2 Oct 2020

Crafts: Repurpose the Old Vinyl

by | posted in: Crafty's Projects, Organization | 21

Vinyl records are making a comeback and many folks are getting new turntables and investing in vinyl once again.   We have an awful lot of old records from my parents and from my teenage years.  We might think they are all valuable but most aren’t.  

Here is an idea to repurpose some of those records that might be scratched, a bit warped or duplicates that I’m sharing with Funky Junk.

making a stand from old vinyl records at craftygardener.ca

You need:

  • 2 records (33 speed)
  • a piece of suitable sized wood
  • hack saw
  • table saw
  • paint
  • glue if you think it is needed

The records need to be cut so they are 15 cm, 10 cm and 5 cm high.  For non metric folks that is about 6, 4 and 2 inches.   The piece of wood needs to be 32.5 cm or 13 inches wide and about 12.5 or 5 inches deep.  The thickness is up to you but you need to be able to add 3 grooves about 1 cm or half inch deep.

making a stand from old vinyl records at craftygardener.ca

The record cuts were made carefully and slowly with a hack saw.

making a stand from old vinyl records at craftygardener.ca

The three grooves were cut with a table saw.  The outer grooves need to be at least 1 cm from the edge. The centre groove should be in the middle, between 3 to 4 cm. from each outer grooves Clear as mud? But then it could all change if you use a different sized piece of wood.

making a stand from old vinyl records at craftygardener.ca

Once the 3 grooves are cut you can paint or stain the wood to your liking.  You could add some glue into each groove and push in one of the record pieces.  The biggest goes at the back and so on.  That bit was obvious wasn’t it?   I didn’t use glue and the records stayed in place on their own.  I chose to use a black gloss paint to finish this one off.

making a stand from old vinyl records at craftygardener.ca

Then you have a stand that you can file letters, documents, magazines, photos or whatever you want.  I don’t think it would be strong enough to file records in.

making a stand from old vinyl records at craftygardener.ca

It will be a fun gift for the record enthusiast in our family.  We added a gift certificate from Sam the Record Man at the Quinte Mall. Our Sam’s is the last remaining store in the chain after the iconic store in downtown Toronto was closed.

You could make a smaller one using old 45 records too and I bet you could use CD’s to make a much smaller one.  You are only limited by your imagination.

the gardener side at craftygardener.ca

See some of my other craft projects that aren’t knitting, crochet, sewing or garden related.

21 Responses

  1. Wendy @ September Violets
    |

    Great idea Linda! I’m a little envious that you still have a Sam’s. We loved going to Sam’s downtown, and would sometimes even see Sam himself!

  3. Margy
    |

    When we moved from Los Angeles we gave away all of our old records to Goodwill. That even included my parent’s old 78s. There’s a pub here in BC at Heriot Bay on Quadra Island. The outside of one wall is covered in old records. It fits the venue for sure. – Margy

  5. Myrtle
    |

    Here I go again, lost my post!
    That holder is a great idea and looks very sharp Linda. A smaller one would look good along side of the big one.
    Have a good weekend even if they are much the same as all the other days and stay cool.

  6. Margie
    |

    Very cool! I’m from the CD generation, but my grandfather was an avid record collector (mostly classical music though).

  7. Maggie
    |

    What a funky letter holder, the tutorial was so easy to follow even for someone like me who is very DIY challenged. I have a box of LP’s from the 60’s and 70’s buried somewhere in the attic which my 20 year old nephew wants to look through next time he comes to visit so I’d better wait until then before trying out your idea.
    Happy Mosaic Monday.

  8. JoAnn M Bayne
    |

    Now that’s clever – unfortunately we don’t have any records left – but I’ve seen a lot of them at yard sales – so that shouldn’t be a problem. Love new ideas.

  11. Teresa
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    That’s a great idea, you did a wonderful job. I don’t have vinyl records anymore, but I can probably find a few in my grandfather’s house…Thank you for sharing at The Really Crafty Link Party. Pinned!

  12. sallie rainville
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    Oh my gosh I wish I’d saved my old record collection! This is so clever. Too much downsizing for us. (There were and are definite advantages for us in making those moves but losing some of the old memorabilia is one of the downsides! )

  14. Margie
    |

    Another clever craft! Nice to see analog making a comeback in this digital world.

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