After receiving a new set of headphones for Christmas, I needed somewhere to put them when I get home to keep them from getting stepped on or having something spilled on them. I was initially going to just make a stand for them, but I decided to combine it with a pocket catch all to have a place inside the door to empty out my pockets. It also will help me know where my keys are every morning.

I've been through plenty of headphones and ear buds over the past few years, as they will end up meeting their demise at the paws of my dog or his teeth while he's chewing them up. That was not going to happen with this set.

It's a really quick and easy project that can be done in a few hours, not counting an overnight wait to allow glue to dry. So if you have headphones and want to protect them from getting damaged, I recommend this project.

Supplies:

Scrap Wood
Wood Glue

Tools:

Drill
Saw (any kind of saw will do the job)
Router
Lathe (you could just buy a wooden dowel, but I wanted to turn something unique)

Step 1: Get to Work

I used a small piece of leftover pallet wood from a previous project as my base. I cut off both ends at 30 degrees or so. Next I used a 3/4 inch bit to drill a hole for the headphone holder to sit in. I was careful not to drill all the way through the base. Then simply lay out whatever you normally have in your pockets and outline them with a pencil. In my case, only a wallet, keys and an ipod.

With a half inch straight bit in the router, I then routed out the places i had marked. The half inch bit works perfect to make a groove to place your ipod in. This grooved will work for most smart phones, or any cell phone for that matter. So I made a groove just behind the circle that my keys will go in.

After that, I used a hand held sander to clean up the wood and make it nice and smooth.

Step 2: Turning the Spindle

Having already drilled the 3/4 inch hole in the base, you need to make a 3/4 inch dowel at the end of the spindle to fit in there. I was extra careful to measure this several times just to make sure I didn't cut away too much, because a tight fit of these two parts is going to be crucial.

Other than that, you can make any design you like for the remainder of the piece. I kept it simply, with just a could of rings at the bottom and in the middle.

Next I turned another spindle to have at the top, for the headphones to actually rest on.

Step 3: Assembly and Finishing

Once your two spindles are ready, drill a hole through the end of the one that will attach to the base. After that, you can saw the end off right through the middle of the hole. This gives a place for the second spindle to rest.

Just spread out some wood glue in that groove and clamp them together nice and tight. Then allow them to sit overnight.

The next day you can put some glue in the bottom of your hole, and all over the dowel and squeeze it in there. Make sure and arrange it however you want it to look. I wanted my headphones slightly hanging over my wallet, so I left it that way for the glue to dry.

Then I stained the entire thing, gave it a few minutes then wiped up the stain with a clean cloth. I followed that with three coats of spray on lacquer, to give it a slightly glossy finish.

That's all there is to it. Now your headphones can be safe and you won't have to worry about them getting chewed up by your dog.