Introduction: Guitar Wall Hanger With Leather and Pipe!
One of the roadblocks to practicing my guitar is simply that my guitars are stashed away in cases and when the thought of practicing crosses my mind, what little ambition I had to play, is smashed by the realization that I have to unpack the guitar, set up the amp, and then later put everything back. uhg!
I considered buying an existing wall hanger, but as maker, it is always more fun to make something myself! I designed this guitar wall bracket to be super strong, using metal pipe and leather. Since I have multiple guitars, I will definitely be making a few more of these in the future!
Let's get started!
(Fyi, I also made a free guitar pick template! You can download it here)
Supplies
(Note: some of the following links are affiliate links, which means I may earn a commission if you choose to purchase them)
Materials:
Wood
Pipe Nipple (1/4" npt, 4" long)
Wood Finish (I like hardwax oil) but lacquer would work great as well
Tools: (not all of these are required)
Jigsaw, bandsaw, or coping saw
Random Orbit Sander
Step 1: Glue the Template to the Wood
This one of the easiest steps! If you decided to use a template, simply glue it to the wood you would like to use.
You could also free hand this shape, or use a circle cutting jig!
Step 2: Cutting the Template
I used a bandsaw to cut out the template. If you don't have access to a bandsaw, HAVE TO NO FEAR! You can still cut out your shape using a jig saw or even a coping saw!
QUICK TIP: Try to stay JUST outside of the line of the template. That way, if you choose use a belt or spindle sander, you can simply sand to the line, leaving a much nicer shape.
Step 3: Sanding Episode 1: the Shaping!
Sometimes, it can be hard to follow the line exactly using the band saw, so I like to saw just outside of the line of my template so that I can use my belt sander to sand in the final shape. You could also do this by hand, although it is a lot more work...
QUICK TIP: Try using some quick clamps to clamp your belt sander to the work bench.
Step 4: Drill Baby Drill!
Next, I used my drill press to drill 1/2" holes for the pipe, as well as a countersunk hole for the screw that would attach this hanger to the wall. The thing I like about using a template is that no measuring is required!
But if you decided to free hand the shape or cut a circle, I found that the 1/2" holes should be spaced 2.75" apart (70mm). I recommend double checking this distance with your guitars, but I tested it with my Fender Strat and acoustic guitars, and it seemed about right.
Step 5: Making a DIY Pipe Tap at Home
Making a pipe tap, or really, any tap for the matter is actually really easy. This method can be applied to bolts too if you need straight threads!
To make the tap, I simply used a hacksaw to cut a slot in the end of the pipe, and then a file to grind down one side of that cut. This creates the teeth of the diy pipe tap!
As mentioned above, if you need to thread a bolt into wood, you can use this same method! It is actually really handy...
Step 6: How to Tap Threads in Wood
Now for the cool part!
To use the new pipe tap that I made, I lined it up with the hole and slowly turned it clockwise. When tapping any material (wood or metal) it is critical to ensure that the tap goes in straight. There are a lot of ways to accomplish this, but I decided to just use a block of wood (that I knew was square!) and continually checked the straightness of the tap as I worked.
Every few turns or so, I would turn the tap counter clockwise to back it out of the hole. This helps to clear any chips that are stuck in the teeth.
QUICK TIP: I found that a 13/16" socket actually fits over the metal end caps. This made it a lot easier to turn the tap into the wood.
Step 7: Sanding Episode 2: Clever Tricks
Now that the threads are cut into the wood, it was time for a final sand! I sanding everything up to 220 grit using my random orbit sander. It can be tricky to sand the edges of the profile, so I decided to clamp my sander to my work bench.
(Clamping stuff to the workbench is pretty much the best solution, always)
Step 8: Applying the Finish
My favorite finish is hardwax oil finish. This stuff is super easy to apply, all you have to do is slather it on, let it soak for a while, then wipe off all the excess. I really like hardwax because it soaks into the wood and leave the wood feeling like...wood. Not plastic.
Of course, you could use lacquer for this step as well. :-)
I set the base aside to dry for a few hours while I worked on the next step...LEATHER!
Step 9: Leather Working: Part 1
I found some super heavy duty leather on Amazon that worked perfectly for this project. The only issue I had with it was that it was very pink in color. So, I used some black dye from a previous project to dye the leather and get the color/tone that I was looking for.
Once the leather was the tone I was looking for, I cut it into strips. I recommend wrapping a piece of paper around the pipe to make sure that you cut the leather the right size.
if you dyed the leather BEFORE cutting it, you might need to dye the edges at this time. I definitely did...
Last thing to do was to punch out the holes that I will use for saddle stitching the leather into the final sleeve shape!
Step 10: Leather Working: Part 2
A lot of leather workers have these fancy stitching ponies...not me! I am a woodworker, so I substituted a wood screw clamp to hold my leather in place while I stitched. Basically, a DIY stitching pony for leatherworking for woodworkers. :-)
There a lot of good resources for stitching, and I am not one of them! But, long story short, I used a basic saddle stitch. I made sure to keep my pattern consistent and tight while I worked.
This was one of those projects that I have always been "scared" to try, but was pleasantly surprised at how easy it actually was! So get out there, and give it a shot. You might just find that your new hobby is leather working!
Here is a kit similar to what I bought off of amazon. It has everything you need to get started...plus a bunch of stuff you will probably never use....
Here is a great instructable on how to saddle stitch leather: https://www.instructables.com/How-to-saddle-stitch-leather/
Step 11: Installing the Sleeves Over the Pipe
Pretty easy step here, once the sleeves were done, I just needed to slide them over the metal pipe and tighten them into the wood base. Since I made sure that the leather sleeves were exactly the right size, the leather was a little tight going over the pipe. But after a little bit of effort, the leather stretched out nicely.
I made sure that sure that each pipe was tightened into the wood base really well. I didn't glue them in, but if you were at all concerned, you could add a bit of epoxy for a little extra security.
Step 12: Adding a Spacer
With the metal pipe installed into my guitar pick base, the guitar wall hanger is looking pretty gosh darn good!
BUT
We can do BETTER!
I made a quick spacer out of some 1/4" thick plywood and glued it to the back of the guitar hanger so that when mounted to the wall, the guitar hanger would have a nice shadow line around it. This is a great use of CA glue (super glue) and Activator by the way.
BONUS TIP! You could probably mount some LED lights behind this guitar hanger and have the light shine out around it. Hmm...
Step 13: Installing the Guitar Hanger
Installing this wall mounted guitar hanger is really easy. I designed mine to use a single screw through the center of the hanger. I recommend using a large screw, at least 2" long and drilling into a stud for extra security.
I *think* you could get away with a heavy duty wall anchor if no stud was available, but that could be a little risky.
So, the reason I wanted to use a single screw through the center of the wall hanger was so that I could easily pivot the wall hanger to match the profile of the headstock of my various guitars. Since some guitars have a head stock that is symmetrical, the guitar wall hanger can be mounted horizontally. While asymmetrical headstocks can be pivoted slightly to account for the different heights.
Step 14: Done!
I am super happy with how this guitar wall hanger turned out! The guitar pick shape looks really cool, especially matched with leather sleeves and metal pipes. I am definitely going to be building a few more of these for the rest of my guitars so that they can always be out and ready to play!
One thing I might change on the next version is to replace the metal pipe caps with some sort of wood cap. This would certainly require another fancy tool, but on my guitars with a wider neck, it is easy to accidently hit the guitar neck against the metal pipe, which is not awesome.
If you want to check out my full build video, click here!
Thanks so much for reading!
Catch you in the next one!
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