The joys of a newby..........

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I am currently building an entertainment center I started some months ago. The design is similar to one I saw at a furniture store website where I took the length, width, and height and then expanded on that to create my own similar but definitely different design.

Everybody tried to shame me into learning to use Sketchup but being recently deaf I couldn't hear the tutorials and having little patience, I elected use paper and pencil to make the drawings. In the design I made one major flaw in that I forgot to take into consideration the 1" need to compensate for the full extension slides for the drawers and slideout equipment shelves. The width of the equipment dictated the minimum width of the door openings...and then the 1" for the slides. I am now on the Village Idiot ballot.

Without catching that minor/major error, I proceeded to cut $150 worth of oak plywood for the carcass, dado the slabs and screw and glue the slabs. When ever I measure, I measure twice or more times. I misread a measurement, measured it several times and in the process of dadoing the slabs as I previously mentioned, of course it was in the wrong place. I discovered this after the glue had set up and $150 worth of oak plywood was involved. Frankly, I'm too tight with my money to throw it out and start over, so I stewed on it. Then I figured away to recover by offsetting or rather shifting the faceframe and using some fillers internally within the compartments. Most won't notice it, a few detail freaks and other woodworkers will but I suspect they will understand.

The equipment shelves are on full extension slides. I used 3/4" oak plywood wrapped with solid oak. Perfect? No .....but not too badly done.

The 6 drawers are hidden behind 2 doors. I elected to use oak fronts on the drawers and to add contrast I used some poplar. I wanted that color difference to break up the massive oak presence in the piece. For joinery I had many choices including dovetails, etc but I had never done finger/box joints. Using one of Rogowski's books and one of Nagyszalanczy's books for reference, I used 2 of my table saw miter gauges to make a box/finger joint jig for the t/s. What a thing of beauty and I can't begin to communciate how much I enjoyed having box joints turn out as well as they did. Incredible!

The two doors for the equipment areas in the center of the entertainment center were originally going to be 4 pane faux divided glass. I had milled and fitted the muntins and then a thought struck me. Grabbing a tape measure, I went into the house and measure the location of the displays on the cable box and the DVD/VCR recorder. Yup. If I put a vertical muntin in the glass doors, the displays won't be visible. Another "design opportunity", so I have very unique horizontally faux divided glass doors. They turned out better than I expected.

The two doors at the outside of the entertainment center are raised panel doors behind which will reside 3 drawers on full extension slides for a total of 6 drawers. Shallow with a 3" depth the drawers are meant to hold the VHS tapes, DVDs and accessories for the Wii the LOML bought for the grandkids and great-grankids to use when they visit. Again...the raised panel doors, not my first but the first I have made with cope and stick joints.

I manufactured a router jig and routed a hole in the bottom of the equipment compartments and installed some 2"x 10" metal vent covers from the local Borg. I used the same jig to route matching holes in the upper rear of the same compartments for ventilation and to run cables through. Manufacturing a 2nd jig, I routed one piece oak trim covers to fit these holes.

Two more equipment shelves to make and then the final top for the cabinet. Then it's to the finishing stage.

The shop is such a mess, that I will take today to clean the mess and get a safe work area before continuing.

My feeble efforts pale compared to alot of the true craftsman at this site and for fear of leaving one of them out, I won't mention any names. But, NONE of them are enjoying themselves anymore than I am. I love learning new techniques!

Photos to follow when it's done.

For the first time ever the wife has been running her friends out to the shop to show them the results.

[Rod Sheridan]

Ken, a few months ago I made 4 new kitchen drawers for a friend.

They were very nice, exactly the size of the drawing dimensions, nice finish, I was pleased.

The drawers fit the cabinet like a glove.

Unfortunately of course I left out the 25mm for the full extension slides.

Back to the saw.......................I even wrote down the correct figure after subtracting 25mm from the cabinet opening, however when I made the drawers I used the line above on the sheet as the drawer dimensions.

At least you recovered well...................Regards, Rod.

[Bob Turkovich]

Sorry, Ken. You know the rules. No photos......hasn't happened.

Given your time spent with the grandkids and moderating this website it sounds like you've made some tremendous progress.

What type of construction are you planning for the top? Any final decision on the finish? (IIRC, you hadn't decided if you're going to stain or just put on poly.)


My first major project was also an oak entertainment center - not quite as elaborate as yours but it went between two existing bookcases so I also had to build a matching bridge for over the center. I think I spent as much time doing samples to try to match the existing finish on the bookcases as I did building the center. I got close but the match was dependent on the lighting - it's better now after some aging.

The best thing is it will probably be in a prominant place in your house (as is mine) and you'll view it with pride every day.

[Mike Wilkins]

Must be something in the air lately. You can add me to the Village Idiot sweepstakes. I am in the process of making a table found on the FWW website as a free plan. It called for 2 1/4" legs, and I had a 3" slab which would work perfectly. Set the caliper to measure as I was running the blanks through the planer, checked the size frequently, until there was a snug fit in the calipers. Only I set the caliper for 1 7/8". Even made a couple of extra to better utilize the grain patterns on the legs. I came close to using one of those blanks on my own head. Still looking for another 3" red oak slab.