Not every shop project needs to be flashy to be useful. This one solves a small, specific problem: giving the shop real sound, a pair of speakers and an amplifier, without leaving loose electronics sitting on a shelf. The result is a single plywood cabinet that holds both, with the amp’s controls right at eye level on an open top shelf.
Finished Project Overview
The finished cabinet is a simple rectangular plywood box split into two zones. The lower, larger compartment holds a pair of speakers, faced with black acoustic cloth so the drivers stay hidden and protected from shop dust. Above that, an open top shelf is itself divided into two smaller compartments, one left open (for storage, a phone, or whatever else needs a spot), and one sized to hold a compact amplifier with its faceplate facing forward.
Dimensions & Specifications
Exact dimensions aren’t documented for this build. Based on the photos, the cabinet reads as roughly bookshelf-cabinet sized: tall and deep enough to house two speakers side-by-side in the lower compartment, with a shallower top shelf above.
Materials
The cabinet body appears to be built from plywood with visible, unfinished ply edges left exposed as part of the look, the same exposed-layer aesthetic used elsewhere in the shop (see the miter saw station’s Baltic-birch-style panels). The exact plywood grade/species isn’t confirmed for this project specifically. The speaker openings are covered in a black woven acoustic/speaker cloth rather than a solid door, and the amplifier is a Lepy-branded Class-D digital audio amplifier, a compact board-and-faceplate unit with power, tone (treble/bass), and volume controls, the volume knob backlit blue.
Tools
Not documented for this build. A tape measure appears in one in-progress photo, and the two circular pass-through holes in the back panel were clearly drilled with a hole saw or spade bit, but no tool list survives in the photo set.
Design Considerations
The cabinet’s layout keeps the amp’s controls accessible without cluttering the shop with a separate stand or shelf for it: building the amp compartment directly into the top of the speaker cabinet means one object does both jobs. The two drilled holes in the internal back panel are sized for cable pass-through, letting speaker wire and power run behind the panel rather than trailing across the front of the cabinet. Leaving the speaker openings faced in cloth rather than solid doors keeps sound from being muffled while still keeping the drivers out of the weather and dust of a working shop.
Build Process
The build photos pick up mid-construction, with the plywood carcass assembled and the internal back panel already drilled with its two cable-pass-through holes, one for each speaker’s wiring. At this stage the top shelf’s divider is in place but the amplifier and speakers haven’t been installed yet, showing the cabinet’s basic joinery and internal layout clearly.
Once the carcass was ready, the Lepy amplifier went into its dedicated top-shelf compartment, faceplate-forward so its power switch, tone controls, and volume knob stay reachable. The speakers, still visible as separate black-cloth-faced boxes in this in-progress photo, were fitted into the lower compartment shortly after.
Challenges & Solutions
Not documented for this build. No build notes on fitting issues, wiring routing problems, or design changes survive in the photo set.
Lessons Learned
Not documented for this build.
Cost & Build-Time Observations
No cost or build-time information is available for this project.
Finished Project
The finished cabinet now lives on top of a metal shop cabinet, tucked into a corner near the shop’s dartboard, a permanent fixture that keeps both the speakers and the amp’s controls at a convenient height without eating up floor space.
Related Projects
If you like the exposed-plywood look of this cabinet, check out the shop’s other plywood cabinet builds, including a small edge cabinet in birch plywood and walnut, a mobile table saw cabinet, and a plywood tool station.