Worked on this very casually and intermittently for about 3-4 weeks, though I would consider it a weekend project if you have all materials and tools necessary to complete, and a couple full days to devote to the project. With 2 young kids at home, I was only able to get an hour here and there at a time in my shop to work. I decided to leave off the top flip-down style doors, as our cable box requires line-of-sight to work, and my wife wasn't crazy about having to open those any time we were going to watch television.
I was a bit uneasy about the weight of the top, especially once the tv was placed, without any support bracing directly under the top-center piece of plywood. To add a bit of support, I added a 1x3 brace, attaching it between the tops of the 2 center legs, flush to the underside of the top. Completely hidden, and added just enough peace of mind for me to put my new tv on it, worry free.
Materials: I used maple hardwood plywood, and select grade pine for the finish/edge pieces. I found that polycarbonate sheeting was pretty expensive at my local hardware store, plus I had to special order an opaque finish, so I finished my doors with 1/4 plywood that I had left over from the back panel. I used 4 different grit levels of sandpaper (120, 220, hand sanded with 320, and then used 400 between coats of poly). Minwax Dark Walnut stain and 2 coats of clear satin polyurethane. Kreg jig is a must for a project like this, would have been lost without mine! I love that all the hinges and screws are hidden!
I'm planning to build the matching media towers from this collection next.
Comments
Amandahaslip (not verified)
Sun, 08/12/2012 - 11:47
Hi there. I love this!!! I
Hi there. I love this!!! I was wondering if you remembered the dimensions of wood used or what not? I want to make one or two of these for my basement laundry room for storage but am new to this so not sure how much I would increase all of the wood etc from the original plans. Thanks!
sophie
Mon, 08/13/2012 - 02:48
I'd be happy to help!
Hi! So glad you like it! I used SketchUp to create my dimensions to fit my space. Have you ever used it before? It's a free designing tool and really helps me to visualise if the wood's all going to fit together or not.
Here are the wood measurements I used:
Chipboard, white, 19mm
Part/Length (mm)/Width (mm)/Amount
Top:1200/436/1
Side x2:2000/400/2
Bottom shelf:1124/350 /1
Shelf x4 :1124/350/4
Frame top & bottom:1162/100 /2
Frame side x2:1800/100/2
Door frame top & bottom:476/100/2
Door frame side x2:1594/100/2
Door backing MDF 3mm
Part/Length (mm)/Width (mm)/Amount
Back:2000/1162/1
Door back:1700 /360/2
If you have any other questions, I'd be happy to help. Good luck!