As i was searching the internet today I found these flat wires. Never seen any thing like this before.

http://eupgrader.com/635/living/hide-your-wires-in-plain-sight-with-flatwires-flat-wire/

[ShaunHill]

Nice, but a bit pricey when you have a 7.1 setup.

[bustedit]

I like the look, very clean. I have the same or similar sony system, and my speakers are just sitting around the room on the floor. One question, tho - do the shelves vibrate or make noise??

[Frank R]

Not at all. Although I do have the rubber pads between the speaker and the glass. That's really the only place it could rattle. So just a few cheap rubber pads if it does rattle one you.

[Max O]

Looks good Frank