Think you can't build furniture because you only have a few basic tools? Well, check this out! This walnut low entertainment center was built using three primary tools: a circular saw, a router, and a drill. But that doesn't mean I skimped on quality and design. The unit has sliding doors, good ventilation, a little shelf in the back for a surge protector, and all of the trim is beveled at an angle for a more interesting visual effect (even the trim on the shelves features this bevel).
This video series is full of tips and tricks that will help you get professional results from these simple power tools!
A few of the topics covered in this part:
Cutting down sheet goods.
Using a guide with your circular saw
The cheapest long rip guide on the planet.
Plywood thicknesses.
Cutting dados and grooves with the router.
Fixing a dado that was cut through when it should have been "stopped"
Chiseling the stopped dados square.
A Sketchup plan and cut list is on its way. We are hoping to have it by the release of the next part in this series.
And here's a great clamping tool guide, very similar to the one used in this episode:
All-In-One Clamp Guides
The first zero-deflection straight edge clamping guide! Provides you with straighter and more accurate cuts, dadoes and routing without additional clamps.
Just and FYI, this was actually filmed over a year ago. It was originally a project for Finewoodworking.com. After a certain amount of time I had the option to release it for free, so that's what is happening now. So that's still the old shop. The new "temporary" shop is still being put together and is almost functional. Electrician is coming out next week.
I would like to personaly thank you for your free videos. You make the projects look so much easier than I would expect them to be. I have the plans for the steamer trunk and the collecting of the wood has been started. Without your videos I would never have even attempted a project like that.
Mark thanks for posting, I enjoy all your videos. My last project was your end grain cutting board.
Its pretty cool how you showed your dado mistake and how to fix it. For me, and the amount of mistakes I make ( which is alot ) this is also good information thanks again…. Ron
Thanks for posting the video, Marc. As always I find your tutorials to be straight-forward and readily followed. Like most visual learners this type of approach to teaching woodworking has helped me better understand techniques and process that hone and develop my skills.
First off, I am a fan-but you might think about pushing that thing all the way up against the wall-it will stop any ventilation out of the slots you have in the rear.
thewoodwhisperer,
Excellent video as always. Your contributions to Lumberjocks is very much appreciated by all the visitors such as myslef, I'm sure. The rudimentary use of tools and achieving the desired results are exemplified very well. While my thanks are of no monetary benifit to you, I do hope that in some way you can realize a true since of achievment, from all the time and work that went into providing us with this video. Thanks again.
Thanks for the nice comments everyone. Hope your Labor Day weekend was fun and relaxing.
David, the plywood I used was actually MDF core. Certainly not my first choice when it comes to sheet goods. But at the time I was under a time crunch and it was the only thing my supplier had with a walnut veneer. It does look like solid wood in the video though.
If there is one major negative aspect to working with plywood and other sheetgoods, its the fact that we have to deal with the ugly exposed edges. But with a little know-how and some strips of wood, you can dress up the edges so that only a trained eye can tell that the board is not completely made of solid wood.
A few of the topics covered in this part:
- Edge-banding options.
- Sources for solid wood edge-banding.
- Attaching edgbanding to sheetgoods and trimming it flush with the surface.
- Cutting grooves and rabbets for the back panels with a router and edge guide.
- Using an inexpensive miter box.
New Plan
If you are interested, we now have a digital plan available for this project. The set includes a PDF plan/cutlist and a full-featured Sketchup file. The download is available in the Wood Whisperer Store.
The absolute worst time to find out you've made a mistake is while the glue is drying. So this part focuses strongly on the importance of a dry assembly, which I consider to be an essential part of the glue up process. By the end we'll have a partially glue-up entertainment center.
A few of the topics covered in this part:
Gluing trim pieces.
Using biscuits.
Clamping strategies.
Using a wood filler to hide miter flaws.
Cutting the big bevels on the top and bottom trim.
Sanding.
Dry assembly strategy.
Measuring and cutting the back panels.
Initial glueup.
New Project Plan!!
If you are interested, we now have a digital plan available for this project. The set includes a PDF plan/cutlist and a full-featured Sketchup file. The download is available in the Wood Whisperer Store.
An important aspect of building furniture that many new woodworkers overlook, is the importance of finishing BEFORE the project is completely glued together. That's the primary focus of this part of the series.
A few of the topics covered in this part:
How to deal with color differences between plywood and solid wood trim.
In the final part of this series, I assemble and attach the base, install the handles, and apply the final finish to the top. This project was an incredible learning experience, and not in the way you might think. I actually found it incredibly challenging to step back from my primary shop tools, and focus only on the portable power tools. Not only did I find new ways of doing things, but I have a new found appreciation for the tools I have been taking granted for years. But hopefully you'll see now that even with a very basic set of tools, you can still produce high quality furniture.
Very nice tutorial and project Marc…it turned out great.
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