Benchmark Media Console

Submitted by Toastman on Thu, 03/03/2016 - 20:12

This was a great project to do. I have a family member that paid that full price for the real Pottery Barn piece. I then made this one and showed it to them. Ha!

I used Alder ply but because of the expense I only bought 1 sheet which will run $90-$105 from Menards or Home Depot. Other lumber yards ran up to $140. I got all the pieces out of 1 sheet except for the 2 adjustable shelves which I used birch ply. And you can't even tell. I was going to make my own jig but just bought the Kreg pocket mini jig. Invaluable! and about $20. I found the overall cost from the plans to be under reality. Acrylic, hardware, and hinges will run you $70-$80 easy. But I guess if you use cheap pine or something than maybe you can be close to the estimate. 

As queried by others, I too found the plans to specify how to attach the top. I used tiny "L" brackets around the underside perimeter and attached them with my screw gun to the frame (pic attached). For the doors, I didn't like the idea of just screwing the acrylic glass to the inside of the door so I routed the inside and attached some plastic tabs I found in the screen door section of HD to hold them in place. (pic attached). You could also use small mirror clips installed upside down.

I wrestled with the color choice for a long time but finally found the Minwax Gel Stain Mahogany (which is different than regular stain mahogany) to be the right color. After staining and a coat of sealer, I glazed, let dry, then sealed some more. Finished it off with some supa-fine steel wool and paste wax.

I love this piece now because I only glued certain pieces so that I can take it apart and put it back together as I am moving soon. (out of country). The European hinges were a bit of a pain to mess with since they have some movement to them and only lateral adjustments, no vertical. But it came out great. (I think)

Thanks so much for these plans!smiley

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$300
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Mahogany Gel Stain, Polyurethane for finish
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate