Four Piece Entertainment Center and Bookcases
- Thread starter Dave Ronyak
- Start date
Dave Ronyak
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- Jan 23, 2007
- Messages
- 2,234
Thanks. I think that feature is built into Open Office Writer which I have. However, I have noticed when I insert photos into a text document with that software, it is easy to mess up everthing. The photos can be slid around inadvertently. Maybe there is a way to insert links to the photos into the text document drafts on my PC rather than the photos themselves, to improve stability of the document. If so, would the PDF creation software recognized those and insert the photos where they belong? After posting the first few installments I began to write a text file on my PC which I am saving, but not entering photos into that text. In order to cleanly copy and paste that text into a post on FOG, I first "cleanse" all the formatting information through use of MS Notepad, or unintended character changes come into the FOG post. Due to my current low level of PC skills, I am still bound to MS for many tasks, and VISTA's design hides even more of what is going on in my PC. I could not even find Notepad without running a MS search within my PC. XP was much better in such regards, but for now and the foreseeable future, I'm stuck with VISTA.
Dave R.
Dave R.
butzla
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Dave, I understand how you made the mortises for the shelf standards, I was just curious why you went to the trouble of drilling and having to calculate where the standards should lie when you could have made them all fixed using dominoes, easy peezy, lemon squeezee.Dave Ronyak said:
Notorious T.O.D.
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- Nov 24, 2008
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- 502
Steve-CO said:
My Macs will allow the printing of any document to a .pdf file format. Apple wrote this into their software years ago and it is both handy and included with their computers. So, I will also offer my assistance in making a .pdf Dave if you need it.
Best,
Todd
Dave Ronyak
Member
- Joined
- Jan 23, 2007
- Messages
- 2,234
Entertainment Center -- continued.
Last Chapter
Joinder of the TV Cabinet and the Console
I bought a pair of 4 inch tapered interlocking metal connectors (Item Number 00S53.05 from Lee Valley), expecting to use them to join the (upper) TV Cabinet and (lower) Console units together, to keep the TV Cabinet from being inadvertently pushed to the rear off the top of the Cabinet. But after receiving them, I realized they were not suitable for this purpose.
Instead, I made a pair of connector boards from scraps of 7/8 inch thick oak. Each was about 15 inches long by about 2 inches wide. I chamfered the edges of one surface, and drilled and countersunck six evenly spaced holes in each, offsetting the holes to be about 1/2 inch from one of the lengthwise edges, using my Shopsmith in drill press mode. After the TV Cabinet was set in place on top of the Console with their sides and rear edges aligned, I affixed my shopmade connector boards with screws penetrating the 1 inch by 1 inch rear edging applied to the side panels of both the Console and TV Cabinet. I slightly offset the connector boards inward relative to the sides of the Console and TV Cabinet so they would not interfere with positing of the Bookcases. With this design, it is possible to set the Bookcase units further back (closer to the wall) than are the Console and TV Cabinet. This may be desire to help hide the maze of electrical wires and cables.
If it is desired to always and only align the Bookcases, Console and TV Cabinet so that their fronts and backs are always forming a straight line, the connector boards could be made wider, thereby service also as backstops when the Bookcases are slid into position at final arrangement in a room. I don't recommend joining all four pieces of this Entertainment Center due to their combined size and weight which would make it very difficult to move as a singe unit.
List of sources of materials and hardware used.
1. Kiln-dried, red oak lumber in 4/4 (rough planed (the Amish call it "hit or skip" planed)), 5/4 fully planed and 4/4 poplar rough planed, from Keim Lumber, Charm, OH. Keim will deliver at no extra charge within 150 miles of their location.
2. Plain-sliced red oak plywood in 3/4 inch and 1/4 inch thicknesses, from Keim Lumber, Charm, OH. This is USA or Canadian plywood with poplar veneer core. The actual width and length of the sheets are about 48 1/2 inches and 96 1/2 inches. The edges were close to being true and the corners close to square, but not as smooth as is normal when cut with a Festool track saw, certainly not good enough for glue up of edging. I found I could get four 12 inch wide ripped strips from a sheet using my TS 55 and 48 T Fine Cut Blade. I used approximately 4 1/2 sheets of 3/4 inch plywood and 3 sheets of 1/4 inch plywood, plus a few small pieces of 1/2 inch birch plywood (for the drawer bottoms) in making this Entertainment Center.
3. Ball Tip Solid brass, no-mortice hinges for the doors, Item Number 143-600 (antique bronze finish), Woodworker's Supply, Casper, WY (formerly Albuqueque, NM).
4. Pebbled glass inserts for the doors of the Console were purchased cut to size from a local glass dealer. This and many other types of glass can be purchased from a supplier of architectural materials. Outwater Plastics Industries, Inc. and Architectural Products lists >50 varieties of decorative glass. Note they have minimun order requirements!
5. Tresco brand, PocKit Xenon (20W bulbs) Light Kits, from Eagle America, Chardon, OH. A 2-Lamp Kit, Item Number 475-0514 (gold trim ring), was used in each Bookcase, and a 3-Lamp Kit Item Number 475-524 (gold trim ring) was used. Eagle America did not stock the compatible Tresco solid state Dimmer Unit.
6. Hole Saw, 2 1/8 inch diameter, from Lee Valley. This item is likely to be available from Home Depot or Lowe's or other hardware or tool supply stores. Note that a mandrel is needed for this and other hole saws, and a drill with a 1/2 inch Jacobs style chuck.
7. Tresco brand Switch Kit (black), Item Number 475-0502, Eagle America or Rockler under different stock number.
8. Tresco Dimmer Unit (only one is needed to operate up to three sets of Xenon PocKit Light kits), Item Number 39912, from Rockler Woodworking and Hardware.
9. Shelf pins, 1/4 inch spade type, antique brass, Rockler Item Number 22765. (A total of 56 pins were needed.)
10. Four Drawer slides, 100 lb rated, full extension, Black, Item Number 02K36.16, from Lee Valley. (Screws are included, but may be too long depending on thicknes of door sides.)
11. Two Door Pulls, Mulholland Square Suite, AB (Antique Brass), Knob, Item Number 02A45.30 (corresponds to Amerock BP50329-R3), from Lee Valley.
12. Magnetic Door Catches (Brown), Rockler.
13. Adjustable Leveler Glides, Item Number 01S08.01, from Lee Valley and the same product as Item Number 81239 from Rockler were installed in the bases of the Bookcases and Console.
14. Screws for installation of the back panels, Lee Valley Item Number 01Z53.05, 2 packages of 100 screws each. Approximately 160 were needed.
15. Two round Grommets, 1 1/2 inch diameter, brown, Lee Valley Item Number 00U08.22. These are not absolutely necessary if you're willing to move the Bookcases away from the wall and loosen some of the screws holding on the back in order to fit speaker / lamp wires through.
16. Twelve pieces 5mm tempered glass, 10 inch x 10 inch square (nominal), Stock Number K14201, from ABC Target, Brooklyn, NY. (They had no minimum order requirements when I purchased.)
17. Plastic supports for 1/4 inch thick and 1/8 inch thick adjustable drawer divider panels were purchased from Outwater Plastics Industries, Inc.
18. Molded plastic inserts for storage of DVDs and CDs, from Lee Valley and Rockler. Good fitment to CD "jewel cases." None of them correctly fit DVD packaging used in USA which is thicker than jewel cases!
19. Nylon Cable ties purchased locally.
20. Saddle Mounts (for nylon cable ties), Small size, Item Number 03K76.01, and Medium size, Item Number 03K76.02, Lee Valley.
21. Finishing Materials: Oil Stain (wiping type), General Finishes brand, Pecan color, from Rockler and Woodcraft
Zinnser's SealCoat dewaxed shellac
Oxford brand (Target Coatings) water based Amber Shellac, Sanding Sealer, Gloss and Semi-Gloss Laquers, Homestead Finishes.
Wet or Dry Silcon Carbide abrasive papers, 320 grit and 400 grit in addition to various Festool abrasives for ETS 125 and LS 130.
GENERAL NOTES AND COMMENTS
1. Obtain all hardware, glass panels, lighting, drawer slides and other purchased components before finalizing the design and beginning construction. Doing so will save rework due to later obtained components that do not fit your design and construction.
2. Build a rigid "torsion box" style base for each case unit and use the torsion boxes to assure the bottom panel will be a flat, reliable reference from which to set other critical dimensions, e.g. the elevations specified for any horizontal cross members, shelves and shelf pin holes. I did not, and that made some the subsequent measuring and marking steps more difficult and less trustworthy.
3. When ripping narrow strips of natural wood boards, expect some of them to warp or wind. Rip a few extra pieces so you don't have to take apart some other work setup to set up for ripping again.
4. Prefinish components if you can, at least through the step of applying the stain. Apply masking tape over surfaces and mortices to be glued later. This is especially helpful where small cubby holes will exist in the assembled because it will be difficult to apply finish coats to the inside surfaces of these compartments. To get a uniform overall finish and appearance, consider leaving application of the final finish coats until after complete aessmbly. If applied earlier, the final finish coats might not be uniform for a variety of reasons, of might become damaged during subsequent assembly steps.
5. Make a batch of looser fitting (5mm) domino tenons for use in dry fitment checks by sanding away a little from their sides and edges, and chamfering their ends until they can be inserted and removed with little force. This will save a lot of time when making dry fit assembly checks because you will be able to insert and remove those looser tenons easily. The 5mm tenons originally supplied to me could not be pushed in by hand, and even after light sanding of all their surfaces otten required Vice Grip pliers to remove. Some even broke while trying to remove them. I keep these looser-fitting tenons in a separate bag within the same Systainer in which my Domino Assortment (Item #493301) came. I needed nearly 100 of them for dry fitment checks of the Console and TV Cabinet.
6. Cost of materials, especially plywood, could be slightly reduced if the bookcases were resized / redesigned to enable use of the full width of the pieces cut from a sheet. The Bookcases I built are 28 1/2 inches wide which means I needed a full sheet of 1/4 inch plywood for the back. Alternatively, four bookcases, each using 1/2 sheet of plywood for its back (24 inches wide) could be built to maximize use of the materials that I purchased. but more solid wood and more 3/4 inch plywood would be needed.
Possible Design Changes for the Entertainment Center
Although I and my family are quite satisfied with the Entertainment Center described above that I built, I would consider the following changes if I built another.
1. Increasing the width (vertical dimension in the finished cases) of the top edging strips (the horizintal strips just below the valences) of the Bookcases and TV Cabinet. The primary reason I would do so is to decrease the sight lines to the lamps in the top cross panels. Increasing the vertical dimension of these top crosswise edging members would enable insertion of two dominos joining each end to the edging of its associated Bookcase and TV Cabinet, and would significantly increase the structural resistance of the cases to racking deflection upon side loading, especially when the back panel is not inserted into the recesses in the back sides of the Bookcases and TV Cabinet. Note there have been no problems with moving the design of Bookcases, Console and TV Cabinet that I built; as an engineer, I trend to overdesign items.
2. Increasing the width of all edging used on the vertical panels, especially the sides of the Bookcases and TV Cabinet. This would increase the bending stiffness of the edged panels and help keep them straight. If you look very closely at the contiguous vertical edges where the Bookcases abut the TV Cabinet, you may be able to see a very slight gap along portions of those ~5 ft long edges. Unlike a kitchen cabinet install, I do not want to drill any holes through these side panels for installation of screws or other panel connecting bolts, but would like these slight gaps to not exist.
3. Locating the lamps closer to the front edges of the Bookcases and TV Cabinet. This would decrease the sight lines to the lamps in the top cross panels. This is simply a matter of preference. If your eyes are able to see the lamp themselves while sitting to watch TV, the bright sources of light can be distracting to your eyes. I would have chosen to totally hide the lamps behind the front horizontal edging strips, but did not come upon a source of possibly suitable lamps until I had finalized the design I built including the PocKit lamps. Outwater Plastics Industries, Inc. and Architectural Products lists many lighting products in their large catalogue, some of which might enable achievement of the hidden lamp effect I would have preferred without using much wider boards for the top edging which would have not fit the esthetic goals of the design. Others considering a similar project can look forward for the lighting industry to continue to introduce more LED products, including lamps that can be dimmed. I could not locate any such products when I had to make my lighting choices, and did not know of sources like Outwater until later.
4. Increasing the front to back dimension of the sides of the Console relative to the front to back dimension of the shelves to provide greater overhang of the sides to better hide the wires and cables from view from either side of the unit. With an increase in these overhangs, the unit could be positioned closer to a wall without having to force the cables to be bent to as small a radius as would happen if the currently built design was positioned with its side edges nearly touching the wall. Due to use of very stiff "Monster" brand coaxial cables on my electronic equipment, my Entertainment Center is positioned about 2 1/2 inches out from the wall. My wife would prefer those cables not able to be seen at all from any angle.
5. Offsetting the drawers more toward the center of the Console. In the Console as built, the doors must be fully opened (180 degrees) to enable the drawers to be opened without hitting the door frames. This slight design change would allow the drawers to be pulled out without any interference with the doors opened at least 90 degrees. Of course, this design change would necessitate major revision of the dimension of several other components of the Bookcases and TV Cabinet if the "Stack of Cubes" visual effect was to be retained.
6. Possibly replacing the fixed upper shelves behind the doors of the Console with a third drawer, for increased storage capability of CDs and DVDs.
I hope my story above has been informative to least some members of FOG who may be interested in how I used my Festool products, and how I addressed design and construction issues working alone in my small shop. I tried to add enough detail to aid those who are not professional woodworkers or otherwise well experienced. I am deeply ingratiated to several members who offered and provided assistance in posting photos, my avatar, and most recently, for creating a consolidated draft PDF document of the entire project based on my many posts in this thread. Best wishes to anyone who decides to build an entertainment center.
Dave R.
Last Chapter
Joinder of the TV Cabinet and the Console
I bought a pair of 4 inch tapered interlocking metal connectors (Item Number 00S53.05 from Lee Valley), expecting to use them to join the (upper) TV Cabinet and (lower) Console units together, to keep the TV Cabinet from being inadvertently pushed to the rear off the top of the Cabinet. But after receiving them, I realized they were not suitable for this purpose.
Instead, I made a pair of connector boards from scraps of 7/8 inch thick oak. Each was about 15 inches long by about 2 inches wide. I chamfered the edges of one surface, and drilled and countersunck six evenly spaced holes in each, offsetting the holes to be about 1/2 inch from one of the lengthwise edges, using my Shopsmith in drill press mode. After the TV Cabinet was set in place on top of the Console with their sides and rear edges aligned, I affixed my shopmade connector boards with screws penetrating the 1 inch by 1 inch rear edging applied to the side panels of both the Console and TV Cabinet. I slightly offset the connector boards inward relative to the sides of the Console and TV Cabinet so they would not interfere with positing of the Bookcases. With this design, it is possible to set the Bookcase units further back (closer to the wall) than are the Console and TV Cabinet. This may be desire to help hide the maze of electrical wires and cables.
If it is desired to always and only align the Bookcases, Console and TV Cabinet so that their fronts and backs are always forming a straight line, the connector boards could be made wider, thereby service also as backstops when the Bookcases are slid into position at final arrangement in a room. I don't recommend joining all four pieces of this Entertainment Center due to their combined size and weight which would make it very difficult to move as a singe unit.
List of sources of materials and hardware used.
1. Kiln-dried, red oak lumber in 4/4 (rough planed (the Amish call it "hit or skip" planed)), 5/4 fully planed and 4/4 poplar rough planed, from Keim Lumber, Charm, OH. Keim will deliver at no extra charge within 150 miles of their location.
2. Plain-sliced red oak plywood in 3/4 inch and 1/4 inch thicknesses, from Keim Lumber, Charm, OH. This is USA or Canadian plywood with poplar veneer core. The actual width and length of the sheets are about 48 1/2 inches and 96 1/2 inches. The edges were close to being true and the corners close to square, but not as smooth as is normal when cut with a Festool track saw, certainly not good enough for glue up of edging. I found I could get four 12 inch wide ripped strips from a sheet using my TS 55 and 48 T Fine Cut Blade. I used approximately 4 1/2 sheets of 3/4 inch plywood and 3 sheets of 1/4 inch plywood, plus a few small pieces of 1/2 inch birch plywood (for the drawer bottoms) in making this Entertainment Center.
3. Ball Tip Solid brass, no-mortice hinges for the doors, Item Number 143-600 (antique bronze finish), Woodworker's Supply, Casper, WY (formerly Albuqueque, NM).
4. Pebbled glass inserts for the doors of the Console were purchased cut to size from a local glass dealer. This and many other types of glass can be purchased from a supplier of architectural materials. Outwater Plastics Industries, Inc. and Architectural Products lists >50 varieties of decorative glass. Note they have minimun order requirements!
5. Tresco brand, PocKit Xenon (20W bulbs) Light Kits, from Eagle America, Chardon, OH. A 2-Lamp Kit, Item Number 475-0514 (gold trim ring), was used in each Bookcase, and a 3-Lamp Kit Item Number 475-524 (gold trim ring) was used. Eagle America did not stock the compatible Tresco solid state Dimmer Unit.
6. Hole Saw, 2 1/8 inch diameter, from Lee Valley. This item is likely to be available from Home Depot or Lowe's or other hardware or tool supply stores. Note that a mandrel is needed for this and other hole saws, and a drill with a 1/2 inch Jacobs style chuck.
7. Tresco brand Switch Kit (black), Item Number 475-0502, Eagle America or Rockler under different stock number.
8. Tresco Dimmer Unit (only one is needed to operate up to three sets of Xenon PocKit Light kits), Item Number 39912, from Rockler Woodworking and Hardware.
9. Shelf pins, 1/4 inch spade type, antique brass, Rockler Item Number 22765. (A total of 56 pins were needed.)
10. Four Drawer slides, 100 lb rated, full extension, Black, Item Number 02K36.16, from Lee Valley. (Screws are included, but may be too long depending on thicknes of door sides.)
11. Two Door Pulls, Mulholland Square Suite, AB (Antique Brass), Knob, Item Number 02A45.30 (corresponds to Amerock BP50329-R3), from Lee Valley.
12. Magnetic Door Catches (Brown), Rockler.
13. Adjustable Leveler Glides, Item Number 01S08.01, from Lee Valley and the same product as Item Number 81239 from Rockler were installed in the bases of the Bookcases and Console.
14. Screws for installation of the back panels, Lee Valley Item Number 01Z53.05, 2 packages of 100 screws each. Approximately 160 were needed.
15. Two round Grommets, 1 1/2 inch diameter, brown, Lee Valley Item Number 00U08.22. These are not absolutely necessary if you're willing to move the Bookcases away from the wall and loosen some of the screws holding on the back in order to fit speaker / lamp wires through.
16. Twelve pieces 5mm tempered glass, 10 inch x 10 inch square (nominal), Stock Number K14201, from ABC Target, Brooklyn, NY. (They had no minimum order requirements when I purchased.)
17. Plastic supports for 1/4 inch thick and 1/8 inch thick adjustable drawer divider panels were purchased from Outwater Plastics Industries, Inc.
18. Molded plastic inserts for storage of DVDs and CDs, from Lee Valley and Rockler. Good fitment to CD "jewel cases." None of them correctly fit DVD packaging used in USA which is thicker than jewel cases!
19. Nylon Cable ties purchased locally.
20. Saddle Mounts (for nylon cable ties), Small size, Item Number 03K76.01, and Medium size, Item Number 03K76.02, Lee Valley.
21. Finishing Materials: Oil Stain (wiping type), General Finishes brand, Pecan color, from Rockler and Woodcraft
Zinnser's SealCoat dewaxed shellac
Oxford brand (Target Coatings) water based Amber Shellac, Sanding Sealer, Gloss and Semi-Gloss Laquers, Homestead Finishes.
Wet or Dry Silcon Carbide abrasive papers, 320 grit and 400 grit in addition to various Festool abrasives for ETS 125 and LS 130.
GENERAL NOTES AND COMMENTS
1. Obtain all hardware, glass panels, lighting, drawer slides and other purchased components before finalizing the design and beginning construction. Doing so will save rework due to later obtained components that do not fit your design and construction.
2. Build a rigid "torsion box" style base for each case unit and use the torsion boxes to assure the bottom panel will be a flat, reliable reference from which to set other critical dimensions, e.g. the elevations specified for any horizontal cross members, shelves and shelf pin holes. I did not, and that made some the subsequent measuring and marking steps more difficult and less trustworthy.
3. When ripping narrow strips of natural wood boards, expect some of them to warp or wind. Rip a few extra pieces so you don't have to take apart some other work setup to set up for ripping again.
4. Prefinish components if you can, at least through the step of applying the stain. Apply masking tape over surfaces and mortices to be glued later. This is especially helpful where small cubby holes will exist in the assembled because it will be difficult to apply finish coats to the inside surfaces of these compartments. To get a uniform overall finish and appearance, consider leaving application of the final finish coats until after complete aessmbly. If applied earlier, the final finish coats might not be uniform for a variety of reasons, of might become damaged during subsequent assembly steps.
5. Make a batch of looser fitting (5mm) domino tenons for use in dry fitment checks by sanding away a little from their sides and edges, and chamfering their ends until they can be inserted and removed with little force. This will save a lot of time when making dry fit assembly checks because you will be able to insert and remove those looser tenons easily. The 5mm tenons originally supplied to me could not be pushed in by hand, and even after light sanding of all their surfaces otten required Vice Grip pliers to remove. Some even broke while trying to remove them. I keep these looser-fitting tenons in a separate bag within the same Systainer in which my Domino Assortment (Item #493301) came. I needed nearly 100 of them for dry fitment checks of the Console and TV Cabinet.
6. Cost of materials, especially plywood, could be slightly reduced if the bookcases were resized / redesigned to enable use of the full width of the pieces cut from a sheet. The Bookcases I built are 28 1/2 inches wide which means I needed a full sheet of 1/4 inch plywood for the back. Alternatively, four bookcases, each using 1/2 sheet of plywood for its back (24 inches wide) could be built to maximize use of the materials that I purchased. but more solid wood and more 3/4 inch plywood would be needed.
Possible Design Changes for the Entertainment Center
Although I and my family are quite satisfied with the Entertainment Center described above that I built, I would consider the following changes if I built another.
1. Increasing the width (vertical dimension in the finished cases) of the top edging strips (the horizintal strips just below the valences) of the Bookcases and TV Cabinet. The primary reason I would do so is to decrease the sight lines to the lamps in the top cross panels. Increasing the vertical dimension of these top crosswise edging members would enable insertion of two dominos joining each end to the edging of its associated Bookcase and TV Cabinet, and would significantly increase the structural resistance of the cases to racking deflection upon side loading, especially when the back panel is not inserted into the recesses in the back sides of the Bookcases and TV Cabinet. Note there have been no problems with moving the design of Bookcases, Console and TV Cabinet that I built; as an engineer, I trend to overdesign items.
2. Increasing the width of all edging used on the vertical panels, especially the sides of the Bookcases and TV Cabinet. This would increase the bending stiffness of the edged panels and help keep them straight. If you look very closely at the contiguous vertical edges where the Bookcases abut the TV Cabinet, you may be able to see a very slight gap along portions of those ~5 ft long edges. Unlike a kitchen cabinet install, I do not want to drill any holes through these side panels for installation of screws or other panel connecting bolts, but would like these slight gaps to not exist.
3. Locating the lamps closer to the front edges of the Bookcases and TV Cabinet. This would decrease the sight lines to the lamps in the top cross panels. This is simply a matter of preference. If your eyes are able to see the lamp themselves while sitting to watch TV, the bright sources of light can be distracting to your eyes. I would have chosen to totally hide the lamps behind the front horizontal edging strips, but did not come upon a source of possibly suitable lamps until I had finalized the design I built including the PocKit lamps. Outwater Plastics Industries, Inc. and Architectural Products lists many lighting products in their large catalogue, some of which might enable achievement of the hidden lamp effect I would have preferred without using much wider boards for the top edging which would have not fit the esthetic goals of the design. Others considering a similar project can look forward for the lighting industry to continue to introduce more LED products, including lamps that can be dimmed. I could not locate any such products when I had to make my lighting choices, and did not know of sources like Outwater until later.
4. Increasing the front to back dimension of the sides of the Console relative to the front to back dimension of the shelves to provide greater overhang of the sides to better hide the wires and cables from view from either side of the unit. With an increase in these overhangs, the unit could be positioned closer to a wall without having to force the cables to be bent to as small a radius as would happen if the currently built design was positioned with its side edges nearly touching the wall. Due to use of very stiff "Monster" brand coaxial cables on my electronic equipment, my Entertainment Center is positioned about 2 1/2 inches out from the wall. My wife would prefer those cables not able to be seen at all from any angle.
5. Offsetting the drawers more toward the center of the Console. In the Console as built, the doors must be fully opened (180 degrees) to enable the drawers to be opened without hitting the door frames. This slight design change would allow the drawers to be pulled out without any interference with the doors opened at least 90 degrees. Of course, this design change would necessitate major revision of the dimension of several other components of the Bookcases and TV Cabinet if the "Stack of Cubes" visual effect was to be retained.
6. Possibly replacing the fixed upper shelves behind the doors of the Console with a third drawer, for increased storage capability of CDs and DVDs.
I hope my story above has been informative to least some members of FOG who may be interested in how I used my Festool products, and how I addressed design and construction issues working alone in my small shop. I tried to add enough detail to aid those who are not professional woodworkers or otherwise well experienced. I am deeply ingratiated to several members who offered and provided assistance in posting photos, my avatar, and most recently, for creating a consolidated draft PDF document of the entire project based on my many posts in this thread. Best wishes to anyone who decides to build an entertainment center.
Dave R.
- Joined
- Feb 8, 2007
- Messages
- 1,671
great article and I learned a few more ideas and tricks thank you for this posting and taking the time to pic and document!!!
Dave Ronyak
Member
- Joined
- Jan 23, 2007
- Messages
- 2,234
Thanks to all who have read and contributed to this project thread.
With the help of other FOG members and my son, I have compiled my previous posts into a single PDF document which contains several corrections, additional photos and additional notes and comments. I've sent my latest draft to Matthew S. for his review and comments prior to posting it or a further revised version for FOG members to access and use. I had hoped to include drawings with dimensions and notes, and cut lists for each of the Console, Bookcases and TV Cabinet, but so far have not been able to get my son's base model HP scanner to pickup much from my drawings and lists which were done in graphite pencil. My HP 6110 all-in-one machine was invaded by electronic gremlins a few weeks ago and has not worked in any mode since.
Dave R.
With the help of other FOG members and my son, I have compiled my previous posts into a single PDF document which contains several corrections, additional photos and additional notes and comments. I've sent my latest draft to Matthew S. for his review and comments prior to posting it or a further revised version for FOG members to access and use. I had hoped to include drawings with dimensions and notes, and cut lists for each of the Console, Bookcases and TV Cabinet, but so far have not been able to get my son's base model HP scanner to pickup much from my drawings and lists which were done in graphite pencil. My HP 6110 all-in-one machine was invaded by electronic gremlins a few weeks ago and has not worked in any mode since.
Dave R.
Dave Ronyak
Member
- Joined
- Jan 23, 2007
- Messages
- 2,234
I have uploaded annotated Cut Lists for the Console, TV Cabinet and Bookcases that makeup the Entertainment Center into my Gallery. [I've just learned that trying to link those PDF files using the images procedures does not work, and I do not know how to make "hyperlink to URL" work. I need help to do this if you cannot get them yourselves from my Gallery] I have also compiled the entire story into a single PDF document, making corrections where needed and added further information. I need some help in getting that loaded (>2MB).
http://www.festoolownersgroup.com/CoppermineMain/images/thumb_pdf.jpg
Sorry, I'm having no luck reviving my scanner, and don't know how to use any PC based drawing tools.
Dave R.
http://www.festoolownersgroup.com/CoppermineMain/images/thumb_pdf.jpg
Sorry, I'm having no luck reviving my scanner, and don't know how to use any PC based drawing tools.
Dave R.
Dave Ronyak
Member
- Joined
- Jan 23, 2007
- Messages
- 2,234
Nick,
I knew the link provided in my message above didn't work. I left it in my post hoping that one of many PC Tech gurus on FOG might reply explaining what I need to do to get it working. Can you go to entries in my Gallery and open any of the Cut Lists? They appear as PDF icons, and each is labeled at the bottom as to content. When I click on one of them, it opens and the full Cut List appears.
I tried another route that seems like a double entry of the same information. Below should be three Cut Lists : Console, TV Cabinet and Bookcase. Do these work for you or anyone else? The first link below worked on my PC, but the other two did not despite my having entered all of them using the same procedures. Then I went back to "modify" this message, and I noted that the 2nd and 3rd linked entries had doubled up the "http://" information at the front of their character strings. I removed those repeats since they did not appear in the link to the Console Cut List which worked on my PC.
http://www.festoolownersgroup.com/CoppermineMain/albums/userpics/132/CutList_for_Console_Entertainment_Center_DMR122708.pdf
http://www.festoolownersgroup.com/CoppermineMain/albums/userpics/132/CutList_for_TV_Cabinet_Entertainment_Center_DMR122708.pdf
http://www.festoolownersgroup.com/CoppermineMain/albums/userpics/132/CutList_for_Bookcase_Entertainment_Center_DMR122708.pdf
Then I went the Forum Technical section, Features, Functions & Management, and there I found a thread started by Per Swenson entitled "Computer saavy? I have a question." In that thread I think I found the answers I needed to post my Cut Lists under normal names. They should appear below. Unlike the experience of some other FOG members, I cannot see any photos or attachments or linked information in my message preview screen. Maybe that is due to my PC running IE under VISTA.
Console Cut List
TV Cabinet Cut List
Bookcase Cut List
Dave R.
I knew the link provided in my message above didn't work. I left it in my post hoping that one of many PC Tech gurus on FOG might reply explaining what I need to do to get it working. Can you go to entries in my Gallery and open any of the Cut Lists? They appear as PDF icons, and each is labeled at the bottom as to content. When I click on one of them, it opens and the full Cut List appears.
I tried another route that seems like a double entry of the same information. Below should be three Cut Lists : Console, TV Cabinet and Bookcase. Do these work for you or anyone else? The first link below worked on my PC, but the other two did not despite my having entered all of them using the same procedures. Then I went back to "modify" this message, and I noted that the 2nd and 3rd linked entries had doubled up the "http://" information at the front of their character strings. I removed those repeats since they did not appear in the link to the Console Cut List which worked on my PC.
http://www.festoolownersgroup.com/CoppermineMain/albums/userpics/132/CutList_for_Console_Entertainment_Center_DMR122708.pdf
http://www.festoolownersgroup.com/CoppermineMain/albums/userpics/132/CutList_for_TV_Cabinet_Entertainment_Center_DMR122708.pdf
http://www.festoolownersgroup.com/CoppermineMain/albums/userpics/132/CutList_for_Bookcase_Entertainment_Center_DMR122708.pdf
Then I went the Forum Technical section, Features, Functions & Management, and there I found a thread started by Per Swenson entitled "Computer saavy? I have a question." In that thread I think I found the answers I needed to post my Cut Lists under normal names. They should appear below. Unlike the experience of some other FOG members, I cannot see any photos or attachments or linked information in my message preview screen. Maybe that is due to my PC running IE under VISTA.
Console Cut List
TV Cabinet Cut List
Bookcase Cut List
Dave R.
Dave Ronyak
Member
- Joined
- Jan 23, 2007
- Messages
- 2,234
Thanks, Mark. I'm glad to get confirmation that the links are now working. I hope to get the whole project description in PDF format posted soon, but that is not within my individual control -- Matthew must approve/make those arrangements. He is aware of my interest in doing so.
Dave R.
Dave R.
Dave Ronyak
Member
- Joined
- Jan 23, 2007
- Messages
- 2,234
Matthew has posted my PDF compilation of the entire project. This lengthy writeup includes the contents of my many previous posts, with several updates including some corrections, additional photographs, additional comments which I hope will be of help to anyone who decides to build a similar project, and cutting lists for each of the Console, TV Cabinet and Bookcases. You can access that PDF here
Four Piece Entertainment Center
The general guidance notes, comments, and Cut Lists are at the end of my compilation.
I note on my PC (running VISTA OS) I can use "control F" to open a key work search box within the PDF so you can locate text sections that may be of interest without having to read through the entire compilation.
Any comments are welcome.
Dave R.
Four Piece Entertainment Center
The general guidance notes, comments, and Cut Lists are at the end of my compilation.
I note on my PC (running VISTA OS) I can use "control F" to open a key work search box within the PDF so you can locate text sections that may be of interest without having to read through the entire compilation.
Any comments are welcome.
Dave R.
- Joined
- Feb 8, 2007
- Messages
- 1,671
excellant documentation! thanks so much for taking the time to do this. I am getting ready to start a new project entertainment center, and I just bought a cannon rebel and flash camera and I am also going to document and post, wont be as good as yours you are #1 but I will try harder!!! however mine is being done for a magizine article I am writing when done I will advise.
Dave Ronyak
Member
- Joined
- Jan 23, 2007
- Messages
- 2,234
Honeydokreg,
Thanks for the compliments.
Best wishes for success with your project. You have a great camera, and have no doubt you will do an even better job than I tried to do. I need to post a photo of my Radio Shack camera. Few will believe it did as well as it did. Its lack of adjustments especially the lack of focus control were very frustrating at times. I need to get a better one for my next project -- the table to complement the Entertainment Center, but will not likely spend as much as you did. I'd rather spend the money on another Festool or perhaps a pin nailer which I think would be very useful for some assembly phases of my next project. This evening I installed a wireless mouse and am learning how to use it. My PC is running VISTA and this mouse does not say it is compatible with VISTA. It seems to be working OK, but is too sensitive to small movements. I cannot find any PC access to adjust its parameters. The purpose for installing this mouse is so I can start to learn how to use SketchUp. That is likely to slow me down in designing and building the table, but should make for even better documentation for others to benefit from.
Modified 8Jan2009.
Here's a "self-portrait" of my Radio Shack camera. While playing with its buttons, I finally came upon a self-timer function, which works, sorta.
[attachimg=1]
Dave R.
Thanks for the compliments.
Best wishes for success with your project. You have a great camera, and have no doubt you will do an even better job than I tried to do. I need to post a photo of my Radio Shack camera. Few will believe it did as well as it did. Its lack of adjustments especially the lack of focus control were very frustrating at times. I need to get a better one for my next project -- the table to complement the Entertainment Center, but will not likely spend as much as you did. I'd rather spend the money on another Festool or perhaps a pin nailer which I think would be very useful for some assembly phases of my next project. This evening I installed a wireless mouse and am learning how to use it. My PC is running VISTA and this mouse does not say it is compatible with VISTA. It seems to be working OK, but is too sensitive to small movements. I cannot find any PC access to adjust its parameters. The purpose for installing this mouse is so I can start to learn how to use SketchUp. That is likely to slow me down in designing and building the table, but should make for even better documentation for others to benefit from.
Modified 8Jan2009.
Here's a "self-portrait" of my Radio Shack camera. While playing with its buttons, I finally came upon a self-timer function, which works, sorta.
[attachimg=1]
Dave R.
- Joined
- Feb 8, 2007
- Messages
- 1,671
dave. a pinner would be great they come in handy for lots of task. especially useful to pin boards to the top of the mft to hold them in place when clamps would be in the way. then just pull up and bend off the pin. I have the grec the lime green one that shoots 1 3'8 pins max it works great some have the larger capicity but 2 inch pins are to week and to long.
even when I make cab doors and clamp them up i shoot a few pins 1/2" into the corners to help hold together so I can take the clamps off sooner
even when I make cab doors and clamp them up i shoot a few pins 1/2" into the corners to help hold together so I can take the clamps off sooner
Dave Ronyak
Member
- Joined
- Jan 23, 2007
- Messages
- 2,234
A pinner would come in handy for holding the edging pieces in place in this table while the glue is setting up. This coffee table is my next project and will sit in front of the Entertainment Center when finished. I plan to make one side of the middle tier be the front of a disguised drawer to be used to keep the remote control devices.
Dave R.
Dave R.
Hi Dave,
Your project is absolutely gorgeous. Inlay, lights, glass and wood; your many hours of planning, production and finishing has yielded a future heirloom of which you must be very proud. My hat goes off to you Dave for producing a special, one of a kind, piece.
James1
P.S. Great looking Festool shop. I can see you made it down to the bottom of that slippery slope that you were telling me about. I'm already looking into some more FESTOOL tools... more slippage on that Festool slope, that, I think, you already predicted for me.
Your project is absolutely gorgeous. Inlay, lights, glass and wood; your many hours of planning, production and finishing has yielded a future heirloom of which you must be very proud. My hat goes off to you Dave for producing a special, one of a kind, piece.
James1
P.S. Great looking Festool shop. I can see you made it down to the bottom of that slippery slope that you were telling me about. I'm already looking into some more FESTOOL tools... more slippage on that Festool slope, that, I think, you already predicted for me.
Overtime
Member
- Joined
- Jan 25, 2007
- Messages
- 265
Great project Dave - beautiful cabinet .
I prefer the cube look but understand the practicality of rearranging the shelves to fit whats going on them. Can't imagine how much trouble you'd be in if you did not make the shelves adjustable
Also like the look without doors covering the TV area.
the inlay, glass doors & shelves and the lighting all works very well.
Love the detailed write up, great stuff. Great resource.
Was in the borg elec department a couple weeks ago - walked right by the 90 deg conduit you used for the Kreg hose adapter - grabbed one and now I use less duct tape ;D Same identical part and results.
I also like your shop made dowel end stops. Congrats on the contest win.
I prefer the cube look but understand the practicality of rearranging the shelves to fit whats going on them. Can't imagine how much trouble you'd be in if you did not make the shelves adjustable
Also like the look without doors covering the TV area.
the inlay, glass doors & shelves and the lighting all works very well.
Love the detailed write up, great stuff. Great resource.
Was in the borg elec department a couple weeks ago - walked right by the 90 deg conduit you used for the Kreg hose adapter - grabbed one and now I use less duct tape ;D Same identical part and results.
I also like your shop made dowel end stops. Congrats on the contest win.
