Thread: WIP Entertainment Unit

Dragging a chair out to watch this one.

Ross

Started making the web frames. Floating tenons for all joinery.

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The beast in the background is a drop saw with wings and a fence. I love it to death. I just cut 6 pieces at precisely 500 mm and another 6 at precisely 338 mm. It is wonderful when you need to cut bunch of components and want them all exactly the same length.

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This recently built unit is the base model for this build. The new cabinet will be 1,600 mm long instead of 1,500 mm long and will have five doors, the centre door having glass panels and the doors either side being camphor laurel veneered doors. Also, there are no drawers to the front of the unit as per the pic. The doors will be full length. The drawers will be behind the doors on the RHS.

Been a bit slack updating. Here is a pic showing the top and bottom web frames glued to the sides, with the guts work dry assembled.

In this pic the guts work is complete and the strengthening beams are in place under the cabinet. Next I'll make the drawers.

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The job progresses ... slowly.

First pic shows the drawers in the cabinet. Cedar fronts and hoop pine sides. Because the doors will be push to open there is no room for knobs, so cutaways are used.

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The second pic shows two of the doors in the vacuum press.

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Here we see the doors sitting in the frames. Centre door will be glazed so the IR remote will work through it. Client wants clear glass. I recommended red glass.

These veneers are a hoot. I have asked nearly 20 women what they see in the veneers. All but two said "boobs". What the other two said cannot be published. Nearly every man has seen a bulldog. Whatever one sees, they are dramatic. These are the most dramatic veneers I have cut in the shop, and I love them. More importantly, the client is crazy about them.

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This pic shows the top in the vacuum press.

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Next I'll frame the top and fit it, followed by swinging the doors.

Top finished and in place. Doors swung. Hinges to RH door needed to be morticed into the carcass/leg to allow the drawers to slide past them.

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Client has changed his mind and asked for red glass to the centre door.

Removable shelf for centre section made.

Some time ago I sat down and thought about a way to swing doors that gave perfect placement and which was a one man job. Arrived at a method where the hirline (non-morticing) hinges are screwed to the cabinet, opened and masking tape applied over the hinge plate and the carcass after which time the hinge is closed again.

The doors are trimmed to final size. Then the tongue of the hinge is painted with epoxy resin and the door is dropped in and held in place with soft cedar wedges, which also press the door onto the glued tongue of the hinge. The door is tapped around until the fit is where it needs to be, and then I forget it for about 12 hours.

Once the epoxy is set the doors are carefully opened, the tape removed, holes are drilled and the hinge screws are driven. There is a little clean up of excess epoxy, but in this case that took 5 minutes. I have done this several times, and am pleased to report that it has worked like a charm every time.

The final pic shows the method of drawer construction.

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Fronts are rebated using a set of dado blades. Drawer is glued up and assembled with clamps. Once the glue is dry Holes are drilled with the drill press and pre-stained dowells are glued in place. In this case the fronts are cedar and the sides are hoop pine.

Needed to do a little "adjusting" of grain, as noted in the shots below.

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This is two close up shots of one of the doors. The LHS is before and the RHS is after. Note in the circled area on the LHS the grain "misses" where it has been book leafed. This happens sometimes. The RHS shows a repair, using nothing more sophisticated than coloured pencils. It needs a bit more work, but I am happy with progress so far.

This feels like a good time to thank those forum members who have helped me so much over the years. Since coming to this forum in 2012 my work has improved out of sight. I have learned about the evils of wood movement, and how to build cabinets that do not fear changes in humidity. I have learned how to cut and fix my own veneers. I have a vastly improved dust collection system. It goes on .... and on.

I have been helped by too many to allow me to name them all, but there are a few who have been so generous with their time and their skills that they must be named. Wongo, Ian (Canada) and BobL. To you blokes, and to everyone else who has helped out along the way, many thanks. I'm sure I speak not only for myself, but also for every household that has the fruits of my workshop.

Im looking forward to seeing the finished article John. Some pretty amazing veneers you have been using (i saw boobs, but my wife would say that's not surprising) One of the attractions of this forum is being able to watch different builds, always learn something from them. Thanks for posting.

Awww ... tony_A ... how could you not see a bulldog?

Here are the same veneers, on a smaller piece, before and after the top was cut down to size. It almost barks!

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Originally Posted by John Samuel

Awww ... tony_A ... how could you not see a bulldog?

Boobs were first reaction. Tis a more attractive bulldog than set of boobs though.

Lacquer on.

Push to open catches on.

Glass in.

All finished except the top will be polished in a day or two. Then delivery.

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Developed a different way to fit the push to open catches. I sanded a piece of cedar to the same thickness as the doors on the drum sander, which was clamped to the underside of the top, where the door would fit. Then the latch was clamped in position, just touching this piece of timber. A couple of screws were driven and all that remained was to fit the metal plates to the door that the magnetic catches engage. Worked like a charm.

Top polished.

Reflected light from windows indicate the type of finish.

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Loaded.

Ready for delivery tomorrow.

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End of WIP.

In its final resting place.

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