Weaving an Entertainment Center

Before I owned a house, I watched the home improvement shows every Saturday night, and looked forward to the time that I could do the things I was seeing on the TV: the Navy frowned on major renovations to the housing units. Now that I own a house, I long for the time when if I needed something repaired, I didn’t have to fix it, all I had to do was call in the housing maintenance crew. Anyway…, on one of these shows the designer wanted the handyman to make a new entertainment stand, the entertainment stand was made his with ¼” luan and MDF. My “better half,” was watching with interest and started demanding one of her own: she was acting like she was watching Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and she saw an Umpa Lumpa for the first time!

I watched the show to get a look at the stand and started taking measurements of my own and designing it in my head making sure I could fit all the stereo/video equipment into it. I didn’t use luan or MDF, instead the doors and side panels are made from poplar planed down to ¼” and the carcass, shelves, and door/side frames are made from ponderosa pine. The basket weave on the doors and side panels is the thing my wife liked most, so I spent most of my time on these to make them look right: I wanted it to look like a big basket, and I think it worked. I also built it so it will fit some of the largest non-plasma TV’s on the market at the time and today. The top shelf now holds all the “junk” I collected for her over the years and around the world.

One of my regrets is that I spent so much time on the doors and side panels, but the doors are always left open so you can’t really appreciate the design or work I put into them. I like to think that the entertainment stand I made is still standing because of the materials used. Just my opinion; luan and MDF have a purpose and furniture isn’t one of them. Thanks for looking.

-- Brian, Lebanon PA, If you aren’t having fun doing it, find something else to do.