Wall Hung Console #12: It's assembled

It’s finally assembled.

I started today by fitting the curved braces that connect the center bracket to the two end brackets. After quite a few trips to the miter saw to shave off “just a hair,” I finally had snug butt joints and evened-up braces. The problem was that the 3/4” braces were butting up against the 3/4” bracket-backer boards which already had a 1/8” round-over on them. This wouldn’t do.

The fix was to run the curved braces through the planer again to make them 1/8” thinner. This resulted in a nice snug butt-joint. The braces now have a little step back as they join the other boards which I actually prefer. So another problem averted with another unintended “design feature.”

The braces were then attached with a couple of pocket screws on either end.

Norm used pocket screws to attach the top on his, so I did likewise. There are three pocket holes in each of the aprons as well.

I clamped everything down to the assembly table to make sure it was all straight and even. There was a slight cupping of the top (or bending of the support structure) that was clamped straight so the screws only had to hold the top in position and not draw it tight to the structure.

So here it is.

I am really looking forward to putting a finish on this thing and getting it mounted on my wall. I’m planning to do a few coats of tung oil with steel wool between coats and finally ending with a wax. I’ve used the tung oil on a number of projects before and really like the way it brings out the character of the wood. This will be the first time using the wax, though, and I hope it adds the final sheen to the finish (and protection) I’m looking for.

I won’t be home until Tuesday, but I hope to get cracking on the finish then. Look for new project pics next week hopefully!