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Building My Entertainment Center

114K views 102 replies 32 participants last post by  childress 
#1 ·
Building My Entertainment Center for new TV











I haven't done many Blogs on Lumberjocks. A cpl of buddy's on here suggested I write one on the progress of an Entertainment Center I'm building. We need a new for the new 64 inch plasma TV were buying. The design is a mixture of plans from a Wood Smith book and some ideas found on here. For example the Floating Glass Shelf comes from fellow LJ Storemore, http://lumberjocks.com/projects/41018.
I had to change the plans to ensure my Electronics would fit along with looking proportional with the new TV. I never really kept a detailed log of neither time spent nor money spent on projects. Like most of us I'm sure, I always had an idea but not detailed journal like this. I told myself on this project I was going to TAKE MY TIME! So far, so good. I am sure it is taking me longer than our professional cabinet workers on here, but thus far it has been fun. I hope this does not bore you.

• 7 hrs; planning and picking out wood for project & making double raised side panels for case.
• 2 hrs; sanding side panels.
• 2 hrs; gluing & sanding side panels.
• 4 hrs; cutting out dadoes & rabbets with router on case top & bottom & sides for partition's and shelves.
• 2 hrs; laying out & drilling holes for top and partition's and shelves.
• 2 hrs; starts cutting and laying out 2-inch thick top with rough edge.
• 6 hrs; making partitions and jig to drill holes for shelf pins.
• 5 hrs; glued and screwed case together, started cutting face frames and bottom rails for assembly.
• 5 hrs; finished gluing on the face frame & installed solid wood filler strip on the bottom of case.
• 5 hrs; sanding and more sanding and more sanding YUK! Cut and glued all shelves with hardwood fronts.
• 4 hrs; started base and flushed routered shelves and sanded.
• 2 hrs; planning size and style of doors & drawer by laying out of wood for Book match and best grain flow.
• 6 hrs; made 2 raised panel doors and drawer front along with locking dado drawer box.

So far this has been fun and challenging at times working by yourself with a big object. I worked under a sun shade outside the door of my shop so I could move around inside the shop and work. I am using Knotty Alder from Rob, @ (www.tulepeaktimber.com) for all the solid wood and ¾" Ash Cabinet Grade Plywood for case.
Money spent thus far;

$300; lumber from Tule Peak Timber, 5/4 & 8/4 Knotty Alder.
$180; 2 sheets cabinet grade Ash plywood.
$42 Trans Tint dyes
$14 screws
$9 wood conditioner
$10 shelf pins
$17 soft close drawer slide
$58 stand-offs from Helefe for floating glass shelf.

Thx for reading, all comments welcome.
 
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#4 ·
That looks so cool!

It's nice to see it from the very beginning…

Thanks for remembering to take pictures… something I find hard to do… most of the time.
 
#5 ·
Lookin good.
That is really a tease to work outside like that.

Interesting how many hours go into a project. And how much money is involved. Nice to see someone else's data. But please don't make me document what I do. It would be disappointing.

Steve
 
#6 ·
There always a dark side to every project but the end result is something you made with your own hands and not from some factory aboard. Your panels came out great and even better is that you can work out side, were still a couple of months out til that happen here, envy. Keep up the good work and enjoy the project…BC
 
#9 ·
This is going to be beautiful, Ken!

I really like the "curved" raised panels. Did you use a vertical or horizontal router bit?

And folks wonder why custom work costs as much as it does. Just can't be done in an afternoon.

Lew
 
#12 ·
Hi Ken,

Stellar job on the e.c build…it's coming along nicely, and gonna be great for the new t.v….

You will get years of enjoyment out of that one, bud. I built an e.c for a couple I do some work for that I need to post on my projects…..get that puppy finished so we can see the end results….. Rick.
 
#13 ·
Thx everyone, I have been meaning to do a blog. Its because of all the fellow LJ's that have helped me improve as a woodworker no doubt. I watched 2 different videos this weekend on finishing. One by the Woodwhisper on dyes and the other Charles Neil on blotch control. I instantly purchased C. Neal's product! I am considering attending one of his finishing classes. Of course, once it warms up east of the Rockies that is!!! LOL Sorry had to rub it in a little to the boys making comments about me working outside :>)

Agian, thx for the kind words and support.
 
#16 ·
Need fellow LJ's advice & vote on top.

So, we have started laying out the 8/4 Knotty Alder top. The plan was to have the front edge natural like in the pics. This will match the mantle in our family room. The I started thinking, being I am trying to be creative. ( which is hard at times for me.)

Do you fellow LJ's think I should use a natural edge on the back as well? Or just have a cut edge instead? The front reveal will be 1 ½" max, you well be able to see some of the back trough the family room Patio Door thru vertical blinds. ( Blondie likes sun in the house) I planned to do the back same or maybe 1 inch.

I will be cutting a soft curve on the ends to soften it up some. I plan on putting inlayed bow ties for the cracks and will be applying Epoxy to fill in the knots. The top along with the base will be a little darker than the case as I will be doing a 2 tone Entertainment Center.

Hope the pics help. I Look fwd to hearing what you think.

The first pic is the back of the cabinet.







 
#17 ·
Hi Ken - challenging project

I would be inclined to square up the rear edges as the wany top front is the feature of this project. Dont want to overdo it. Just me maybe.

Very interesting project, this should be fantastic whatever the choices.

Don
 
#32 ·
The top has been glued up and drawer and doors making progress





Well things kind of slowed down for me this past week. I have been on day shift going to Advanced Avionics for our company, to brush up on trouble-shooting problems on our Aircraft. I really prefer graveyard shift and getting off at 11am. Although I know, the hours in the day are the same. It seems I achieve so much more work getting off at 11am, than getting home at 3pm.

My last blog, I asked for help and advice on if I should do a natural edge on the back as well. Well thank-you everyone for all your help and advice! It was decided NO, it would not look good. A good friend from my childhood on Lumberjocks named, Ken C and some others suggested tying the natural rough edge to the sides of the top.

I did an experiment with that idea, before I cut the 8/4 to length. Blondie did not like it. (We know who really run's the show, even though I tell you all I do!) LOL…

She felt it did not blend in enough due the grain change that stared right at you while looking down. So were back to the natural cut edge but we have decided instead of the ends being a 90* we will do a soft curve on the ends to match the curve of the floating glass top that the TV will sit on.

Thank-you, for the idea everyone!

Today I finished the second glue-up of the top after cutting in the biscuits yesterday and gluing two of the three panels up. When we have guests over that are non-woodworkers they always say, "you really need all those clamps?" Well we know we can never have enough. I had just enough once again, so time to buy more :>)

I received my Charles Neil Blotch control today, so I need to get the base built so I can start staining the case. The base and top will be stained a darker color than the case, giving it a two-tone look.

Now that the top is glued up, I can make the template for ½ thick glass top and order that on Monday.

I am now up to 59 Hrs of labor for this project.

New purchases
1 JE Mosner finishing brush $50.00, Rob tells me it makes you look like a genius, it better LOL

2 bottles of Charles Neil Blotch control $38.99

Thx for looking.


 
#42 ·
Thx for the math Sam on making Ovals for my top









If you are addicted to this site like me you probaly did not miss this post.

http://lumberjocks.com/projects/37524

Sam Sakouri was kind enough to share this post with us on making ovals. There was some great discussion as well as a lengthy explanation from Sandy; ( an MIT Graduate. ) Some people are too smart LOL….

Therefore, I decided to put a small curve on the end of the Entertainment center and figured it was a perfect time to give Sam's formula a go. I sure didn't want to mess this top up being it was 2 inches thick and 80 inches long. It worked perfectly or at least that's what Blondie tells me. She likes the soft curve on the top. This should match the floating glass top idea from Lumberjock Storemore http://lumberjocks.com/projects/41018

I then proceeded to flatten the panel with my Jack Plane and now have it sanded to 150 grit, both sides. ( I cheated a little on the bottom of the top, being we won't see much of it. ) I had the color picked out for the top but after watching a Woodwhisper video and using a color recommended by a fellow wood-worker I need to try a new mix some up with some of my dye's … It had an orange and some yellow mix into it and it look great.

Once I have the color figured out this weekend I can mix up the West System Epoxy and add some dye to it and fill in all those great knot-holes on the top. Rob, from Tule peak Timber has been guiding me to take wood to the next level and using dyes and epoxies.

This weekend I hope to get the 2 book matched doors mounted and the drawer installed as well. I finished sanded the doors to 320 thus far. I will be starting on the base this weekend as well.

Just a quick hello to my buddies on here, and thx for taking the time to help and read this blog the encouraging comments from everyone.
Ken
 
#43 ·
Ken,

You're making progress!

I really like those curved ends… really cool… Much better than straight line square lines…

Thank you… keep it up!
 
#55 ·
A set back on using dye stain.

I watched the Woodwhisper dye video using the 7 parts Orange & 4 parts Med Brown dye stain by General Finishes. I love the color. I am making an Entertainment Center out of Ash Plywood for the case & Knotty Alder for the top, drawer and raised panel doors. I used Charles Neil blotch control 2 coats like recommended.

For the life of me, I could not get this color to stop streaking or looking uneven on both the plywood and solid wood. I was applying it with a sponge brush. I wipe it with a cotton cloth once penetrated. I have thought about using a roller but once I wipe it I feel it will still streak. Then I tried a staining pad as well no help. I then used my HVLP to spray the top, which was a big improvement. However, it still did not look as good as I wanted.

Saturday I got frustrated on how bad it looked and decided to re-do the whole top. I grabbed some 40 grit and started sanding. This was not fast enough, so out came the hand plane and I stated over. Three hours later, I had it sanded to a final 180 grit. Charles Neil who has been helping me along with others recommended stopping here on soft wood. I applied 2 coats of blotch control and sprayed 3 coats of stain on it. Finally, it looks nice.

I have learned using dyes that when there dry they look dull until you get some shellac on them and apply a topcoat finish on them.





I have never had this much trouble finishing a project….But Live and Learn.
So what do we do when things are going bad and we want to feel better? We buy a new tool in this house… LOL

Therefore, I bought the Earlex 5500 Turbine sprayer from www.woodwerks.com

After watching Charles Neil and the Woodwhisper video's on them, Blondie told me I should up grade my Rockler HVLP. This has now been listed for sale on here and EBay.

Here are some pics on how it looks now you can look at this other page top see the before pics

http://lumberjocks.com/topics/26741

Thx for the help and looking.
 
#64 ·
Problem on the Top fixed and making progress.

  • Entertainment Center making progress.


Well after some trials and tribulations with the streaking on the top while applying the dye stain, we have fixed it!
Thank-you my fellow Lumberjocks for all your help and support.*

As mentioned in my previous blog, I rehand-planed the top and started over with a lot of sanding. I felt the streaking was unfixable and too far-gone to pass Blondie's or my inspection. It did allow me to buy some new tools. I purchased and love the new and improved Earlex 5500 turbine sprayer along with a gravity feed gun for small jobs. I sprayed 3 light coats of stain and 2 coats of Seal Coat and I'm really happy with the top now.

I have mounted the doors and drawer face. To all the professional cabinetmakers that make these doors & drawers that are inset all the time, wow. My hat is off to you. I have almost got them dialed in with the gaps. I was surprised how long this took me. Admittedly, I was being very careful when drilling the cup holes and setting it up as I did not want to make new doors. I have learned when doing inset doors and drawers to really watch how much sanding you do on the face frame. This can cause some real headaches on your gaps being uneven if your too aggressive.

Yesterday I finished sanding & applied both coats of Charles Neil Blotch control to the case and it has dried overnight as suggested. Today after I return from a friend's house, we have to fix my Air CompressorvI will spray the case. It has some small cracks at the bottom and Sears after only 5 yrs no longer make tanks for them. We may have to cut the bottom out and weld in a new one if it corroded to much, but that's another story and not woodworking related…( Sorry… rambling )

I will light knock any whiskers there are down with 220 and start spraying the stain on the case. While drying I will work on sanding the doors and drawer face.

So far, approx 93 hrs spent making this project. Almost done, and our new 64 Samsung is awaiting her new home.

Thx for the helping and all comments welcome.







 
#77 ·
Offically in the Finishing Stage.



Well, with over 110 hours invested in the home for our new TV, were almost done. I have officially made it to the finishing stage. The case, drawer & cabinet doors have been sprayed with the dye stain and 2 coats of Seal Coat. Tomorrow I start spraying the finish. I will be using General Finish's Enduro-Var Urethane Varnish semi gloss. I really like this stuff. I have used this on about five projects thus far.

Today was a productive day; I got everything sprayed with the two coats of seal coat. I used a special the jig I made for drilling into the top and inserting the 8mm nuts for the standoffs to screw into. This Jig was my solution to ensure when I drilled into the top the holes were at a perfect 90 If they were not, the standoffs would show this mistake 10 fold, I have no doubt. Once done, I placed the glass on. Wow, Blondie and I loved it. (Thanks to fellow Lumberjock, Storemore for the top idea.) *

It is amazing the dye stain looks so dull until you spray a seal coat on and then it looks great!

Now I can take the standoffs out and spay the finish on the top. I Plan on being completed by next weekend. This way we can set up the new 64 inch Samsung and have movie night. Everyone is invited. We have two fresh Kegs in our bar and I'm ready to pour some cold ones. Wine cellars stocked and fresh Cuban cigars are at the proper humidity.

Thx for all the help fellow Lumberjocks, during the building of this project.

Blondie is making me take time off and go to a pool party so I must go!

Have a great Holiday weekend!






 
#88 ·
Finallydone and TV is up and running!!!



Finally finished the Entertainment Center.

Fist of would like to thank all our fellow Lumberjocks who helped and gave me advice and support throughout this project….
Woodwhisper for color ideas, Charels Neil for my streaking dye help, Storemore for glass top idea and Spalm, Blackcherry, Gary K, Childress, Ken C, Lee Jesbernger, Joe Lyddon, Degoose, Lew, Plantek, Don H, TDV, Rick Demmington, Mafe, Dennis Grossen, 3fingerpat, Beginningwoodworker, DCLW, Scott Byran & any that I forgot!!!!! You all have been supportive and people I respect and would call new friends!!!!

• Total money spent on materials for this project $1100. This does not include some new tools that I just had to have LOL…

Some quick amounts; 300 Lumber, 190, ½ inch glass top, 60 Dye Stains, 180 Plywood, 75 Enduro Var , 35 Seal Coat, 20 Screws, 38 Blotch control, 75 Hardware, 60 Spindles, 30 Black back and some odds and ends.

• Some tools I just could not live without LOL
The new 5500 Earlex sprayer, Hatachi Skill saw, Inlay kit & bits which I didn't use, Porter cable ¼ sheet sander, Porter Cable Biscuit Jointer & a new hand plane.
Total hours spent = 120 hrs total. As some of you know, I had a cpl set backs using the dye. It started streaking something fierce. So I handplaned the top back down to bare wood and started over. End result I was very happy that choose to do this.

• I used the plans from Woodsmith's book called, "Bookcases; Cabinets & Shelves. I changed the dimensions so my electronics would fit along with the thickness of the top. I choose to make double raised panels for the sides and raise panels for the doors as well. I Just love the floating glass top which came from Storemore, thx bro!

• New things I learned and tried as a growing woodworker.
Using dye stains and glaze. Working with Epoxy, filling all the knots to highlight them instead of hiding them. Doors and drawers being inset instead of overlapping the face frame. (This took some time to get right, and I have a whole new respect for those of you that make this look so easy!) Using a handplane for such a large top, I got to do this twice thx to the dye problem LOL… Getting better at spray finishing as well. And much more to say the least!

Seems unbelievable to me I started this project 82 days ago. I realize that I work full time along with overtime to boot, and have had a cpl trips and obligations to attend but it just does not seem that long. With 120 hours invested in this, I am glad to be finally enjoying it. Some of the pictures have some weird shadows and what looks to be flaws in the finish but we all know that our pics do not always do our projects justice. My neighbors & friends who stop by to have a brew out of our Keg system have been watching the progress. They stopped by and saw the finished product yesterday and think I should change professions LOL… Not a good idea with 120 hrs invested, I think I will stick to Aircraft Maintenance and do this for fun.

Some electronic info, Onkyo THX receiver, Sony 400 disc player, Sony Blue-Ray, 36 channel clean power and equalizer, speakers are custom made by Aperion Audio, and last but not least, my new Baby! 64 inch Samsung 8000 series Plasma man this is baby is sweet!

Thank-you again everyone for all of your support!

Happy Fathers day to all of you who are fathers and grandfathers!

Most of all I thank Blondie, who always supports my hobby and never questions the money I spend or my ideas of building things. She spent her Birthday helping me set all this up along with being excited and having fun doing it, this is what she chose to do. After 18 years, she is still my best friend!









 
#89 ·
Gorgeous, Ken!!

I really like the way the hardware compliments the design and finish.

Glad to see you got to get a couple of new tools to complete this project, too ;^)

Lew
 
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