DON'T BE AFRAID TO BUILD YOUR OWN TV STAND!

October - 2006 Update

This thread was started on November 15, 2004 so we're closing in on two years of active participation. When I started it, I hoped a few guys would chime in and we might have the opportunity to share ideas, designs, and techniques. We've had well over 75,000 views of the thread with nearly 800 individual posts. Lord knows how many pictures are in this thread... and THAT... should be an inspiration to all the people who are even remotely interested in attempting to design and build their vision of the perfect TV stand. Come and look at the results. Find out how easy it really is to build something as good as... if not better, than anything available at retail.

It was suggested that I edit this first post and do whatever I could to get everyone to explore their options. Perhaps down the road we can even organize this into some distinct categories that will make it easier to find specific information on hot topics like construction techniques, finish, materials, design, finished stands, and a few other categories.

But the bottom line is that there is a wealth of information in this thread, and if you just take some time and poke around you will find tons of ideas and loads of inspiration.

DON'T BE AFRAID TO LOOK... IT DOESN'T COST ANYTHING!




It seems that we have a couple of different factions here with regard to form factor, but there are two primary groups... those that find a metal-open stand attractive, and those that prefer a wood-closed stand. I thought that since there seems to be a fair number of folks who are interested in possibly _building_ a custom stand, it might be time for a new thread dealing with BYO wood stands.

For those who are curious, I'm going to try and post some images of what I'm building. Before I do, here's my basic design parameters:

1. Must be wide enough and strong enough to carry my Mits 62725, so my general dimensions are 60" wide, 20" deep, and roughly 21" high. We find it more comfortable to view higher than with our chins in our chests :).

2. I want three (3) main "compartments" for my components, center channel, and storage (remotes, manuals, etc.).

3. My side compartments will have adjustable shelves and flush tempered glass doors. Each compartment is about 18½" wide and 16½" high.

4. My center compartment will be about 19½" wide, and have a shallow, flush drawer. The center compartment has a false back that allows a ¾" X 9" channel for wires to crossover without a visible rats nest. There's enough room between drawer and speaker to add a spare shelf down the road if needed.

5. The stand will be mounted on dual-wheel casters so as to allow easy roll-away from the wall to mess with wires. I might use eight (8) casters and while I'm on carpet... Shepard does make urethane treaded casters that would be easy to push on any surface without scratching it.

6. I'm probably going to use my router to make an inset groove on the back edge that would allow me to put ¼" pegboard behind the components with a pop-off speaker mount type deal. If I need ventilation, I can always use a small boxer fan, but these components have worked in a box before.

7. I'm using a combination of the Slamander Triple-20 and a few other wooden cabinets I've seen as my guideline, but this unit is basically a big, strong box that would easily support 400 pounds if not more. Finish wise... I'm using birch plywood and will stain it cherry, then finish it with a satin polyurethane.

Bottom Line: I know that while my material costs will be under $500, If I had to charge for my labor... I probably would be well over the cost of the Salamander... but then I'm not that nuts about the Synergy anyway. I don't like the fact that exposed bolt heads are showing on the top of the cherry wood over each column. But I'm determined to do this, and I'm sure others might get inspired if they have some ability and access to tools.

So feel free to jump and get some sawdust on your knees as we build this monster and others. BTW, I'd be happy to offer whatever expertise I can on your project, so if you have questions... shoot!


Iron Horse

I don't want to step on you toes, but don't know what you experience is. I am a carpenter and make furniture too. If you any advice or help, I would be happy to offer. I made my current cabinet to hold an older 35 Mits tube. It has held the tv for 8 years and on occasion held me along with it, when the need has arisen, to decorate for the holidays, etc.

Pablopsd...

Hey, I'm always open for help, and likewise, I'll offer my help to anyone willing to listen. I grew up in a construction family, both my father and uncle were custom builder and (kitchen) cabinet makers. While going to college I apprenticed summers as a carpenter, and of course... worked on numerous jobs with my father before I choose a career in marketing and design. My woodworking experience of late is limited to hobbyist and homeowner who will design and build a deck, remodel basements, hang doors, do some light plumbing and wiring... but this TV stand is something I'm trying to _finish_ as best as I can with my limited finishing skills.

I'm going to post a couple of pix I took last night. Pix #1 is the front 3/4 view which shows my three compartments, the outer ones have been template drilled for adjustable shelves... and the middle one has no holes but I shimmed up a drawer front to show where the drawer goes. Full extension ball-bearing tracks.

My biggest worry at this point is finishing the edges of the plywood. I bought some iron-on birch "tape" veneer, but I don't know how well this stuff finishes. Ideally, I'd like to use a 3/4" X 1/8" piece of solid birch (or poplar) and use conventional glue (and maybe the nail gun with 3/4" brads) to at least do the two horizontal edges (front/sides-top/bottom). If I had a thickness planer I could make the strips... because I don't want to use pine. But if you have any thoughts on the edging... let me know.

Mike

ironhorse- looking good. It would be very helpful if you took a lot of step by step photos. Also, tell us how you did the holes for the shelves, I tried tape around a bit and it wasn't very successful. As for finishing the plywood, my deal is it would have to be a darker color/stain or black. How would i deal with that? I doubt I could match veneer, maybe use trim moulding (that thin 1/2" wide trim stuff) just to cover the edges.

I like the over all design tho. My only criticism/concern is having the center channel so low. I think I'd prefer the draw at the bottom with the center channel up top. Don;t want the coffee table blocking the sound, or just simply having the vocals aimed at my knees. The other option is to mount it on a shelf above the TV I guess.

Keep it coming guys and Pablopsd please chime in, maybe show you cabinet as well.

Kid Red...

Thanks for the feedback and compliments... I'm trying!!!

Anyway, the room is 21 feet deep by 14-4 wide. The coffee table is about 12 feet from the front of the TV. My Bose front speakers are those two little cubes and they are mounted to the ceiling. Rear speakers are Bose as well and so is the Sub.

I use a store-bought template to do the shelf holes. You can get it at Rockler or Woodcraft (check their online stuff). It sells for around $30 and comes with a 1/4" centerpoint drill mounted in a spring-loaded carrier that fits the template holes. It's pretty easy to use. Rockler is a great resource for all sorts of stuff you might use in building a TV stand.

I'm attaching Pix #2 to this note which shows the rear 3/4 view which is sort of unremarkable except that I did allow for the wire pass-thru and also recessed the center so that I could mount a low-profile clean power strip.

Think of the stand as a simple "box" and its pretty easy to build. One sheet of 3/4" birch plywood provided enough material to make 2- 60" X 20" pieces (top & bottom), as well as 4-16" X 20" bulkheads. A good table saw, a 24" steel square, and a few other tools are all that's needed to build the basic unit... which looks sort of like an extrusion. C-Clamps & Pipe clamps are also a big help and I have tons of those.

Feel free to ask any questions... I'll post some other pix to keep you happy :) !


Mike


Iron Horse

This thread could not have come at a better time. It sounds like you guys have more experience than I. I have next week off from work. Project: build a TV stand.

Since I have my TV in a corner, I could not find a pre-made stand that would work. The plan view of the stand will be a trapezoid. I also want to have a shelf above the TV to get components out of the kids’ reach. My big dilemma is how to hold up this upper shelf. My current thinking it two 2x4s (I would like to use something smaller, but don’t know if it will be strong enough) behind the lip on the screen and another two bind the very back to the TV, reinforcing these with metal brackets.

ironhorse, yes more pics! Of all the angles. Thanks for the equipment break down, I have a pretty good selection of tools and have build simple shelves before. The drawer would be my only concern (getting it level)

the_bear- I wouldn't use 2x4s for the CC shelf as they are pretty rustic. There are plenty of options. The easiest would be shelf 'L' brackets. They mount to the wall and under your shelf so it would float above the TV on the wall. You can just use a shelf, or make one capping it off with a 1x2 border edge to make the shelf look thicker (which is what i will probably do). The other are those shelves that mount to the wall without the L brackets and show no hardware. Lowes has them. They are not very deep however and would not fit my rather large center channel. Then I would just make a decent table box for your TV.

Bear...

Here's how I'd attack the corner shelf.

i think you've inspired me. I would like to build something like this and put some casters on the bottom. I never thought of putting the center channel under the tv. I like that idea. I have a spot for all my components, but extra DVD storage would be great.

Something like your cabinet, that's 55" wide, on wheels, can hold a center speaker, and a bunch of DVD's..

Red...

Here's another pix that shows the bottom 3/4 view. I put a 1 X 2 kick panel (poplar) under the basic cabinet and reinforced it with gussets. I did this because I know that I might pull it forward from the bottom when dragging it away from the wall. Another tool that is sooooo handy is the compressor and nail gun.

BTW, you can order ready-made drawers from Rockler built to size... and you can also order hardwood drawer fronts and the corresponding slide hardware. Once you have all that... it' just a simple matter of making sure you mount the slides pretty close to level (side to side) and then you can use the slotted mounts to make the tweaks.

I'm making my own drawer, so I'll post pix as I go along. I'm doing this at night between the raindrops, so don't expect it to be finished this week! :)

I'm thinking I might need 8 dual-wheel casters, partly because of the weight, partly because of the aesthetics. I'm going to use plate mounted casters, and I could try mounting them to the bottom and seeing how far it sinks into the carpet... and if need be, I could add a 3/4" plywood pad between the caster plate and the bottom to lift the cabinet higher.

Great response guys... I knew this thread would be fun... and helpful.

Mike

ironhorse- nice kickplate, I'm sure that will look sweet when finished. I'll have to check out that Rockler pre-made drawers. I know I can make a drawer and I know I can by the hardware from Home Depot, just doing it perfectly and have the drawer slide smoothly seems intimidating. Getting the slides on the cabinet level with vertical spacing for the drawer would be the hard part. How are you going to handle the glass doors? And believe me, I wish I had a compressor and nail gun :) I know Home Depot has a mini compressor for $100 that supposedly handles a nail gun and it's on my wish list.

Ironhorse,

In my research of tv stands, and subsequently not finding exactly what I wanted, I decided to take on this task my self also. But while you are doing this on your own, I have little to no wood working skils. So a friend of mine agreed to help me out and I am actually picking up the wood tonight after work so he can get started.

Definately going the 3/4 inch oak plywood route, but I never thought about the pegboard for the back. I was just going to do 1/4 inch plywood there also, but your idea makes much more sense. I am going to look into that this evening.

Attached is an idea of what the cabinet is going to look like. I had to make the center section wider because of the large Klipsch center channel, but it will fit very well in my space.

The Crane

http://staffordsautoparts.com/images/tvstand.gif

Originally posted by IronHorse

I'm attaching Pix #2 to this note which shows the rear 3/4 view which is sort of unremarkable except that I did allow for the wire pass-thru and also recessed the center so that I could mount a low-profile clean power strip.

Think of the stand as a simple "box" and its pretty easy to build. One sheet of 3/4" birch plywood provided enough material to make 2- 60" X 20" pieces (top & bottom), as well as 4-16" X 20" bulkheads. A good table saw, a 24" steel square, and a few other tools are all that's needed to build the basic unit... which looks sort of like an extrusion. C-Clamps & Pipe clamps are also a big help and I have tons of those.

Feel free to ask any questions... I'll post some other pix to keep you happy :) !


Mike


Iron Horse

Iron Horse

Nice job on your stand.

It appears you butt-jointed the box (with nails and glue?). Did you reinforce the joints with biscuits? If not, are you worried about the lateral strength; i.e., are you worried about the stand racking if you push it from the side, especially on carpet?

John

Originally posted by IronHorse
Bear...

Here's how I'd attack the corner shelf.

I do like the look of a separate shelf. My big fear with this approach, is that it would be difficult to pull the TV out far enough to get behind it with only 6’ cords going from the TV to other equipment. On the plus side, the larger shelf would give enough extra room for my laptop. It would also allow curtains to be hung from the shelf. The curtains could be partially closed for 4x3 viewing movie theater style. My original plan was to have the top shelf smaller than the TV, so the supports would be hidden and give me the ability to move the TV farther back.

Originally posted by falsedawn
Iron Horse

Nice job on your stand.

It appears you butt-jointed the box (with nails and glue?). Did you reinforce the joints with biscuits? If not, are you worried about the lateral strength; i.e., are you worried about the stand racking if you push it from the side, especially on carpet?

John

One way to add support would would to add a flat L bracket to the back corners.

Any wood experts around here? If I made this cabinet is plywood and edged with another trim, what wood would I need to use to get it to match if I were to stain it? I don't know if my choice are limited to pine and maybe poplar. If so, will pine match plywood if both are stained the same color?

John...

Nope, I didn't use biscuits although I do have a DeWalt biscuit joiner. What I did is butt-join it, using glue and 2" screws plus 1/4" dowels. The center "back" which is inset, is fully gussetted, glued and nailed, so there's no chance of racking... I think. Hehehehehehe he says as he scratches his head. I forget why I didn't use the joiner.

Red...

Here's a sketch of one side which kind of shows how the doors mount. Rockler has 1/4" slot hinges that will hold frameless glass doors. Use them top and bottom, and then use the combination of the metal strike plate which slides over the 1/4" glass along with the spring-loaded magnetic door latch. Like any old stereo cabinet, you simply push and release and the door pops open a few inches to allow you to grab it. To close you simply push until you hear a click and it self-aligns.

With regard to the wood finish... I'm using birch plywood which is available at Home Depot. They also sell the birch edge tape that you apply with an iron. Don't use Fir plywood because the wood will look cheesey almost no matter what you do to it unless you laminate it with formica. Another approach is to use coated MDF or flakeboard. They have 3/4" white (and tape), but you can special order black coated 3/4.

Crane...

You might want to check out Rockler's catalog online as they have some nice metal legs with glider bottoms if that's your intention. OTH, with that width... maybe you want casters?

Mike

ironhorse- I must ask, what's a gusset? And can you show how you used them? Also, how did you line the dowel holes to make sure they aligned correctly? I can never get a perfect hole drilled that match the secondary hole.

Ironhorse,

thanks for the heads up on the catalog, I am going to check it out now.

Also if you need any dowel's, wood screws, or biscuits, etc. I can hook you up...even on pre-glued stuff which is so damn easy to use. I am the IT manager for the largest manufacturer/distributor of wood products in the world, so I can either send you samples if you just need a few, or get you items at a discount.

If I can help you out with anything, let me know.

www.exceldowel.com

Originally posted by IronHorse
Pablopsd...

My biggest worry at this point is finishing the edges of the plywood. I bought some iron-on birch "tape" veneer, but I don't know how well this stuff finishes. Ideally, I'd like to use a 3/4" X 1/8" piece of solid birch (or poplar) and use conventional glue (and maybe the nail gun with 3/4" brads) to at least do the two horizontal edges (front/sides-top/bottom). If I had a thickness planer I could make the strips... because I don't want to use pine. But if you have any thoughts on the edging... let me know.

Mike

I built a very similar project using birch plywood. Mine has 6 casters underneath, and a single compartment for a very large center channel speaker. Like you I used an inset back to prevent any possibility of racking.

Things that I found were that staining birch is a pain because it adsorbs stain very unevenly. I ended up using a gel stain to control this. I used Tung oil for the final finish and it came out very nice.

I used the iron on strips and found no problem with them taking finish. I'd suggest that you experiment on scrap pieces so you can see what it looks like for yourself. I'm glad I did this because it allowed me to get the color I wanted etc. before finishing the real piece.

Great thread! I need (but cannot find) an enclosed stand that is low (16" max). However, instead of building one from scratch, I am thinking of taking an existing open glass stand and adding acrylic sheet doors and sides to it. Basically, I am looking to add some childproofing. Is this something that people can provide pointers on? Thanks.

I think that more people are heading the "do it yourself" or with a friend route. I'm sick of looking at the TV stand thread, I'm wondering if manufacturers will get it together, but then again i'm sure we're all in the minority with our custom home theaters and what not.

Keep the pics coming IronHorse... Good luck

I've built several TV stands and various pieces of A/V furniture and I'm in the process of building a new set for our new casa. It'll be 3 modular pieces...a low TV stand, a media cabinet, and an equipment rack. Trying to find furniture out there that's worth a crap is difficult, and once you find something that's well-built and looks nice it costs a fortune. I'm using solid cherry and lacewood and building what would certainly sell for $2-3k for about $600. I'd be glad to give assistance or pointers to any other DIY'ers out there hoping to save a few bucks and build their own.

I've attached a final drawing of the media cabinet which will hold about 1000 cd's and 120 DVD's/XBox games.

Jason

Gaajar...

You might want to look closely at the IKEA low-profile unit. I haven't seen it in person, but it's low, it's wood, and it's cheap (relatively). IKEA has several units with and without doors.

http://www.ikea-usa.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?catalogId=10101&storeId=12&categoryId=10174&langId=-1&parentCats=10104*10174&cattype=sub

I hope I'm not sounding like a pitch man for Rockler, but you could order satin aluminum anodized door frames and you might have what you want. Check this out:

http://www.rockler.com/ecom7/product_details.cfm?&offerings_id=11050&objectgroup_id=445&catid=81&filter=aluminum%20doors

Since the doors are in frames you might be able to use just plain smoked glass as opposed to tempered, or you could go with 1/4" smoked lexan. I would've bought these doors if they came in black. :(

Jason...

Nice drawing. Are those handles or are you inlaying veneers?


Iron Horse

Originally posted by IronHorse
Bear...

Here's how I'd attack the corner shelf.

Another option I have been considering, since I saw your example, would be to simply make three selves built into the corner with no stand at all. I wonder if the anchor strips would be enough to support the TV itself, 130 lbs., or would I need additional support? My walls are stucco.

IronHorse,

Thanks a lot for the rockler idea. It is definitely very interesting. I looked at IKEA Oppli and this looked wide enough to hold all my components, but it doesn't have doors. Might be a good starting point though if nothing else works out. Where might I find 1/4" smoked lexan? I was thinking of using some kind of clip to attach (not permanently) the lexan/acrylic sheets (without frames) to the glass shelves of an open stand. Would you know what hardware might be appropriate for this purpose? Also, what type of hinges are appropriate for unframed acrylic/lexan?

Has anybody considered using prefab cabinets for a stand? I was thinking that something like a half cabinet would work perfectly. I remember reading about some options for entertainment walls/built-ins from some cabinet manufacturers. It provides a custom solution with a fraction of the work.

The newbie thanks all for ideas and help.

IronHorse, great thread. I can barely screw in a light bulb by myself so I appreciate folks that can build their own stuff. I also like the thread because it has a positive feel to it. Can't wait to see the finished products.

Originally posted by IronHorse
John...

Nope, I didn't use biscuits although I do have a DeWalt biscuit joiner. What I did is butt-join it, using glue and 2" screws plus 1/4" dowels. The center "back" which is inset, is fully gussetted, glued and nailed, so there's no chance of racking... I think.

Sounds like the combo of screws, dowels and inset back should do the job.

John

Red...

I'm attaching a pix of what I call "gussetts" which some furniture makers will call corner or glue blocks or whatever. When I apprenticed I worked at a custom stair builder that built conventional and elaborate spiral wood staircases and we used glue blocks behind stair risers where they meet the treads. Believe it or not, we only glued them in... did not have nail guns back then :)!

Dowel pilot holes are pre-drilled in bottom on centerline when cabinet is clamped together, then you remove, insert dowels, glue sections, match them, and screw while clamped. Make a simple depth collar jig out of a piece of wood so you only drill the required depth.

Originally posted by Kid Red
ironhorse- I must ask, what's a gusset? And can you show how you used them? Also, how did you line the dowel holes to make sure they aligned correctly? I can never get a perfect hole drilled that match the secondary hole.

Iron Horse

ironhorse- Ah, so gussets are just braces. As for the dowel drilling, you mean you drill completely thru one piece to make both holes? When doing a butt joint, I can never get it perfectly centered matching on both pieces, so I just avoid that process and stick to screws mostly. Is there an advantage to screws vs nails? Or are nails just better for plywood then screws?

Originally posted by Kid Red
ironhorse- Ah, so gussets are just braces. As for the dowel drilling, you mean you drill completely thru one piece to make both holes? When doing a butt joint, I can never get it perfectly centered matching on both pieces, so I just avoid that process and stick to screws mostly. Is there an advantage to screws vs nails? Or are nails just better for plywood then screws?

Pardon me, Iron Horse, for jumping in here.

You can drill completely through where the end of the dowel is not a cosmetic problem. You can also use dowel centers:
http://www.rockler.com/ecom7/product_details.cfm?&offerings_id=2509&objectgroup_id=319&catid=47&filter=dowel%20centers (http://http://www.rockler.com/ecom7/product_details.cfm?&offerings_id=2509&objectgroup_id=319&catid=47&filter=dowel%20centers)
You drill the dowel hole in one side, insert a dowel center, align the two pieces of plywood and the point on the dowel center makes a divot. You can then drill the second hole.

Screws are much preferred when fastening into the end grain of plywood. Nails are not as strong in that application.

John

Ironhorse,
nice job! cant wait to see when you put the finish on it. I think hand staining it will make it look much better.

anyone knows a entertainment center plan for a rptv like a bridge and 2 media centers on each side. thanks.

John- The link didn't work but I think I have what you mentioned. It's a cylinder with a pointed cone top? I think I tired that one time and the spacing made it hard to line up because the two pieces of wood are like 1/2 inch apart and I couldn't guarantee perfect alignment or something. As for screws, is there a preferred screw for plywood? And do you know what edge molding would match best with plywood when it's stained?

I'm attaching a sketch showing a quick, down and dirty way to make a dowel drilling guide out of scrap wood. Just a couple of pieces of 3/4" plywood glued together does the trick. To make sure the hole/guide is straight, I recommend using a drill press to make that hole. Assuming you can clamp your cabinet together, the bottoms can be pre-drilled for dowels, and then when you take it apart, you can pre-drill the bottom for screws as well. Smear the glue on the joint, also on the dowels, and then put it back together. Use a hacksaw or coping saw to cut off the excess dowel stump.

Iron Horse

My Goodness!! I am gone for a day and have to go 2 pages for all the posts! Seems like everyone is into things. Cool!
1. I have used edge banding for speakers and just recently for a built in entertainment center around a rear projection unit. It will work ok and should stain fine. Be careful trimming it as it is wider than 3/4". Also don't burn it. :D It can be sanded. I prefer a wider solid frame biscuited to the structure for more strength. I overbuild. Bad habit.
2. The plywood back should stop racking, even on carpeting. I set mine into the cabinet 1/4" and glued and stapled with narrow crown staples.

I will post some pictures of my unit if I can figure it out. Keep in mind it was built for the old tv, so integration of the design with new tv is not great. I am sure I am missing something that I read in all the post to respond to. Tomorrow I will take notes!
Keep in mind if you have any carpentry background, this project should reach 100% completion, just close to it! :cool:

Since I have several requests to keep posting progress, I thought I'd give you a look at tonite's effort... building the center drawer.

A drawer is basically another kind of box. I made up a composite shot that shows a few different steps. In a nutshelll, once you rip the sides, you then cut the slot by sampling your required depth/thickness. I used my router to put a rounded crown on the top edges of the drawer sides, back, and front. You always cut the drawer bottom a little undersize so it can wiggle around for alignment and also for humidity. Then you square it up and clamp one end while you glue and nail the other end. Once glued, you put the clamp on the glued side and glue/nail the opposite side. Then... you quickly get the pipe clamps on and check with a steel square to make sure you don't have a trapezoid.

The finished drawer is about 1½" shallower than the center well, and that will allow me to stain/finish a nice piece of wood for the drawer front, and align it perfectly with the width of the center well. The drawer box gets clear-coated birch, and it'll be a nice contrast to the darker cherry on the front. I'm thinking I might use a tubular stainless handle.

I'll keep posting this stuff and hope forum members don't mind. I just wanted to show that you don't have to be a professional cabinet maker to make something useful, functional, and hopefully... attractive. I'm having a blast with the project, but I hope people aren't going to gripe that this is an AVS Forum and not wood shop 101 :)!

Iron Horse

For those that want to dowel... here's a simple tool that will let you align fairly well. Just make sure the two pieces of wood don't move!

Ironhorse,
Looks like you are making great progress. If people gripe about the post, they don't have to read it! Keep it up.

Paul

Here is a question for you guys. My stand is being built as we speak (image on first page of the thread), but I need to figure something out for cooling.

I was thinking about mounting a thin fan behind each component to pull the air out of the cabinet. I would need 5 fans, and would want to run them in line so I could just plug one into the receiver so when it powers up, the fans turn on.

Do you guys have any suggestions on fans that would work for this purpose, and can be wired in line to all work together?

Crane...

You might consider doing what I was contemplating... using ordinary pegboard for the back panel behind the components. A good deal of heat will escape from the peforations. If there's a real problem... you could use a solid masonite back with a full width 1" slot open near the bottom. Then cut out a hole and mount a boxer fan up near the top. That way cool air is drawn in from outside down low, and you get the forced chimney effect of power convection.

As an aside, I've been using a Kenwood enclosed wood/glass stereo cabinet for all my components for years. The back is partially closed off, but open behind the Yamaha A/V receiver. I never had a problem with heat.

Iron Horse

Ironhorse,

I thought about the peg board, but my wife didn't like the way it would look in the back of the cabinet, so we went with 1/4 oak plywood. I was just thinking fans would be easy.

Originally posted by IronHorse
I'm attaching a sketch showing a quick, down and dirty way to make a dowel drilling guide out of scrap wood. Just a couple of pieces of 3/4" plywood glued together does the trick. To make sure the hole/guide is straight, I recommend using a drill press to make that hole. Assuming you can clamp your cabinet together, the bottoms can be pre-drilled for dowels, and then when you take it apart, you can pre-drill the bottom for screws as well. Smear the glue on the joint, also on the dowels, and then put it back together. Use a hacksaw or coping saw to cut off the excess dowel stump.

Iron Horse

Ah, so you drill thru both pieces and insert the dowel. I always tried to do it like the pre-made stuff. Cut a short 2" dowel, and drill a 1" hole into piece one and into piece two. Getting those 2 holes to line up was hard. Never thought about drill one hole straight thru. Would that be better then simply using a screw instead of the dowel?

Just saw the dowel clamp post-can I get that at Home Depot? Looks cool. The one thing I don't have is a router.

SWMBO Rules!

It's funny that you guys started this thread - I just yesterday started my own little cabinet. I get really sick of all those open air stands and my wife hates them! I figure if she's kind enough to let me get whatever big screen I want, then I can put in some labor and time and come up with a decent piece of furniture. I don't understand what people are doing with these table top tv's and center channel speakers. I know some folks are building shelves above their tv's but I really don't think I would like this. I want to have my cake and eat it to - I want a large capable center channel and enough room for all my components. Even the salamander triples wouldn't house all my stuff. And believe me, I'm not about to buy bose just for the size :0


Anyway, I'll try to post some pics by tonight so you guys can let me know what you think. Unfortunately, due to some time constraints I won't be able to get as detailed as I would like with this project, but I'm confident I can come up with something better than majority of what's out there. Nice thread, btw, I get kind of tired of the "which tv is better?" topics and this is a very constructive way to share ideas.

Looks like you have a great start, btw, Ironhorse - and some mad skills!

Spiff69,

If you look back at the first page I have the dimensions of my cabinet. I have a 23 inch wide, 8 inch tall Klipsch center channel that weighs about 20 pounds. I am having the cabinet built wide enough in the center section to put the center channel down below. I have played with it a little bit and it sounds about the same.

Cool - I saw that. My design is very similar. I have a Paradigm Studio CC about the size of your Klipsch and that's definitely one of my biggest priorities. I was a little concerned about sound quality, but my speaker has a very wide dispersion and I think I'll miss my coffee table pretty well. I'll not be going with doors like yours, but I am looking forward to seeing how it turns out for you.

Spiff69...

Just like you, I couldn't figure out what the attractiveness is to the open stands, but hey... whatever floats the boat. The wife was totally against even a floor sample (open style) that was $100 cash & carry. She wants a closed cabinet and so do I and she didn't really like the Salamander T20, but told me to buy it if I liked it. I decided that I'd plug the tablesaw in, and get to work. No, it won't be Henredon or even Thomasville quality, but it'll look good and be 100% functional because I've designed it around my components and it'd be flexible enogh to adapt to new/additional components.

My center channel is an Infinity, and it's around 19" wide, so I wound up making my cabinet design 60" long, or a couple of inches wider than my Mits 62725. So the center compartment is dedicated to the center channel, and above it, I'm putting a 5" drawer that is almost 20" wide. Great place for remotes, manuals, maybe some other junk. Not 100% mounted yet, but here's a picture. BTW, there's enough space between the top of the speaker and the bottom of the drawer to add a Comcast STB or something else since I can get three components on the right, and two in the left compartment.

Iron Horse

ironhorse- it's rocking along, looks good. How are you going to deal with the edges? ie- the draw edges where you can see the sandwiched wood layers? That's the one thing I hate about plywood-dealing with the edges.

Spiff69-I have a paradigm Studio set up as well. I, however, have my coffee table not 3 feet from my setup (currently CRT tube with CC on top of the set). I just want to follow the rules that says the CC should be inline level with the side fronts. So, I would either have my CC at the top on the cabinet, or wall mounted above the TV. Seeing how well ironhorse's unit is turning out, I may do mine myself. Of course, that won't be until I get whatever set I end up getting whenever that is :) I just hope I have enough width for the CC and components on both sides, if not, I won't do it in 3rds. So I can't even design mine yet, until I get a new TV and know the widths.

The easiest and probably best way to handle exposed plywood edges is to use edge banding. You can also laminate a thin layer of hardwood to the edge. Rockler carries banding supplies for this purpose.

I just saw this thread for the first time today and just skimmed through it to see what was going on. I like that IronHorse is posting photos as he progresses with the project. It's kind of like our own version of the New Yankee Home Theater!

I built a home entertainment center a while back that I just might have to post some pictures of so you guys can see what kind of project is possible. I built it with the intention of using it with a RPTV and eventually did get a 50" Mitsubishi that worked quite nicely with it. I used to have more A/V gear than the average Circuit City showroom so I built it with lots of equipment shelves. My primary audio playback source at the time was vinyl LPs so I also had lots of space for record albums. I had a multitude of VCRs, laserdisc players, and just about any other analog or digital recording or playback device available at the time.

I recently dismantled the setup (it was built to be modular) as I went with a new Hitachi 60VS810 LCD RPTV that would not fit between the main cabinets. I have also greatly reduced the number of A/V components in my system to just a handful of DirecTivos, HDTivos, A/V preamp/processor, and DVD player so I no longer need the vast storage capacity of the system. I won't be able to post any photos of the cabinets when they were fully set up as I lost all of my digital photos recently when my PC hard drive went belly up. I'm still using the main cabinets to house my LPs, CDs, and old videotapes as well as storage for extra A/V components no longer in use or just waiting for a good home.

captain-video- The banding, how does that handle stain or paint? That's my concern is the edges, I would think about using the really thin trim molding to cap the edges, but that might not stain the same color as the plywood.

As for pics, yes please!

Red...

As you know, I'm also trying to decide how to do the edges. On one hand, I bought some birch banding as a edge cutter so I can try it out on some scraps. But then one of my contractor friends just bought a thickness planer but hasn't had time to get it out of the box and set it up. He offered to lend it to me so I can do the setup and of course make some 1/8" (?) or maybe 1/4" maple strips. Of course, I could simply rip some 3/4" maple or poplar on the tablesaw and then plane/sand.

I think the part about the tape stuff is that I'm worried that it won't sit totally flush and maybe buckle... and also maybe not take the stain or finish that well.

With regard to finish, I've never used tung oil or wipe on polyurethane. Anyone here want to chime in on the pros and cons of these methods?

Iron Horse

Ironhorse,
When I first started building furniture, I would a different type of finish. I have used Formby's Tung oil, which is hand rubbed, a variety of waterbased polys along with some other hand rubbed stuff, some of which isn't in production anymore. My entertainment center and coffee table finish is Parks Superpoly, a waterbased finish. Not hand rubbed. Use a quality brush, NOT a foam brush with the waterbase stuff. They inject air bubbles into the finish. They have held up very well. 7 years or so. Now it is exposed to little hands for the last year. Still doing well.
A chest made for my wife as a gift 14+ years ago was hand rubbed tung oil. Very nice to apply. No brush strokes and stuff. Haven't touched it in 14 years except to dust or vacuum.
The other hand rubbed stuff I have used worked just as well.
I went to the waterbased poly stuff because I could 3 coat it in 1.5 hours or so. DONE! They also self level when you apply them. Not as many brush strokes. I have also sprayed waterbase with a HVLP sprayer. That worked well too.
Sorry for the rambling

Originally posted by Pablopsd
Use a quality brush, NOT a foam brush with the waterbase stuff. They inject air bubbles into the finish.

Damn it, now ya tell me :) Was wondering why I kept getting bubbles, thought it was the method. I used a smooth roller as well, then quickly went back over with a brush. Thing is, in about 2-3 minutes, it would get tacky and show my strokes. That's why I used the roller, to get more on faster, but still have streaking issues.

Paul...

Thanks for that insght on finishes. Doesn't that water based poly raise the grain a bit? You gotta'post some pix!

A few years ago I built a teak cabinet for a boat and a boatbuilder recommended DEFT, and I tried it. It's pretty neat, but I wasn't sure I'd use it on this project. Its simply brushable lacquer. I've seen some tung oil samples over at the local Woodcraft store, and I'm amazed... but I don't know what's involved in getting wood to that level of finish. Here's the DEFT web site.

http://www.deftfinishes.com/wood/clear.htm

Tonight I spent some time installing four temporary 2" plate mount casters and also set the drawer. Sat on it and no creaks :) but I'm only about 185#. Sooner or later I will bring it upstairs to put the set on it. Want to do that so that if I have to go to a 3" wheel or space the current wheels with pads... I can do it before finishing. Right now the height is about 20½" so I'm on target. I'm just thinking I might want to see it a little higher off the ground. At least I can roll it in and out of the shop area now.

What's up guys? Well, here's a few pics:

I used the banding on the sides - I'll let you know how it takes a finish. The rods in front or for the adjustable shelving clips. I'll paint them black and you'll never see them.

http://gallery.avsforum.com/showphoto.php?photo=11088&sort=1&cat=500&page=1

One from the other side. Used the oak 3/4" ply and faced it with 1x2

http://gallery.avsforum.com/showphoto.php?photo=11089&sort=1&size=medium&cat=500&page=1

I made a lip on the back side to help with cable management. I also shortened the shelf depth behind the middle section to allow room to place my surge protectors. I have yet to cut the holes, but I'll soon take the hole saw and go to town.

http://gallery.avsforum.com/showphoto.php?photo=11090&sort=1&size=medium&cat=500&page=1

Here's my old stand. . . Took me a long time and I didn't quite have all the right tools. but I think it served its purpose.

http://gallery.avsforum.com/showphoto.php?photo=11092&sort=1&size=medium&cat=500&page=1

I've had to kind of hurry on this project but I've had a lot of fun. Gotta do some more sanding and cut my holes and then I'll put a finish on it . . . can't wait!

Spiff69...

Looks GREAT! Looking forward to hearing about your experiences with the banding material. So how big a set are you putting on it?

Nice to see some other construction pix other than mine. But it is funny how we all seem to like that wooden tri-compartment approach, huh? It's so logical and practical... and it's pretty structurally sound too.

Give us the details on the finishing.

Iron Horse

Yeah, I love the triple design. There's really not anything else that will allow you to center your center:)

I'll house my ps2 and xbox side by side underneath the center channel. I plan to house about 5 components in the two ends.

I'm getting pretty excited. To answer your question, I'm getting a 55XS LCD RPTV within the next week. It's been a long time comin'. . .

I'm getting ready to build A stand for my soon to be new TV "Samsung 5674 "so I have one question. The TV is 49.9 inches wide so I'm going to make the stand 50" wide and the depth of the TV is 19.9". The question I have is what size should I make the depth would 25" be ok? Thank's for any input you all can give.

Chet

If you are putting components in it, the depth will be dictated by the components, not the the TV. my interior depth, before the face frame is 23". Everything was fine until I bought my new Sony DVD megachanger. That thing is even bigger than my AVR 5700. Don't be afraid to give enough. I never got around to making doors for the components, so it really isn't an issue. If I did, it might be a little tight.

Paul

Originally posted by captain_video
I just saw this thread for the first time today and just skimmed through it to see what was going on. I like that IronHorse is posting photos as he progresses with the project. It's kind of like our own version of the New Yankee Home Theater!

New Yankee Home Theater !!! <falling off my chair laughing>

This thread is great!! I just started drawing up plans for my own entertainment center, so I am definately going to subscribe to this thread.

I'll post updates as the project progresses.

Kudos to all of you who posted your projects!!

Chet...

Pablopsd is right about tailoring the cabinet to what is in it as well as what goes on it. Look at all your components and note the wiring as well as any knobs that protrude forward of the face plate. I didn't realize the Samy was that deep, so do whatever you have to. I personally don't like too deep a cabinet so I went with 20" because it works with my components and the Mits 62" is only 18" deep. But I'm contemplating a diagonal placement in a corner so the deeper I make the cabinet, the wider the area where it goes gets because I'm hoping to align the leading corners with other cabinets yet to be bought.

I think 25" is pretty deep. You might also want to think about the economy of using a sheet of plywood. For instance, if you went with a 48" X 24" cabinet, you would get that easy from one sheet and have plenty left over for sides and a center bulkhead. Cut the same sheet the other way and you can go 50" by 23½" and you get full yield from the sheet's width with plenty left over for bulkheads. My leftover piece is a nice, clean, roughly 7+" by 8' board with the grain running the same way as the top/nottom. I can use that board for my final drawer front.

So I guess the deal here is to think everything through because once you start cutting, you pretty much have to stay with that direction unless you start all over. BTW, Home Depot does sell "handy panels" which are 24" X 48" X 3/4" birch or MDF.

Originally posted by chad2323
I'm getting ready to build A stand for my soon to be new TV "Samsung 5674 "so I have one question. The TV is 49.9 inches wide so I'm going to make the stand 50" wide and the depth of the TV is 19.9". The question I have is what size should I make the depth would 25" be ok? Thank's for any input you all can give.

Chet


Good Luck with the project and don't forget that you have to post your progress here :)!


Iron Horse

Well I just measured all my components and the biggest depth was the receiver at about 16". So I guess 20" for the depth would be pretty good?Thank's so much for the help.

Chet

ironhorse- Looking good :)

In my never-ending search for information that might be useful to this thread and AVS members, I thought I'd post this link as a great source for super cool legs, casters, and drawer/door pulls.

http://www.coolknobsandpulls.com/cabinethardware.cfm?Category=18

Enjoy :)

Thanks for the link. If I wanted metal legs, I would just want the simple cylinder legs, but I've never known where to find those locally.

Just stack a few dozen milk crates, duct tape em together, voila. Tv stand.:D

Chad,
I really would think of going deeper if you can. Hate to build another next year if you get something that doesn't fit. I never thought I would get something that would be too deep for my cabinet, but that mega changer is HUGE! My Denon AVR 5700 is pretty massive too. I guesss you never know what the future holds.

Pablo

pablo is correct. if you're building a stand make sure you make room for future expansion. Several high end receivers are very deep and if you ever would consider seperates, many of them are 20" deep by themselves which means you need somewhere between 22-24 inches deep to handle plugs.

Hey Ironhorse and others,
I finally found some pictures of a project that I did. No it's not my house. A customer. We built the whole room and the built in stuff from scratch. I will look for the pictures of my own entertainment center.

Pablo

another view

Paul...

Wow. I'm really impressed. I'm going to keep these pix handy because my wife has been asking me for years to flank our living room fireplace with built-in bookshelves with storage cabinets underneath. Its a project for the future. My hongup has always been the blend of the big white mantel moldings into the bookshelfs...but I think what I'd do is sort of build a "column" to either side and work across from there. I like the transition of the cabinets to the raised panel wainscoting... that's really nice.

Well, I brought the rolling box upstairs from the shop yesterday and put the beast on it to see how it looked. The wife was very happy with the size... and the skirt return, although I thought it should be a little higher off the ground. I have to install the other four casters to make sure the weight distribution is OK. The berber carpet is brand new and hopefully 8 casters will not "sink" too far into the carpet. We also finally decided on what color to stain it. Now I just have to trim out the edges, make the shelves, rout out the recess in the back, and get it DONE :). But with a holiday week appoaching, little will get done this week.

For those wondering how the Mits 62 looks on the stand, I'm attaching another picture.

EDIT: BTW, note my milk crate stand directly behind the TV. :p


Iron Horse

Found a cool stand online I liked. Didn't like the price, so I built my own with $70 worth of wood, stain, paint, screws, and casters.

Here is what I used as a design.

toy- got a pic of the completed stand?

ironhorse- looking good. Is there going to be another front panel to the drawer?

Here is a stand my cousin helped me build last weekend in his shop for a Sony 55WF655 I had delivered this week. We used a similar design to IronHorse’s, but with no draw or doors, and we made a clear pine facing so you don’t see any of the plywood edges. We made a back for it, which I left behind by mistake, so when looking at the attached picture, pretend you don’t see any wires:)

-Bruce

I don't have step by step pictures, but here are a couple of pcitures that will give you a good idea of how we build the box. for the facing we used biscuits at the bottom and butt joints at the top. The cabinet sits on five wheels.

<note: I am not particularly good with cameras>

Picture 2

Here is one last picture with the Stand/TV flanked by two book cases purchased at Ikea.

The stand that is being built is almost identical to the Ikea Eksjo stand (if one discards the aluminum base). This is what I use for my hlp6163; fits perfectly. One can put casters on the bottom if you have carpet, but since mine is on a hardwood floor I use teflon slides (from any hardware store) on the bottom. I also put two wooden strips (front to back) beneath the two verticle partitions (to match the height of those on the left and right edges) to give it added strength. It has six component compartments, each 18" wide and high enough for any standard components. The overall width is 56.5", height 17.5", and depth 18.5"; coasters would make it higher. A nice oak veneer finish. I do not use the frosted glass doors; prefer open component compartments, but they do apparently transmit IR signals if one wishes to use them.

bruce- good job. How did you get the outside frame so thick? Did you trim it with 1"x2"s? I like that look of the thicker appearance to the wood.

How did you get the outside frame so thick? Did you trim it with 1"x2"s?

Used 6" x 3/4" clear pine boards and cut to a width of 1-1/2" for all but the bottom which is 3-3/4" We also use the clear pine to cover the front of each shelf.

I recently purchased a 50" DLP, and before I put it on my old stand I decided to put wheels under the stand. I found the perfect ones in the McMaster Carr catalog.
www.mcmaster.com
part number 9994T91 concealed mount rigid caster, each wheel holds 100 lbs, it comes with a lip that mounts under the side panels, the wheel sits 1'2" lower than the lip, and it disappears into the carpet.
At three bucks each, get as many as you need!

Bruce,
Looks real nice. You guys have got me going to build another cabinet for the new TV.
Ironhorse, I can send you some pictures of another room we did for the same job. In that room, the homeowner had a chimney which she wanted to dress up. We built the mantel and fireplace surround along with bookshelves and cabinets below. Won't post here, since not HT related! Don't want to upset anyone. Send me a PM with your email and I will forward if you would like.

Paul

PS Not trying to brag, but I built the room along with the wainscoat and everything you see in the room.

60" wide stand, much like IronHorses (http://www.chevelle-ss.com/Members_Pages/Mike_S_files/Temp/SLK_in_HD.JPG)

Mine is a (wimpy) 52" set, but the 62 would fit ever so sweetly.

Ironhorse. I figured me tossing in my setup couldn't hurt any. I contemplated building a stand, but I really didn't want another project to delay my already suffering Do It Yourself jobs. The stand cost $300 delivered, in a box though. It is press-wood, but very sturdy. I can do some close up pictures if it will assist your door building. Mine has some neat hinges that are spring loaded and allow easy adjusting of the door so it is even in the cabnet.

However, I am in the middle of building some speaker stands for my (wimpy) JBL front speakers. I knocked it out in one evening. I used some shelf brackets (the fancy kind), 4 each for the base, and some 1/2" square stock for the shafts. After some paint, they will look pretty good. and they are the exact hieght I want.


Question: Is it kosher for you to have the center channel so low, but have the side speakers so high?

BB_Mike...

My construction phase is over, so now it's a matter of trimming edges and finishing (stain/urethane). I'm stuck with my design for better or worse, but I'm confident that it'll get the job done and keep everyone happy.

As far as the CC speaker... I'm not that much of an audiophile that it becomes an issue (speaker placement). Convenience is far more important to me :)!

I tell ya'its been more fun starting this thread and seeing how many members are handy enough to tackle a TV stand... and... how nice they have come out. And the overall idea was to maybe inspire a few more.

Iron Horse

Question: Is it kosher for you to have the center channel so low, but have the side speakers so high?

No; nor is having the side speakers behind the center.

I ran the speaker wire inside the wall about 5 years ago whan I was thinking my next TV would be front projection. At that time I decided to put them in a position that would support just about anything.

-Bruce

Originally posted by BB_Mike

Question: Is it kosher for you to have the center channel so low, but have the side speakers so high?

Like noted above, not really. You typically want all of them in a line and all even (sideways) with the TV. Sound coming from up and down below would not blend seamlessly and ruin the surround experience.

You typically want all of them in a line and all even (sideways) with the TV

I read that for the front and center speakers you want them all the same distance from you. That would imply the surrounds should be up a little from the center. As for height, the surrounds should be at the height of your ears. The center can be a bit lower.

I've been looking at this forum for about 6 months now, and can't believe my first post is about BYO TV Stands. We bought a 50" GWIV in September and I couldn't stand the open stands they are selling. I think they look pretty good on display but after setting 5-6 components on them, they must look awful. I finally talked my wife into letting me build our stand, and for everyone contemplating doing one themselves, if I can do it, you can too. There's nothing you can do that a sander and a can of wood putty can't fix. I was reading some earlier posts about different casters people have used. I was going to use casters myself, but the ones I wanted were $10 each and I wanted 6. I had some of those magic slides I had bought a year ago and never used and decided to slap those on the bottom. My stand and tv together must go about 200lbs and it does move pretty easy along the carpet. Just a thought if anyone's looking for a cheaper and easier alternative.

Originally posted by bruce24
You typically want all of them in a line and all even (sideways) with the TV

I read that for the front and center speakers you want them all the same distance from you. That would imply the surrounds should be up a little from the center. As for height, the surrounds should be at the height of your ears. The center can be a bit lower.

Ideally, you want the 2 fronts and center at ear level. So putting a center on the bottom shelf of a TV sound isn't ear level, it's knee level. I have my surrounds up 7' on my back walls. And Dolby actually recommends this too. DIstance isn't as important as ear level. You can add gain to a speaker that's a foot further away to make it match, but you can't compensate for a center channel below ear level. I would think it's better to be above ear level because it can be angled downward onto the listener. Below ear level, it's very hard to not only overcome obstacles, but the listeners feet, couch, etc before it reaches the ears.

Here's from Dolby http://dolby.com/consumer/home_entertainment/roomlayout.html

Ideally, your front speakers, high-frequency drivers, or tweeters should be positioned at ear level (when you're seated). Our recommended height for the surrounds is above ear level, as soundtracks are likely to be optimized for that location.

OK, if the Audiophile Police put out an APB for a violator, it's me. I confess. :)

My Bose cubes are mounted to the ceiling in the front corner of the room, and of course they can be "aimed" (up/down & side to side) being on double swivel brackets. The bose rear speakers are on stands at ear level next to the outside wall (about 20' away) and behind the sofa. My "crime" will be putting the center channel under the TV, but I honestly think I'll be able to hear it from about 16' away. The sub will go anyplace I tell it to :) and that'll work just fine.

But seriously, life is a compromise and while the purist might scoff at my setup, I don't think I'm in the minority as far as having less than optimized placement of speakers, people, and TV... not to mention equipment. But in the simplest terms... my setup will be better than just listening to the Mits built-in speakers, or at least to my ears it will.

Iron Horse
Audiophile Scofflaw

p.s. hope you guys don't mind me having a little fun. :)

ironhorse- it's no big deal. End result is what you like or are limited to. I just chimed in for those who may not know the basic guidelines.

PS Not trying to brag, but I built the room along with the wainscoat and everything you see in the room.

Your picture did the bragging for you :)

My bad, I tried to use the most nuetral word I could in "kosher". I too am an Audio-bum. I just realised that Ironhorse is a beer. I even have a T-shirt with their logo, I think... Anywho, carry on.

Iron Horse

Thank you for providing such a detailed summary of your experience building the TV stand. The photos are a great help.

One quick question - how are you mounting the caster wheels to the bottom of the stand?

Cheers
Kevin

Originally posted by bruce24
How did you get the outside frame so thick? Did you trim it with 1"x2"s?

Used 6" x 3/4" clear pine boards and cut to a width of 1-1/2" for all but the bottom which is 3-3/4" We also use the clear pine to cover the front of each shelf.

What is clear pine? So are you saying you did frame it with 1 1/2" to make it look thicker? I like that thicker look. I built wall bookshelves with MDF and keep thinking it's a tad thin looking. Wife thinks the 1 1 1/2" facing would make it too think, I don't think it would. But I like your thickness.

Great posts in this thread! Just stumbled across it and figured I'd post my own project also. Although its similar to the other designs here (basically the 3 cube box setup), I did a few design details that may interest others.

#1: I used some thin strips of wood on left and right sides to simulate a "faux panel" type construction so as to give the finished product a more "professionally built" look to it.

#2: I added 2 lengths of PVC pipe to connect the left and right sides so as to create seperated conduits for signal and power cables going from Tivo/DVD to the receiver.

#3: I built the doors by routing out some wood strips and using bathroom caulk to secure pieces of glass into the doors. The glass was really cheap (like $8 a piece), custom cut.

Also of note ... I didn't do any fancy "biscuit" stuff or dowels or anything ... I just used 90 degree metal brackets and straight screws and basically all of the strength of the unit is created by the backboard being nailed to the vertical supports. Also note, I used Home Depot "Behr" paint and I highly recommend AGAINST this product because it produces a very soft/markable finish, even after 6 weeks of cure time.

I'm gonna build out the rest of the "entertainment center" when I get some time (see inset picture on 1 of these posts ... guess I gotta post 3 times to get 3 pictures up ...)

pic 2 of 3

pic 3 of 3

What is clear pine? So are you saying you did frame it with 1 1/2" to make it look thicker?


Clear pine is natural pine with few knots.

The reason for the frame was to hide the plywood edges, we made it 1-1/2" to give the cabinet -- what we thought -- was a better look.

mdjl4- Very impressive. One question-the pvc pipe goes left to right and there's a hole cutout in the top left and right sections? Is there a cutout to the rear of the pipes for exiting wires?

bruce24- Ah, ok. Yea, that's a good way to cover the edges, and it makes the unit look heavier, more substantial.

Kid Red, there is 1 cutout behind the receiver for power and the right side has 2 cutouts for the satellite-in cables and for Tivo power (which is not switched off with the reciever). No cutouts behind the PVC. My main reasoning for running that PVC setup was that I knew once the thing was in place, there was no way I could move the whole setup an inch to access cabling behind it without offloading the TV.

I forgot to mention: The Tivo absolutely needed fans ... it overheated sitting in the cabinet even without the doors mounted. That means that this cabinet required input and exhaust fans for the Tivo unit and an exhaust fan for the receiver. I used Silenx low decibel fans (3 X $16 = $48 - ouch) and a radio shack dc converter ($15). The fans are not as quiet as I would like them to be but what can you do?

mdjl4- So the pvc is removable or something? The Tivo overheated but teh A/V receiver didn't? That would be a concern as far as ventilation. I might opt to leave the back open. Yours is very professional btw/

Hey Red...

Who you calling a beer? That nickname is in deference to Lou Gehrig, a Yankee's Yankee! Man I been called plenty of things, but a beer. I think I like it! And don't worry about me, I don't mind being told there's a right way a wrong way, and the way I did it :). Hey, I'm having fun.

MDjl4... Beautiful cabinet! Elegant design.

Island View... Simple plate mount casters, four #10 X 5/8" screws. But I might stick 1/2" plywood "pads" in there to give the unit an extra 1/2" of height off the carpet, and if I do, I'll go to a 1" screw. BTW, I'm going to use eight (8) casters total.

Iron Horse

LOL, I ain't calling no body nuthin'! :) BB_Mike called you a beer, I think IronHorse is the name of a beer or something. Unless your just famous and have your shirts. Any more photos or updates?

Hey MD, nice cabinet. I can't believe you had overheating problems even without the doors. I have a Tivo, and haven't had any issues with overheating. I have yet to make the doors, going on many years without. We have a toddler now and it is becoming an issue! I have a good 2 to 3 " of airflow around the top and sides of everything.

Ironhorse, go BoSox! Who's your Daddy!!!

Pablo

Got a few new pics after the first layer of finish:

http://gallery.avsforum.com/showphoto.php?photo=11166&sort=1&size=big&cat=500

http://gallery.avsforum.com/showphoto.php?photo=11165&size=big&sort=1&cat=500

There are a few blemishes but they shouldn't be seen after I get the equipment in there. Still frustrating, though. You really gotta watch that oak plywood cause the first layer is very thin and it really affects your finish. I haven't had that problem with birch ply when I've used that.

Overall, I'm still pretty happy with it and am anxious to get to the clearcoat.

IronHorse and MDJL4 - Both look very niiiiiiice.

:)

Hmm, man, what I wouldn't give for the proper tools to pull this off. What I'm seeing here is so much better than what I'm seeing in the store, and priced better no less.

Iron Horse & Spiff69

I hope your stands are progressing well and that you'll soon be able to use them!!

In the hope of receiving some constructive criticism and helpful suggestions I've attached a copy of a plan that I've been kicking around for a few months. We're expecting our first child in January so my den is evolving into the baby room. Accordingly the home theatre equipment is moving into the living room and a new TV is required given the larger environment!

I've elected to keep the amplifiers near the base (as they're also the heaviest) and the more active components at eye level. On either side of the unit we intend to use pre-existing 84" x 32" shelves resulting in an overall 12' x 7' "built-in" wall that will hopefully appear tasteful but also practical.

Fabrication will likely commence in a few weeks. The finish will be a high gloss white so I'm planning on using a good grade of plywood that can accept the water-based paint. 8 heavy-duty caster wheels should hopefully support this cabinet to enable easy access to the wires behind.

I look forward to any comments and look forward to providing a picture of the finished product early next year.

Cheers,
Kevin

Sorry. Here it is.

Pablopsd...

Lets just say the better team won _this_ year, and it's only proper that you let that cape cod minor league team win once every hundred years or so. LoL. But wait'll next year. Now that I have my 62" DLP... baseball will be very interesting. BTW, all NESN home games are HD so I can't wait for those Bosox-Yanks games. :D

Kid Red... I think the stand is going on hold until after the holiday. I have some other more demanding (can you spell SWMBO?) honey-do items that go part in parcel with getting this tv. Leaves, outside windows, fix daughter's muffler. Hehehehehe, what a life. :(

IslandView... man, you got way too many toys. How do you decide what to do? Watch a game, play a game, sing along with a game, be the game... man, it's all a blur. But that's gonna be a nice cabinet. With regard to the finish... are you expecting a really sweet gloss with a water based paint? I used to be heavy into boating, and there are some awesome white urethanes you can find at west marine. Do you have any spray equipment or a compressor? Make sure you seal the wood so that you don't get grain checking, and you're probably better off staying away from ordinary fir plywood or even oak. Birch is about $40/sheet at HD IIRC, and the grain is fairly tight. :confused:

Iron Horse

IslandView - I think the design looks great. I like the way you've staggered the depth of some of the shelving. It gives it a cool profile and a lot more dynamic look than just a big box.

Are you concerned at all about the heigth on this? I can see that you've got all your really heavy amps down at the bottom to help with the weight. You'll just have to make sure it's bottom heavy and not the other way around.

You've got to be happy, huh? The bigger room requires a bigger TV?

:D

Hey Ironhorse,
Once you finish the stand, are you still going to hang around, or will we never hear from you again? You started this thing, you better stay in touch!:D
BTW the World Series looked awesome in HD. Of course you probably weren't watching! LOL

Pablo

Originally posted by IronHorse

I'm attaching Pix #2 to this note which shows the rear 3/4 view which is sort of unremarkable except that I did allow for the wire pass-thru and also recessed the center so that I could mount a low-profile clean power strip.



IronHorse, good design and a great thread. I particularly liked your idea for the cable chase. I think I'll steal it!

IslandView-

Is there a way that you could increase the width and decrease the height of your cabinet? What about putting a half-height add-on on one side to house some of the equipment instead of putting it all above the TV? I built a similar cabinet that I wished that I had staggered a bit more to decrease the height. If you can spare some width, I think it would be worth it. Also, birch plywood is perfect for painting. Give it a good coat of primer followed by a 400-grit sanding and you should be all set for multiple layers of paint. Finally, make sure the whole affair is modular. I had to take out an entire bay window to move our entertainment center into our last house...needless to say, the wife still loves to bring that one up! :D

Jason

I am a newbie to this forum and a woodworker. I just bought a Samsung 5063 that I had to have NOW and was forced to buy a retail stand so I could use it. Pathetic. The shelf spacing wouldn't allow me to put my components where I wanted. Also it was particle board which my wife hates. Needless to say, I will be building my own out of cherry. Love the color. Love how it ages.
There has been a lot of discusion about treating edges of plywood. I would like to give you my input.
I realize that everyone does not have a zillion dollars worth of woodworking tools, but here are a few tips that I have found to make edging easier and look better.
1. Whatever wood you use for the case, use the same wood for the edging.. Unless you are going to paint the case, I wouldn't recomend mixing say, birch and poplar because it will be tough to get stain to match. Gel stain, maybe, but it takes some experimenting.
2. If you are going to use solid edging, don't face nail it because it is rare when the filler for the nail holes matches after staining. You can use wax or shellac sticks after finishing but exact matches are rare. Use glue alone or biscuits. Use clamps or masking tape.
3. Iron on edge banding is great if you do it in the right order. Never have had it peel off. Your final finish will also hold it in place. Sorry Ironhorse. It has always been my experience that it is better to edge band all parts (front, side and dividers) before you assemble the case. The banding is wider than 3/4" plywood and doing it after the case is assembled is a nightmare because it is almost impossible to keep it straight when ironing it on (I know from experience) Keep the iron moving while pressing hard and leave an inch extra for each end. The safest way to trim the excess is with an orbital sander with 80-100 grit. It takes a little time but if you use a belt sander then you might sand through the veneer on the plywood and you are screwed if you want to stain.
4. If you are using butt joints then go ahead and assemble the case. If you are using dado joints there are a few more steps. Once you have your parts cut out and edged, but not sanded flush. Cut a piece of scrap of wood to fit the dado or groove on the top and bottom pieces exactly to height and width of the groove or dado Set this piece in the dadoes and sand the edging flush. NOW, dry fit. The sides and dividers should be set slightly behind. Use a razor knife and score the edging on the sides and the dividers at the joint. Take it apart. Cut through the edging with the razor knife at the score. Use the iron to heat up edging and remove the cut piece. Reassemble case and glue. This should give nice perpendicular joints with edge banding.
5. Face frames are great for minimizing racking but they take away from component width and height available from the front but it does give a more traditional look to the furniture. Make it a your stand little wider and a little higher. You could also do one in back so there is no compromise with air circulation.
Sorry to be long winded on my first post.

Dadetigl

Islandview,
Great design, But there are a few things you may wish to think about especially with that new baby coming home.
An 8' tall case with a 22" depth is very unstable. Either on hardwood or carpet. Children love to climb. Most components are 17" or less in depth so they will be set closer to the front which will make the cabinet even more unstable.
Cases that size are usually attached to the wall behind them at the top and bottom. If you need to move the case for viewing on castors, at least attach it to the wall a steel cable short enough at the top and bottom that will prevent the case from falling over and spilling it's contents on the person and also prevent it from kicking out.
I love my new samsung dlp,
Dadetigl

Islandview
I'm on the same bandwagon of your entire setup crashing to the floor. It' snot even the 22", it's less beause the wheels (and even the wheel centers) will be a bit further in.

Dadetigl brings up a goood point about the little ones climbing. It reminds me of the extra "tie down strap" that comes with Kitchen stoves. It goes behind the stove and holds it to the wall. So when the kids climb, they don't roll the stove forward! You could install something like this up on the top. Kind of a "Hook and hole" aparatust. Much like a screen door uses. Only yours will be MUCH stronger... maybe even one for each side. Something removable so you can still slide the whole thing out.

Islandview,
Looks pretty cool. My 2 cents. The games above the tv might be a PIA when playing because of the cables, unless you have wireless controllers? They wires will hang in front of the tv.
Also, alot of people are addressing tipping over. Sub Zero refridergators are very top heavy and shallow. They address tipping by using 2 heavy L brackets, about 4" and tie them into studs, then they use a 2X4 across the brackets that the fridge slides under when you install. You might also be able to do something similar if you desire and hide it with the design. This would require being close to the wall.

PabloPSD...

Nope, I'll be hanging around to stick my two cents in whenever I can. I've been around the forum since 2001, so I'm probably gonna be a lifer.

And BTW, IslandView, I like the amoire look, but these guys may have a point on the tip factor. You may want to reconsider your layout and weight distribution.

Iron Horse

Originally posted by Pablopsd
Hey Ironhorse,
Once you finish the stand, are you still going to hang around, or will we never hear from you again? You started this thing, you better stay in touch!:D
BTW the World Series looked awesome in HD. Of course you probably weren't watching! LOL

Pablo

Thank you everyone for your thoughtful observations.

Regarding the potential for tipping I had planned for the existing book shelves that are going to be on either side of the AV unit to be fixed to the wall. The rolling unit will then "lock" into place between the two of them using a combination of four retractable 1" dowels (evenly spaced on either side of the vertical panels) and a 1' wide 3/4" painted plywood "cap" that will be secured to the top of each bookshelf spanning the gap. There will also be 2 1" retractable dowels inserted down from the "cap" into the top of the AV cabinet. Does this sound sufficient?

I appreciate all of your helpful comments and look forward to the results in the New Year!!

Cheers
K

The best way is a simple L bracket(s) mounted up top and anchored into the wall.

I just stumbled on this thread, and all I can say is -- WOW! What a fun thread for someone who is a home theater buff AND an occasional woodworker. I'll have to snap some pix of a major HT woodworking project I did last year and share them with you.

Thoughts on materials, finishes, etc.: I also use the iron-on edge banding, and have discovered through experience that banding the individual pieces prior to assembly is, indeed the right way to go. I've also learned (the hard way) to hand-sand the edge banding, because it's so easy to put too much pressure on any kind of power sander and ruin the banding (much less bearing surface than when you're on the flat of a piece, so the lbs/sq in go way up).

For those of you in the Boston area, you might want to check out Boulter Plywood in Somerville (on the Charlestown line), who carry all manner of hardwood plywood. I constructed my project of maple veneer plywood with a natural finish (water-based poly); looks great! (Maple takes stain more evenly than birch, for those who do want to stain). If you're not in the Boston area, Boulter will ship, if you're willing to pay the freight! www.boulterplywood.com is the web site.

I also concur with the advice to make sure your unit is deep enough. I found that too much of the stock furniture available in stores is just way to shallow for today's components; receivers, especially, seem to be getting deeper and deeper. Be sure to allow room for connectors and cable bends, too. Quad shield RG6 does NOT like tight bends!

Just wanted to wish everyone here a very happy and healthy Thanksgiving. Thanks so much for making this thread one of the most popular and often read in the section. Keep sending in those pictures and commentaries.

Enjoy your turkeys (not you turkeys) and if you got a HDTV, light it up and watch some football. The HDTV Lamp is lit (no DLP pun intended). :)

Iron Horse

Same to you Ironhorse. Have a great Thanksgiving.

As for me, I am looking forward to the day after. You guys all got me going, and I started to look at some new speakers with cherry cabinets. If I get them, I will definitely have to construct a new cabinet, so that everything matches, and have it done for Xmas!

Pablo :rolleyes:

Yea, happy Thanksgiving to everyone.

Just finished my stand today and it came out not to bad for me doing it lol. For the total of 100.00 not to bad and it will last allot longer then those ones you buy. I was getting ready to take a pic of it and I notice my 5 year old on top of it sleeping with his pillow and blanket so I will take some pics and post in the next few days. Have a great Thanksgiving all and thanks for all the help in this thread.


Chet

I mentioned in a previous post that I would upload some photos of an Entertainment Center I built a while back. I thought I'd wait a bit to see how Ironhorse's project was progressing so I wouldn't end up hijacking his thread and taking it in a different direction. Now that I see that his project is near completion and looking quite splendid, I might add, I thought I'd go ahead and show some photos for a bit of contrast.

FYI - I am no longer actively using this Entertainment Center as the focal point of my home theater system because it has taken a different direction than it was originally intended for. I used to have a multitude of AV components (all separates in every sense of the word) and shelf space for a large number of components and storage for source material was an overwhelmong factor in the design of this unit. I have since greatly reduced the number of components in my system due to consolidation of the separate units into a single all-in-one A/V preamp/processor and have replaced the large number of VCRs and laserdiscs with a DVD player aand several DirecTivos and HDTivos.

The first photo shows the two major components of the Entertainment center, now being used primarily for storage of unused somponents and source material. The entire shelf unit was made up of six modules. Two of the modules spanned floor-to-ceiling and housed the majority of the AV components. These two units flanked a 50" Mitsubishi RPTV on both sides of the TV. Above the TV were two more smaller modules attached to each other and the end modules to form a solid unit. Two more modules were attached to the main end modules and were mainly shelf units on rollers.

The left-most large module had fixed shelves for a turntable, preamp, and tape deck. Each main end module had two lower fixed shelves for LPs and one upper fixed shelf for LPs or laserdiscs. The right end module has all adjustable shelves plus the three fixed shelves for LPs and laserdiscs. The two center modules had one fixed shlf for LPs or laserdiscs and adjustable shelves for AV components.

The next photo shows one of the center modules that was attached to each of the end modules above the Mitsubishi RPTV. Two of these modules were used to span the distance between the two end modules. Special hardware from Rockler was used to attach the modules to each other.

The end panels and shelves were made of cabinet-grade birch plywood. I used a thin hardwood strip of poplar to finish the plywood edges. I'm hoping the photo is clear enough to show the thin strip used along the outer edge of one of the movable shelf units in the attached photo. If you look at the extreme right main module to the left of the end shelf shows how the edge banding looks when viewed from the front.

This next photo shows the right end shelf unit used as storage for videotapes and DVDs.

This is an angled view of the left shelf unit. It's pretty much the same as the right shelf unit except that it has vertical dividers in the center for CDs. Sorry about the angle but it's the best I could do under the circumstances.

This is an end view of the right shelf with the shelf moved forward to expose the side of the floor-to-ceiling module. There is an opening in the side of the module to allow access to all cabling and electrical connections behgind the AV components. There is a power strip mounted on the inside partition and another one is mounted on the other side of the same partition behind the one shown. This is to accommodate any AV components located in either of the two center modules. The two power strips are hard-wired together and have a heavy 14-gauge power cable coming from the back strip and terminating in a heavy-duty right-angle three-pronged power plug. Both large modyules have exactly the same design with movable shelves and power strips. I had a separate circuit wired into my basement strictly for the Entertainment center. The two cables from the power strips were plugged into a single outlet dedicated solely to the entertainment center.

Here's a shot of the base modules that supported each of the two moveable shelf units. There are actually four hard rubber fixed casters mounted upside down in a diamond-shaped pattern to support the shelf. Two single rollers are mounted at each end with two rollers mounted side by side in the center, providing a minimum of a three-point support for the shelf at all times. The top end of the shelf has a roller along the top edge that fits into a channel built into the top of the end modules. The shelves are extremely heavy when loaded down with videtapes, CDs, and DVDs. I have to offload most of the items before I can lift the shelf clear of the base unit to remove it. There are some small rollers mounted on the bottom of the shelf to keep it lined up with the base unit.

You'll notice in the previos photos that there appears to be two panels mounted with screws into the face of the end modules. This is where it starts to get a bit deceiving. There are actually two secret compartments built into each of the end modules for extra storage of items that you don't want prying eyes to access.

The top front screw of the lower panel is actually a spring-loaded drawer pull. I am using a magnetic key to pull the screw out far enough for me to grasp with my fingers. The key is part of a magnetic latch system sold by Rockler.

Here's a shot of the drawer pulled out, showing the latch extended and the spring-loaded screw attached to a small wooden block. The latch cannot be retracted without the use of the magnetic key.

Here's another shot of the latch retracted with the use of the magnetic key.

Here's a shot of the drawer pulled almost completely out. As you can see, there are two shelves with videotapes. These are tapes that you would not want your kids to get hold of, if you know what I mean. I built this when my two children were quite small. They are now in college but I still don't want them thinking they have two perverts for parents.

The drawer unit has rollers built into the top rear edge of the shelf. There are guides with rollers built into the bottom of the end module so keep the drawer aligned.

There is another hidden compartment at the top of each of the end modules. This photo shows the access panel for one of them.

Here's another shot with the access door open. There's nothing special about it in that there's no secret magnetic latch to open it. It just has a push-push magnetic latch that keeps it closed and flush with the end module panel. This is nice to store accessories or valuables in a semi-secure location.

Here's a shot showing the inside of the end modules. Notice the courtesy light mounted at the top of the opening. This is necessary to be able to see the connections at the rear of the AV components inside of the shelf units. The two large round openings at the inside wall allowed cables from compnents in the center shelf units to connect with components in the end modules. There used to be a long section of PVC pipe that spanned the gap between the two end modules that acted as a conduit between them for signal cables. Openings were cut into the PVC pipe at regular intervals top allow cables to exit the conduit and connect to components in the two center shelves. This prevented unsightly cables from hanging behind the TV and being seen from the viewing position. The two center shelf units were only about half as deep as the end modyules so there was anopening behind them that allowe access to the rear of the center shelf units from below. This also allowed me to drop cables from the ceiling behind the shelf unit. These cables included cable TV and satellite TV drops as well as allowing easy access to run speaker wires for the surround speakers.

Hey All,
Figured this was getting a little buried, and I would let you know what I was doing. I just picked up my new speakers Friday. I got the Polk RTi8's along with the matching center. Since I decided on them, I ordered my cherry plywood and it will hopefully be here Monday. I guess you got me all motivated to build something new! Hopefully it will built for the holidays. Will keep you up to date.

Pablo

cap_video- good job.

Hey all, question I'd like to hear from everyone. When using screws to construct your stand/furniture, how do you deal with putty filled holes and stain? I hate seeing those dots everywhere from putty filled holes and was curious how others handle that.

Kid Red-

I'd suggest countersinking the screws and using a plug cutter to make wooden covers for the screw heads. You'll probably want to use a drill press when using the plug cutter to ensure a perpendicular cut, but that is the best way I've seen to cover the screw heads. Wood filler and putties never take the stain the same way as the wood and almost always stick out like a sore thumb. With the plugs, you just put in a drop of wood glue, line up the grain and put the plug in place. If it is sitting "proud" of the cabinet, either use a flush-cut saw and/or a random-orbit sander to even it out and "voila" you're in business. You'll never know it's even there.

Jason

I just used putty and Jason is right the stain does not look the same around the putty filled holes. I tried to sand but still didn't look to good. I was going to do it the right way but I seen this putty first and it had all the things I was wanting to here on the label but none of it was true lol. I used a real dark stain so you don't see it to much and the TV will be covering most of the holes so I'm not to much worried but still wish I did it the other way.

Chet

Using putty or wood filler is fine for small nail holes but bir filling in larger holes a wood plug is best. You can by plug cutters so you can cut wood plugs from the same material the cabinet is made from to ensure consistency in the stain. Putty or plastic wood filler will not absorb the stain in the same way that the natural wood will, resulting in a mismatch between the filler and the surrounding wood.

Forstner bits are great for drilling countersunk holes with a flat bottom. If you don't have a drill press then use a small piece of wood scrap and drill a hole through it first using the Forstner bit. Place the scrap with the hole centered over the area you want to drill and clamp the scrap to the drilling surface. You can then use a regular hand drill to drill the hole withour the bit wandering and creating an uneven hole. Make sure the bit you use is the same as the inner diameter of one of the plug cutting bits to ensure a tight fit when creating the plug.

Attach your wood panels and then glue the plug in place. When the glue has dried, use a flush cutting razor saw to remove the excess plug material. Sand it flush with the surrounding wood and then finish it with stain or paint. A coat of sanding sealer first will also help ensure even distribution of the stain so the color will be even across the entire surface. It also fills in the areas where the grain has been raised due to the difference in density of the wood fibers and will create a smoother surface in the end.

Just stuff guys. Sanding sealer? Never heard of that, will have to check it out. Thanks for the screws=plugs and nails=putty info. I know you can buy plugs and use a butterfly bit which I guess is the low tech way.

No, no, no...don't buy the plugs. Make them out of the same material you are using for your furniture. That's the point. You can buy matching countersinking and plug-cutting bits for about $15 at Home Depot or Lowe's and it's well worth it. Using a block of wood as a "guide" is a great idea and works well if you don't have access to a drill press. Also, sanding sealer just prepares/conditions the wood for sealing or staining. You apply the sanding sealer, which raises the grain in the wood, you gently sand it with 400-grit sandpaper (preferrably mounted to a random-orbit sander), and then stain or seal. Anytime you get wood wet (with stain or urethane or whatever) the grain will stand up. If you don't use a sanding sealer before staining, you'll have to lightly sand after you've stained (which is a no-no).

Jason

Kid Red,
I always try to design and build so that there no visible screws. No plugs no filler. Plan ahead during construction and you should be successful.

Pablo

Jason-thanks for the info. I'll look for those bits.

Palbopsd- I hear ya, just comes with experience as well. I've built some stuff but still pretty limited experience wise.

Yeah, building w/o any visible means of fastening is pretty complicated unless you have access to a decent array of woodworking machines or know of some pretty damn good joinery techniques. :) Short of that, you'd probably have to rely on some method to hide your fasteners. Like I've said, you can do a hell of a lot with a decent ($500) table saw and a dado blade. Consider that you'd be spending $1000 and up on a good entry-level A/V cabinet and justify it however you need to. I built my first HT cabinet w/ a Delta Contractor's Saw ($550) and a Freud dado set ($150) and probably could have sold the cabinet for upwards of $2K. Dados and rabbets are simple and versatile joints that can be used almost anywhere, not to mention easy to machine and work with.

Jason

Finally got my stand 98% done. All that's left is some sanding of the doors so they open and close more freely. It's 8' wide, 23" deep and 14" tall. Perfect for my 62" Mits. It has 4 doors that are hinged to open down. It also has adjustable shelves to hold up to 8 componants. Each compartment is 24" wide to allow for maximum cooling. Here's a pic. The wife even decorated it.

Awesome Possum NPC!!

My approach is to use dadoed or rabbetted joints, then glue, clamp and nail. The really good fillers are well enough color-matched to the wood to successfully hide a filled in countersunk finishing nail. The glue's the thing! With patience you can cut a dado or rabbet with your table saw blade, but for the money you are saving on your furniture you can treat yourself to a dado set!

I tend to use screws only in applications where they won't be seen, or for "no alternative" applications like screwing the hanging bar of a tall bookcase or wall cabinet to the studs.

Hey folks, I just finished building a "TV Stand" for my 62725. A lot of work but it was worth it!

Dean

Pix attached.

http://members.dslextreme.com/users/deandot/center.jpg

Wow - the stands are looking great, guys! I will be posting some more pics soon as my stand is almost done as well. Plugs would seem to be pretty hard to use with hardwood plywood . . . anybody have experience with this?

I used a battery operated finish nailer on mine and lots of glue. Those paslode nailers are awesome! All the nails were already countersunk and I got some color matched putty. I knew I was going with a dark finish and there's hardly anyway you can see where it's put together. I am really happy with the results.

I wish I had a table saw . . . and a garage . . .

Oh well - someday.

Red...

It depends on how big the holes are and how light the finish is. Outside of a table saw and sliding miter saw, one of my favorite tools is a nailing gun (and compressor). If you are going with a darker finish color, it's a lot easier to cover up stainable wood putty than if you go with a light finish.

I've used solid teak plugs on teak boat cabinetry, and plugs work great, but again... you'll usually see the circle because glue, stain, or varnish (any of the above) will collect in the tiny crevice around the plug no matter how careful you are with surfacing. I don't care if you're using a drill press or a Bridgeport miller (I've used those too) with a four-tooth cutter... there's always a hairline circle that is darker than the plug and surrounding wood.

Originally posted by Kid Red
cap_video- good job.

Hey all, question I'd like to hear from everyone. When using screws to construct your stand/furniture, how do you deal with putty filled holes and stain? I hate seeing those dots everywhere from putty filled holes and was curious how others handle that.

If you go with plugs... there are flexible Japanese saws that don't have any side kerf which can be used for cutting a plug or dowel flush. Don't leave a stump if you go this route... saw or chisel it (very carefully) as flush as possible then after you've done that, use a sanding bolck with fine paper, and ONLY sand in the direction of the grain. Note that the pug should be aligned with matching grain as best you can.

I trimmed most of my cabinet last night, and only used brads in the nail gun in a few places. Glue and pipe clamps with boards did a good job of squeezing the edges tight with a minimum amount of brad holes, but I'll plug those with Minwax Stainable Wood Filler (tube) which seems to be better than plastic wood.

Iron Horse

I posted earlier about various options I was considering for a stand including BYO. Here's an update for what I did. I have limited woodworking experience, skill, tools and time. So, this solution worked well for me.

I found a Hooker armoire floor sample for CRT RP TVs on closeout for $800. This was more than what I was initially considering for a stand, but fit my situation well. It fits my TV - a JVC DILA 61", has closeable doors for a perfect WAF and childproofing. Unfortunately, this model did not have a stand inside it because it was made for floor standing TVs. That's where this thread came in.

I built an open stand 15" high (perfect for our viewing height), 20" deep, and 58" wide out of 3/4" birch plywood. I had Home Depot cut a full sheet to the depth I needed and made the precision cuts myself. The stand fits the armoire and allows the tv to fit the armoire perfectly. Since this stand will sit inside another cabinet, it doesn't have to look as nice as a standalone. I used 1/2" shelves mounted on drawer slides to house my components. I have some staggered arrangement to allow for cooling. I am using screws and glue for joining and T-plates for lateral reinforcement. The tv stand will never move by itself so lateral reinforcement is not such a big issue. The screws are countersunk and will be filled with putty. Not perfect, but saves time and it'll mostly be hidden anyway.

At the moment the stand is ready for a test run to make sure everything fits. When that's done, I will unscrew everything, apply edgebanding, glue and screw it all back, clean and finish and then screw it down into the armoire.

I still need your help. People have suggested that birch plywood needs a gel stain to look good. Could you recommend a stain/sealer or combination that looks decent with a dark stain (antique walnut to match the armoire) and can be done quickly (wife is getting impatient)? It doesn't have to be perfect if it'll save some time. I have some experience with Minwax oil based stain trying to refinish a table that didn't go quite so well. I am considering Minwax Polyshades and Wood Sheen products, but am not sure if they will cause more problems than they are worth.

Any advice appreciated.

Thanks

Iron- Thanks for the tips.

Originally posted by Kid Red
cap_video- good job.

Hey all, question I'd like to hear from everyone. When using screws to construct your stand/furniture, how do you deal with putty filled holes and stain? I hate seeing those dots everywhere from putty filled holes and was curious how others handle that.




I usually countersink (nails and screws), drill a 1/4 hole and glue hardwood dowel in place.

Cut off the dowel close, but not too close, and sand down until smooth.

If you layout your (nails and screws) in a uniform fashion, the slight wood dowel contrast looks nice.


Good work from everyone.

Alex-Thanks, good tips everyone. Looking forward to when I get to build my cabinet.

Hey guys,
I don't do anything exotic with joinery, and you can still hide things. Using things I learned from my Dad the way they used to make things. I use screws and glue, as well as guns. My cabinets use hidden cleats under the base, for example. They are screwed into the sides and into the bottom shelf, but from the bottom, so the are not seen. Same with the top. I do use biscuits too. I will take some detail pictures for you. Still finalizing the plans for the new stand.

Gaajar,
I never had great luck with the Polyshades, or any combo stain/poly. Went back to the other stuff. I use Minwax stains pretty much all the time. Never had any problems with birch plywood. Have done a lot with birch too. Even mixed with pine and dark stains. I made a stand to match stuff my Dad made for my Mother years ago. Dark Walnut, Jacobean, etc. and birch plywood have been fine for me. Just don't be afraid to let it sit a little before you wipe it, and probably a couple of coats. It will soak up faster into the birch plywood.
Good Luck.

Pablo

Stain several scrap pieces first. Leave the stain on for varying lengths of time on different test pieces before wiping. Pick the result you like best. Buy small quantities of several different stains, too. The price is small compared to a) the rest of your materials, and b) what you're saving by doing it yourself!

Yeah, I'll second that comment about polyshades. I can't quite remember what I used it on, but it didn't turn out well. It's really soupy and sticky and doesn't spread well.

And if you're looking for a deeper color, definitely do an additional coat of stain. Testing is always a good idea as others have suggested.

What do you guys use for plugs on hardwood plywood? Birch, for example - do you make your plugs out of the plywood?

No I wouldn't recommend using PW for the plugs. Use a solid of whatever species of wood you are using, if possible. IE oak plywood, oak plugs, etc.

Pablo

Spiff...

Back in my younger days we were able to buy cabinet grade birch solid wood at our local lumber supply because birch cabinets in kitchens were very popular then. I'm sure if you hunt around the yellow pages in your area, you'll find a true lumber & millwork yard that actually might have birch solids. If that doesn't work, you can always buy online. Here's another link for a great woodworking supply. They have online and local stores and I'm lucky enough to have one about 3 miles away.

http://www.woodcraft.com/Woodcraft/assets/html/homepage.asp?URLCheck=1

Rockler has solid birch available:

http://www.rockler.com/ecom7/product_details.cfm?&cookietest=1&&offerings_id=827

Rockler also sells ready-made birch plugs:

http://www.rockler.com/ecom7/product_details.cfm?&offerings_id=1358

If you intend to use plugs, make sure you use some sort of guide to ensure that the holes you drill are dead-nuts straight and perpendicular to the surface. This might be excessive, but you'll get the point and maybe improvise:

http://www.rockler.com/ecom7/product_details.cfm?&offerings_id=2405

BTW, I did my birch banding of the verticals last night and it turned out pretty good. Pretty soon I'll be sanding, sealing, and finishing this monster but I have some routing to do yet. On top of that I have to put up the christmas tree tonight, and then do the lights. SWMBO does the decorating and she's a pro at that... I always said they should have her trees in BH&G.

Pablo, Kenlex, Spiff69,
Thanks a lot for the tips. With y'alls help, I'm sure this thing will turn out great.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by biphnest
[B]Hey folks, I just finished building a "TV Stand" for my 62725. A lot of work but it was worth it!

Dean

(pic sniped)

Nice looking wall unit. Any chance you have other pics with the doors open. I was thinking of doing someting similar.

Where do you have your speakers? I'm assuming they are behind the grill cloth sections.

Thanks
Bruce

Originally posted by npc2396
Finally got my stand 98% done. All that's left is some sanding of the doors so they open and close more freely. It's 8' wide, 23" deep and 14" tall. Perfect for my 62" Mits. It has 4 doors that are hinged to open down. It also has adjustable shelves to hold up to 8 componants. Each compartment is 24" wide to allow for maximum cooling. Here's a pic. The wife even decorated it.

I missed your pic the first time, very nice. Is that fabric on the door fronts? Shadows are organic looking so I didn't think it was wood. Any chance of another pic with the doors open?

Hey all. I'm hoping I can get some feedback on question. I was think about making the typical stand like IronHorse's a box maybe 3 divisions, etc. I attached a pic of my space and was just wondering what some people here would do in my situation. I have two flanking bookshelves I made painted the wall color, would i paint the stand the wall color, stain it a cherry type warm tone, paint it black, should it stick out further or be even? Also, the shelves are done, but I could always do more to them. One thought was 1x2 framing the edges. It's contemporary, so I don't think I'd do any crown molding type tops to it. Also, would the tv stand need to match those shelves exactly? And any ideas or suggestions that could make those shelves better?

Here's the photo- http://gallery.avsforum.com/data/504/7450001IMG_1308.jpg

It seems like you have a lot of space to work with. I you don't haveany plans on changing your equipment for a while you could make modular casing/shelves around your speakers as well as a new stand for the TV with a shelf above to support your center channel.

If you decide to get one of the new large srceen flat panel TVs then you could actually have it flush with the bookshelves.

Red...

Lotsa' potential. Here's a quickie idea.

Kid Rock:)

I personally would do something built in and really try to hide the TV and components. It is a little more difficult to work with the gear since you wouldn't have rear access. It will also limit where you could put things in the future. That would work for ME maybe not for you. Just spouting off here!:D

Pablo

Hey guys, my bad. I forgot to mention my current plans are to get the JVC 52". It would stretch from speaker to speaker with an inch or so extra. I thought about photoshopping in the TV to make it easier to visualize, but I just threw up the photo for you guys to see.

iron- thanks for the time/work, looks good. The only thing, is the JVC would be a tad higher and I'm not sure if the shelf would crowd that area? Good idea tho. Also, hard to se, but there are 2 pot lights at the corners of the shelves on the ceiling.

I have looked through this thread closely since I am in the process of building a stand similar to yours Ironhorse, but with casters and a right side full height area for a tower since I don't want to get another case for the computer. It will have four equal height and equal with spaces for equipment with no doors or drawers.
I haven't decided on edge treatment yet. If I wanted the 1x2 braces below the ply or flush with the ply upper and lower shelves. The middle shelve would just have a half round piece to cover the grain (stock trim at Home Depot).
Since I don't have Norm's shop or even 1/10th of it, I am very limited on what I can do. No tongue & grove, no mortise & tenon, no biscuits etc.
I wasn't planning on solid sides, but 1x2' legs face to side in a 'L' form. I'm concerned with racking. There will be a 50 or 52" Microdisplay on top and 4 or 5 pieces of A/V gear on the 4 partitions plus the tower on the left. It will be on 4 or 6 ball casters on a rug. I also wasn't planning on any back to the unit.

Input please(sorry no drawings). :rolleyes:

Here is a drawing;
(for some reason the right and bottom lines were cut off)

video- kinda the same boat here and your idea sounds similar to mine as noted in the photo above and will be for the JVC 52. I too want an open back for air. As for joining, simple butt joint will be fine. If you have middle shelves they will add support. Since no open back, you could put 'L' brackets on each corner on the back where it won't be seen. You could also add a simple 1x2 brace on the back of each section between the vertical sides. They wouldn't really be visible but would add extra support.

VideoBruce...

I pretty much agree with Red's accessment. I'm not nuts about a butt-joined "extruded" box meaning there's nothing preventing to chance of racking. That was one of the reasons I put a full inset panel in my center section and glued/nailed it to the gussets.

In your case, if you must have a full open back throughout, the L-shaped steel ¾" wide X 3" corner braces would work. You can also help things by gluing in a corner brace gusset, something like a 3/4 X 3/4 X 12" strip (or even quarter-round). You can recess it say 4" from the front for aesthetics, and if its 3/4 square, you can pre-drill it before gluing on 2-sides, then use say... 1" or 1¼" screws to lock the gusset to the top and sides.

While you don't have Norm's shop, you must have a drill, and from the bottom, you can drill into the side assuming the verticals all rest on the bottom horizontal plane. Use some thing like a 2" drywall screw (I used deck screws), and you can augment that joint with simple thru-holes for a flush dowel insertion from the bottom up into the verticals. Just be careful and use some sort of guide to make sure you drill straight. I know it's a lot to ask, but some sort of pipe clamp would do wonders for your cabinet's integrity when you're gluing it together, and of course... a steel square would be very, very helpful when you're assembling, gluing, nailing, and clamping. :)

Use a good grade of wood glue on the joints and keep a damp rag handy to wipe off the excess glue before it dries. You can use 2" finishing nails on the top and that should hold the box together pretty well. Always do a light pre-drill pilot hole (1/4" deep) so that you don't mess the wood up when nailing, and use a nail set to get that last 1/16" and the countersink.

Kid Red

The doors have tinted glass. I had the glass cut at lowes and just put some 5% automotive tint on them from PEP Boys. It still lets the IR light for the remote through. Here's a pic with the doors open. I still need to finish sanding the doors. The white things on the doors are paper towels I used to hold the glass in place while the silicon dried. I'll take some close up pics when it's all finished. I also have to take care of the birds nest of wires in the back.

npc2396- I see, looks good.

Videobruce,
Are you leaving the back off just for airflow? I have a solid back with 4 2" holes for wires, with no doors. I run an AVR 5700 receiver (Very heavy) a DirectTv Tivo, which runs all the time, another HD Direct TV tuner, and an xbox and Sony DVD player. I have never had any issues with heat. Even used to have a wood stove in this room.
I would recommend solid sides. I made mine with plywood sides, and 1 by strips on the front to give the appearance from the front of a leg. The solid sides will add strength front to back. If you don't use solid sides you have to be concerned about racking there too, especially when moving the unit. I will try to get a photo detail posted later of my sides/legs combo.

Great thread folks!
I have been toying with an idea for my 60" Sammy DLP and thought some of you with more knowledge could hlep. I was thinking of building a series of floating shelves for the tv and components with a thin box down one side of them for wires. It would almost look like they were floating off a thin piece of wood. My question is, can I make a floating shelf that can hold the set and is large enough without completely tearing the wall apart to attach to the studs?

Newfpond...

I spent most of my (real) career in marketing and R & D, and I've always said "I can make and elephant fly... provided you are willing to spend the money!"

But seriously, you're looking at cantilevering roughly 175-200 pounds (shelf & TV) off the wall, so whatever you do it has to be built to handle that a n a bit more for safety. So here's how you do it:

1. You find a good welding shop and have them fabricate L-Shaped 1/4" steel brackets. Your "leg" dimension would probably be around 20" (both up and out), and the width would probably be 3" on the upright leg, and maybe the short dimension could be 1½". You have the welder box these legs (say four) together so you have a rigid L-Skeleton structure that can be screwed into the wall studs with lag bolts.

2. Then you build a perfect "sleeve" out of wood and have it attach to the structural frame from under the shelf. So maybe it protrudes 3" or 4" into the room at the base, but the illusion is there.

It's not totally crazy. As long as you're beefy enough in the steel frame and use big 1/4" lags (maybe 3" long), it should more than hold the set. The cool thing would be to build the sleeve extra wide and put your speakers outboard.

Not sure how to attach images, so I'll post a link to it-

http://gallery.avsforum.com/data/506/7450001newtv.jpg

That's a photoshop job I did putting in the JVC I'm thinking about getting. My CC will have to go above the set on some type of shelf. I'm not saying this i how it will be because my wife liked IronHorse's idea. I'd have to remove my recess lighting, but I just wanted some more input based on the area with the set in place more or less. Also, I went with a dark brown as a possibility and I don't think that would look good, too dark. So, I'm not sure which way to go, wall color or slightly lighter or a lighter stain? If the shelf is floating not sure what color that would be, or if i went with Iron's idea, not sure how empty the sides would be and if I should then make it more and add more frame/structure to it. If so, what would I do with the speakers?

Hey Hey!

Thanks, Iron, for the links - there's some stuff on those sites that I'd love to have. I'll have to experiment with plugs in the future.

Well, I'm finally done and more importantly I got my TV!!!!!! I've been having a great time building but there's definitely satisfaction in having it done. Very fun, but it sort of consumes you when you're doing a project like this - know what I mean?

So, I'm interested to see what you guys think. I, personally, give myself two thumbs up.


Check it out:

http://gallery.avsforum.com/showphoto.php?photo=11328&size=big&sort=1&cat=500

http://gallery.avsforum.com/showphoto.php?photo=11329&size=big&sort=1&cat=500

NewfPond,
I agree with Ironhorse with the design idea. You will definitely need the strength of the steel. Anything you tried like that with just wood will sag over time, if it doesn't break first!:D Hey, I'm in MA too. If you are close, I can help you out... free of charge! :p
(be careful though, Ironhorse is a Yankee fan. )

Spiff, looks great. Nice finish. What did you end up using?

Wife is taking baby this morning, so it looks like I will make a run to get some cherry stock, and try to start my new stand today.

Pablo

I used minwax sedona red stain (2 coats) and then their fast drying polyurethane (3 coats). I was trying to acheive a rosewood kind of look. I got close, but not quite.

I get to watch the Big XII Championship tonight in Hi-Def - I'm very excited!

Red...

So your wife likes my suggestion? All those interior design courses did pay off :)! Thank you Prof Beckmann of Cooper Union.

OK, I was going for the integrated look, but I had a limited view and time :) so I probably didn't finish. From the angle of the shot you provided, it looked like the high hats were inside the invisible line from cabinet edge to cabinet edge, so I figured you move them and put them in the drop ceiling. And like I said... I would probably carry that drop effect across the entire structure into the shelves.

As far as the CC shelf goes, you could float it with the right hardware, or you could bridge the TV from bookshelf to bookshelf. Ahhh... I'll give you 30 minutes and here's what I got :).


Originally posted by Kid Red
Not sure how to attach images, so I'll post a link to it-

http://gallery.avsforum.com/data/506/7450001newtv.jpg

That's a photoshop job I did putting in the JVC I'm thinking about getting. My CC will have to go above the set on some type of shelf. I'm not saying this i how it will be because my wife liked IronHorse's idea. I'd have to remove my recess lighting, but I just wanted some more input based on the area with the set in place more or less. Also, I went with a dark brown as a possibility and I don't think that would look good, too dark. So, I'm not sure which way to go, wall color or slightly lighter or a lighter stain? If the shelf is floating not sure what color that would be, or if i went with Iron's idea, not sure how empty the sides would be and if I should then make it more and add more frame/structure to it. If so, what would I do with the speakers?

Yeah, I know... too much time on my hands. :) OK, I have to get busy on my saturday projects now.

Ironhorse,
Looks like you want to keep Red busy with his Saturday projects too. LOL

Pablo
PS Looks good BTW

Originally posted by Pablopsd
Videobruce,
Are you leaving the back off just for airflow?
I would recommend solid sides. I made mine with plywood sides, and 1 by strips on the front to give the appearance from the front of a leg. The solid sides will add strength front to back. If you don't use solid sides you have to be concerned about racking there too, especially when moving the unit. I will try to get a photo detail posted later of my sides/legs combo. Reasons for not having a solid back and sides are; cost, weight and opening up the area behind the base since the TV will sit higher than most and it is a smaller room (14'x15'). I'm thinking of cutting corner braces out of wood for the back and the sides that would go between the supports and the top and bottom shelves.
I usually overbuild everything, sometimes too much. I never use nails except for trim pieces and planned to glue the pieces together.

IronHorse; thanks for the input. Pipe clamps are on my list of things to get, but a large square I do have. I was going to screw & glue a block at each end of the supports to fasten to the top and bottom shelves.

One thing I do is cut the tips of /interior/exterior screws off so I have a flat, not pointed tip. That gives me a screw that has more holding power since the tip is meant for drilling not holding especially when you are securing to thinner pieces wood (you can go deeper into the piece).

Originally posted by Spiff69
So, I'm interested to see what you guys think. I, personally, give myself two thumbs up.

Very nice job, spiff69.

John

Yea IronHorse- why not just have the design featured a recessed wall unit, crown molding, glass shelves and silk curtains motorized? I mean I have tons of Saturdays free :)

Seriously tho, really appreciate the time and effort, course, I may end up putting more time and effort into building that if the wife likes it, haha. My only concern as much as I like it, is future proofing. Is there a size restraint that I should design around. Or just go with the TV width that i buy and take it from there. For the floor standers, just put them inside and add cloth or something to them? Does that muffle the sound at all? And of course you had to add doors :) Tho, I did want doors, just wasn't sure if I could do them well enough. So you'd eliminate some of the shelves I have? I guess one or two shelves in each unit should also had lighting on them? And I guess the TV stand would be a separate unit but painted the same wall color if that's how you intended? This is going to be quite an undertaking should my wife like it and knowing my luck, she will.

Also, for the doors I noticed you have them below a visible shelf. So the top of the doors would not be flush with a shelf? And to run the speaker wire, what, just have a small hole cutout in the back bottom to come out with or how would handle the exiting wire for the speakers? There is no back, they use the wall as the backing. I do like the DVD/CD storage tho, I don't have mush right now.

Regarding the 'screw mod' here is a pic of a before and after;

Here is a support (in the glue drying process) with the wood block and a metal corner brace resting in place just to show. A 1x3 in the front and a 1x2 for the side. Another 1x2 for a support across the width of the front. View is the bottom of the top shelve;

Red...

Hope I don't cause a domestic dispute ':D

You figured out the speakers on your own. make a simple frame, stretch speaker cloth over the frame and staple it tight. Get four of those speaker quick-release deals (Rockler), and put your speakers inside. And yup... small 1/4" hole somewhere in the back allows wires to be passed.

The doors (totally optional) would be hinged from the sides of the existing shelf units, and the inside shelf would have to be shortened an inch to allow the doors to close flush under the upper shelf, and above the bottom shelf. Pretty standard cabinetry stuff.

Color... sheesh, I like what you already have, so why not continue with the same values? The JVC would be a focal point, and I know I've seen them in black and silver. I thought you wanted to go the separate stand route and I think the shelf/wall color would be pretty clean looking.

As far as future proofing, I don't know what to tell you. I was looking at the 50 " samy, then the 52" Mits, then the 56" samy, and then I finally pulled the trigger on the 62" Mits. If you can afford it, get the biggest set you think you'd ever want. It looks like you have room for a 56-62 inch set (about 58" wide). Maybe not.

Have fun with the sketch. :)

For those of you who only have a hand drill and want to make some kind of frame, the pocket screw method is pretty easy if you have a simple jig like this:

http://www.rockler.com/ecom7/product_details.cfm?&sku=2085&cs=1

Rockler even sells beveled dowels that you can use to cover the holes. Naturally, you put the pocket screws on the inside, then saw the plug flush, sand and finish.

Just for interest sake, for those with minimal building skills and/or equipment. Here is an option for a shelving frame that can be framed with wood or plastic to your specifications with minimal effort. Unframed, it would be a great industrial look. Please check with your significant other prior to purchase!

http://www.globalindustrial.com/gcs/product/productsPerPicGroups.web?picGroupKey=2177&options.parentCategoryKey=123&index=2&catSearchParams.categoryKey=1567&REQ_SUB_CAT=Cantilever+Rack#gridAnchor

Originally posted by IronHorse
For those of you who only have a hand drill and want to make some kind of frame, the pocket screw method is pretty easy if you have a simple jig like this:

http://www.rockler.com/ecom7/product_details.cfm?&sku=2085&cs=1
Now I know where Norm got that jig from..............

One thought for KidRed's project... having a TV stand flanked by shelf units / book cases makes it hard to access the rear of the TV. When I built mine, I put the TV stand itself on casters, so that it could be pulled out for easy access. It's a lifesaver when fiddling with the connections. On mine, the casters are designed to be hidden. Their height is set so that woodwork of the stand barely clears the pile of the carpet.

I wouldn't think of NOT putting it on casters.
I'm using Sheppard ball casters. I've seen many that have them up against a wall with 3 or 4 pieces of equipment underneath, why try to pull each piece out to get at the jumbo of cables? You surely can't lift it and try to slide it out (at least I would try).

Originally posted by Kenlex
When I built mine, I put the TV stand itself on casters, so that it could be pulled out for easy access. It's a lifesaver when fiddling with the connections. On mine, the casters are designed to be hidden. Their height is set so that woodwork of the stand barely clears the pile of the carpet.

I did the same:

Picture (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?s=&postid=4692760&fullpage=1)

There are 5 wheels under the TV stand. I used wheels that swivel and I now wish I had used fixed wheels. The wheels all want to turn 180 degrees when you reverse direction (which is everytime you move it) and until they all aligned the stand doesn't moved very easily.

-Bruce

Bruce...

Your dammed if you do and dammed if you don't. I'm anticipating putting eight (8) swivel casters on my stand. If you put non-swivel wheels on, you are sort of limited to pulling the whole deal out in one direction which might be OK for some folks. Maybe if you used those wide bed rollers... that might work better? What I'm concerned about is digging into the carpeting with a wheel that won't swivel to the path of least resistance.

I've got my set diagonally in the corner, and after the holidays, I'll start a search for some bookshelf units which will flank both sides of the set. The idea is that Bookshelf and TV Stand corners will sort of meet and by twisting the stand, I could get behind it easily enough to get at wiring.

Well, that's how I'll start off (all swivels), but if I sense there's a problem, I'll look at alternatives.

Project complete.

Looks Good Bear!

FWIW, a update on my project. It's turning out to be a design & modify as you go. I got these clamps a year ago and haven't used them. They sure came in handy here. I used 2; 2 1/2" exterior screws to secure these;

The top runners 1x3 on the back and 1x2 on the front. Here is the back just sitting in place;

Here is a overall shot with the middle shelf in place and the two top supports. It will have 1x2 end supports also. The middle shelf won't have any supports as the top has since it isn't carrying the weight of the TV;

Bruce...

Looking good compadre :cool: So what about the end panels and top... how are you fixing to mount/attach?

My stand progress hasn't been worth posting, but I'll do some pix this weekend I hope. I've completed all my trim work, and last night I sanded everything and made my drawer front... then banded the edges. I also mounted all eight casters on 3/4" pads because SWMBO requested that I extend the kick panel down another 3/4". Got that done a couple of nights ago. Tonight I hope to vacumn (again) the box and seal everything, and tomorrow I'll do the first coat of stain.

I think I'm leaning towards the gel stain if I can find the Brazilian Rosewood, but it'll probably take two coats of stain to get the deep color I'm looking for. Then I'm either going to finish with brushable lacquer or water-based urethane. I used oak for my trim work and it might take a little more work to get a nice finish on those parts. I gave up on the cherry.

I'm waiting for my glass hinges to arrive from Rockler so I can determine _exactly_ what size each door is with clearance. The local glass shops have to special order them (tempered glass is cut, corneres radiused, edges polished, then cooked) and I don't want to make a $125 mistake.

I haven't made up my mind about putting a knob on the glass door or not, but there also... they have to drill it before tempering the glass.

I'll have the 1x2's along the top shelf as I did in the front. Only the back I used a 1x3 so I can use it to hide cables if need be. The top shelf will be secured to the 'L' shaped legs the same way I did the base, but I won't use that center block of wood to eliminate the screw hole in the top that can't be covered up by the corner molding. It will take care of the exposed end grain of the plywood and the 3 screws in each corner leg.
I will use half round to cover the end grain of the other shelves. It's about 5/8" round, slightly less that the thickness of the plywood, but it worked out fine for the window seat I just built in a spare room for my wife. Actually, it was better than I thought using three different woods; pine molding, birch support pieces (1x3's, same as I'm using here) and maple veneer plywood would be a problem, but it wasn't.

Thanks to Norm (though too late for the kitchen project) I used a sealer first before I stained anything. I found when I stained the new window in the bathroom because of the soft wood sucking up the stain unevenly, it made a BIG difference there as compared to the kitchen bay window where I didn't use the sealer. Same stain and wood, totally different appearance.

I cut a number of corner braces (you can see one of them in the corner clamp image), but may not use them depending on how sturdy the piece is after I get the top shelve on.

I see that there are things I didn't figure on in the process that I would of done/not done had I known what I do now. Nothing TOO drastic, yet.:rolleyes:

Great stuff guys.
videobruce- I would never have built a 'frame' like you did. I just would have built the 'box' structure and added the shelves. I'm learning a lot and the photos really make a difference.

Well, I got a coat of Minwax sanding sealer on the cabinet, so tomorrow I start staining. I'm going with the minwax gel stain (Brazilian Rosewood) and I wondered if anyone here has any last words of wisdom to give me since I've never used the gel before.

I'm expecting that I will use two coats of stain, and then I'm going to use Minwax water based urethane, either satin or semi gloss.

Once I get this aspect of the job moving forward, I'll have to make the black formica shelves. I got my glass door hinges today, so once I figure out clearances, I'll order my two doors Monday.

But again... anyone who has used this gel stain... I'd appreciate any pointers on getting a uniform deep rosewood color on the birch plywood and oak trim pieces.

Ironhorse,
I haven't used that combo of wood and stain together, but from my experiences with stains and plywood-solids etc, I would say the oak hardwoods are going to take the stains a lot different than the plywood. Even oak plywood compared to oak solids take stains very different. Takes much longer to soak into the solids. Especially with dark colors. I hope you have some pieces to try on? Good luck. By the way, I picked up my Cherry solids today. I did get the "box" built last Saturday in a very cold garage! Hopefully I will have the time to work on the face frame tomorrow.

Pablo

Originally posted by Kid Red
Great stuff guys.
videobruce- I would never have built a 'frame' like you did. I just would have built the 'box' structure and added the shelves. I'm learning a lot and the photos really make a difference. The way Ironhorse did it is without a doubt easier, but mine is going in a corner, not flush against a wall with shelves on either side so I wanted it 'open'. I also have a smaller Living room (by todays standards).
This is where I am at now. The top shelve is just sitting on the frame.

Ironhorse; why are you going with the gel stains?

Here is the top shelve (upside down) with the supports clamped:

Here is the front, top corner bracket (it's angled on purpose). The corner block looks as it wasn't needed (oh well.........):

Half round molding to cover the end grain (notice it is less than 3/4"):

From another project (window seat) with the same wood, what it looks like finished (better than I expected):

L corner molding for the top shelve (rear view). It hides the end grain, the seam between the plywood and the cross support AND it hides the screws through the top for the legs!:

VideoBruce...

"Why am I going with gel stains"? :confused:

That's the question :confused: I kept asking myself all last night as I washed all the gel stain off with mineral spirits. That stuff is awful when you have to do a finished piece with compartments. Blotchy, indescribeable, and a toal mess.

I put a nice thin coat of Minwax sanding sealer on a couple of days ago. The cabinet looked great. Then I sanded it with 150 grit lightly to take any minor bubbles or runs out. Looked even better.

Then yesterday morning I started applying the stain... :confused:... well, it goes on weird, but in 6-8 hours I'll be wiping off the excess and it'll look fine. Go back to the first paragraph.

I just hope I haven't messed up hundreds of hours of work. I did get 98% of the tinted gel off. But now I'm possibly up a creak without a paddle on finishing options. Regular oil stain may not be able to be rubbed in/on and take because of the sealer... I'm not sure. I have Xmas stuff to do today after we go to church, so tomorrow is D-Day. Or tomorrow night I should say. I think one option would be to use the combo minwax stain/urethane and I can try that on the skirt since I have a small can.

But if anyone has any suggestions, at this point... I'm all ears. Bottom line, I actually think I should not have sealed it, but should've taken my chances with a straight rubbed on stain/sealer... and then worked at making it appear uniformly dark (I'm after a _very_ dark cherry/walnut look).

Staining a tabletop or chair is a lot different than staining a compartmentized cabinet. In the furniture biz they spray this stuff on and then glaze it with lacquer. I almost thought the best thing to do was to bring the cabinet to a local cabinet builder and just pay to have them spray the finish... but I've got to give this one last try. :(

UGH! :mad:

Originally posted by IronHorse

"Why am I going with gel stains"? :confused:

That's the question :confused: I kept asking myself all last night as I washed all the gel stain off with mineral spirits. That stuff is awful when you have to do a finished piece with compartments. Blotchy, indescribeable, and a toal mess.

UGH! :mad:

Ironhorse, sorry to hear about your dilemma. I messed with gel stains a couple years back. I was going for a dark, almost opaque look. It came out like I had thought, but it took a lot of work to get an even appearance. That is one advantage to gels, you get a lot of time to work them the way you want.

Never tried it over a sanding sealer, though. I think that will prevent most finishes from sinking in too far.

I wish I could offer more advice.

Still don't know why gel statins are better, just more reasons NOT to use them.

Ironhorse,
Sorry to hear about your trials with the gel stains. Glad I got tied up with other stuff today, because I bought a can of gel, and regular Minwax. I was going to sample them both and see how it went. I think I will stick to tried and true processes for me. Good luck with the next finish.

Pablo

Originally posted by IronHorse
VideoBruce...

But if anyone has any suggestions, at this point... I'm all ears. Bottom line, I actually think I should not have sealed it, but should've taken my chances with a straight rubbed on stain/sealer... and then worked at making it appear uniformly dark (I'm after a _very_ dark cherry/walnut look).

UGH! :mad:

Here's an article on gel stains:

http://www.woodmagazine.com/wood/story.jhtml?storyid=/templatedata/wood/story/data/270.xml&catref=wd19

John

I'll stick with a coat of conditioner and regular stain.
The conditioner goes on fast and is ready to stain in less than a couple of hours.

IronHorse -

That sounds like a major headache - there's nothing worse than that feeling you get when something goes so wrong so late in the game. Were you really able to get it come off well? Is it discolored now? Hopefully the thinner stain will soak in more. Good luck.

That article in Wood Magazine says it all... avoid a gel stain if you have crevices and corners. Tonight I will try to salvage this project, but I'm seriously thinking of just painting it with a satin black urethane if I can't get something close to what I want.

The biggest mistake I think I made was putting the sanding sealer on. That's Minwax's advice, but they don't consider the cracks and crevices... I think they do a sample board and sure... it probably works great.

Regular stain does not penetrate the sealer, so getting a really nice dark finish is just about impossible unlesss you use a combination stain/urethane (for me at least).

UGH! :(

Originally posted by IronHorse
That article in Wood Magazine says it all... avoid a gel stain if you have crevices and corners. Tonight I will try to salvage this project, but I'm seriously thinking of just painting it with a satin black urethane if I can't get something close to what I want.


Good luck, Ironhorse. Finishing can be tricky, and unfortunately it's the last thing you do after a lot of hard work and is often the most visible aspect of the project.

John

MUST TEST. MUST TEST. I need to repeat this to myself a hundred times. I had a similar experience with staining my stand. I chose Jacobean. After it was on the stand, it looked too green. I needed the stand to be more a dark 'English Chestnut'. After 2 more coats of 'Chestnut' it is close, but boy I wish I hadn't used Jacobean. If only I'd tested...

Yeah... I agree about the test boards and I did several... but what I forgot to take into account was corners. So to all you DIY's out there, if you're gonna'try something with regard to stain, you'll be doing yourself a favor if you make a quick 3-panel corner for testing how the stain and/or finish builds up in the corners and how you're going to control the wipe with the grain against two verticals and one horizontal plane.

My second piece of advice is that if you must use a sealer (and please tell me why?) stain will not pennetrate for love nor money, so any color you get is going to be superficial and dependent on absolute perfection in the application and wiping with no smudge marks. My personal advice at this juncture is that since we're mostly using HD or Lowes bought birch plywood, live with the option of a natural birch finish or stain it so dark that you don't really mind the quirks of the way this wood takes stain.

Straight Minwax Walnut Stain/Polyurethane over my current cabinet doesn't seem to be biting either. I may try some additional sanding with 150 grit to maybe open up some grain to a dose of plain oil stain. If that doesn't work... it's either paint it, or start over with fresh wood.

I stained a wood frame bay window using pine trim WITHOUT the sealer and it didn't look that bad untill
I stained another window (SAME wood & stain) WITH a sealer and what a difference!

The wood without the sealer looked muddy, the wood with the sealer looked alive and vibrant!

I use the one from Minwax.

I just thought that I would throw in my DIY stand. I did this over thanksgiving weekend and just got my basement in some sort of order just to take a few pics.. What I have left to do is some panels on the stand itself, and the paint treatment to the bookcases.

I wrote a few paragraphs about the build on my site. There is also a link to additional pics. Looking back I wish that I would have taken a few more pictures during the building process.



Link to article (http://six21.net/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=102)

Now Bruce... tell me how you got the stain to actually pentrate the sealer and reach the grain? I also used Minwax sanding sealer and Minwax (gel) stain.

Originally posted by videobruce
I stained a wood frame bay window using pine trim WITHOUT the sealer and it didn't look that bad untill
I stained another window (SAME wood & stain) WITH a sealer and what a difference!

The wood without the sealer looked muddy, the wood with the sealer looked alive and vibrant!

I use the one from Minwax.

When I apply stain over sealer, I get no color at all, just a faint tint.

It's not the sanding sealer it's a "Wood Stain Pre Conditioner":

http://www.minwax.com/products/woodprep/prestain.cfm

Sorry 'bout that.
I tried to take pics of the two windows, but the pics didn't show the difference in the wood.

Ironhorse,
I believe the sanding sealer that you used is to be used AFTER stain, and BEFORE poly. That would be why stains will not penetrate. As Bruce said, you want to use the conditioner before staining. I have never used conditioner, but I do know that it helps with soft plywoods such as pine or fir to help with the grain variations. If you used a sanding sealer, it will help to fill the open grain to get a final smoother finish. I think you would need to break out the orbital sander, or start painting. Sorry

Paul...

Ironically, the HD I went to didn't have the Pre-Stain Conditioner on the shelves, and when I asked the guy there... he said if the wood was open grained, I probably should use a Minwax Sanding Sealer and handed me a can. I should've looked closer at the little brochures or went to Minwax's website. This guy obviously wasn't thinking along the same lines as I was because gel stain is often used to make plain metal/fiberglass doors look like wood grain and its recommended over a sealed surface. I can't fault him 100% because it's my own fault for not doing more research. I think someone in one of the early posts suggested gel stain and sealing it... and maybe I read that post wrong.

Quote "Also, sanding sealer just prepares/conditions the wood for sealing or staining. You apply the sanding sealer, which raises the grain in the wood, you gently sand it with 400-grit sandpaper (preferrably mounted to a random-orbit sander), and then stain or seal. Anytime you get wood wet (with stain or urethane or whatever) the grain will stand up. If you don't use a sanding sealer before staining, you'll have to lightly sand after you've stained (which is a no-no). "


Anyway, I went into another, bigger HD and talked to a guy who seemed more knowledgeable. He laughed and said that maybe all is not lost. Pointed me to a product called "Citristrip" which is a orange smelling stripper that is not so smelly you can't use it in a closed shop room. There's also a wash product that you use after the stripping to clean the pores/grain a little further. I tried it out last night on the end panels and it seems like it works fairly well... maybe 80% of the sealer is coming out.

By the weekend I should have it back down to what may be salvageable and then I will start over with the stain conditioner to help distribute the stain evenly (I hope). And if it doesn't work, yeah... I'll go buy some satin black polurethane someplace and just paint over everything.

Gonna'do some praying.

Good luck. I'll say a prayer for you.:o

Paul

Ran out of clamps, where is Norm when you need him!

View is upside down and from the rear.

Hey Paul...

Thanks for the prayers... they may have helped, but tomorrow will be the day of truth. Tell ya what I've done so far:

1. Went the Citristrip route and removed as much of the old sealer and stain as possible. Actually got it about 90% back to where I was before the disaster.

2. At the suggestion of another person, I went over to the Woodcraft store and spent maybe 30 minutes with their finishing guru. I explained what I had done and he gave me some advice and directions.

3. I dampened down the cabinet to raise the grain, waited overnight, then sanded it first with 150# then followed up with 220#.

4. I vacumned it off and then wiped it with a tack rag before applying Minwax's Pre-Stain Conditioner which soaked into the wood for 15-20 minutes before I wiped the excess off.

5. Next, I brushed on General Finishes Pre-Mixed dye stain a panel at a time. The guy at woodcraft told me that this was the same as regular dye stain mixes without the hassle of mixing concentrate with water. And while you let this stuff set up for a few minutes, the object is to get it off while it's still wet... kind of buff it out.

6. So I now have a fairly acceptable base coat on the cabinet. My next step is to put on a second coat tomorrow (Sunday).

7. Once the second coat is dry, I'm going to seal the cabinet once again with BullsEye Shellac, the crystal clear, de-waxed type... and I have to dilute that 50/50 with Behlen's Behkol.

8. And when the shellac is dry, I can start some light sanding and then apply the first finish coat of water based urethane. I figure two or three coats, sanded with 400# on the first two should do it.

So I'm closing in on finishing the beast. My mission is to have the cabinet completely done by Thursday provided there are no more hiccups. I know it's not going to be perfect, but it should look pretty decent. My wife was kidding me today at lunch that between the hours I've put in, and the variety of finishes, hardware, lumber, and other odds and ends... I could've just gone with the Salamander!!! :) And I could've had all this time to do other projects around the house. But then, after looking at the cabinet in my shop, she also said that maybe as my next project, I ought to design and build her a server for the dining room. :rolleyes:

Originally posted by Pablopsd
Good luck. I'll say a prayer for you.:o

Paul

Originally posted by IronHorse
But then, after looking at the cabinet in my shop, she also said that maybe as my next project, I ought to design and build her a server for the dining room. :rolleyes:

And THIS is why we build our own!!

I dampened down the cabinet to raise the grain, waited overnight, then sanded it Why?

Here is a shot with the added braces for the bottom skirt.
Probably overkill, but it was scrap wood.

Here is the almost kinda finished stand with the top 'L' molding in place (not glued yet). Notice the difference between the pine molding, the maple ply and the birch supports.

Bruce...

It's looking good. Is the top lipped for a reason? Just curious. You have a nice assortment of clamps. Can never have too many clamps I always say. BTW, got two coats of shellac on the beast now, and it's looking somewhat acceptable. Going to let it dry overnight and then start with the urethane tomorrow night.

After this is all done, I think we should at a "Do's & Don'ts" for future reference :)!

Bruce- looking good. Just want to know- why did you not continue the 1/2" round trim around the left corner? You did on the bottom, and the top has a continuos trim as well. Just curious. Also, what's the side area on the right for? PC?

Looks really professional, well planned and executed. This thread should remain a sticky because there is such a wealth of knowledge and information here.

Is the top lipped for a reason? Don't understand. :rolleyes: Do you mean the 'L' corner molding? If so, it is to hide the edge grain and the screws on the top that supported the legs. why did you not continue the 1/2" round trim around the left corner?I didn't think it was necessary. The top and bottom had the edge grain to hide around the whole perimeter.
What I did goof on was not wrapping the trim around the open area for the tower on the right side. Big mistake there.

Red...

I sent a PM suggesting that this thread be added to the most popular thread list. Our number of posts and views are rising faster than the basic TV Stand thread if you compare the time frame.

Originally posted by Kid Red
This thread should remain a sticky because there is such a wealth of knowledge and information here.

Sticky or not, I'm working on composing the "DO's & DON'Ts" list which we can try to modify on the fly.

iron- I like the do's and don't idea but i really love the whole 'how to'. There are some nice tips also, so maybe do's, don't and tips? Or hell, just a how to FAQ or something.

First post in the FAQ can be Gel Stain and sanding sealer. iron Horse, if I bring you my new cabinet tomorrow, can you get it all stained and finished for me for Thursday too?

Pablo

At IronHorses request, I thought I'd share my recent stand construction for a 61" DLP and assorted equipment.

I had the same problem that usually drives someone to build something. My center channel wasn't going to fit in anything I could find.

Once you decide you have to build something, then EVERYTHING is an option. I wanted to build something that was the right height for a TV I had ordered.

As soon as the TV guys dropped off the set, I ran into the garage to build a height adjustable temporary stand so I could easily try any height within a reasonable range of 6" or so. It needed to house my center channel as well.

Believe it or not, you can build something that meets these requirements in about 1 hour with scraps in your garage. This is assuming you have: the right scraps, deck screws, 4 trailer jacks, no concern for aesthetics, and a 6 pack of beer. (Living in Alabama does help)

Here's the temporary test mule I posted in another thread:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?s=&postid=4277406&fullpage=1

As you may imagine, my wife was REALLY looking forward to my building "the real one".

Thanks to the test mule (which I ended up using for a couple months), I decided that 20" was the right height for my stand.

I needed something of furniture quality that could hold all my equipment, have integrated wire management, a place to hide the TV antenna amp, a big AV powerstrip, and I needed to be able to move it when loaded.

I was shooting for something that was simple and would breathe well. Durability was important as well. To add to the fun, my wife ordered some furniture that had I to attempt to match. What the heck, I order a 6 part oil stain tint set. How hard could it be:)

I decided to use red oak for everything. It's all 3/4", the uprights are 1.5" square. The rear panel had the amp, powerstrip and wire management channels attached to the back. That piece of wood is inset 3" so I could attach all the stuff, route the wires, and still push the thing next to the wall.

I started with 6' pieces of 12" wide red oak, used a jointer to get them to 10" each and attached them with biscuits to make the main panels that are 60"x20".

Everything is assembled using hidden dowels and glue. 3/8" dowels hold all the 1.5" square stock to the main planks, the back, and each other. A total of 10 1/4" dowels attach the rear "vanity" plate to the main planks.

It has eight matching 1.5" square feet attached with 3/8" hidden dowels. Each of these feet has 1.5" furniture "miracle" glides. You really can slide it across carpet when loaded. The big glides attach with both screws and their adhesive.

I attached a picture of it before stain. The stain hides a lot of detail. I'll spare everyone the ordeal of trying to match the commercially sprayed finishes on the new tables she bought. I had the whole Minwax collection and a set of stain dyes and still didn't get quite dark enough. I at least hit the color, so she's happy. I must have mixed 50 samples with little disposable plastic burets and small plastic dixie cups. I used the excess cut from the main planks as a contact sheet for all the colors.

Once the final color was chosen, I did the normal 60 (on the planks only, I don't have a planer that can do boards that big), 120, 220 grit treatment. Two coats of stain, 3 coats of Urethane with a light 220 treatment between coats.

There's a shot of the final product here:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?s=&postid=4776129&fullpage=1

And yes, just today, the wife replaced my old "remote control/game controller bin" aka a wicker basket, with one that matches the stand:)

I bought a pair of Target stands and made matching speaker "cups" for them to keep our cats/dog from knocking the speakers off the stands. Each stand has 20+ lbs of lead shot in the base to keep it stabile.

Bottom line: I could have bought anything for less than this cost me. The price of red oak (or any hard wood) is pretty scary. The TV stand has roughly $300 in material costs alone.

How I console myself: Nobody makes furniture like this that you can readily buy, and I get to point at it and say I built it:)

NMT...

Thanks for the post... you will find that many of us DIYs feel pretty much the same. None of us are professional cabinet builders, and we all may make some screw-ups (just read my story!) and will ultimately make some compromises. But the bottom line is that we have something we designed, built, and are enjoying.

This thread is all about sharing experiences and a smattering of knowledge so that the next guy who doesn't want to spend $1200 on a Salamander might have a less expensive and more versatile option.

Welcome to the world of BYO! :)

Originally posted by IronHorse
NMT...

Thanks for the post... you will find that many of us DIYs feel pretty much the same. None of us are professional cabinet builders, and we all may make some screw-ups (just read my story!) and will ultimately make some compromises. But the bottom line is that we have something we designed, built, and are enjoying.

This thread is all about sharing experiences and a smattering of knowledge so that the next guy who doesn't want to spend $1200 on a Salamander might have a less expensive and more versatile option.

Welcome to the world of BYO! :)

Believe me, I understand:)

I still have a 6'x6' pine bookcase that was my first "big" wood project. I built it with a hammer, a saw, and a sanding block. I actually used nails in it, but it will outlive me and hopefully, it will be a while before I look worse than it:)

How times have changed. I won't use any structural metal in wood projects now.

I have a well equipped wood shop, but as sanding the big 20" boards I joined together reminded me...you can still do just as well with hand tools, it just takes longer. Even better, with AV equipment, you get another chance every few years. I just built my last equipment/speaker stands 18 months ago! (sigh)

I would REALLY love a 24" flat belt sander though. :)

NeedMoreToys; do you think those 1.5" legs with the dowels are enough lateral support? The stand looks nice and clean looking.
You have at least two more tools than I have. A jointer and a biscuit cutter (I forgot what they are called).