Okay, so two days ago this happened.
Yep.
That’s my phone.
It was almost like slow motion when it fell. I was standing at the front door in the dark, trying to find the key to the front door and simultaneously holding the mail, a drink from McDonald’s, the straw wrapper from the car, my purse and a book tucked under my chin.
And as I turned key over key over key over key and shifted my stash and shifted again….
….something gave way.
I was so hoping it was the straw wrapper.
When I heard the clank and crash and clatter of the phone, I still wasn’t worried.
I’ve had an i-phone since 2010 and never really had a crack before.
Until.
Until I saw this.
Please cry for me Argentina.
(picture of what a cracked i-phone looks like in a wood speaker)
I’ve spent the last two days in denial and trying to pretend that cracked phones are a thing and playing music in my new wood speaker that my brother made for me for Christmas.
He told me when he gave it to me that it looked like my house.
It’s amazing.
Truly.
You just turn the phone on and put it into the wood opening and it plays the music over the room.
No electricity needed.
Here’s a few more details if you want to make your own.
Let’s start with the overview of the phone.
It’s about 10 inches by 5 inches and it has three boards put together to form the box (more on that later).
There are holes cut out for the speakers and a place for the phone.
Here’s a view from the top so you can see the three boards together.
That tiny opening is so important, because you have to line up the phone with the opening, or the speaker won’t work.
You can see the notch cut out for the phone and how it relates to the other boards.
Here’s the view from the bottom.
The two outer boards are 1″ x 5″ x 10.5″.
The center board is 1″ x 5″ x 10.5″ with a notch cut in the center to allow for the opening.
To make the speakers, he used a 2″ drill bit for the top hole and a 1″ drill bit to make the small indention at the back of the speaker.
The opening for the phone is 3″ wide.
After you make your cut-outs, simply nail all three pieces of board together.
When you are finished, it looks a little like this.
A DIY wood speaker perfect for a farmhouse.
Cracked phone not included. 🙂
PS If you have specific questions about the project, let me know and I’ll ask my brother when he gets back from China. 🙂
Wow...that's amazing, KariAnn and your brother is right. It looks perfect in your home. Happy weekend!
Sorry about your phone--glad your brother is so talented. I don't have a smartphone so even though yours is cracked, you are still ahead of me on "cool".
This is so clever! I need one of these to give to my Daughter. (Her phone looks much worse than yours, Has a cracked screen all the way across) She would think she is your twin! LOL! It looks perfect in your adorable home! Have a great weekend! :)
I want.... badly. Will your incredibly talented brother sell these on his amazing wooden letter site? So much easier than building, or asking the hubsters to make one. Since he's in the middle of building a kitchen island right now. Sheesh. #abitlazythesedays
KariAnne, my husband made these over the summer. We use them on our deck. It's amazing the sound you get out of them!
Wish I had a brother! So sorry about your phone.
Oh my goodness, that is amazing! I am definitely going to give this a try. What a perfect gift! (Still want to be your sister, btw. ;))
So creative!!! Love the speaker ...And my heart hurt when I saw the phone...I cracked mine hugging a friend...just dropped it behind her...such agony!! Hope your screen is fixed soon, friend (for you and all who love you!!! Hahaha!!)
That's a cute idea! Sorry about your phone though! I have a wireless bluetooth speaker that follows me around the house when I listen to Slacker or anything musical on my phone. I have also been known to set my phone in an empty glass mixing bowl or even a dry bathroom sink so the sound projects out...works great!
Now this is engineered cleverly. Especially the no electricity part. Your brother is vastly creative. Did you get a new iPhone? Mine cracked when dropped on carpet. I cried. May your new phone be upmandvrunningbsoon. Gotbtomhavevrhosevspeakerscblasring when bro is home again!!
I love this idea! My husband does wood work and I would love a more detailed plan of this! Time to start building for next Christmas! Thanks for the ideas - and all your handmade Christmas gifts from the family are so special!
Wood speaker? No electricity? Yesss please!! Love, love. : ) p.s. Sorry about your phone!!
Ahhh...bummers about the phone! I'm usually all thumbs so I'm pretty shocked that nothing has happened to my phone yet. But awesome about the speakers! When I read the title to your post I was thinking this was only something decorative, which would be entirely cool of course, but wow...decorative AND functional! Wait a minute, I think you just hit all the hot buttons of the century--recycled material, farmhouse chic, and off grid power. Ahhhh-mazing!
Hope you have an iphone repair store near you (google it). You can get the glass replaced on your phone easily, I think it's about 80 bucks. We actually have a kiosk at our mall that does it, too, the same place that puts on screen protectors! You don't have to get a new phone. With two teenagers, ask me how I know this?
What kind of wood did he use? I love it.
Love that speaker! I would love that in my farmhouse. Just a little advice...I recently dropped my iPhone (also when my hands were full walking to the house:) and cracked it. It continued to work fine, and I was busy, so I didn't worry about it. Then, I somehow knocked it off my nightstand, and that was it. The screen shattered, and the phone was not useable. Ugh! Go ahead and take care of it now so you're not without later.
That speaker is incredible! He should go into business, then I can buy one lol Well done, brother. *Smiles*
LOL! You poor thing...hopefully you had that insurance just in case. Unfortunately, I can top this act of breaking the phone. I was in the garage one day working on some furniture but needed to take a break and go into the house. So being the multi-tasking ninja that I am (YEAH RIGHT), I thought that if I balance my phone on top of my coffee cup, put all my supplies under each arm, I could have at least one hand free to open the door. Sounds reasonable... After turning around from closing the door, I literally watched my iPhone go ker plunk into the coffee cup! Now any normal person probably would've stopped to retrieve the phone...but not me! I just kept on walking until I got to the dining room table because my poor brain was in shock that I just did that! Bahahaha! By the time I got tot the table, my husband looked at me and said, "I was wondering when you were gonna take your phone out of your your coffee, GRACE!" Moral of the story: If your not a regular performer with the Ringling Bros. Circus, don't try any balancing acts with your coffee and iPhone:D Suffice to say I'm gonna stick with the back pocket approach in the future. Hope that one made your day:)
Your brother is simply amazing!! He is so talented but so is the rest of the family. So, your phone is cracked?? Psst!! I want to whisper something to you. Let's exchange. I want a new phone soooooo bad, especially the larger one. You know my fingers keep poking the wrong keys and with age I need to see the keys just a tad larger. But there is someone in our family, ahem, I won't say who. But that person is dragging his feet. Don't look at me - I would skip over to Verizon to get that new phone with the great picture taking abilities. I can't even get some apps because my phone is soooooooo old.
Better to have a cracked phone than a cracked heart. Of course...cracked phone can lead to broken heart...at least temporarily. Love the rustic speaker. It fits right in. But I couldn't live without my Bose.
Super cool ! I'm gonna try making one. I'm confused by the middle board. Maybe you can ask your brother how to cut that one or post a photo. Sorry about the phone! I dropped mine too and still living with it until I pay it off :(
I'm a bit confused about that middle board, too. I definitely want to make one of these, though!
Now this... is Brilliant!!! I love how you share. <=
Oh no, a broken iphone is no fun at all. I cracked up my ipad last week, after a call to Apple support, it was all worked out and 2 days later a replacement ipad arrived. Love apple customer service! Pat
So sorry about your phone but loving the speaker!!!
Well, the phone is a bummer but come on, THAT SPEAKER!! I'm in love with it! He should totally sell these if he isn't already. :) It definitely looks like your house!! :)
What a cool speaker!! It makes sense, but I never would have thought of it. Will be passing the idea along to my son, in hopes that he'll want to try making his own. (I'm visiting from Christian Fellowship Friday - so nice to meet you and see your lovely blog!)
My phone cracked recently too. It really was as it it happened in slow motion. I just stood in shock and wished I could time travel lol I love this project! I hope I can try it out. Or ya know, get my woodworking friend to help me out. :)
Oh I'm so sorry about your phone, but the speakers look amazing!! I have dropped my phone a few times and know how upsetting it can be!!
Man, I hate when that happens to a phone! The speakers are pretty awesome! Thank you for sharing with us at Brag About It this week! Pinned and tweeted :)
Oh my goodness, is this ever COOL! I love it! It's clever, looks gorgeous and seems easy enough for even me to do! Thanks for sharing (and for linking up to the #SHINEbloghop). Wishing you a lovely day. xoxo
That is one of the neatest things I've seen online in a while! Pinning this. I would love my husband or FIL to make it for me. Sorry about your phone. I did the same thing a few days ago. :(
Congratulations! This post is going to be featured over at Diana Rambles tomorrow and has been pinned in the Featured at Diana Rambles board at Pinterest and Tweeted. Please grab a featured button off my button page or via the post guidelines graphic. Thanks for sharing this awesome idea!
Seriously??? WOWZIES!!! This is like one of the most amazing projects I've ever seen...it makes me wish I was a proficient wood-worker so I could make one for myself! I didn't even know it was possible to have a working speaker which doesn't require electricity...this is a thing of beauty...farmhouse technology that anyone would be proud to showcase in their home! My deepest admiration to your brother! I am so very sorry about your phone, though, KariAnne, I know what a pain a broken phone can be. I dearly hope it was covered by insurance and that they fixed it or replaced it for you!