TV Console

[D.McDonnel "Mac"]

About a month a go in the middle of an episode of CSI the main TV went belly up on us! This precipitated a cascade of events: New TV with High Def.....mmmm.....no High Def siginal with current provider we don't like anyway........mmmmm.... look around and sign up for a new over DSL TV provider AT&T UVerse...........mmmmm.... New TV will not fit in old cabinet..........mmmmm can't find one to suit, guess I'll have to build one (aw shucks) ....mmm.... Big picture window in room needs to be draped better to keep down glare on Flat Panel TV...... wife gets to buy new drapes (she has wanted to for years). All in all the TV going out was a lot more expensive than I could have imagined!

Now the fun part the Console! I decided to make it out of Mahogony because I had some on hand including the veneered 3/4 ply I'd need. The first pic shows the Mortice & Tennon dry fit. It's always nice when you get that first framework together and start to get a feel for how the piece is going to look. The 2nd pic is showing how I fit the glued up panels into their slots with a plane and a bench hook. I pre finished the panels with Behlens Light Brown Mahogony NGR stain and a coat of Laquer. Pic 3 shows the completed carcass with the prefinished panels, plywood dividers and plywood upper and lower shelves. The shelves were sized to slip down in between the horizontal streachers and the dividers were edged with 1/4 inch strips of solid mahogony.

Pic 4 shows the compartment door with something new for me, Euro Hinges. I wanted the look to be a little more contemporary, clean, without dividers between the doors and without the hinges distracting the eye. Overlay doors did the trick. Love the adjustability but they are a little clunky looking compared to a nice butt hinge. Pic 5 shows one of my new favorite tools, a Birdcage Awl. It's a square section awl that comes to a point. It's great for naking the pilot hole for screws. It really speeds things up. I got one from Tools for Working Wood but take a round awl and flatten it with 4 sides and you'll have the same thing.

More on the next post

[D.McDonnel "Mac"]

Now for more pictures

Pic 1 is of the completed console.

Pic 2 is the "spray booth" shot. I stained it all with the Behlens Light Brown Mahogony, shot it with a coat of Laquer, glazed it with a walnut brown gel stain and shot it with 3 more coats of Laquer.

Pic 3 is the completly finished piece with the new receiver in the center bay.

Lastly pic 4 is it in place with the new Sony 52" in place. I love the pic that TV displays! CSI Miami is Gorgeous in HD!

I will enjoy the TV and cabinet for many years to come!

[Greg Cole]

Very Very Very nice Mac.
I really like the finish on that mahagony.

Cheers.

Greg

[Brian Weick]

Very nice cabinet D. well done!:D
Brian

[Roy Hatch]

Mac, That's some beautiful work. Looks like the days of the TV fitting in a cabinet are gone.

Roy

[Glenn Clabo]

Sweet console Mac...nice job! At least you didn't have to build a wall to mount the tv on...
In our house we call them "but befores". We really need a better toilet...but before that if we get a new toilet we should put down a new floor...but before that we should get a sink to match...but before that I need to build a....

[Karlan Talkington]

Very nice work, Mac.

I really like the look of the console.
Mahogany is my favorite when it comes to living room furniture.

[Gary Keedwell]

Nice job Mac. I like your shop,too. All those windows up there must bring in some nice natural light. Can I ask you the height of your new console?
Gary

[Karl Laustrup]

That's a really nice piece of furniture Mac. Good choice on wood and an excellent finish.

You didn't mention anything about watching shows in HD though.

Karl

[Jim Becker]

Great project, Mac!

(I have a similar need coming up for the addition, both for the new multi-purpose room as well as for the master bed room)

[Dave Ray]

Nice piece Mac, love that color you achieved. Got to make similar cabinet shortly.

[Tom Godley]

Great project - love the finish.


Great shop -- I like the upper windows along the wall. I would need the mother of all headers I think to make it work in my building.

What do you have on the walls - really looks great - is it regular T&G boards?

[Matt Crew]

Looks like fast cars arn't the only great looking pieces to be built in Speedway.
Great job!

[frank shic]

great finish. thanks for all the pics!

[Chris Zenda]

Thats a work of art!!! Absolutely fantastic.

[Bert Johansen]

Mac,

Terrific design, exemplary execution and impeccable finish--on the TV. The console's not bad either! Just kidding--fantastic project. What's not to like! Thanks for sharing.

[Craig D Peltier]

Nice looking piece. I have a question about the fabric doors (speaker fabric). How did you go about inserting them in door and did it look finished from inside also.

Thanks

[John A. Williams]

Very nice Mac!! I need to build one of those too. Did you come up with your own design? Nice looking shop from the backround picks, how about a shop tour?

[Russell Tribby]

Great job Mac. I love the finish. Thanks for all the pics.

[Bruce Page]

Very nice Mac. I love the rich red color.

[Peter Stahl]

Very nice Mac! Shame you had to settle for that little 52 incher, lol!

[Ron Jones near Indy]

Looks really nice Mac. Thanks for sharing! I'm sure we will have a need for a console much like yours before long. Darn, I don't want to buy a TV anytime soon. Thanks for the ideas.

[Roy Wall]

Mac,

Your work is always Top Notch~!!! Beautiful.......

[Clint Winterhalter]

Mac,
GREAT JOB!
It came out fantastic!
I too really like the color.

(See, technology really does improve our lives ;)

Enjoy your new toy!

Clint

[gary Zimmel]

Mac

Workmanship is first class.. The finished product is stunning.

Can't wait to see the next project.

[D.McDonnel "Mac"]

To all of you that responded with such kind words, Thank You! I really did not expect such a volume of responses. Apparently this project hit a cord with several of you that are anticipating or have already executed a similar TV upgrade. As always borrow away and if there are questions I'd be glad to answer any you have.

Now to those who asked specific questions:


All those windows up there must bring in some nice natural light. Can I ask you the height of your new console?
Gary

Yes, Gary, the windows do bring in a lot of natural light as they face south and west. The original reason for the up high windows was to let in light while not making me look right into my neighbors yard. See our houses here in old Speedway are rather close together so I was going for Light & Privacy. The height of the console is about 27" as I remember but I'd have to double check to be sure as there were so many design revisions I just don't remember.




Great shop -- I like the upper windows along the wall. I would need the mother of all headers I think to make it work in my building.

What do you have on the walls - really looks great - is it regular T&G boards?

Yes there are some dandy headers above those windows. As it turned out there was enough room between them to run double studs so the "mother header" was a bit of overkill. The walls are good old fashioned doug fir beaded ceiling mould. Comes in 8' strips about 3" wide, toung and groove fit. I love doing trim work so when I built the shop this was the most pleasurable part.


Looks like fast cars arn't the only great looking pieces to be built in Speedway.


Unfortunately none of the Indy cars are built here in Speedway anymore. There is however a lot of support businesses and Indycar teams located here. Now if you want to talk sprint and midget cars there are a lot of those built here. I live about 1/4 mile from turn 1 of the Speedway.


Nice looking piece. I have a question about the fabric doors (speaker fabric). How did you go about inserting them in door and did it look finished from inside also.

I routed out a 3/8 x 1/4 groove around the inside of all 3 doors. The center door received glass and 1/4 x 1/4 moulding. For the other 2 doors I made a 1/4 x 1/2 inch frame that fit loosely and covered that with the speaker fabric, wraping it all the way around covering all 4 sides of the frame, then secured it with staples. I slipped that into the opening and secured that assembly into the door with a couple of clips. Does it look finished? It looks okay but not what I'd call "Finished". I'll rarely open these doors so it's good enough for my purposes.



Did you come up with your own design?

Yes it's my own design. I looked at dozens of consoles at several furniture stores trying to find one suitable. didn't happen as my requirements on width and depth were too specific. This was going in a corner so too much depth would kill me. A lot of the consoles are 60" which was just a bit too wide as I needed closer to 50" max. I borrowed some ideas and used some of my own. I wanted it to be a very clean look while keeping a light look hence the short tapered legs to raise the cabinet up off the floor and the tapered edge of the top.



Shame you had to settle for that little 52 incher, lol!

The 52" set just about had me in the dog house. I went to the store to buy the 46" but they had a big sale going on that weekend and I got the 52" for about $120 more than I'd planned to spend on the 46". No brainer for me but the wife accused me of a little bait and switch deception. As it turns out the 52" is perfect for the room and I did build the cabinet to accomodate the 52" just in case!!


Again thanks for the kind words. It's always nice to get positive reinforcement of your work from fellow woodworkers.

[Bruce Benjamin]

Mac, have you noticed any problems with using a remote control through the glass? I've never had any remote controlled components behind glass before but I might in the future. I know this wouldn't be a problem with an RF remote but I thought that the angle of the glass might possibly reflect the signal from an infrared remote. Also, have you found that having the components down so low is an inconvenience? I'm thinking along the lines of having to bend and stoop to install or remove a DVD or CD. I have a gimp leg so if I squat down like that then getting back up is a slow process. I guess I can answer my own question by saying that if you're plenty mobile it wouldn't be a problem for you. The stand looks beautiful, by the way.

Bruce

[M Smith]

Very nice. I was looking at plans this morning as I'm thinking of building something very similar. Did you draw up the plans yourself? I love the look of it!

[alex grams]

Mac, how did you secure the shelves to the frame? I can see you did the side panels with a groove, but I can't get a good view from any pictures of what you did with the shelving.

I really like the design and color though, very very well done, and the mortise/tenon work really shows some nice craftsmanship.

[D.McDonnel "Mac"]

Mac, have you noticed any problems with using a remote control through the glass? Also, have you found that having the components down so low is an inconvenience? I'm thinking along the lines of having to bend and stoop to install or remove a DVD or CD. I have a gimp leg so if I squat down like that then getting back up is a slow process.
Bruce

No problems with the remote through glass. The glass was an attempt to limit dust problems. The rear of the component bay is ventilated with down facing louvers to also reduce dust problems. I almost screwed up by not allowing for the door frame reducing the opening size. The u-verse set top box is only half visible but the remote works on just fine. On a do over I would make the open shelf section, where the center speaker sits, a bit shorter and add that to the component speaker section. My first design had no open shelf and the bays were full height. That would aleviate the bend down problem for you.



Did you draw up the plans yourself?

Yes and there were several variations drawn before the final design was decided on.


Mac, how did you secure the shelves to the frame? I can see you did the side panels with a groove, but I can't get a good view from any pictures of what you did with the shelving.


The lower and middle plywood shelves slip down inside their respective frames sitting on cleats glued to the frame at the right place to keep the top surfaces even. Glue and clamps were used to join the rails to the plywood. This was cabinet grade work from the begining so this was in keeping with that design aesthetic. It was never intended to be fine woodworking.

[alex grams]

Thanks for the reply, either way, it is a nice piece.

[Lori Kleinberg]

Mac that is a great looking piece of furniture. Thank you for sharing and also for the explanation of how it is done. You always do a nice short editorial of the steps involved. Oh yeah, good luck with that nice new TV ;).

[Norman Pyles]

Great job, and thanks for the photos.

[Tom Kelley]

Mac,
I plan on doing the same thing. I just hope my TV lasts long enough to let me build a cabinet for my surround system equipment. I too like the color. Congrats!
Tom