I'm liking the best of both worlds idea...... It's worth it for around $40...

BTW - I will be updating my theater thread with pictures today!!

Gary

Was just playing around with a ticket window design. Heres the first version at least. This would a standard window, with no rounded shelf or rounded top. I was thinking about another version that I would make the upper part rounded so it could hang out over the front of the window and maybe make a matching rounded shelf/counter. If I did the rounded version, I would try and make it larger enough to installed a recessed light of some sort. Not sure. I still have an idea of building a small marquee about it as well.

I plan on staining it the same color as the doors and the theater trim. Want to give it an older look. Maybe dark gold wood letters. My wife and the kids will be gone next weekend, so I'm thinking about building it and maybe my light boxes.

Anyway. Comments?
http://images14.fotki.com/v336/photos/6/649633/3402899/ticketwindow1-vi.jpg

Bud

Bud,

1st of all -- if you made that with MS Paint -- you're definitely a MS Paint Pro :)

I think either square or rounded will work well. I like the idea of the can light inside which makes the curved option more attractive. Are the grooves in the sides to be fluted or just trim applied to the top. Fluting is always nice but you would need to purchase an router bit and make a few jigs.

If you are really going with the "old world" look, what about making a "customized" Zoltar ticket clerk like this? It's classic and is a reminder of a BIG blockbuster movie ;)

http://swithey.gotdns.org/swithey/ht/avs/zoltar-bud.jpg

Steve,

Zoltar I'm not... I like the lighted look, but if I do a Marquee above it (need to see if I have the room), that I can light that and even downlight it onto the ticket window.

I was thinking about buying versus making the flutes this AM. Probably easier to purchase, but no decision yet.

Oh and yes, thats MS paint. The versus of Visio I have does not work under XP (tells you how old it is) and can't get it through work.

Bud

When I saw your drawing of your ticket both something immediately occurred to me. I wouldn't have the space to have a ticket booth but I might be able to build something like your design there and mount in on a wall some place. A painting or poster of the inside of a ticket booth and/or a ticket taker (Zoltar) would suffice. YMMV.

Jeff,

I thought about extending the bottom of the window to give it a ticket booth look, versus just a ticket window look. I have a great spot for it that I could make it like a foot deep. Of course, the top would have to be built out as well. My wife said I could hinge the bottom front panel "so she could store towels for the bathroom" in it. :rolleyes:

I was thinking of making the window deep enough just to put some velvet curtains in it. I don't think I'd do a mirror. Not sure on the poster, it would have to be perfect.

Maybe I can buy a mannequin head on ebay and stuff it in there, get an ushers hat for him and call him "Swithey". Yeah, thats the ticket. :D

Bud

Bud - Have you noticed how careful Steve is not to include head shots in his thread....LOL

I get comments all time on 2 people I supposidly look like (don'y quite see it myself) but I'll not let that out the bag in this Forum

On the power conditioner topic, I've always thought that part of the job of a power conditioner should be voltage regulation. But I haven't found that feature available on anything near the price range we're talking about. Is it just that, outside of a thunderstorm or other voltage "event", that voltage is constant enough not to be a concern? Is the primary purpose of a power conditioner then to remove noise from the line?

Was just playing around with a ticket window design. Heres the first version at least. This would a standard window, with no rounded shelf or rounded top. I was thinking about another version that I would make the upper part rounded so it could hang out over the front of the window and maybe make a matching rounded shelf/counter. If I did the rounded version, I would try and make it larger enough to installed a recessed light of some sort. Not sure. I still have an idea of building a small marquee about it as well.


Bud

C-Dog,

About the flutes: The store bought flutes are usually plunged with a rounded bit. I would make them, and I would suggest a flat-bottom bit, and squaring the corners just as you have it in your design. Will make it much more authentic than the rounded flutes. Porter Cable makes a nice corner chisel punch.

C-Dog,

About the flutes: The store bought flutes are usually plunged with a rounded bit. I would make them, and I would suggest a flat-bottom bit, and squaring the corners just as you have it in your design. Will make it much more authentic than the rounded flutes. Porter Cable makes a nice corner chisel punch.

I'll have to take a look. I have a plunge router and I might have the right bit. I bought a set a while back, just not sure what was included. I think I used one bit so far and that was for my window sills.

Got a like to the corner chisel punch?

Bud

Got a like to the corner chisel punch?

Bud

Indeed (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000224L6/qid=1152898217/sr=8-2/ref=sr_1_2/102-0503340-7240910?%5Fencoding=UTF8&v=glance&n=228013)

On the power conditioner topic, I've always thought that part of the job of a power conditioner should be voltage regulation. But I haven't found that feature available on anything near the price range we're talking about. Is it just that, outside of a thunderstorm or other voltage "event", that voltage is constant enough not to be a concern? Is the primary purpose of a power conditioner then to remove noise from the line?

Steve,

Maybe this will help: http://www.furmansound.com/products/tech_corner/faq_powerconditioner.php

Bud

Bud, the opening for storage idea is a good one IMO, but not for towels... ;)

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/New%20Theater/Construction/P5142188-r.jpg

Definitely - that's a great idea. I'm going to have to remember that one..

That's what I was thinking as well, although I'd rather store the DVDs in the concession area, closer to the rack. I have a few options. First, I'll have the cabinets in the concession area in about 10 days, I've include two 27" wide cabinets each with three drawers. I can store the DVDs in there, as well CDs. I'm thinking the drawers may get a little heavy though. I'll have to see. I should have plenty of room for goodies like popcorn stuff, candy, paper products, etc as well. Second, I could build or buy a set of shelves in the concession are for movies, but then it takes up wall space and doesn't (IMO) look that great. I'd rather have them hidden. I could put a rack for DVDs in the inside of the equipment closet, but wouldn't want to kids back there looking for movies. Third, I could buy a mega changer and put all the DVDs in it and put the cases in storage, but would rather put that money towards a HDDVD/BluRay box. Fourth, build a HTPC and store movies/music to on hard drives. I was thinking about doing the HTPC next year, so I haven't started investigating all the work behind that yet.

Bud

I ran out to my favorite Orange store today.... I had to pick up one of the transitions that they shorted me on and while I was there I bought an undercounter fridge and an inexpensive GE dishwasher for the bar. I have the fridge plugged in where it'll sit and I just left the dishwasher in the box. The bar is going to seem relatively small once all the cabinets are in I think.

Bud

All you need down there now is a bed and you'll never leave.

Bryan

That's what the my Berkline loveseat is for. Recline them both and take a nap!

Bud

A mega changer is about the same cost as the hard drive space for the equivalent number of DVDs, so that's a toss up. I'm debating as well, but will probably opt for the simple, find the movie, put it in the (HTPC) drive method. Perhaps I'll slowly load them as I watch them, and prepare the film before viewing. That would allow you to skip the warning, previews, etc, and have it ready to go. Another huge advantage (to me, anyway) with an HTPC is the ability to put up a cool intro animation, like Reaper has made.

A mega changer is about the same cost as the hard drive space for the equivalent number of DVDs, so that's a toss up. I'm debating as well, but will probably opt for the simple, find the movie, put it in the (HTPC) drive method. Perhaps I'll slowly load them as I watch them, and prepare the film before viewing. That would allow you to skip the warning, previews, etc, and have it ready to go. Another huge advantage (to me, anyway) with an HTPC is the ability to put up a cool intro animation, like Reaper has made.
You can also do some nice scaling too. I'm playing around with that now. Also if you plan to do 2.35:1 and use a lens, you can use a product like TheaterTek to resize the movie so it will display properly. TheaterTek is a cool product -- very customizable and can be used in batches to run multiple clips in a row (as Tim mentioned). I think this is the direction for me since I already have a PC I can use.

Yes, forgot the scaling part of it, but knew you could do it. Another advantge is having the ability to network the machine. I'd like to dump all my pictures and video to drives as well, whether I few them in the theater or not.

Bud

I bought an undercounter fridge and an inexpensive GE dishwasher for the bar.
Bud


Bud is this the one you bought - or similar? http://www.homedepot.com/cmc_upload/HDUS/EN_US/asset/images/eplus/084691136484_4.jpg I was looking for something like this for my bar, so you will have to let me know what you think. What are the dimensions of your GE dishwasher. (I was going to say unit - but then I thought about it ;) )

Drew

Drew,

I bought model GSD4060JSS. Not very expensive, but not the bottom of the line either. After all, its primarily for bar glasses. What I liked about this one was the top rack was deep (not front the back, top to bottom). Great for those tall glasses.

GE Nautilus from HD (GSD4060JSS) (http://www.homedepot.com/prel80/HDUS/EN_US/diy_main/pg_diy.jsp?prod_id=HD0000000616&cm_mmc=hd_goog-_-New-Search-_-D-29A-_-bid20149954-GSD4060JSS)

Edit: Here are the dimensions. (http://www.homedepot.com/cmc_upload/HDUS/EN_US/asset/pdfs/38e180a1-84f0-47e7-834a-46e6a6d20212.pdf)

I also picked up one of the Magic Chef beverage coolers for 299.00. Not bad, will probably buy a second one for the concession area. It goes to 41 degrees (digital thermostat), has glass shelfs, a light (manual, does not open with the door) and is 5.8 cubic feet, front vented with a glass door. Magic Chef is under the Whirlpool business, I think. The other ones I was looking at like the GE Mongram and Jenn-air are all like 1100.00 Can't justify spending that even if I have to replace it in two years.

Bud

It goes to 41 degrees

And I thought the Americans liked their beer cold :D

Mark,

I think its personal preference. I like it cold, not sure of the exact temperature. Depends on the beer though. Interesting tidbit here:

The proper temperature is essential for beer enjoyment. (http://www.realbeer.com/library/beerbreak/archives/beerbreak20000921.php)

http://www.beerhunter.com/images/realbeertag.gif

Bud

Bud,

Been following your thread for the last couple months and thought I would chime in with one of my opinions. As far as the HTPC goes I would at least wait until Vista comes out as that will suposedly be much better for media integration.

By the way, your whole basement looks amazing. I hope that when I get a chance to do mine it will come out half a nice.

Kurt

Hey Kurt, thanks and welcome to my little piece of insanity. Thanks for the tip on Vista. I haven't kept up in that department and I'm probably a year away anyway, but will keep that in mind.

Bud

I was thinking about doing the HTPC next year, so I haven't started investigating all the work behind that yet.

Bud

Please, please, please post that in your thread or a new one when you start that project. I am thinking of having a central storage area for movies and music that can be accessed from anywhere. Then I was going to put a touch screen monitor in the bar area, that would allow me to select movies or music to display on a second monitor which would be a TV mounted on the wall in the game room area.

Of course this is a long ways down the road since my house is only in the framing stage right now...

Just spent the past couple hours scanning through this thread and watching the progress of this awesome theater.

I am just getting ready to start on the basement and am leaning towards the laminate wood flooring also. However, I have been told by two different people, while getting estimates on finishing, that they will 'pop' when you walk on them. Have you had any issues with this?

Thanks in advance,

-Darryl

Darryl if its a snap together floor you would hear some snap,crackle,pop for a little while.
That is the floor settling in to itself. The floor your going over needs to be pretty flat.(1/4" over 10') If I'm doing laminate in a commercial building or in a wet area I glue it together with a product called Blue Fusion. It is made by Wilson Art. They have been in the laminate business forever and that product was designed to use with their Tap & Lock flooring. It takes a little longer to do a floor but the end result and longevity is worth it.
Blue Fusion can be used with any snap together laminate floor. It will seal it from moisture and stop the minute separation that happens over time from expanding and contracting.
Just a helpful hint from the Floor Man that knows :)

Mrpergo,

Thanks. I'll check into the Blue Fusion.

avolizard,

No real popping here. Every once in a while an occasional sound, but I believe that even though the pieces are locked together the sound is cased by a spot that was not laying completely flat. When you snap a floor together, after you've got the hang of it you tend to try and hammer it out. Even though visually the section may be down, it might be off the floor a hair, but you move on. The weight of the next row will pull it down. Once in a while (maybe 3 times since the floor is down) I hear a sound in a spot that I probably had not stepped on since the floor had gone down. Once I hear it, I never heard it in the same spot again.

Could also be the quality of the floor or maybe some little piece of something (like a little drywall granular that I missed when I swept up that gets crushed once stepped on. Not sure.

I used the Dupont flooring and have been very happy with it.

Bud

Please, please, please post that in your thread or a new one when you start that project. I am thinking of having a central storage area for movies and music that can be accessed from anywhere. Then I was going to put a touch screen monitor in the bar area, that would allow me to select movies or music to display on a second monitor which would be a TV mounted on the wall in the game room area.

Of course this is a long ways down the road since my house is only in the framing stage right now...

Michael,

I'll keep posting here, assuming it doesn't get archived by the time I get to it.

Bud

Blue Fusion can be used with any snap together laminate floor. It will seal it from moisture and stop the minute separation that happens over time from expanding and contracting.
Is blue fusion an underlayment?

Bud

Blue Fusion is the top of the line PVC adhesive designed by WilsonArt to be used with their Tap & Lock laminate flooring in high traffic (commercial setting) and wet area installations. (laundry rooms, bathrooms, Salons ect.) It can also be used with any other laminate flooring. I use it quite often with Pergo and Armstrong. It keeps the flooring tight after it starts expanding and contracting.
Your laminate floor will expand and contract just like a wood floor. As time goes on the locking systems weakens and small separations between the planks appear, Then the dirt and dust gets in the cracks. This really looks bad on light floors such as maple or a light oak, even worse with a white marble tile look. Using Blue Fusion glues the whole system together so it expands and contracts as one unit.
Most installers don't use it because it takes more time and a lot don't use it because the stores they work with don't carry WilsonArt flooring.

Can you give a rough estimate on how much time it adds to the installation?
Just wondering if its going to double, triple or quadruple the install time.
Take into account that I have NEVER done flooring before. :)

It wouldn't add more then an hour or two depending on the square footage.
You only need to put a bead of glue on the tongue of the plank and put it together per instructions.

I started hanging stuff and decorations in the gamreoom/bar, still more to do. Here are a few pictures.

http://images2.fotki.com/v332/photos/6/649633/3422362/100_1542-vi.jpg
http://images14.fotki.com/v336/photos/6/649633/3422362/100_1543-vi.jpg
http://images1.fotki.com/v333/photos/6/649633/3422362/100_1544-vi.jpg
http://images16.fotki.com/v274/photos/6/649633/3422362/100_1545-vi.jpg
http://images14.fotki.com/v336/photos/6/649633/3422362/100_1546-vi.jpg

Bud

Drew and Mark,

Not sure if you're looking for undercounter fridges for the bar, but this is the one I bought at HD. It's the Magic Chef. All the "stainless" surrounding the glass is plastic, hence the 299.00 price tag (and its made in China). The handle is stainless. Seems to work well, its pretty quiet when not cooling and does the job. I fought it hard to find find any info on the web about it, even with the model number.

http://images2.fotki.com/v332/photos/6/649633/3422362/100_1548-vi.jpg

Still need to reverse the door.

Bud

That's actually a wine chiller, isn't it...?

Nope, there is a wine chiller version with metal racks shaped for wine bottles. This is what they called a beverage center. Has glass shelves.

Bud

Here's the box. It's upside down so I rotated the picture.

http://images14.fotki.com/v336/photos/6/649633/3422362/100_1550-vi.jpg

Bud

Nice finish work C-Dog. Is that all Behr paint?

Thanks. No, its Sherwin-Williams. Great stuff. Not cheap though.

Bud

Not cheap is right Bud :)
I always use Sherwin-Williams and spent several hundred dollars just to paint the theater.
What's funny though, I always watch HGTV and they remodel a room and do the breakdown of the costs and they'll have like $25.00 for paint. You know three different colors and some glaze. It kills me.
Your theater and basement look Great. It will be a nice escape area when complete.

No real popping to speak of on the glueless laminate I just put down.

And maybe for you, mrpergo, adding a bead of glue along each tab of each piece of flooring would only add an hour or two to the job, but judging how long it took me to do ~320 sq. ft, it would take an idiot like me more like 4+ :D

What's funny though, I always watch HGTV and they remodel a room and do the breakdown of the costs and they'll have like $25.00 for paint. You know three different colors and some glaze. It kills me.
You're right there. I think the stuff I used was 40.00+ a gallon. Covers real well though. I'm not sure where they get their paint from, but its not at SW.

Bud

Looking good Bud!

That fridge is really nice. I saw it at HD the other day and I really liked it. It stores a crap loud of drinks.

We just painted our new house inside and we also used SW paint. It was about $40 a gallon, but it is well worth it. The paint is the best I have used.

Hey Bud - since you've been working on the basement area too, I might actually catch you on this build. I should be completely finished (well, as complete as these things ever are) by tomorrow night.

tick, tick, tick... ;)

We just painted our new house inside and we also used SW paint. It was about $40 a gallon, but it is well worth it. The paint is the best I have used.

Thanks Big! I've used Behr, Ralph Lauren, Duron (pre-SW), Porter and SW. I like SW the best. Seems to get the best coverage per can.

Bud

Hey Bud - since you've been working on the basement area too, I might actually catch you on this build. I should be completely finished (well, as complete as these things ever are) by tomorrow night.

tick, tick, tick... ;)

Tomorrow? I knew you were close, just didn't think that close. Good deal. Cabinets next Monday then counters. Getting close. Still need to build my lightboxes and ticket window. Hopefully I'll get a jump start on that this weekend.

Bud

Bud -
What's your thinking on the lightboxes? Have you devised a plan for them yet or are you just gonna wing it? I'm considering some DIY ones as well but havent thought about how to go about it yet...

Kevin -

Kevin,

There is a thread that Clarence started (homemade backlit DS poster lightbox thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=496487&highlight=lightbox+clarence)) that I'll go back and review this week and use as a basis for the design. I'll post information as I move forward with it. I probably won't use the rosettes (never really liked them) and just mitre the corners. I don think I'll use the fluted stuff either, just use the frame and techniques there.

Again, want to make it look old. I actually still need to buy some posters for the. Was looking for some double sided vintage repros, but striking out in that department. I suppose I could use single sided as well.

Bud

What is the color of that SW paint that you used?

barhoram,

Gameroom and bar: Sherwin-Williams SW6129 "Restrained Gold"
Concession area: Sherwin-Williams SW6128 "Blonde"

Bud

man bud it looks awesome. like the baseball pics.

What is the exterior dimensions of the beverage cooler?

thank you larryep

You're right there. I think the stuff I used was 40.00+ a gallon. Covers real well though. I'm not sure where they get their paint from, but its not at SW.

Bud

Sherwin Williams does have some expensive paint, but it is really nice paint. I have a friend who does remodeling and I got him to buy the paint for me. SW has contractor accounts and the more a contractor buys from them, the lower their price will be over time. If you know anyone in the painting business, get them to buy the paint for you under their account and pay them back for it (if you have anymore painting to do). It helps you get a little lower price and helps them with their future discount. It takes a lot of purchases from SW to get the discount.

man bud it looks awesome. like the baseball pics.

What is the exterior dimensions of the beverage cooler?

thank you larryep

Hey Larry, thanks. Measurements are straight out of the manual here on my desk.

Width -> 23 1/2 inches (When the handle is on, its 25 1/2 inches - the door should 1 inch beyond the standard cabinet).

Height -> 34 2/5 inches

Depth is 20 4/5 inches

Its made for a 24 x 24 x 341/2 to 35 opening. Typically the same size opening as a dishwasher.

I have a ton of old B&W sports pictures, most are in my office. Most are reproductions bought off ebay for a few bucks.

Bud

Larry,

A few shots of my office:

http://images1.fotki.com/v291/photos/6/649633/3402899/100_1553-vi.jpg
http://images14.fotki.com/v336/photos/6/649633/3402899/100_1554-vi.jpg
http://images2.fotki.com/v332/photos/6/649633/3402899/100_1555-vi.jpg

Bud

Sherwin Williams does have some expensive paint, but it is really nice paint. I have a friend who does remodeling and I got him to buy the paint for me. SW has contractor accounts and the more a contractor buys from them, the lower their price will be over time. If you know anyone in the painting business, get them to buy the paint for you under their account and pay them back for it (if you have anymore painting to do). It helps you get a little lower price and helps them with their future discount. It takes a lot of purchases from SW to get the discount.

Now you tell me! Just kiddin'. I did wonder why they asked me if I had an account every time I walked in though!

Bud

Drew and Mark,

Not sure if you're looking for undercounter fridges for the bar, but this is the one I bought at HD. It's the Magic Chef. All the "stainless" surrounding the glass is plastic, hence the 299.00 price tag (and its made in China). The handle is stainless. Seems to work well, its pretty quiet when not cooling and does the job. I fought it hard to find find any info on the web about it, even with the model number.

http://images2.fotki.com/v332/photos/6/649633/3422362/100_1548-vi.jpg

Still need to reverse the door.

Bud

Hey Bud, that is the one I was looking at. Funny. Great minds think alike I guess.

Drew

well shoot that wont fit in my cabinet. thanks for the measurements Bud.

larryep

Forgot to tell you guys, my HD PVR crapped out in the HT room. It got really, really hot. I don't think it was a venting issue, the closet is pretty cool. The bathroom fan seems to be doing its job. It is in a two space shelf, so I may have to watch it and replace the shelf with a vented one or go to a 3 space shelf.

The good news is I'm connecting the box and notice that it's got a HDMI connection! The cable guy said he's hooked up several now. I'm still running off component at the moment, the kids were watching a movie and I'd have to mess with the receive settings. Anyway, stay tuned. He also noticed I had a week signal comping into the house (long drive) and after a few phone calls, he added a second amp to boost the signal.

Bud

Bud... is it the Motorola box? If so it needs lots of airspace on top. Lots.

Yes, its a motorola. I may have to switch it around then. I also tried to connect via HDMI to the 2600 and it seemed to work for a few seconds, saw some message on the screen about filters and to use component, then the screen went green. Haven't really had a chance to play with it more than that.

Bud

Bud,

I have had to replace my HD DVR (motorola) three times already. I have it sitting on it's side on a counter right now, not in a cabinet. These puppies get extremely hot. If I turn off the DVR, I lose all audio and have to unplug it from the wall to reset the audio. A real pisser. This one is going back to be replace also (Adelphia Cable).

Good luck.

Forgot to tell you guys, my HD PVR crapped out in the HT room. It got really, really hot. I don't think it was a venting issue, the closet is pretty cool. The bathroom fan seems to be doing its job. It is in a two space shelf, so I may have to watch it and replace the shelf with a vented one or go to a 3 space shelf.

The good news is I'm connecting the box and notice that it's got a HDMI connection! The cable guy said he's hooked up several now. I'm still running off component at the moment, the kids were watching a movie and I'd have to mess with the receive settings. Anyway, stay tuned. He also noticed I had a week signal comping into the house (long drive) and after a few phone calls, he added a second amp to boost the signal.

Bud

Hey Bud....the one thing to consider though on using the HDMI into your 2600 is that you will lose the upscaling of SD content. Not sure if you were taking advantage of the scaling features on the Yammy or not.

Jon,

So using DVI or HDMI out on a Moto box removes upscaling?

Bud,

Been a fan of your posts and your home theater construction thread...I was planning on just lurking in the shadows but after I seen those Quebec licence plates on the wall I just have to ask what a guy from Atlanta is doing with those on his wall?

...also want to let you know how much us lurkers appreciate reading and gaining knowledge from your thread!!

Mark

As always Bud, awesome job.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but after reading the Mid-Atlantic pdf file.....
Aren't you supposed to have the hottest things from top to bottom if you have active cooling like you do? I only ask because we've sold our house and will be building soon. I planned on having my equipment setup pretty much like yours. As a matter of fact, mine was designed after yours. Keep up the good work!

Jon,

So using DVI or HDMI out on a Moto box removes upscaling?

No, it's just that with the Yamaha RX-V2600, it will only upscale component video, S-Video or RCA. It will upscale as well as upconvert to to HDMI which is the big selling feature of this receiver. HDMI is simply pass through. If you are scaling on the Moto box, it would be a non-issue. The scaling on the Yammy is pretty marginal anyhow, but I choose to run component into my 2600 from my DirecTV receiver so I can upscale the SD programing. It is upscaled to 720P and upconverted to HDMI and sent out to my 900u PJ. Even with the scaling, SD content is pretty brutal on a 118" screen though, but it does help a little so it is worth it to me.

Bud,

I have had to replace my HD DVR (motorola) three times already. I have it sitting on it's side on a counter right now, not in a cabinet. These puppies get extremely hot. If I turn off the DVR, I lose all audio and have to unplug it from the wall to reset the audio. A real pisser. This one is going back to be replace also (Adelphia Cable).

Good luck.

I may have to rearrange some things or even just take it out of the rack. If I've got IR on it, doesn't matter to me if it sits on the floor. I don't watch any SD in there. Only HDTV and thats usually an occasional game or Discovery show. I think what happened was that I left it on for like 3 days straight by accident.

Bud

Hey Bud....the one thing to consider though on using the HDMI into your 2600 is that you will lose the upscaling of SD content. Not sure if you were taking advantage of the scaling features on the Yammy or not.

Hey Jon,

Forgot about the scaling, but not a real issue since I don't watch SDTV in the HT room. Waste of a bulb lamp! My DVD is HDMI ready and I was running component-> HDMI with cable. I had scaling off I believe.

Bud

Bud,

Been a fan of your posts and your home theater construction thread...I was planning on just lurking in the shadows but after I seen those Quebec licence plates on the wall I just have to ask what a guy from Atlanta is doing with those on his wall?

...also want to let you know how much us lurkers appreciate reading and gaining knowledge from your thread!!

Mark

Hey Mark, thanks for piping in. Here's the deal with the plates. I grew up in CT and have made several trips to Montreal. We used to go up there for spring break and hang out on St. Catherine's street. My wife and I also went up to Montreal for our honeymoon. I picked up those plates at a flea market 15 years ago. That'll give you an idea of how long I've been thinking about this basement! We moved to Atlanta in 1994. The last time I was in Montreal was in 2000 for some big award I received at work, presented by the CEO at the time. It was the best trip yet. Love Montreal. Great city.

No problem on the thread. I'm amazed by the number of views it gets.

Bud

As always Bud, awesome job.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but after reading the Mid-Atlantic pdf file.....
Aren't you supposed to have the hottest things from top to bottom if you have active cooling like you do? I only ask because we've sold our house and will be building soon. I planned on having my equipment setup pretty much like yours. As a matter of fact, mine was designed after yours. Keep up the good work!

Well thanks and good luck with it. If you have any questions, let me know.

You're correct, I believe they recommend the hottest on top. I just didn't think that it would have been the Moto box. Its interesting. In the Yamaha 2600 thread, people complained about how hot it got, hence the reason it was on top. The other receivers I expected would have been hot as well, which why I did what I did. I was trying to keep the kid friendly items towards the bottom of the rack. I never thought that box would be a problem. Sounds like a design flaw to me.

Bud

My DirecTV sat box is by far the hottest component in my rack and I also have the 2600 like you do. I can't imagine why it runs so hot. Mine doesn't even have the DVR either. I guess it takes a lot of processing power to give you that great HD picture. I'm with you on not watching SD TV on my PJ, but until ALL sports are in HD than I'll have to suffer through Angels games scaled through my 2600.

There is a thread that Clarence started (homemade backlit DS poster lightbox thread) that I'll go back and review this week and use as a basis for the design. I'll post information as I move forward with it. I probably won't use the rosettes (never really liked them) and just mitre the corners. I don think I'll use the fluted stuff either, just use the frame and techniques there.

Hi Bud. Been too busy to keep up with the thread. A couple tips about Clarence's design. (I built one last fall and modified the design slightly) I found when I tried to use the table saw to cut some grooves to insert the plexi, it was way too tight. Ruined a nice ROTS poster trying this. I built the outside frame as you describe. Mitred the corners and used some 90 degree braces to strengthen it. Then used some silicon glue to glue the plexi to the inside of the frame. I put some hinges on the side which butts up against my wall so I could have easy poster changing. It has worked great. I can post some pics if it would help.

Scott

http://images2.fotki.com/v332/photos/6/649633/3402899/100_1555-vi.jpg

Bud,

Don't know if those golf balls are only from courses you have played, but I would be happy to add one from the PGA at Medinah. I am heading over Friday morning of the event. PM me if you want.

Scott

Hi Bud. Been too busy to keep up with the thread. A couple tips about Clarence's design. (I built one last fall and modified the design slightly) I found when I tried to use the table saw to cut some grooves to insert the plexi, it was way too tight. Ruined a nice ROTS poster trying this. I built the outside frame as you describe. Mitred the corners and used some 90 degree braces to strengthen it. Then used some silicon glue to glue the plexi to the inside of the frame. I put some hinges on the side which butts up against my wall so I could have easy poster changing. It has worked great. I can post some pics if it would help.

Scott

Hey Scott,

Any pictues would be great. Thanks for the tip. Maybe I need to run the wood through, move the fence and run it through again to make that grove just a hair wider?

Bud

http://images2.fotki.com/v332/photos/6/649633/3402899/100_1555-vi.jpg

Bud,

Don't know if those golf balls are only from courses you have played, but I would be happy to add one from the PGA at Medinah. I am heading over Friday morning of the event. PM me if you want.

Scott

It's a combination of some of the courses I've played and a few odds and ends. I have Augusta National and Pebble Beach balls, both that I haven't played (yet :D ). I did play Poppy Hills and East Lake a while back. Medinah .... aren't they playing the PGA Championship there this year? If you think about, that would be cool.

Bud

I've started my ticket window. I'm hoping to finish it today. I need to run back to HD and get two more boards and I think I'll be able to make all the cuts and assemble it.
I ordered wood letters online about a week ago, still waiting on them. I'm also thinking of red velvet curtains on the inside.

Here's what I've got so far:
http://images1.fotki.com/v333/photos/6/649633/3813965/100_1556-vi.jpg
http://images14.fotki.com/v335/photos/6/649633/3813965/100_1558-vi.jpg
http://images17.fotki.com/v15/photos/6/649633/3813965/100_1557-vi.jpg

I bought all the trim for the top and bottom as well, including some fluted trim. I decided not to make my own fluted stuff. I do plan on building a skirt under the shelf and trimming that out. If you look close, You can see I made a groove for the plexiglass or glass. I'll insert the plexiglass and the flutted trim will then hold it in place.

Anyone ever cut a circle in plexiglass before?

Bud

OK, here's the final unfinished product. Came out pretty good. The plith blocks and flutes are not attached yet, just there by friction.

http://images18.fotki.com/v331/photos/6/649633/3813965/100_1560-vi.jpg
http://images14.fotki.com/v335/photos/6/649633/3813965/100_1561-vi.jpg
http://images1.fotki.com/v333/photos/6/649633/3813965/100_1562-vi.jpg

Without the sides:
http://images1.fotki.com/v333/photos/6/649633/3813965/100_1559-vi.jpg

From the back. Gives you an idea of how it was constructed. I used screws, brads and wood glue. The major pieces are held together with screws and are hidden by other boards or trim.
http://images17.fotki.com/v305/photos/6/649633/3813965/100_1563-vi.jpg
http://images14.fotki.com/v335/photos/6/649633/3813965/100_1564-vi.jpg
http://images1.fotki.com/v333/photos/6/649633/3813965/100_1565-vi.jpg

View from the bottom:
http://images1.fotki.com/v333/photos/6/649633/3813965/100_1566-vi.jpg
http://images14.fotki.com/v336/photos/6/649633/3813965/100_1567-vi.jpg

I took this shelf off from the bathroom wall and used it as my template for the shelf. I then use a jug saw and cut it out, sanded it some, then routed the top and bottom edges. I finally used my biscuit joiner I bought a year or two ago and added another board to make the shelf deeper.
http://images14.fotki.com/v336/photos/6/649633/3813965/100_1568-vi.jpg

Tomorrow I'll stain it and add a French cleat. Hopefully the letters will arrive soon.

Bud

Very cool! Thanks for the detailed pictures. I was wondering what you traced for that front shelf.. Looking forward to seeing it finished.

Bud,

The window is looking good.

I've cut many shapes into plexiglass, and I would say your best bet is to make a template out of some scrap wood (mdf works well) and then use your router with a flush cut (ball bearing) bit. If you have a top bearing bit you can just plunge the router through the plexi and then follow the template, if you only have a bottom bearing bit then you will have to pre-drill a large enough hole for the bearing to fit through. If you have to drill, sandwich the plexi between two pieces of wood and use a slightly dull drill bit at a high speed through all three pieces, don't let the bit pull itself through the plexi, it may crack it. The best ways to make the circle template are either a hole-saw, or a router on a circle jig like the type people use for speaker boxes.

On a side note, lexan looks a little more like glass when closely examined and is stronger, but I think it costs more. I would cut it the same way.

Keep up the good work,

Brian

Bud,

In a town I used to live in there was a company that built a lot of industrial displays for shows out of various plastics, glass, lexan,etc. The always would cut the plexiglass underwater to prevent any heat from the cutting process from discoloring the plexiglass. You don't need a lot of water just enough to keep the tool cool enough not to distort the color. Hope this might help.

Bob

Cutting plexi underwater sounds like a lot of work. I have gone to Tap plastics and had they used a table saw and just left the paper on the faces. If you need to, you can use a propane torch to flame polish the edges to smooth them out.

Love the window Bud looks great.

Robert

Nice job on the window. It is really going to "POP" once you get it stained. I can't wait to see it completed.

Awesome window, Bud. How much does it weigh? Are you still thinking about making it into a hidden door?

Bud,

The window is looking good.

I've cut many shapes into plexiglass, and I would say your best bet is to make a template out of some scrap wood (mdf works well) and then use your router with a flush cut (ball bearing) bit. If you have a top bearing bit you can just plunge the router through the plexi and then follow the template, if you only have a bottom bearing bit then you will have to pre-drill a large enough hole for the bearing to fit through. If you have to drill, sandwich the plexi between two pieces of wood and use a slightly dull drill bit at a high speed through all three pieces, don't let the bit pull itself through the plexi, it may crack it. The best ways to make the circle template are either a hole-saw, or a router on a circle jig like the type people use for speaker boxes.

On a side note, lexan looks a little more like glass when closely examined and is stronger, but I think it costs more. I would cut it the same way.

Keep up the good work,

Brian


Brian,

Thanks for the reply. Where can I find Lexan. Glass shop or HD? I actually have a 4" holesaw that I could use to make a hole in a template. I also have some 1/4" plywood laying around I can use.

Bud

Bud,

In a town I used to live in there was a company that built a lot of industrial displays for shows out of various plastics, glass, lexan,etc. The always would cut the plexiglass underwater to prevent any heat from the cutting process from discoloring the plexiglass. You don't need a lot of water just enough to keep the tool cool enough not to distort the color. Hope this might help.

Bob

Bob,

Do you know what tool they use?

Bud

Cutting plexi underwater sounds like a lot of work. I have gone to Tap plastics and had they used a table saw and just left the paper on the faces. If you need to, you can use a propane torch to flame polish the edges to smooth them out.

Scott,

I just bought and replaced my table saw blade yesterday before starting the ticket window. I wore the other out on my laminate flooring. I figured either way I'd have to get another blade, so at least I have a a new blade for woodworking.

Good tip on the torch. Thanks.

Bud

Awesome window, Bud. How much does it weigh? Are you still thinking about making it into a hidden door?

If I had to guess, it weighs maybe 45 pounds. No, I don't think so on the hidden door. I could have just made a stand for it, then instead of doing the apron under the self, built a narrow cabinet, trimmed it out to give it a full ticket window. I'm not sure I'd have to depth now with the size of the top part to make a cabinet big enough to store anything. Who knows, maybe I'll reconsider. Here's where it'll hang, the other side of that wall is the steps.
http://images1.fotki.com/v333/photos/6/649633/3813965/100_1571-vi.jpg

Bud

Tim, Robert and Steve,

Thanks guys! I'll get it stained today and post more pictures later.

Bud

My cabinets arrived this morning! They're suppose to be here tomorrow to install them.

http://images18.fotki.com/v331/photos/6/649633/3817012/100_1570-vi.jpg

Bud

Bud,

Wont be long till your finnished down there...keep it up, looks great and be sure to post pics of those cabinets too.

Robert

Here's the stained ticket window. I mad a French cleat out of a 2x4. I cut it at a 30 degree angle. I secured one side in the ticket window with screws. The other side I put on the wall with 2 anchors and a screw in a stud.

http://images1.fotki.com/v333/photos/6/649633/3813965/100_1577-vi.jpg
http://images18.fotki.com/v331/photos/6/649633/3813965/100_1576-vi.jpg

I can take it down pretty easily obviously using this method. Once I get the glass, curtains and lettering figured out, then I may also put an "L" bracket behind the apron so it doesn't accidently get lifted up and off.

Bud

Bud,

Wont be long till your finnished down there...keep it up, looks great and be sure to post pics of those cabinets too.

Robert

Thanks. Will definately take some pictures tomorrow once installed.

Bud

Finally got my pay phone hung up today.

http://images1.fotki.com/v334/photos/6/649633/3817012/100_1572-vi.jpg

Bud

Couple of closeups of the stained ticket window:

http://images18.fotki.com/v328/photos/6/649633/3813965/100_1578-vi.jpg
http://images14.fotki.com/v336/photos/6/649633/3813965/100_1580-vi.jpg
http://images1.fotki.com/v334/photos/6/649633/3813965/100_1581-vi.jpg

Bud

Bud,

Depended on the area being cut. I've seen a scroll saw, drill press both being used.

I thought about the drill press I saw on your work bench in a photo about your ticket window and using a hole saw. Don't know it you would have enough clearance with the drill press post though.

You don't need much water, just enough to submerge the part and keep everything cool. A cookie sheetmight be deep enough, but the boss might have an objection to that!

Bob

Looks like China's getting anxious for you to finish so she can watch a movie. Or was it the Cold Beer sign that attracted her?

Dave,

That's actually Gunner. China passed early in 2005. We adopted another GSD (Maggie) last fall, but she's camera shy. As soon as I pull out the camera, she takes off. Its weird. Someone shot her with a pellet gun before we got her, so she may think a camera will hurt her. We have the xray, the pellet its still in her hip.

Bud

Bud,

Depended on the area being cut. I've seen a scroll saw, drill press both being used.

I thought about the drill press I saw on your work bench in a photo about your ticket window and using a hole saw. Don't know it you would have enough clearance with the drill press post though.

You don't need much water, just enough to submerge the part and keep everything cool. A cookie sheetmight be deep enough, but the boss might have an objection to that!

Bob

Hey Bob. I'd probably attempt a router that the hole saw. I was thinking of making a template out of 1/4 ply and cutting a hole in that, then using it a a guide for the router.

Bud

Question about the ticket window... is something going inside of it or is that the finished look?

Hey Joe!

No, not finished. I'm thinking of putting up some red velvet curtains. Once I get the plexi/lexan/glass thing resolved, I also have one of the louver circle things to install. Still waiting on the letters as well. The hard part is done though.

Bud

Cool. I like your style. This is going to be a unique room.

Cabinet guy just called, he's lost... but he's only 5 minutes away.

Bud

Bud,

Can't wait to see those cabinets in!! The finish line is near!!

Sean

Bud,

You probably don't remember, but when I did my ticket window I used a 1/16th inch straight bit and routed out my holes. The router bit wants to melt the plexi. However, once you get the speed down, it goes pretty well. I had to finish it with a rasp and fine sand paper but it worked.

I think using a template guide is a good idea.

Bud,

I think the Router would work also, but like HeyNow/\ said, watch the heat. I'll bet with the water and a little slower speed you would be just fine.

Bob

Water and an electric router? Yikes! :)

Yeah, router speed is key. Watch out for scratches too.

Bud: First comment - LOVE your ticket window. I didn't go back to see the assembly pictures until after I saw the stained end result. I'd have sworn you were using oak boards until I saw the unfinished work during the assembly.

Second - I cut a 2-1/2 inch hole in thick plexi as a vent for my projector when I was constructing a new mount plate. (The aluminum mounting plate they sent was wrong, but I didn't open it until long after the exchange period had passed.) I used a standard hole saw and my hand drill, leaving the plastic/paper lining on the plexi.

If you've got a drill press to do the work, just be certain to protect both sides of the plexi from scratches and clamp it down well. Keep your speed slow and your pressure slight and you shouldn't have any issues with warping, cracking, or discoloration. I used a Dremel with a fine sanding drum to finish the edges after cutting the circle, but I think I like the flame idea better. ;)

I used to build "cut away" displays of engines, transmissions, etc. and sometimes we built plexi display cases for them. One of the things we did was use a blow gun and compressed air to keep the blade cool while cutting. Definitely need a third hand, but it seems a little more practical than cutting under water.

Cabinets are installed. I think it looks pretty good. The center cabinets will have glass doors and apparently there was problem, so they had to reorder them.
http://images14.fotki.com/v336/photos/6/649633/3817012/100_1584-vi.jpg

Better shot of the base cabinets. Lazy Susan in the corner.
http://images14.fotki.com/v335/photos/6/649633/3817012/100_1585-vi.jpg

Dishwasher goes on the right. Cabinet for the sink in the center. Drawers on left for stuff like bottle openers, can openers, coasters, crap like that.
http://images18.fotki.com/v331/photos/6/649633/3817012/100_1586-vi.jpg

Shot from the sides:
http://images14.fotki.com/v336/photos/6/649633/3817012/100_1587-vi.jpg
http://images18.fotki.com/v331/photos/6/649633/3817012/100_1590-vi.jpg

New concession area. Lots of drawers and room for another fridge:
http://images14.fotki.com/v335/photos/6/649633/3817012/100_1588-vi.jpg

Left side has a regular base cabinet:
http://images18.fotki.com/v331/photos/6/649633/3817012/100_1589-vi.jpg

Lots of DVD storage:
http://images17.fotki.com/v13/photos/6/649633/3817012/100_1591-vi.jpg

Bud

Cabinets look slick Bud. Does that payphone work? Nice decor touch, either way.

Cabinets look slick Bud. Does that payphone work? Nice decor touch, either way.

Hey Dave, thanks. Not yet, but will in the fall. Have to swap out the guts. My father-in-law has the parts and we won't see them until November.

Bud

All,

OK guys, just catching up on the hints and tips on the ticket window and I appreciate them all. Turns out that Jason (jikkjack) has a relative in that business, so I think I'm going to tap that. One less thing for me to screw up! :p

Bud

Not THAT much Water. It's done all the time..

Here's what I'm proposing to do to the front of the bar. I'm sure you guys were wondering what was up with the drywall front. I'm thinking of framing it out in wood (probably maple) (stiles and rails) and either using raised panels or trim it out to simulate a raised panel look. I could even do a stained beadboard as panels. I'll either try to match the stain of cabinets or stain/paint it some complementary color. Anyone have any hints/tips on panel size recommendations, etc? Never done anything lek this before.
http://images18.fotki.com/v328/photos/6/649633/3817012/barfront4-vi.jpg

Bud

Bud,

I like the idea of trimming it out to look like raised panels. The bead board look will be a little to busy I think, and you don't have it anywhere else...or do you?! I looks like you've got that whole staining thing down, and I bet you can match the cabinetry pretty close!

Sean

Sean, we have some beadboard upstairs on the breakfast bar wall and in the kitchen in the breakfast area. It's all painted white like the trim color.

There is a place local (so I'm told) that if you bring in a sample of a finished product and tell them the wood you plan on using that they can match the stain. I'd let them figure it out. I just need to find out where the place is.

Bud

We did a faux wainscoatting project in our living room. Came out real nice. If you go that way make a corner jig, and use very small brads (+glue). We used initially larger nails, stupidly, and had them popping out the back all the time. Assemble the frames off the wall, then attach.

You might want to cut a piece of wood to be the spacer between each frame. Use it for the sides and tops. Only loosely on the floor if your floor isn't 100% level (ours wasn't). Rectangles look nicer than squares. Your sketch looks good to me.

Got no advice if you go for real raised panels.

Hey Dave, thanks. I was thinking if I don't do the raised panel things, that I'd have to figure out how to stain something (veneer maybe) to fill that void. I was thinking I could make a panel using some dimensional lumber and biscuits, then route the edges and use it as a floating panel. Maybe secure it using some decorative trim about the inside of the opening.

Its hard to tell from the picture, I didn't color it or anything, but the whole front would be wood. No drywall will be exposed. I'd also use corbels stained to match in strategic spots to also help with the bar top.

Bud

Anyone have any hints/tips on panel size recommendations, etc? Never done anything like this before. Bud:
I'm doing fabric paneled wall frames on the upper half of my walls, and wondered about the size thing, too. I bought a book at Lowe's that gave recommendations for sizes, proportions, etc. and it included a calculation to figure things out. All that being said, I like the look of your line drawing. The sizes and proportions look great to my eye. :)

Thanks. Reminds me. I picked up a trim book a few months ago, need to go look at that and see if there are any ideas there.

Bud

Thanks. Reminds me. I picked up a trim book a few months ago, need to go look at that and see if there are any ideas there.I think the biggest thing the formula attempts to accomplish is obtaining the 1.6-to-1 ratio of vertical-to-horizontal size for vertical panels (1-to-1.6 ratio for horizontal) while allowing adequate room above, below, and between the frames. When I get home from work, I'll see if I can get a picture of the page for you (unless you find it first. :D )

That would be great. I haven't had the opportunity to wander downstairs today to get the book or research it.

Bud

Hey Bud,

I've seen a lot of stack-stone facing with wood tongue & groove bartops lately. You may want to consider this as you never have to worry about kick marks or other damage to the bar front. I think the stacked stone can be had in our area for about $8/sf installed (or much less for the diy'er). You can build the foot rest out of stone as well.

FYI - Come by Thursday as it is delivery day.

Ben

Ben,

Thanks for the update. Actually I know exactly what you mean. Sort of like the side of my house and I know where to get that stone if need be. Very durable, but a little rough for the look I'm thinking of. Need to do a little more research. A few more trips to some bars, I suppose. :p

Cool! Nothing like a good delivery. I'm off starting tomorrow for the rest of the week, but will be here watching the kids. I can drag them over.

Bud

When I get home from work, I'll see if I can get a picture of the page for you (unless you find it first. :D )The book I have is Decorating with Interior Trim by Sunset, ISBN 0-376-01266-8. Here's an Amazon.com link. (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0376012668/) Pages 118 and 119 describe planning wall frames. Here's the formula they give (I have attempted to put this in layman's terms as well as possible :rolleyes: I've also attached a terribly bad MS-Paint drawing :o )

- - - - - - - -

Frame width = ( wall length - "X" ) divided by number of frames

where

"X" = width of the vertical margin (distance between the frames) multiplied by (the number of frames + 1)

The frame height is the distance from the top of your baseboard to the underside of the bar, minus two horizontal margins. Check the ratio of frame width to height against the Golden Rectangle (divide the longer dimension by the shorter one.) Continue adjusting the number of frame modules and the size of the vertical margins until you get closest to an ideal rectangle (1:1.618).

Example: This example is for placing wall frames beneath the chair rail on a long wall. The wall is 16 feet long (192 inches.) You would like 3-inch margins. The chair rail is at 36 inches and there's a 4-inch baseboard. You want 4 frames on the wall.

To obtain frame width:
3 (vertical margin in inches) multiplied by 5 (number of frames desired + 1) = 15 (total width of all margins in inches)
192 (wall length in inches) minus 15 = 177 (inches available for frames)
177 divided by 4 (number of frames desired) = 44.25 inches (frame width)

To obtain frame height:
36 (chair rail height in inches) - 4 (baseboard height in inches) = 32 inches
32 - 6 (2 horizontal margins of 3 inches each) = 26 inches

Checking against the "ideal" proportions:
44.25 inches (frame width) divided by 26 inches = 1.7

This is reasonably close to the ideal ratio of 1.618. To get closer to ideal proportions you might adjust the vertical margins at each end of the wall.

- - - - - - - -

If this STILL sounds confusing, don't feel too bad. It confused me the first time I read it from the book, and again when I attempted to figure out the frame dimensions for my wall. If nothing else, you might Google for "Golden Rectangle" and "wall frame" and find more and likely better explanations. :D

Great, thats exactly what I was looking for. Thanks.

Bud

Bud,

Looking nice. I love the old pay phone. Maybe you have already addressed this, but does it work? Or is it just for looks?

Craig

Craig,

Thanks. I got the phone from my father in law. He's collected a few from friends over the years. It's a 1950s Western Electric. I'm suppose to get some new guts for it from him to get it to work. It was a different color, like a salmon color, actually. I repainted it and found an old phone store online that was I able to buy a black and white face sticker for it to finish it up.

Here's a replica like mine.
http://www.ahernstore.com/1950-payphone.html

http://us.st11.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.com/I/ahernstore_1907_13349949

Bud

I'm not sure whats bigger news... the fact that I got the new Hsu VTF MK2 today, or the fact that I put in my letter of resignation at IBM today. :D

On a another conference call with Australia (first of two tonight), so have not had the opportunity to hook it the sub. Will take some pictures when I get to it.

On the job front, I'm taking a new software PM job with a very large News/Media company in Atlanta. Very excited about it! I'll be managing some new internet portal development efforts.

Bud

does the new company end in *NN? :)

Yes, that's one asset of the larger company. :D

Bud

Congrats on the new position, Bud. They still gonna let you work from home?

Congrats on the sub and the job!

Congrats on the new position, Bud. They still gonna let you work from home?
No, unfortunately. Thankfully the basement is basically done. I will have to go in and deal with traffic and gas prices. The upside surely outweighs the down though. I'll just suck it up.

Bud

Congrats on the sub and the job!
Thanks man!

Bud - that is great new on the job front. Good news is always great to hear. Good luck with that!

Gary

No, unfortunately. Thank guy the basement is basicaly done. I will have to go in and deal with traffic and gas prices. The upside surely outweighs the down though. I'll just suck it up.

Bud

Who is guy? LOL! :D

As much as I love AVS, I hate the spell check more... and the wise asses! :D

Bud

Congrats on the new job. I knew you were a bit dissatisfied with your previous position. Does this new job allow you to continue to work from home or do you need to drive into the office like the rest of us?

As much as I love AVS, I hate the spell check more... and the wise asses! :D

Bud

A favorite quote of mine:

"Even the wisest ass still talks ****."

:-)

Congrats on the new job. I knew you were a bit dissatisfied with your previous position. Does this new job allow you to continue to work from home or do you need to drive into the office like the rest of us?

Thanks man. I'll be hittin' the road.

Bud

Bud,

Pocket jig if you have one or can borrow for those rails and stiles imo. Much easier than biscuits and glue.

Dimensional lumber sounds good. I would probably insert quarter inch plywood veneer panels into the void (probably just liquid nail) and then make or adapt moulding to trim it in/cover the seam between panel and rails/stiles. Gets you your raised panel look as you mentioned.

Bud I know how you feel I have calls all the time, I'm a global engineer / developer and it makes for strange hours, because of aussie land, japan, uk, etc..

Bud,

Pocket jig if you have one or can borrow for those rails and stiles imo. Much easier than biscuits and glue.

Dimensional lumber sounds good. I would probably insert quarter inch plywood veneer panels into the void (probably just liquid nail) and then make or adapt moulding to trim it in/cover the seam between panel and rails/stiles. Gets you your raised panel look as you mentioned.

Any recommendations on what jig to get? Looks like there are a bunch on ebay, but I don't want to buy crap if a better one can be had reasonably.

I agree, much easier than biscuits.

Bud

Here's some of the sub pictures. the Hsu VTF-2 on the left, the NEW Hsu VTF-2 MK2 on the right. The sub is a little taller, tall enough in fact that the sub won't fit in my sub enclosure. At least standing up it won't. I've go it on its side, seems to work fine like that.

BTW, while putting in the new sub, I turn 180 degrees to get something and by accident I kicked my Berklines and heard a snap. I immediately looked to see the damage and there was none. The snap I heard was my "pinky" toe. Yup, looks like I broke it. :rolleyes:

http://images18.fotki.com/v331/photos/6/649633/3402899/100_1597-vi.jpg
http://images15.fotki.com/v337/photos/6/649633/3402899/100_1598-vi.jpg

Closeup:
http://images18.fotki.com/v329/photos/6/649633/3402899/100_1600-vi.jpg

Bud

Bud,

I have the old VTF-2. My cabinet finish is a bit rougher than yours. More pebbled. What is the difference between the two perfomance wise? Does the new one just rest flat on the floor without legs?

Randy, the new one is still downward firing so it needs to be up off the floor. It has the metal feet that come to a point. Was thinking about cutting them down, since I only need an inch or so, but decided to try it sideways. Ben Harper is going to talk to Dr. Hsu today and see if there are any real problems doing so. You can see the metal feet in the picture, although its deceiving, they're much bigger than they look. Also, I believe Mark (BritinVA) asked about the measurements, but I don't think the measurements included the feet. I'll double check though. I though I had some room to spare. Go figure.

http://us.st11.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.com/I/hsusubs_1903_887893

I have not given it the old college try yet, since I got it hooked up late, but will play with it this weekend some. So far, I'm loving it.

Bud

OUCH!!

You broke your pinky toe, and it didn't hurt like a son-of-a-b****?!!

Hope you don't have a clutch!!! :D ;)

Lucky its on my left foot. It hurts now, didn't hurt much then. No clutch in my truck. Going to get an Xray, not much they'll do though. Oh well. Now I have a war story for the HT room.

Bud

Any recommendations on what jig to get? Looks like there are a bunch on ebay, but I don't want to buy crap if a better one can be had reasonably.

I agree, much easier than biscuits.

Bud

I wouldn't mess with anything but Kreg. Not very expensive, so once you figure shipping and all, you may not get much of a deal on ebay.

The basic is fine (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00002240J/sr=8-3/qid=1154099689/ref=pd_bbs_3/102-0503340-7240910?ie=UTF8)

But the master system (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0009VD03Y/ref=pd_sbs_hi_2/102-0503340-7240910?ie=UTF8) is still cheap imo.

Bud,

Here is a simple version of panels from my living room.

hltr

http://webbiechat.net/LR1.jpg
http://webbiechat.net/LR2.jpg

That was before I had the Kreg, and I still have nail holes to fill. I'll get to that any day now :p

That was before I had the Kreg, and I still have nail holes to fill. I'll get to that any day now :p

All you have to do is turn the flash off and you won't see them. ;)

I wouldn't mess with anything but Kreg. Not very expensive, so once you figure shipping and all, you may not get much of a deal on ebay.

The basic is fine (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00002240J/sr=8-3/qid=1154099689/ref=pd_bbs_3/102-0503340-7240910?ie=UTF8)

But the master system (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0009VD03Y/ref=pd_sbs_hi_2/102-0503340-7240910?ie=UTF8) is still cheap imo.

The master system looks like it is the one to get. I really like the new style clamping they use for the table-top portion. I used my mom's (yes, my mom's!) old Kreg and it worked great.

All you have to do is turn the flash off and you won't see them. ;)

*reshoots*

Hey yeah!

"Congratulations, I'm sorry" - A great album title (the Gin Blossoms) and I believe an appropriate comment on your change of employers. Congratulations for the new project management position and all the opportunities it brings. You have my sympathy, driving in Atlanta's rush hour traffic with the gas prices these days. Like you said, the upside outweights the bad.

Have fun this weekend connecting and positioning the new subwoofer!!

Yeah - I lived, worked and commuted in Houston for 14 years and that was bad traffic - then I tried to drive through Atlanta one day at 5pm. OMG how do you people live there...?

I wouldn't mess with anything but Kreg. Not very expensive, so once you figure shipping and all, you may not get much of a deal on ebay.

The basic is fine (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00002240J/sr=8-3/qid=1154099689/ref=pd_bbs_3/102-0503340-7240910?ie=UTF8)

But the master system (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0009VD03Y/ref=pd_sbs_hi_2/102-0503340-7240910?ie=UTF8) is still cheap imo.

Cool. Thanks for the links.

Bud

"Congratulations, I'm sorry" - A great album title (the Gin Blossoms) and I believe an appropriate comment on your change of employers. Congratulations for the new project management position and all the opportunities it brings. You have my sympathy, driving in Atlanta's rush hour traffic with the gas prices these days. Like you said, the upside outweights the bad.

Have fun this weekend connecting and positioning the new subwoofer!!

Thanks. Yup, may be trading my truck for something a little more gas friendly.

Bud

Yeah - I lived, worked and commuted in Houston for 14 years and that was bad traffic - then I tried to drive through Atlanta one day at 5pm. OMG how do you people live there...?

There are sections that are worst than others. Believe it or not, you learn the traffic patterns. You stay in certain lanes, during certain sections of highway and switch lanes strategically in others. It's weird, but it helps. I try and do the same pattern during rush hours and I'd say 8/10 times it saves me time than not doing it. I guess there are natural patterns based on how traffic merges, on/off ramp conditions, driver habits, etc.

I did the commute for many years up until the last few years. The worst traffic (from where I am) is a section of highway just north of 285. Seems like everyone is trying to get on that road and thats what causes all the traffic above it. When I went downtown last week during rush hour, it was the same thing. Once I got past 285, it was no problem at all. I guess the extra hours I put into work today will be eaten up by sitting in the car tomorrow.

Bud

... Going to get an Xray, not much they'll do though....I had my foot Xrayed today and sure enough I broke the toe. If it had been lower, they said I would have needed a cast. Fortunately, that wasn't the case. All they do is "buddy tape" it. Some gauze between the two toes and some tape. It's a nice shade of purple, but it doesn't hurt much. Could make a nice Sherwin-Williams color for a home theater ... "Broken Toe Purple". :D No, you can't use my toe to color match it!

Bud

I had my foot Xrayed today and sure enough I broke the toe. If it had been lower, they said I would have needed a cast. Fortunately, that wasn't the case. All they do is "buddy tape" it. Some gauze between the two toes and some tape. It's a nice shade of purple, but it doesn't hurt much. Could make a nice Sherwin-Williams color for a home theater ... "Broken Toe Purple". :D No, you can't use my toe to color match it!

Bud


Been there and done that. I broke my toe at HD. Really stupid. I was jumping up to get what my wife thought was a two pack of long lighters (for torches, etc) and when I came down I landed full force on my middle toe. Blew it up into six pieces. LIke you no cast needed just buddy tape. I stopped giving athletes a hard time about turf toe after that. I could not believe how painful it was.
Oh yeah, the lighters turned out to NOT be a two pack. Just a bunch of singles that they had right in front of me in the first place. :o

Hope yours is not as bad as mine was. Also congrats on the new job. Although the commute sucks I am sure you will be compensated for it.

Drew

There are sections that are worst than others....

Yeah, the perimeter (285). That thing is basically a nascar track with 6,000 cars.

(I did a work stint in Hotlanta for a year a while back)

[end of hijack]

No, unfortunately. Thankfully the basement is basically done. I will have to go in and deal with traffic and gas prices. The upside surely outweighs the down though. I'll just suck it up.

Bud
That sounds very familiar... The upsides of my leaving Big Blue surely outweighed the downsides... Congrats!

Bud,

Will you be my other father?

Bud,

Everything is looking great!I thinnk I missed something.... Why did you get another sub? You going to use 2? Hope that toe feels better!

Jerrod,

The first Hsu was the a used VTF2 (not a MK2, which was my misunderstanding). I start getting some weird pulses of noise with it. Signal or not. Eventually that the amplifier went. I called Hsu and it would have been like 200.00 to repair it, so I figured I just get a new one. Tried to save a few bucks, go burnt.

How's the boy?

Bud

Bud,

Will you be my other father?

Welcome to the forum. Sure, my son could use a brother.

Bud

That sounds very familiar... The upsides of my leaving Big Blue surely outweighed the downsides... Congrats!

Thanks Tim! Looking forward to the change.

Bud

FYI, I just cleaned up my PMs. I guess I had reached my 500 capacity, so if anyone was trying to PM me, they probably got some message that my box was full. All set now.

Bud

Bud -

I've been out of town on for 5 weeks straight (between work and vacation). Needless to say, I had some AVS catching up to do. Your theater and basement is fantastic. the finishing touches you are adding are incredible. Most folks would have stopped two months ago and would have been completely happy.

By the way, congrats on the new job. Atlanta commute down 85 has been good lately....but that will surely change in a couple of weeks once school starts.

-- Bill

Bill,

Thanks man. Things are a little slower, but still progressing. Not looking forward to the commute, but hey, change is good.

Bud

Hey Bud, just caught up on your thread.
Congrats on the new job.
Don't let Ted T. catch a whiff of this thread or he'll buffalo you into doing his theater. :)

Hey Bud, just caught up on your thread.
Congrats on the new job.
Don't let Ted T. catch a whiff of this thread or he'll buffalo you into doing his theater. :)
LOL! He's left the board at Time Warner, so now I think he's focused on his Bison meat resturants (Ted's Montana Grill)... if Ted wanted to pay me to do his theater, I'd think I'd consider it!

Bud

Bud - I might have missed this in your thread but wanted to know -

1. What was the outcome of putting the new HSU sub in sideways? Did you hear back on that?

2. How does the new sub sound compared to the old one?

Bud - I might have missed this in your thread but wanted to know -

1. What was the outcome of putting the new HSU sub in sideways? Did you hear back on that?

2. How does the new sub sound compared to the old one?

Jason,

Nope, Ben is out this week on vacation, so I expect I'll talk to him next week. It sounds fine to me, although I expect it may has some impact.

It sounds great. I think its a little more powerfull than the other. I've had to turn it down some. Still need to do some calibration.

Bud

I wouldn't mess with anything but Kreg. Not very expensive, so once you figure shipping and all, you may not get much of a deal on ebay.

The basic is fine (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00002240J/sr=8-3/qid=1154099689/ref=pd_bbs_3/102-0503340-7240910?ie=UTF8)

But the master system (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0009VD03Y/ref=pd_sbs_hi_2/102-0503340-7240910?ie=UTF8) is still cheap imo.

I ordered the basic jig today. It may be the only time I use it, so I went basic. I probably won't do anything for another week and a half anyway. I'm still behind on a few things. Lightboxes, finishing out the ticket window and the front to my lightbox. I may work on the project box front on Sunday now that I got a new saw blade.

Bud

Bud...

Looks like you'll get this basement done just in time for Football season! :D :D

Bud,
I hear the clock ticking. I fly back to the states some time between Aug 16 - 20. Everything you've done continues to impress!

Bud...

Looks like you'll get this basement done just in time for Football season! :D :D

It'll be a tight squeeze, but that's about right. I'm hoping to have measurements for the counters next week.

Bud

Bud,
I hear the clock ticking. I fly back to the states some time between Aug 16 - 20. Everything you've done continues to impress!

Dave,

Glad to hear you'll be back soon. I'm still plugging away at the little things, just finished scrapping the paint around the windows. Need to get the wood for the front of the bar soon.

I was just at JoAnn fabrics and picked up my red velvet curtain for the ticket window as well.

Bud

Bud,

Give me a call or shoot me a PM with the dimensions for the plexy.

Jason

Bud,

Give me a call or shoot me a PM with the dimensions for the plexy.

Jason

Working on it, just need to figure the exact size and location of my hole ( :D ).

Bud

Bud I know how you feel I have calls all the time, I'm a global engineer / developer and it makes for strange hours, because of aussie land, japan, uk, etc..
Glad thats over now ... pheeeewwww.... well, one more week anyway.

Bud

Hi Bud,

I remember we had strikingly similar bar frames. Thought you might me interested in how mine is looking at about 90% complete:

http://images18.fotki.com/v339/photos/8/821852/3546505/Img01994-vi.jpg

Dave

Dave, I did see your updates today in your thread. Great job. I'm not too far behind you, but it may be another two weeks or so before I get the coutnertops measured/ordered and installed. I also want to build the front panel system. I would love to get it all done before Labor Day weekend.... it'll be close.

Hey Bud,

Maybe you should have replaced your sub with this! (http://www.rotarywoofer.com/)

Hey Bud,

Maybe you should have replaced your sub with this! (http://www.rotarywoofer.com/)

Its a fan...?!? Does anyone actually have one of those things? Does it actually work? Sounds very intriguing.

Its a fan...?!? Does anyone actually have one of those things? Does it actually work? Sounds very intriguing.

There was a long thread about it in the $20,000 + forum. Long story short, 120 db at 5hz and yes, it does work.

Check out the thread here:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=651499

...in the $20,000 + ...

Yeah, well that's all I needed to hear. Figures. :).

Thanks for the link.

Hey Bud,

Maybe you should have replaced your sub with this! (http://www.rotarywoofer.com/)

With my luck, I'd get something caught in it (like a finger).

Bud

Drew and Mark,

Not sure if you're looking for undercounter fridges for the bar, but this is the one I bought at HD. It's the Magic Chef. All the "stainless" surrounding the glass is plastic, hence the 299.00 price tag (and its made in China). The handle is stainless. Seems to work well, its pretty quiet when not cooling and does the job. I fought it hard to find find any info on the web about it, even with the model number.

http://images2.fotki.com/v332/photos/6/649633/3422362/100_1548-vi.jpg

Still need to reverse the door.

Bud
Bud,

How wide is that refrig? 24" external width?

You also mentioned it was quiet except with the compressor was running. Is it just loud when it kicks on then it quiets down or is it the same level the entire "cooling" cycle? I'm asking because I plan to put a refrigerator in the wet bar area off the main HT -- however, it will only be about 7' (around a slight corner) from the seating area.

Steve, exact measurements from the manual can be found here:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=8023228&&#post8023228

It fits in 24" space. I wouldn't say it was loud, if I did I misspoke it's no louder than a regular fridge. I doubt you'd hear it from the seating area. In fact, I plan on getting a second one for my concession area, which will be right there about 9' away.

Bud

Bud,

Give me a call or shoot me a PM with the dimensions for the plexy.

Jason

Jason, did you get my PM on Friday?

Bud

Steve, exact measurements from the manual can be found here:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=8023228&&#post8023228

It fits in 24" space. I wouldn't say it was loud, if I did I misspoke it's no louder than a regular fridge. I doubt you'd hear it from the seating area. In fact, I plan on getting a second one for my concession area, which will be right there about 9' away.

Bud
Thanks Bud -- must have missed it. Glad to hear the noise level is not bad.

I showed the wife the fridge -- she liked it. That's a great deal for $300.

Hey Bud,

I did. I called Chris and he is going to call me back tonight and let me know when it can be completed. Most likely it will be this week or weekend at the latest.

Jason

Hey Bud,

I did. I called Chris and he is going to call me back tonight and let me know when it can be completed. Most likely it will be this week or weekend at the latest.

Jason

Cool thanks. Just wanted to double check you got it. Thanks.

Bud

A few updates.

Pocket jig arrived. Need to figure out how to use it and get some wood this weekend to attempt to build the front of the bar. I'm not sure HD carries maple, so I was thinking of doing the front in poplar. Not sure yet. The key is the stain anyway.

Countertop guy came bright and early this AM and he already called back with a price. The price was right where I had hope it would be, and includes the stainless bar sink I picked out, which is great. He's coming out tomorrow to do the template.

I'm going to go with a St. Cecilia granite, we have some upstairs in the master bath. Looks like this:
http://www.stonelocator.com/images/thumbnails/StCeciliaDark.JPG
Not a great picture, but gives you the idea. It'll vary some obviously. I think I'll also do the top part of the bar in granite and give up on the wood top.

So now I have the push to get the bar done prior to getting the granite installed. he says it takes about two weeks ones the template is done.

Bud

Hey Bud,

I did. I called Chris and he is going to call me back tonight and let me know when it can be completed. Most likely it will be this week or weekend at the latest.

Jason

Jason,

When you talk to Chris, check to see if you can drill small holes in this stuff. The louvered porthole cover have four screw holes to hold it in place. Not sure if you need a special bit, but doubt it. Works care is I could glue it on.

Bud

will do.

I'm going to go with a St. Cecilia granite, we have some upstairs in the master bath. Looks like this:
http://www.stonelocator.com/images/thumbnails/StCeciliaDark.JPG
Not a great picture, but gives you the idea. It'll vary some obviously. I think I'll also do the top part of the bar in granite and give up on the wood top. That's some nice looking stone, Bud. Beautiful tiger colors. :)

Bud,
Beautiful granite. Nice choice. Everything's coming together nicely. Can't wait for the final pics.
BTW, I'll be in my house and able to start my HT in about two weeks.

Dave, thanks. Good deal on the return and have a safe trip back. Are you planning on unwinding time before you start construction or are you going to go straight at it?

Bud

That's some nice looking stone, Bud. Beautiful tiger colors. :)

Never thought of a tiger before when I looked at it, but can see that. Neat. It should tie in nicely with the cabinets.

Bud

Bud,
I'm planning to take a couple days off to spend time with the family, and a couple days to take care of Honey-Do items. Being gone for a 16 months sure puts you behind on that list. I plan to get the HT started some time in September. My goal is to have it complete by the end of the year. Very aggressive goal, but my wife will be helping me as well as other family members. I'm taking the months of Sep and Oct off, so we'll see what happens.

Never thought of a tiger before when I looked at it, but can see that. Neat. It should tie in nicely with the cabinets.

Bud

Of course now every time that you see the counter tops you'll be tempted to pump your fist in the air and say "Thaaatt's GRRREAT!" :D

Of course now every time that you see the counter tops you'll be tempted to pump your fist in the air and say "Thaaatt's GRRREAT!" :D Probably not, but I will now think about your post for some time.... :D

Bud

I feel like I have been on a desert island for 3 weeks. Just finished up my last of several 80 hour weeks, so I am waaayyy behind on your thread.

BTW, while putting in the new sub, I turn 180 degrees to get something and by accident I kicked my Berklines and heard a snap. I immediately looked to see the damage and there was none. The snap I heard was my "pinky" toe. Yup, looks like I broke it.

OK, lets get a count......You spilled the gallon of stain as you were just finishing up some trim, you then stapled your finger to some GOM, now you have broken your toe on the Berklines!!!!!

Seriously, we might need to go back to the discussion of burying the chicken foot in your back yard :)

Hope you feel better Bud!

Well, it was a quart of stain and it wasn't really full. About 2 ounces of paint in a tumbling bucket down the steps, half the staple in my finger (one prong) and a broken toe (I saw the Xray). Sounds like a MasteCard commercial, I know. One badass basement, priceless. :p

I'm just glad I didn't catch anything in the table saw, I have my ten digits (well, eleven). :eek:

Bud

On the bar front.... any comments or suggestions on the wood for the front? Again, I don't think they sell maple at HD. I could go find it, but I looked online at some pricing and I'm looking at about 50.00 for a 1x6x8ft board. That adds up pretty quick. Think poplar of some other "matching grain" may work that is cheaper or more readily available?

The countertop guy was here, he just made the templates. He said it could be the arround the 28th or so for the counters, so I need to get moving on the front and buy and install some corbels before that.

Bud

Today is it! My last day at IBM. I've got to leave in about 45 minutes to go turn in my laptop, badge and corp card. You guys might want to sell that stock today!

Bud

Bud, the HD's around me do sell Maple, but it's priced around $4-$5 per linear foot I believe (1x12). Granted the specialty lumber store down the road from me is even more, but I suspect the quality is slightly higher. Might be worth it to just bite the bullet given how much time / money you've already invested. Why skimp now (he says when asked about spending someone else's money)? :)

Good luck on your last day, sounds like it will be a good feeling when all is said and done.

Tom

LOL...sell that stock today...good stuff right there. GOod luck with the future job Bud and since its your last day we expect you to go straight home and get a few hours in on the theater :D

Robert

LOL...sell that stock today...good stuff right there. Good luck with the future job Bud and since its your last day we expect you to go straight home and get a few hours in on the theater :D

Robert

What company are you moving to? Will you be self employed? Good luck.

Bud,

Go over to Peachstate Lumber off Moon Station Rd. in Kennesaw. They carry every type of wood species known to man and may have some suggestions. It's a cool place to go just to check out what odd stuff is available (purpleheart, tiger wood, cohoba, zebrawood, etc.)

Also, if you want I can call my bro and see what I can get the maple for. Let me know what/how much you need and I can get a price.

Ben

Bud,

Another wood to consider:

Alder wood is great for the ability to take on different looks depending on the stain you choose.

Bob

Alder is an excellent wood and doesn't have a strong grain pattern.

Guys, thanks for the suggestions.

I'll have the check the place off Moon Station for Alder and Maple. Maybe I'll take a ride down there today. Ben, will let you know what I find out. Also, I'll take a ride over and give you your compression tool. After all, I am unemployed.... until Monday.

I'm already back home (and was in the theater already). It was sad watching the manager cut up my badge. Little does he know I have another one. :D (for sentimental reasons). I was so happy driving home I stopped and bought my wife some earings. She said I should quit more often. :p

Bud

What company are you moving to? Will you be self employed? Good luck.

Thanks. Check here:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=8089517&&#post8089517

Bud

I was so happy driving home I stopped and bought my wife some earings. Bud, you are not just a pretty face :)
Good man.

Bud - just catching up on you thread.

New Sub, Broken Toe, New Job, Picked Granite (same as I got for Kitchen - but mine had more Silver)......man you move along fast. Bet you slow up now you have that commute. Me I'm looking at going permanent home worker ones kids go back to school :D

Question - Have you used the 'Kreg Jig' yet. As you now I'm going to be doing wood panelling and was looking at using biscuit joints. Interest ed to know if the 'Kreg Jig' works out well.

Glad the wife like the earings - made up for the new Sub :D

Mark

Bud - just catching up on you thread.

New Sub, Broken Toe, New Job, Picked Granite (same as I got for Kitchen - but mine had more Silver)......man you move along fast. Bet you slow up now you have that commute. Me I'm looking at going permanent home worker ones kids go back to school :D

Question - Have you used the 'Kreg Jig' yet. As you now I'm going to be doing wood panelling and was looking at using biscuit joints. Interest ed to know if the 'Kreg Jig' works out well.

Glad the wife like the earings - made up for the new Sub :D

Mark

Hey Mark, welcome back from the land of the Mouse.

I expect things will slow down some with the new job, but I really don't have much left to worry about.

I'm hoping to use the jig soon. I just opened the packaging, that's about it. I'm hoping today I'll be able to get some wood and play with it. I'll keep you posted.

Bud

Bud, you are not just a pretty face :)
Good man.

LOL :D

Bud

Well, took a ride over to Peach State Lumber (http://www.peachstatelumber.com/home.html) today in Kennesaw and looked at hard maple, soft maple and alder. The soft maple looked fine and was the cheapest of the three, so I bought one 9' board to experiment with. It's 13/16 thick and about 6 inches wide and was about 20.00 for the board. I figure I'll need about 12 boards just to do the framing around the bar. The soft maple was 3.95 a board foot, the hard maple 5.50 a board foot and the alder was 4.25 a board foot.

Bud

Soft maple works pretty easy. Hard maple is pretty much impossible to work with, its just too darned hard.

Bud,

I have only done 3/4 work with the Kreg. I know you can adjust it, but I don't know to what degree. Hopefully you'll find a setting that works on the 13/16.

Soft maple works pretty easy. Hard maple is pretty much impossible to work with, its just too darned hard.

The soft stuff is harder than I expected. I figured it would be more like a harder pine.

So far, I'm not liking the way it takes the stain, granted I used the water-based stuff initially. I also had some oil based stain and the wood just sucked it up.

I'll keep playing around with it.

Bud

Bud,

I have only done 3/4 work with the Kreg. I know you can adjust it, but I don't know to what degree. Hopefully you'll find a setting that works on the 13/16.

That's the rough cut, it needs to be planed or sanded anyway. I'm sure the jig will be fine.

Bud

The soft stuff is hard than I expected. I figured it would be more like a harder pin.

So far, I'm not liking the way it takes the stain, granted I used the water-based stuff initially. I also had some oil based stain and the wood just sucked it up.

I'll keep playing around with it.

Bud

As I was reading your thread (kind of weird to fast forward through broken toe, bad sub, new sub, old job, new job ;) ) I saw you were looking at maple and wanted to stain it -- I was going to comment that staining maple is hard at best but then I see that you've just found that out. It does take dyes better than stains (maybe that's what your water based stuff was?).

I would reconsider the alder. It takes stains really well. We have it in our kitchen and I like to build furniture with it.

Poplar is okay, but it can have a green hue to it (better as a painted wood to be honest). You might look into birch -- you can get nice birch plywood (multi-ply stuff like baltic birch or russian birch), that is if you were going to do recessed panels, I can't remember.

Anyway, I have a ton of book knowledge and a bit of working knowledge about this stuff if you want to PM me with any questions.

Good luck, and I totally get you with the "accidents" part :) I don't think I've done a single step in my HT yet without screwing something up!

Mike

Mike,

I'll take another look at the alder, thanks.

Bud

Hi, ho, hi, ho. It's off to sit in traffic I go...

I doubt I'll be on AVS this afternoon, but you never know.... :D

Bud

I used poplar for my columns. I wanted to use real wood but knew they were going to be painted. Very easy to work.

Bud...

Good luck at the new job today!!

Never know... might find some more HT enthusiasts at your new work!!!

Sean

I used poplar for my columns. I wanted to use real wood but knew they were going to be painted. Very easy to work.


So what are poplars made of on your side of the planet? :D

Bud...

Good luck at the new job today!!

Never know... might find some more HT enthusiasts at your new work!!!

Sean

Thanks Sean, wasn't a bad first day. Orientation, badge, parking, laptop, access, that sort of thing. Real work starts tomorrow!

HT hasn't come up in any discussions at this point, but I'm sure I'll wiggle it into the conversations at some point.

So far, not a bad ride at 50 minutes each way. I expect today was a good day though.

Bud

I used poplar for my columns. I wanted to use real wood but knew they were going to be painted. Very easy to work.

I think I may give the alder a try, if it stains easily as people say, that'll work for me.

Bud

As I was reading your thread (kind of weird to fast forward through broken toe, bad sub, new sub, old job, new job ;) ) I saw you were looking at maple and wanted to stain it -- I was going to comment that staining maple is hard at best but then I see that you've just found that out. It does take dyes better than stains (maybe that's what your water based stuff was?).

I would reconsider the alder. It takes stains really well. We have it in our kitchen and I like to build furniture with it.

Poplar is okay, but it can have a green hue to it (better as a painted wood to be honest). You might look into birch -- you can get nice birch plywood (multi-ply stuff like baltic birch or russian birch), that is if you were going to do recessed panels, I can't remember.

Anyway, I have a ton of book knowledge and a bit of working knowledge about this stuff if you want to PM me with any questions.

Good luck, and I totally get you with the "accidents" part :) I don't think I've done a single step in my HT yet without screwing something up!

Mike

Mike, thanks. I appreciate the comments and the help.

Bud

I ordered my bar faucet yesterday, it's nothing too exciting, although its similar to the one we have in our kitchen but smaller and with less extras. It's a Delta 190SS (http://www.faucetdirect.com/index.cfm?page=display:product&ProductID=190SS&manufacturer=Delta&finish=Stainless%20Steel) single handle bar faucet, part of the "Waterfall" series. I just need to call the granite guy to give him the information.

Bud

Bud,

Just finished reading your construction thread. Took me several days to get through it all. Kudos to your attention to detail and craftsmanship. Thanks for sharing it all, especially the pics. The basement looks great. (can you even call it a basement anymore?)

We just had an HT meet at Don's place last week and were wondering who would be the next one to volunteer, I nominate you! :D

I was curious as to how the Aura shaker's were working out. I have a pair of the AST-2B-4 that I have mounted directly on my recliner, but have read that using a riser and mounting them to the riser gives a better overall effect. Care to comment?

Jason

Bud, I've been following your thread for a while and just wanted to chime in and say what a great job you've done. Since I started my own build, it's easier to appreciate the time it takes to bring it all together. Looking forward to more pics and info.

Bud,

Just finished reading your construction thread. Took me several days to get through it all. Kudos to your attention to detail and craftsmanship. Thanks for sharing it all, especially the pics. The basement looks great. (can you even call it a basement anymore?)

We just had an HT meet at Don's place last week and were wondering who would be the next one to volunteer, I nominate you! :D

I was curious as to how the Aura shaker's were working out. I have a pair of the AST-2B-4 that I have mounted directly on my recliner, but have read that using a riser and mounting them to the riser gives a better overall effect. Care to comment?

Jason

Hey Jason, thanks. Actually, I have been thinking about a meet, but haven't formulated anything yet. I'll definately figure it out and propose a Saturday out a month or two ahead. Still got a few more things to take care of before that happens. It is in the back of my head.

On the shakers, they're still in the boxes. I think it depends on the type and quanity as well. My gut is that the Aura shakers will do the job if mounted directly to each seat, but may not do as well in a riser. I would think Buttkickers would be a better solution, but as always, others have their opinions and will probably voice them. I can't talk to the riser mounting option, since I haven't done it before.

Bud

Bud, I've been following your thread for a while and just wanted to chime in and say what a great job you've done. Since I started my own build, it's easier to appreciate the time it takes to bring it all together. Looking forward to more pics and info.

Eddie, no problem, that's how I learned, so figured I'd do what I could for payback.

Bud

I'm considering running speaker cables so I could possibly add buttkickers at some later date. I'm thinking of running wires so the first row (3 seats) could be connected.