Corner TV cabinet build - mistakes

[Robert Engel]

Just thought I would post this in case someone is doing the same thing.

Mistake #1: Not paying enough attention to details of construction during planning stage. After drawing it up and calculating dimensions, once the build started I realized quickly the dimensions did not translate to reality. So I ended up building it on the fly more or less.

I also did not plan out the joinery I knew I would be screwing it together and ended up going with cleats rather than dadoes, rabbets, etc. So lots of head scratching, cuts and re-cuts.

Mistake #2: I miscalculated drawer depths (again, that drawing/reality thing) and strayed from my normal routine of building drawers AFTER they carcase is done. So I ended up doing surgery on the drawers to make them less deep, which, added to that, I use a narrow crown stapler to attach bottoms (which I also don't normally do).

Mistake #3: After painstakingly fitting the arched doors getting all the gaps perfect, then removing to paint, reinstalling, and removing again to transport, every time the doors fit differently . The middle gap is still too narrow, but I'm leaving as is for a month or so as it was very humid the week before the install.

Mistake #4: Building it as one unit. I figured since the sides were 1/2" and the back was 1/4" it wouldn't weight that much. Boy was I wrong about that. Thank God my 26 yr old son was available that day!!

Oh, and the angle cut for the crown: 135° / 2 = 67.5° = 22.5° vertical cut on miter saw. Still doesn't make sense to me, but it worked.

Still have some touch up and trim paint to do. Sorry for the sideways pic can someone correct that and tell me how?

IMG_1203.jpg

[Lee Schierer]

I usually rely on a cad drawing so the dimensions are real. I always make drawer boxes after the carcase is complete. Drawer fronts get made after the drawers are installed. It looks like it turned out okay.

[Nick Lazz]

smc_tvcab.jpg
I just opened in paint and rotated, saved and reposted.

I usually do detailed drawings for projects and sort issues out before I cut any wood. It requires a lot of measuring and re-measuring. Works for me. A project like yours where you are intersecting two walls can be problematic because walls are rarely square and plumb.
Since your cabinet is sitting at a 45 degree angle from the two walls...wouldn't the side book shelf angle where it meets the cabinet be 22.5?

[Robert Engel]

Lee, I'm a Luddite in that regard. I still use a drafting table and draw things out. Tried using sketch up but I don't want to do the learning curve.

smc_tvcab.jpg
I usually do detailed drawings for projects and sort issues out before I cut any wood. It requires a lot of measuring and re-measuring. Works for me. A project like yours where you are intersecting two walls can be problematic because walls are rarely square and plumb.
Since your cabinet is sitting at a 45 degree angle from the two walls...wouldn't the side book shelf angle where it meets the cabinet be 22.5?

Thanks for the pic tip.

As noted, I do drawings, too, but in this caseI think you would need to use trigonometry to get exact measurements. Pulling dimensions off the drawing is fraught with error.

The corner cab is 45° to the corner cab.

[Steve Eure]

Here is another to add to the list. Make sure of the thickness of the wood before cutting and cutting dado's and rabbits I miscalculated the thickness of some oak ply and it affected the overall outcome of the project. Like you, I ended up doing things "on the fly" as you did. Problem I had with the ply is some that I had previously bought from the same dealer was not the same thickness as the next piece I bought a few weeks later. Incorporating them together caused some issues at best.

[liam c murphy]

Thanks for sharing your experience. Did you build your cabinet with a “spine” or without? I’ve done them both ways. I see pros and cons to both ways of building. When I build corner cabinets, I draw them on a price of MDF or plywood. I usually build tall cabinets in two pieces. I draw the bottom cabinet only. I get my measurements for the top cabinet directly from the completed bottom cabinet. Neither of the cabinets below were intended to be “built ins”. I would have preferred that they be, but my customers declined. I cut a template for the shelves with track saw, and trace that with a router.

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