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Short Summary
Main recommendation: Recycle an old CD as a recessed coaster inset into a round wooden light switch plate, routed with a homemade router base plate and a guide pin. The video frames this as a simple project well suited to round dimmer switches, and notes that non-woodworkers can skip the wood and mount the CD alone or on a cut round piece of wood.
Key Points
- The CD sits in a recessed pocket routed into the wood, so it acts as a coaster that holds the disc flush.
- The core technique is a custom router base plate with a straight bit and a pin that acts as a pivot to rout the circular pocket.
- You still need to drill the faceplate's center hole bigger for the switch shaft, though the CD's own pre-existing hole already fits any switch size.
- The CD is held with screws rather than glue, so it can be swapped out later if needed.
Details Worth Noting
- Concrete instructions:
- Use a chunk of wood; the speaker used redwood planed to 3/8 inch thick, though any thickness works. Confirm the CD fits on the piece.
- Remove the router's original base plate and use it as a template to mark the mounting holes on hardboard (one side smooth, one rough). The hardboard just needs to be roughly cut to a size large enough to contain a circle with double the CD's radius (2 3/8 inch radius).
- Drill mounting holes and countersink them, then screw the new hardboard base plate to the router.
- Drill a hole in the base plate sized for a 1/4 inch straight bit.
- Center the CD around the bit, mark a spot where the guide pin will go, and drill a 1/16 inch hole there.
- Screw the board to the workbench, drive a brad partway into the midpoint, and cut off the head to make the pin.
- Set the straight bit depth to about half the board's width, line the router's hole up with the pin, drop the router onto the pin while running, and rotate it to cut the circle.
- Remove the pin and clear the center by hand to make the coaster recess.
- Round the outside edge with a 1/4 inch roundover bit in a router table, then sand smooth.
- Make the faceplate by using an existing one as a template, matching grain direction, and drilling wall-mount holes; enlarge the center hole for the switch shaft (the speaker used a quarter-inch shaft on a round dimmer).
- Finish the faceplate with Danish oil, polyurethane, or paint.
- The video's example uses a quarter-inch shaft round dimmer switch; the CD's pre-existing center hole fits any switch size.
- The project is a practical example of upcycling discs; the speaker invites others to suggest other CD uses in the comments or by email.
Bottom Line
Old CDs can be turned into a durable, decorative switch plate insert using a router jig and recessed pocket, a project that is achievable even with minimal woodworking.
