How to Make a Wooden CD Tower

When your compact disc collection outgrows the box you've carried around since high school, it's time to look for something bigger. You could run down to the local super store and buy a plastic and particleboard storage system. If you like a little bit of a challenge and have a few hours to spare, however, build a storage tower yourself.
With a few basic tools and some material from your local home improvement store, you can build an attractive piece of furniture to store and display your CD collection.

Things You'll Need

• Measuring tape
• One half-sheet (4 feet by 4 feet) of 1/2-inch furniture-grade plywood
• Dowel rods (16) 1/4 inch by 48 inches
• Square
• Table saw
• Drill with 1/4-inch bit
• Carpenter's glue
• Hammer
• Finish nails

Instructions

Building the tower

1. Adjust the rip fence on your table saw for a 5 3/4-inch cut.

2. Cut two 5 3/4-by-48-inch strips from the plywood square. These pieces will form the sides of the tower.

3. Adjust the rip fence on your table saw to 5 inches, and cut another 48-inch strip. This piece will become the back of the tower.

4. Cut two 5 3/4-inch by 6 1/2-inch pieces from the remaining plywood. These pieces will become the top and bottom.

5. Draw a line 1 inch from the front edge of both of the tower's side pieces with a pencil. Do the same on the back edge.

6. Starting 2 inches from the bottom of the side pieces, mark both front and back lines at 1-inch intervals all the way to the top edge. This marks the position of the dowels that will support the CDs when you've completed the tower.

7. Center the drill bit on the 1-inch marks, and drill completely through the boards.

8. Assemble the body of the tower. Run a bead of carpenter's glue along the outside edge of the back piece. Place the side piece over the glued edge of the back, and nail in place. When finished, the tower back should lie flush with the back edge of the side. Repeat this procedure for the other side of the tower.

9. Run a bead of glue along the bottom edge of the tower. Put the bottom piece in position, and nail in place. Repeat this procedure for the tower's top.

10. Measure and cut the dowel rods into 6 1/2-inch lengths. Slide the dowel rods into the holes in the sides of the tower from left to right, and glue them in place. You can now sand and finish your CD tower.

Tips & Warnings

• Drill the holes for the dowel rods at a 90-degree angle to the face of the board. If you have a drill press, use it.

• One-inch spacing allows enough room for a standard-width CD case. If you have multiple CD sets you want to store in the tower, measure for them when drilling holes for the dowel rods.

• Use proper safety gear and precautions while working with any power tools.