DIY Mid Century Modern Record Cabinet/Media Console (Step by Step Build)

Rescuing the Collection

For years, my parents had an incredible collection of vintage records just sitting in boxes down in their basement. It’s a story I hear all the time from vinyl enthusiasts: people have these amazing albums, but no proper place to display them or set up a turntable to actually enjoy them. Authentic mid century modern consoles are stunning, but they are usually incredible expensive.

The Custom Solution

I decided it was time to bring those basement records back into the light, so I designed and built this piece specifically for my parents. I wanted that iconic, splayed leg aesthetic of the 1960s combined with the structural integrity of custom woodworking.

What to Expect

In this post, I'm walking you through exactly how I built this piece from start to finish. We’ll cover how to keep joints completely hidden with loose tenon joinery, the exact math for getting perfectly spaced inset doors, and how to cut those half lapped angled legs from scratch. Whether you’re building this for your own setup or rescuing a family member's forgotten collection, let's get into the shop and build a home those records actually deserve.

Materials & Tools List

Lumber & Plywood:

• 3/4" Plywood (2 sheets)

• 1/2" Plywood (1 sheet or 2'x8' project panel)

• 4/4 Solid Walnut (for face frames)

• 5/4 Solid Walnut (for legs and aprons)

• 1/4" Plywood scrap (for the leg template)

  
  

Hardware & Supplies:

• 1 1/2" pocket hole screws

• 6x30mm loose tenons

• 3/4" Iron on edge banding

• 1/8" thick milled solid walnut (for door edge banding)

• Wood glue

• Painter's tape (crucial for glue cleanup)

• Inset hinges

• Deck of playing cards (for shims)

• Water based warm polyurethane or finish of choice

• 2" Wood Screws (for mounting the base)

• 1/2" roundover bit (optional)

  
  

Key Tools Used:

• Pocket hole jig

• Kreg Edge

• Kreg Concealed Hinge Jig

• Adjustable shelf pin jig

• Jigsaw

• Miter saw (with depth stop capability)

• Router

• Corner clamps and bar clamps

• Wagner Earlex 5700 HVLP Sprayer

  
  

The Cut List

3/4" Plywood (Main Box & Doors)

• Top & Bottom: 55" x 18" (2)

• Sides: 18" x 13.5" (2)

• Inner Dividers: 16.75" x 13.5" (2)

• Adjustable Shelf: 18" x 17.5" (1)

• Doors: 18" x 13.5" (2) See step 6 for sizing adjustments based on edge banding

  
  

1/2" Plywood

• Back Panel: 53.5" x 13.5" (1)

  
  

4/4 Solid Walnut (Face Frames)

• Long Face Frames: 55" x 3/4" x 3/4" (2) – Mitered at 45° on both ends

• Side Face Frames: 15" x 3/4" x 3/4" (2) – Mitered at 45° on both ends

• Inner Divider Face Frames: 13.5" x 3/4" x 3/4" (2)

  
  

5/4 Solid Walnut (Base)

• Legs: 6" x 6" x 1" (4) – Cut from a larger blank

• Apron: 42" x 1.5" x 1" (2)

1. Prep the Outer Box Joinery Cut all of your main outer box pieces to size (top, bottom, and sides). To keep the exterior joints completely hidden and incredibly strong, mark out and cut slots for 6x30mm loose tenons along the mating edges of these outer panels.

   

   
   

2. Edge Band the Top and Bottom Before assembling the box, apply 3/4" iron on edge banding to the exposed sides of the top and bottom panels. Doing this while the panels are flat on your workbench is much easier than doing it after the box is assembled.

   

   
   

   3. Tape and Glue the Outer Box Apply painter's tape right along the edges of all your joints where glue squeeze-out will happen to make cleanup effortless. Apply glue, insert the loose tenons, and assemble the top, bottom, and side panels. Use corner clamps to keep the outer box perfectly square, clamp it down tight, and let it dry.

   

   
   

   4. Pocket Hole the Inner Dividers While the outer box dries, cut your inner dividers to size and drill pocket holes along their top and bottom edges. The jig should be set to 3/4". Once the outer carcass is dry and out of the clamps, put dividers into position, ensure they are perfectly square, and drive the pocket screws in to secure them to the main cabinet. Use glue and 1 1/2" pocket screws according to the image.

   

   5. Attach the Back Panel Drill pocket holes around the perimeter of the 1/2" plywood back panel. Position it flush at the back of the cabinet and drive pocket screws into the top, bottom, sides, and inner dividers to lock the entire carcass together.

   

   
   

   6. Add the Face Frames Cut your solid walnut face frame pieces to size. Pro Tip: Sand the face frame pieces before gluing them on. Apply wood glue, tape them securely in place to the plywood edges (or use light clamping pressure), and let them dry.

   

   

   
   

   7. Drill for the Adjustable Shelf Use an adjustable shelf pin jig to drill the holes in the center section of the cabinet. Cut your shelf to size, and apply iron on edge banding to the front edge to hide the plywood core.

   

   
   

   8. Size and Band the Doors Because these are inset doors, the math needs to be precise based on your exact opening measurement.

   • If using iron on edge banding: Take 1/8" off all four sides to account for a perfect reveal gap.

   • If using custom solid wood edge banding (like my 1/8" milled walnut): Take 1/4" off all four sides to account for the thickness of the wood banding plus the reveal gap. Glue on the edge banding, beveling the ends slightly at the corners for a seamless look.

     

   

   
   

   9. Install the Inset Doors Use a Kreg hinge jig to drill the cup holes for your inset hinges, then attach them to the doors. To get a perfect, even gap on all four sides during installation, use playing cards as shims to hold the door up while you screw the hinges into the cabinet. If the gap is slightly tight in any spot, mark it, pull the door off,and sand the edge lightly until the reveal is perfect.

   

   

   
   

   10. Shape the Mid Century Legs Create a leg template out of 1/4" scrap plywood. Trace the design onto your 5/4 walnut blanks and cut out all four legs roughly with a jigsaw. To ensure they are all identical, clamp all four legs together and sand them simultaneously until you hit your final shape.

   

   

   

   

   
   

   11. Cut Half Laps and Apron Joinery Stack the apron pieces and mark exactly where they will intersect with the legs. Set your miter saw to 60 degrees, engage the depth stop, and carefully cut the half laps. Cut loose tenon slots to securely attach the aprons to the legs, and glue the entire base assembly together.

   

   

   

   

   
   

   12. Roundover and Sand the Base Once the base glue up is dry, chuck a 1/2" roundover bit into your router and ease all the edges of the legs for that soft, classic MCM look. (optional) Sand the entire base up to 220 grit.

   

   
   

   13. Apply the Finish For a flawless finish, spray a water based warm polyurethane (like with a Wagner Earlex 5700 HVLP). Spraying gives you a factory smooth, brush-free finish that really makes the walnut grain pop.

   

   
   

   14. Final Assembly Center the finished base on the bottom of the cabinet. Pre drill through the tops of the wooden legs, and drive screws down through the base into the bottom of the cabinet to secure it.