# TV Stand



## GPDMTR25 (Jun 21, 2010)

*Progess is very slow...cutting the new plywood, the angles and the splines*

This is actually the second in the series but I didn't understand how the blog system works. The first in the series is a separate blog entitled TV stand.

I will eventually put this on my website in more detail but here's a shorter version of some of the problems and success of making my TV stand.

I wish I had some plans or I had more knowledge about building furniture. Because I don't the project just isn't moving along very fast. What started me on this project was when I helped my parents with their TV stand. They were purchasing a new TV and their current TV set in a cabinet but the new TV wouldn't fit to they wanted something similar but lower so they could set the TV on the top of the cabinet and not inside. I told them I could disassemble it and cut it down to the size they want, and then reassemble it. I worked very well and it also gave me an opportunity to see how the cabinet was constructed. I've needed a table stand for years but not having the knowledge how to construct one and not locating any plans for one that I like, I've been putting it off. I've built a lot of cabinets but all the corners have been cut at 90 degrees. This type of project is completely new to me so it's going along very slow.

I received my new plywood.










I took at photo of the two plywood boards. The top is the imported plywood, which actually looks good in this photo. The bottom is the domestic plywood.










I cut the plywood and it worked much better than the other plywood. I cut the angles and cut the space of the splines. I had some problems cutting the splines since they are not at a 45 degree angle. After some test cut I ended up cutting them at a 90 degree angle.



















I used my test boards to help support my boards while I cut the boards at a 90 degree angle. I used double sided tape to secure the boards together.



















I then cut the splines using hardboard. I did some research and some testing and found hardboard to be perfect to use in my case. Here's what I found based on my research.

Splined Edge-to-Edge Joint
This is a variation of a biscuit joint. Instead of using numerous smaller biscuits, splines are essentially a single long biscuit used to align the two pieces. The spline is a piece of plywood or hardboard that is placed in a slots that are cut in the adjoining edges. These slots can be stopped so they do not show if the ends are to be exposed. One thing to keep in mind is to ensure the spline is slightly narrower than the depth of the slot. Making the spline exactly the depth of the slot can lead to splitting of the wood as the surrounding wood shrinks, but the hardboard spline does not . A gap of 1/32 (1/64th on either slot) is sufficient to prevent this problem.

There's a very good article I located regarding splines.

*SPLINES*



















I really like my tablesaw gripper. I see someone on LJ has designed and made their own. I figure I spend most of my time building things to organize my garage so I didn't want to take the time to make one. I highly recommend getting one of these or at least building one.


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## therookie (Aug 29, 2010)

GPDMTR25 said:


> *Progess is very slow...cutting the new plywood, the angles and the splines*
> 
> This is actually the second in the series but I didn't understand how the blog system works. The first in the series is a separate blog entitled TV stand.
> 
> ...


Its looking good


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## GPDMTR25 (Jun 21, 2010)

*Making the front face frame... Next Step..... Ideas Welcomed*

*If anyone has a suggestion or idea, please feel free to add a comment. As I said I'm sort of making it up as I go along.*

If took me a while to decide on how to secure the face frame. As I mentioned before I received this idea from re-assembling my parents TV stand. Once thing I was surprise to notice when I disassembled theirs, was how little glue was used. I believe their TV cabinet was from Ethan Allen.

I contemplated using a tenon joint, and then I settled on dowels. After thinking some more I ended up using pocket holes so I wouldn't have to use glue and it would allow for wood movement.

Since the rails of the frame are cut at an angle I was worried that the screws recommended, 1-1/4", would be too long so I first tried the pocket hole in some scrap wood.










I cut, marked and laid out the pieces.










I cut the pocket holes and assembled the pieces.



















The project isn't glued together yet. I stopped at this point to think what my next step should be. The bottom board will be about 3" off the ground and there will be a shelf where the middle part of the face frame is. So I'm looking at ways to secure and support these pieces. My parents had support blocks that were stapled and screwed into place. I'm thinking of doing something similar.










I tried to draw what I plan on doing. I though instead of just a support block that are stapled to the side for the bottom I'd use 3" pieces so they would go to the floor. I'd use support blocks for the shelf and support blocks, for the corners to secure the top piece with screws. The top is going to be about 7/8" thick and really wood that I glued together.

Nothing too heavy is going to be stored inside the stand. My Xbox will go on the top shelf then I have a surround sound system and a DVD VCR combo that will go on the lower part. The TV is 50".

The widest part of the stand is 46" so I'm not sure if I need a support board for the board. I added it in my drawing. Although the drawing isn't great, it just showing one side to give an idea of where I'm going next.


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## GregD (Oct 24, 2009)

GPDMTR25 said:


> *Making the front face frame... Next Step..... Ideas Welcomed*
> 
> *If anyone has a suggestion or idea, please feel free to add a comment. As I said I'm sort of making it up as I go along.*
> 
> ...


It seems that an easy thing to do would be to use pocket hole screws on the undersides of the bottom and middle shelves to attach them to the sides and to the face frame. As I recall, Kreg propaganda claimes that pocket screws at 4" to 6" spacing provides a fairly strong joint. At my house those shelves would not see a great deal of weight so I wouldn't think the extra glue blocks are necessary. On the other hand adding glue blocks would be easy and wouldn't hurt anything. Buscuits would also work well for attaching these shelves to the sides and would be invisible, although maybe a bit more effort than pocket hole screws.

I'm guessing the top is going to rest on the top edges of the sides. Pocket holes in the sides up to the top would work, but would be kinda visible. I might lean towards dowels or buscuits.


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## GPDMTR25 (Jun 21, 2010)

GPDMTR25 said:


> *Making the front face frame... Next Step..... Ideas Welcomed*
> 
> *If anyone has a suggestion or idea, please feel free to add a comment. As I said I'm sort of making it up as I go along.*
> 
> ...


Thanks Greg, I didn't even think of pocket holes. I'm glad you mentioned that. I figure the shelf won't have much weight on it either. Just on Xbox and Kinects.

One time I atttached a back of a project with pocket screws when I messed up on the measurement and it was the only thing I could use. I was amazed how strong it was.

Thanks again
Angela


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## therookie (Aug 29, 2010)

GPDMTR25 said:


> *Making the front face frame... Next Step..... Ideas Welcomed*
> 
> *If anyone has a suggestion or idea, please feel free to add a comment. As I said I'm sort of making it up as I go along.*
> 
> ...


Pockect screws would be fine.


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## GPDMTR25 (Jun 21, 2010)

*Moving along...gluing corners, cutting bottom and shelf. *

In planning to glue to corners I cut some angle blocks to assist in holding the clamps in place.










I also used a special clamp for angles that I highly recommend if you have to glue up unusual corners or large miter corners.










I then tried to figure out how to cut the bottom and shelf. I decided to use my circular saw. Before having a table saw, I used a circular saw to cut the wood so I have a good blade for plywood. I also own a forrest blade but I didn't use it for this, don't ask me why because I don't know.

I first designed a circular saw cutting jig. The jig allows me to know exactly where the blade will cut. I marked the angles on the bottom by placing the side and front pieces on top of the wood. I then marked the angles.



















I cut the angles on one side then placed the side and front back on top of the wood and marked the other side. Maybe I should have done this differently since there's a little problem now. (see below)










I cut the bottom piece to size. I then cut the shelf piece the same way. I used the bottom piece to mark the shelf piece so the angles would be exact.










I stopped here to think what I want to do next.

I must have done something wrong because the angle on the back of one of the side pieces is perfect 90 degrees but the other side is a little off. It might be because the side pieces glued up slightly different and threw it off. I'm not sure.



















Now I'm not sure if I'm going to make the back piece or attach the bottom or glue the front onto the sides.

A comment I received from LJ member GregD mentioned securing the bottom board and shelf with the Kreg pocket hole system. I actually never thought of this but I think it will work perfect. I won't have to use support blocks because I've used the Kreg screws on the back piece of a project I made where I made a mistake on the measurements and it was the only method I could use. I was amazed how strong it was. I never thought about using Kreg screws to assemble this project but it should work great. Also Amazon.com has 1000 1-1/4" course screws for $22.50.

Feel free to add your two cents, tell me how you would have done something different or even what to do next.

Angela


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## GregD (Oct 24, 2009)

GPDMTR25 said:


> *Moving along...gluing corners, cutting bottom and shelf. *
> 
> In planning to glue to corners I cut some angle blocks to assist in holding the clamps in place.
> 
> ...


My experience seems to be that the glue-up process introduces a lot of variability in the final result. Even if the parts are cut accurately you still need to plan your glue-up process so the assembly "lands" where it is supposed to. With good quality bar clamps I have been impressed at how much I can pull my assemblies into - or out of - square while keeping the joints acceptably tight. So whenever I need something to land precisely a certain way I put stuff in my glue-up procedure to force that outcome. I probably would have clamped the side pieces to the shelves during the glue up.

Do I understand the pictures correctly? It looks like on one side the front edge of the shelf lands 3/8" proud and on the other it is 1/16" short. If you get a good fit between the shelf and the sides otherwise, I'd just recut the front edge so it isn't proud on the one side. If you want to get fussy, rip a thin strip of face frame material and glue it on the front edge of your shelf so it is proud on both sides. The gap will then be eliminated when you mark/recut the front edge. Since it will be quite thin, sanding it flush (before assembly) should be a simple task.

Once the shelves fit I would drill out the pocket holes. Then clamp together the sides and shelves. I would rip spacers the same width as the distance from the bottom edge of the sides and the bottom surface of the bottom shelf. I'd clamp these in place and add a couple of clamps to pull the bottom shelf firmly against them. I'd also rip some spacers the same width as the distance from the top surface of the bottom shelf and the bottom surface of the middle shelf. Clamp those spacers in place and put the middle shelf firmly on top of that. Use your band clamp (two if you have them) to pull the assembly together. Where ever you can see to do it, add clamps to force parts (the shelves) into the proper location. Remember that the pocket screws are going to want to push the joint apart before pulling it together, and the more tightly you have the parts clamped the less this can throw off your assembly. I try to minimize this by running my drill on a very slow speed when driving the pocket screws, but even then they still try to force apart the joint. You also want the assembly firmly on a flat surface so you don't introduce a twist. To avoid any chance of strip-out I don't seat the screws using the drill, I do that by hand.

Looks good!


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## GregD (Oct 24, 2009)

GPDMTR25 said:


> *Moving along...gluing corners, cutting bottom and shelf. *
> 
> In planning to glue to corners I cut some angle blocks to assist in holding the clamps in place.
> 
> ...


BTW, the splined bevels turned out great, from what I can see. Getting those tight was probably the most important thing to accomplish during the glue up.


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## GPDMTR25 (Jun 21, 2010)

GPDMTR25 said:


> *Moving along...gluing corners, cutting bottom and shelf. *
> 
> In planning to glue to corners I cut some angle blocks to assist in holding the clamps in place.
> 
> ...


I probably would have clamped the side pieces to the shelves during the glue up.

This would have been a good idea but since this is new to me I didn't think of it. I used the sides to determine the shelf size but if it wasn't already cut I would do it differently. I'd cut the shelf to size and attach it all at once.

Do I understand the pictures correctly? It looks like on one side the front edge of the shelf lands 3/8" proud and on the other it is 1/16" short.

It's actually the back and not the front so it won't show. The front fits great so it's not that big of a deal since I'm the only one that will ever see the back and so I'm the only one that knows what's going on back there.

Use your band clamp (two if you have them) to pull the assembly together. Where ever you can see to do it, add clamps to force parts (the shelves) into the proper location. Remember that the pocket screws are going to want to push the joint apart before pulling it together, and the more tightly you have the parts clamped the less this can throw off your assembly. I try to minimize this by running my drill on a very slow speed when driving the pocket screws, but even then they still try to force apart the joint. You also want the assembly firmly on a flat surface so you don't introduce a twist. To avoid any chance of strip-out I don't seat the screws using the drill, I do that by hand.

It's funny because I stopped for the day and order another band clamp because I only have one. I'd like to use three of them but didn't want to purchase 2 more so I just got one. I'll get it tomorrow.

I was worried about installing the screws and the force on the glued joint. Thanks for the ideas. I was throwing around a bunch of different ideas of ways to attach the pocket screws while still keeping everything together. I'll use the spacers too.

I'm planning on attaching the bottom and the shelf then worry about fixing the back. I'm not sure what will happen with the back once I install the pocket screws so I'll wait and see then determine what I'll do with the back.

I try to minimize this by running my drill on a very slow speed when driving the pocket screws…To avoid any chance of strip-out I don't seat the screws using the drill, I do that by hand.

Good idea. I've had trouble with plywood and the screws just turning so the hand thing is a good idea.

Thanks again for your time
Angela


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## GregD (Oct 24, 2009)

GPDMTR25 said:


> *Moving along...gluing corners, cutting bottom and shelf. *
> 
> In planning to glue to corners I cut some angle blocks to assist in holding the clamps in place.
> 
> ...


If the pilot hole of the pocket hole could be extended into the mating piece of the joint, driving the screw would not, I think, try to push the joint apart.


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## GPDMTR25 (Jun 21, 2010)

*Bottom and Shelf added*

I'm ready to add the bottom. As member GregD suggested I'm going to use Kreg pocket holes to secure the bottom and shelf in place.

I cut some support boards at a height that would allow me to rest the bottom on them and then screw the bottom in place. I turned the work piece upside down to make it easier to screw it in place.




























Once the bottom was secured, I cut the support boards down to the height I needed for them to support the shelf. I then installed the shelf.










I've never added molding to any of my projects before so I've been looking into that. I wasn't sure about the size of the molding but I figured I'd use 3" X 3/4" for the base. This is the size of the wood piece at the bottom front of the cabinet in the photo above. Although 3/4" seems rather thick so I might go down to 1/2".

I'm also working on the top piece. I figure it will be about 7/8" thick. I'm still planing it down. Once down to size I'll either try to joint it on my router table or take it to the mill and have them do it so then I can glue the boards together. I've also been looking at the different router bits to form the edge of the table top.

The last thing I'll make is the doors. I've made a lot of rail and stile door frames but not with raised panel so this will be something else new.

Angela


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## Tootles (Jul 21, 2011)

GPDMTR25 said:


> *Bottom and Shelf added*
> 
> I'm ready to add the bottom. As member GregD suggested I'm going to use Kreg pocket holes to secure the bottom and shelf in place.
> 
> ...


It's looking good


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## therookie (Aug 29, 2010)

GPDMTR25 said:


> *Bottom and Shelf added*
> 
> I'm ready to add the bottom. As member GregD suggested I'm going to use Kreg pocket holes to secure the bottom and shelf in place.
> 
> ...


Very nice


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## GPDMTR25 (Jun 21, 2010)

*Problems with the top....and the heat*

*Heat*
Well I haven't written an update because it's been too hot in my garage in So. Ca. I have a detached, 1938, garage without air condition. The heat never bothered me but as I get older it's been getting to me.

*Problems*
Another problem I'm having is with the top of the TV stand. I mentioned before that I purchased 14' of 6/4 African mahogany rough wood. I cut the wood into 3 pieces. (4', 4', and 6')

Because it's been about 100 degrees in my garage, I decided to take it to my local lumberyard and have the yard finish the 1/8" left to plane and use their jointer on the boards.

They told me they don't have a jointer instead they use their table saw to do all their glue ups. Now that I have the boards home there's no way I can glue up the board based on their table saw cut. The ends of the boards match up but the center part of the boards concave away from each other.

They planed the boards but when I got them home, one board is twisted. It wasn't like this before and I planed most of the rough wood but since my planer is small I thought I'd have them take off the last 1/8". Before taking the boards in they all were flat. They all came from the same one board but now I have one that's twisted.

So I'm a little frustrated. I need to spend some time fixing everything but it's too hot in the garage right now. All this well take some time so it will be awhile for the next update.

Angela


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## therookie (Aug 29, 2010)

GPDMTR25 said:


> *Problems with the top....and the heat*
> 
> *Heat*
> Well I haven't written an update because it's been too hot in my garage in So. Ca. I have a detached, 1938, garage without air condition. The heat never bothered me but as I get older it's been getting to me.
> ...


thats extremly frustrating.


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## Bertha (Jan 10, 2011)

GPDMTR25 said:


> *Problems with the top....and the heat*
> 
> *Heat*
> Well I haven't written an update because it's been too hot in my garage in So. Ca. I have a detached, 1938, garage without air condition. The heat never bothered me but as I get older it's been getting to me.
> ...


Do you own a jointer?


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## GregD (Oct 24, 2009)

GPDMTR25 said:


> *Problems with the top....and the heat*
> 
> *Heat*
> Well I haven't written an update because it's been too hot in my garage in So. Ca. I have a detached, 1938, garage without air condition. The heat never bothered me but as I get older it's been getting to me.
> ...


I work in a detached garage near Houston. High temperatures have been about 100 for the last month or two. This spring I installed a gable vent fan in the back of the garage to get rid of the hot air that otherwise accumulates back there. I turn on that fan ahead of time to bring the temperature down to the outside temperature, and I keep another fan blowing directly on me most of the time that I'm out there.

Coincidentally, the door I've been working on since January is also African Mahogany.

Bummer about the piece that twisted. Wood will do what it will do.

Edge jointing with a router and straight edge would work. Maybe you could use the cut edge of your circular saw jig. Some people clamp down the mating pieces so that when they run the router down the straight edge the bit runs between the mating surfaces (which face each other) and trims both of the mating surfaces at the same time. This ensures that they are parallel even if the straight edge is a bit curved.

Are you going to use anything to keep the edges aligned?


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## gizmodyne (Mar 15, 2007)

GPDMTR25 said:


> *Problems with the top....and the heat*
> 
> *Heat*
> Well I haven't written an update because it's been too hot in my garage in So. Ca. I have a detached, 1938, garage without air condition. The heat never bothered me but as I get older it's been getting to me.
> ...


Hi,

You are welcome to come use my jointer. I'm in Pasadena. Send me a message.

John


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## GPDMTR25 (Jun 21, 2010)

GPDMTR25 said:


> *Problems with the top....and the heat*
> 
> *Heat*
> Well I haven't written an update because it's been too hot in my garage in So. Ca. I have a detached, 1938, garage without air condition. The heat never bothered me but as I get older it's been getting to me.
> ...


I added two turbines in the roof and I have a swamp cooler but that doesn't really keep me cool it just causes me to sweat more.

John - I might take you up on that. I'm going to try the router thing first and if that doesn't work I'll be contacting you. I went to Arroyo Hardwood in Pasadena to have the work done on the boards.


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## gizmodyne (Mar 15, 2007)

GPDMTR25 said:


> *Problems with the top....and the heat*
> 
> *Heat*
> Well I haven't written an update because it's been too hot in my garage in So. Ca. I have a detached, 1938, garage without air condition. The heat never bothered me but as I get older it's been getting to me.
> ...


Let me know. I had the same problem before I got my jointer when I was building my garage doors. I have used the router trick before.


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## Flocktothewall (Jan 16, 2011)

GPDMTR25 said:


> *Problems with the top....and the heat*
> 
> *Heat*
> Well I haven't written an update because it's been too hot in my garage in So. Ca. I have a detached, 1938, garage without air condition. The heat never bothered me but as I get older it's been getting to me.
> ...


I live in San Bernardino, and just resawed some QSWO for some picture frames, during that stint of thunder storms we had a few weeks ago, I left the newly cut 1/4" veneers stacked in my garage, (Stickered) and when I came back after a few days of not so humid weather, they were bent and twisted like crazy. The dryer temperatures lately seemed to have caused the warping to not be so drastic.

Good thing in my case the wood is thin and when I veneer it, I can bend it back to shape.


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## dkirtley (Mar 11, 2010)

GPDMTR25 said:


> *Problems with the top....and the heat*
> 
> *Heat*
> Well I haven't written an update because it's been too hot in my garage in So. Ca. I have a detached, 1938, garage without air condition. The heat never bothered me but as I get older it's been getting to me.
> ...


With any panel, don't worry about planing it until it is glued together. Wood moves with humidity. Wood slides in the clamps during glue up.


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## Sarit (Oct 21, 2009)

GPDMTR25 said:


> *Problems with the top....and the heat*
> 
> *Heat*
> Well I haven't written an update because it's been too hot in my garage in So. Ca. I have a detached, 1938, garage without air condition. The heat never bothered me but as I get older it's been getting to me.
> ...


Some people will purposefully make concave edges in what's called a spring joint. The reason was that even dried wood tends to dry out more towards the ends over time. So to counteract the tendency for the ends to split, the concave section in the center they would force the ends of the boards to squeeze together even tighter.

Tommy Mac is one proponent of this technique.
http://www.thomasjmacdonald.com/media/video.php?vid=401f67810


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## GPDMTR25 (Jun 21, 2010)

GPDMTR25 said:


> *Problems with the top....and the heat*
> 
> *Heat*
> Well I haven't written an update because it's been too hot in my garage in So. Ca. I have a detached, 1938, garage without air condition. The heat never bothered me but as I get older it's been getting to me.
> ...


Thanks for the comments everyone and *Sarit *thanks for the info and link. I've never heard of that tech before. I did watch his video he said the space he created was about the width of half a piece of paper. If the space in the middle of my boards was the small, I wouldn't mind it but it's a rather large space.

*Al,* I had purchased a Jet jointer when I first purchased my Bosch table saw about 5 years ago. I never used it and it took up a lot of room so I sold in on Craig's list several years ago. Now I'm really into woodworking and wish I had it but it wasn't the best quality anyway. Since I'm still rather young and I'll be woodworking for some time to come, I decided to purchase another jointer, Powermatic 54A. I'll just have to figure out where to put it.

Thanks again *John* for the jointer offer. You don't happen to know anything about electricity? I would like to find someone that can help me (basically show me) how to install a sub-breaker and 220 in my garage. The only 220 thing I have is the table saw but I installed a 220 plug next to my circuit breaker and run a custom made extension cord to it. I re-wired my garage because when I moved in the only thing it had was one pull light in the middle of the garage.


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## GPDMTR25 (Jun 21, 2010)

*Finally gluing up the top*

I last left off where my boards for the top where seriously warped. I also was waiting for my new jointer.

I received my new Powermatic Jointer and I love it. I wish I knew how to use it better but it will come in time. 









*Jointing Problem*
One question I wondered about it when I tried to flatten a board. I jointed just one side of the board until it was flat. The only problem was to get the board flat the jointer removed so much wood that I wasn't able to use the board because it became to thin.





































*Glue Up*
I have only done a couple of minor glue ups before so for this project I decided to make some cauls and bar clamp supports.



















I did a dry run of the glue up to make sure everything was set up right. I haven't glued it together yet because I first wanted to find out what glue everyone else uses for there glue ups. I posted my question on LJ.









I also posted the question asking about how much the top should overhang. I received a couple of good responses.

*Molding*
After I glue up the table I'll start on the molding. I plan on making my own molding from the African Mohogany and using a router bit. I figured around the bottom would be 3" high molding with an ogee router cut. I thought of using a cove or another ogee piece to accent under the top of the table. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with the edge of the table top.

*Doors*
I figure I'll do these last. I've done rail and stile but I've never done raised panel so it will take awhile with all the trial and error work.

Thanks
Angela


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## gizmodyne (Mar 15, 2007)

GPDMTR25 said:


> *Finally gluing up the top*
> 
> I last left off where my boards for the top where seriously warped. I also was waiting for my new jointer.
> 
> ...


Turning a board wedge shaped usually happens when the outfeed table is not lined up with the blade. If you turn off the jointer/unplug it and then hold a straightedge from the outfeed table it should be the same height as the cutters when they are at their highest point.


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## GPDMTR25 (Jun 21, 2010)

*Cauls, jigs, molding and doors *

*Bottom Molding*
I cut a long piece of the African mahogany 3" wide. I original use ¾" but didn't like the way it looked so I planed it down to 5/8". I ran it through my router table using a Freud Roman Ogee router bit # 38362.



















I first cut the front piece. I used the same angles that I used on the main case. After cutting the side angles, the pieces didn't fit based on the angles I cut them.










When I glued the sides of the main case together the angles came out different from what I original designed. I used my digital protractor/angle finder against the case to discover the new angles.










I then divided it in two and used that angle to cut a new side piece.










The fit was much better. Although the photo still shows a gap, it's the uneven floor. When the piece is pushed together it fits perfect.

I left extra on the back because I'll finish it later.










*Doors*
I was having problem with the doors. I made a prototype and didn't like the way it looked. I know the prototype doesn't look that good but I still wouldn't like it if I had made it perfect.










It took a couple of days studying the doors to figure out what was wrong. I though of using a slab door but didn't really like that idea. When I came across this photo, I realized what the problem was.










I discovered I didn't like the doors because the design of the doors, with the rails and stiles, were square. If I miter cut the corners the door looked like I wanted it to. I started with a long 2" wide by ¾" thick piece. I used a miter drawer frame router bit from MLCS. Since my door frame had to be smaller than the usual 2-1/2", instead of using the usual door bit I used the smaller miter drawer bit (Item # 8778).

I used a wider board than I needed so once it was routed I cut it to length on the table saw. I then sanded the piece.

To cut the miter corners I decided to make a table saw miter cutting jig. The jig worked perfect to cut the door frame.



















I'm waiting on a router bit I order online to cut the slot in the side of the frame where the raised panel will fit.

I cut the raise panel section to size then routed it with a Rockler Ogee raised panel bit # 60971, which has a back cutter.

I'm not sure what type of hinge I'll use.

*Miter Cutting Jig*
I used a ¾" Baltic Birch piece of plywood (15-7/8" X 13-1/4"). ½" plywood could be used be I didn't have a piece the size I needed. It's an unusual size because I didn't cut the piece I had on hand. I cut some cherry wood; I had on hand, and cut it to size to use as the miter sled. The miter guide bars came to ¾" wide X 5/16" deep X 19-3/8" long.

I read different articles about building one of these sleds, and some talking about aligning the plywood exactly at 90 degrees to the miter slots. I don't see a need for this because even it you install the plywood at an angle it still wouldn't matter. The key to the jig's accuracy is installing the miter fences precisely at 90°.

*If you would like further information about this jig, you can go to my website where I put the instructions in detail. *









*Top*
For the top I made some cauls and special cauls for my pipe clamps. 
*To read more about this you'll need to go to my web site. *



















I ended up using liquid Hide glue to glue up the top. I purchased some flakes but didn't use them for this product. The reason I decided on hide glue was because I first ran a test with the different glues.
I've always had some problems cleaning the glue so it doesn't show through the stain unless I ran the wood through a planer and removed a lot of wood. I don't have this opinion in this piece. I can sand it but I can't remove too much wood.

I've never used hide glue so wasn't sure about it. The old story about wanting to stay in my comfort zone. With the test I glued two piece together of the same wood I'm using. I did one with TB III and the other with TB liquid Hide glue. I removed the TBIII as it started to harden like I normally do. With the hide glue I also waited until it started to harden, then I used warm water to remove the squeeze out. I left both clamped overnight. The following day I used 400 grit and sanded each very little. I then stained both piece and couldn't believe how the hide glue didn't show at all anywhere on the wood. When I glued the piece together I purposely got glue everywhere to see if it would clean up. The Hide glue worked so much better than the TB III I can't wait to try the flakes.

Hide glue also has a long open time, which I also needed so set all the cauls in place. Once the top was glued and clamped I let it set overnight.










Once the top was glued together and the glue residue was removed, I drew the outline of the top on the back. I marked an extra couple of inched out from this line for the overhang. I used a circular saw with a straight edge to cut the top to shape. The corners are still unfinished and I'm trying to figure out what router bit to use on the top and what molding to go with it.



















*Finishing*
Since I've never finished Mahogany before I'm not sure what would look best. I searched the web and LJ for ideas. Based on what I learned it appears I'll first use no wax Shellac (cut in half with denatured alcohol). Then I stain it and the last step is to fill it. I thought filling would be first but since its solvent based and not water based, the filling is done last.

I purchased about $100 worth of different type and colors of stain.

I'm not sure what type of router bit I'll be using for the table top edge. I know I'm going to add some molding under the table top but I'm not sure what is going to be yet.

I welcome any suggestions, ideas, or comments.

Thanks
Angela


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## woodworm (Jul 27, 2008)

GPDMTR25 said:


> *Cauls, jigs, molding and doors *
> 
> *Bottom Molding*
> I cut a long piece of the African mahogany 3" wide. I original use ¾" but didn't like the way it looked so I planed it down to 5/8". I ran it through my router table using a Freud Roman Ogee router bit # 38362.
> ...


I like the design. Thanks for sharing.


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## DogwoodTales (Jun 17, 2011)

GPDMTR25 said:


> *Cauls, jigs, molding and doors *
> 
> *Bottom Molding*
> I cut a long piece of the African mahogany 3" wide. I original use ¾" but didn't like the way it looked so I planed it down to 5/8". I ran it through my router table using a Freud Roman Ogee router bit # 38362.
> ...


Nice project! That's going to look very nice in the house.

Yeah, I also would think filling would come before the stain anyway. Otherwise how will you match the filler to the stain? Won't you end up with specs of color that don't match the stain?
Unless you are using a clear finish as a filler? Put on a few coats, let it cure, then rub it down to a flat surface being careful to not rub through the clear coat and then into the stain.
What I've done before to flatten a lacquer finish a little on a project with large pores is 600g w/d sand paper with a mix of 2/3 ms and 1/3 mineral oil.
If you're using a gel stain, however, why not do the filling first and then the stain? You can use a sanding slurry with shellac to fill the pores. Just a thought.


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## GPDMTR25 (Jun 21, 2010)

GPDMTR25 said:


> *Cauls, jigs, molding and doors *
> 
> *Bottom Molding*
> I cut a long piece of the African mahogany 3" wide. I original use ¾" but didn't like the way it looked so I planed it down to 5/8". I ran it through my router table using a Freud Roman Ogee router bit # 38362.
> ...


This is from Behlen's website regarding filling the pores with an oil based filler.

There are many ways to apply paste wood filler. We prefer to use the following method.
1. Stain the wood if you wish. You can use any type of stain that you wish, dye, wiping stain, gel stains etc. Allow to dry completely
2. Apply a washcoat of 2 lb cut dewaxed shellac or use lacquer sanding sealer if applying a solvent lacquer like Behlen Qualalacq. Vinyl sealer can be substituted if your schedule uses it. Allow the seal to dry.
3. Sand lightly with P320 stearated sandpaper. Go lightly and do not cut through the sealer or filler
4. Apply the filler with a brush and remove the excess with a squeegee/leveler or plastic scraper going at a 45 degree angle to the grain. 
5. Let the filler dwell just long enough so that it "hazes" - typically 15 minutes or so. If the filler is drying too rapidly you can slow it down with some mineral spirits. 
6. Remove the excess filler with burlap or a terry cloth type towel using it across the grain at first. Then finish up very lightly in a circular motion. 
7. If filler is hard to remove in some areas because it has set up, moisten a rag with a small amount of Naphtha and remove lightly. 
8. Allow filler to dry 48 hours. If waterborne or oil based finishes are used as the topcoat we recommend sealing the dry filler with one more application of dewaxed shellac first.

Althought their website doesn't recommend the first coat of Shellac others on LJ do so you get a better finish.

The filler would only go before the stain if it's water base.


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## GregD (Oct 24, 2009)

GPDMTR25 said:


> *Cauls, jigs, molding and doors *
> 
> *Bottom Molding*
> I cut a long piece of the African mahogany 3" wide. I original use ¾" but didn't like the way it looked so I planed it down to 5/8". I ran it through my router table using a Freud Roman Ogee router bit # 38362.
> ...


This post has a couple of pictures of finished parts from my recent project that is also out of African Mahogany. The finish on these parts is Waterlox original (2 coats) and Waterlox gloss (1 coat). The color was plenty dark and rich with no stain. The finish darkened the wood quite a bit - wetting the bare wood with mineral spirits provided a reasonable first approximation of the final color, but I think in the end the color from the Waterlox was even darker and richer.

But I think my stock was noticably darker than yours to begin with. This blog post has a couple of pictures of an part in progress where you can see the contrast between the African Mahogany and the poplar I used for the core.

Waterlox is a tung oil. I would not describe it as "green"; lots of VOC. But, probably because of that, it is very easy to apply. It starts out with a very low viscosity, so it is easy to brush out and it soaks into the wood quickly. Between soaking in and solvent evaporation the coating flattens and sets up so you don't get brush marks and it is not prone to drips and sags. It sets up so quickly that I had much less of an issue with dust nibs than I usually get with polyurathane.


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## GPDMTR25 (Jun 21, 2010)

*Raised Panel Doors, Soss Invisible Hinges, Table Top Edge, Getting Ready for the Finish *

Yes it's been over a month since I've posted an update but I'm still working on my TV stand.

*Raised Panel Doors*

Since my last blog, I finished the raised panel portion of my doors. This is the first time I'm doing a raised panel and I was having a problem getting the panel flush with the frame.



















To correct this problem I disassembled the panel router bit and raised the back cutter.



















Now I would be able to remove more of the back.










Now the panel fit exactly where I wanted it to.










I cut the slot in the frame for the panel.










*Hinges*

I decided on using Soss invisible hinges. If I were to do it over I would either install the hinges before putting everything together or I would use different hinges. Because everything already together they were difficult to install. I couldn't use a router because the lack of space so I used a Dremel tool and chisel. It worked but it would have looked much better if I had been able to used a template and router bit.



















*Table Top Edge*
I purchased several different router bits for the edge of the top. I ended up using a Lonnie Bird Table Edge router bit. It cost a small fortune but I couldn't find a company that made a similar router bit.










I also made a cove for under the table top but I don't think I'm going to use it because the measurements of my top are off. I sort of screwed things up. I have designed a pattern for the TV stand but when I glued up the sides the angles went off. When I cut the bottom and the shelf I used the actually case to determine the size. When I went to cut the top I used the pattern, which was a mistake since the angles had changed. Because of this the over hang of the top isn't even and therefore I think the cove wouldn't look right.










*Misc.*
I added a few pieces in the back to cover the plywood.










*Finishing*
I still haven't decided on a finish. I haven't been satisfied with anything I've tried. The closest thing I've found so far is General Finishes Rosewood. I've order a few more colors from W.D. Lockwood.

I have sanded everything to 180. Then I wiped everything down with water, let it dry and sanded everything with 220. The edges of the table I continued sanding with 220, 320 and 400. I used a vacuum and air compressor but there still seemed like there was a lot of dust so I wiped it down with mineral spirits. I'm going to wipe on a 1 pound cut of shellac then I'm going to fill the wood. I'm using an oil based wood filler. The wood filler company says to stain the project first then use the filler. I tried this on a sample and didn't like the out come so I tired using the filler before the stain and like they way it looked so that's why I'm doing it this way.



















The doors are not glued together yet. I want to stain the door panel before I glue them up.

So hopefully my next posting will be the finished project and not about how I ruined my nice TV stand with a bad finish.

Angela


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## PurpLev (May 30, 2008)

GPDMTR25 said:


> *Raised Panel Doors, Soss Invisible Hinges, Table Top Edge, Getting Ready for the Finish *
> 
> Yes it's been over a month since I've posted an update but I'm still working on my TV stand.
> 
> ...


looks grand angela. very clean lined and well formed.


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## Tootles (Jul 21, 2011)

GPDMTR25 said:


> *Raised Panel Doors, Soss Invisible Hinges, Table Top Edge, Getting Ready for the Finish *
> 
> Yes it's been over a month since I've posted an update but I'm still working on my TV stand.
> 
> ...


Looks very nice. Yoou've put a lot of effort into this and it has come out well.


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## GPDMTR25 (Jun 21, 2010)

*Finishing and finishing*










*Finishing and finishing*
I have completed my TV stand and it came out better than I hoped. I learned a lot from this project and can't wait to make my next piece of interior furniture.

*Finishing*
I wish I could say everything went off smoothly but I had a few problems finishing the project. One major problem was splotching, where one area stains dark than another. I also had a hard time learning to fill the wood. I tested about 12-15 different stains and dyes until I came across two of them that I really liked.

This is something to remember, when making a project, purchase extra wood so you can test various stains and your complete finishing process.

I used a test board and went through my entire finishing process. When I started putting the stain on the project, it was a different color than what was on the test board. It was too dark and I didn't like it. So I sanded the wood and used the second stain I liked and it turned out to be perfect.

*Sanding*
My last blog left off with my project being sanded with 220 grit.

If I were to do it over again I would sand it all to 320 grit. I think African mahogany needs to be sanded to a higher grit because it's so porous. I read a lot of articles about finishing mahogany but I think the articles are talking about genuine mahogany where as African mahogany is more porous and caused me more problems.

*Shellac*
Once I finished sanding, I used a vacuum to remove the dust. I then used Mineral Spirits to remove the remaining dust. I wiped on a coat of 1 pound cut dewaxed SealCoat.

This is another thing I would do different. Since I had a problem with splotching I would wipe on a thicker coat of shellac. I would use at least 1.5 pound cut if not a 2 pound cut.

*Staining *
General Finishes
I tried different stains from General Finishes. They can be purchased from woodcraft or Rockler. I tried a formula that the WoodWhisper suggested. He used Merlot as an under coat then wiped on their gel Brown Mahogany. I tried this and didn't like it. I tried merlot under a lot of other colors but didn't like any of them. I did come across two colors that I really liked but not for this project; their Warm Cherry and Vintage Cherry were beautiful colors. Some people use their Rosewood stain, which I also tried, on Mahogany. I almost decided on this stain because it would give it a very dark, Bombay Furniture, type finish. Since it wasn't exactly what I wanted, I decided to order some powder dyes from Lockwood.

W. D. Lockwood
I read a few articles of Fine Woodworking in which the author used a Lockwood powder dye finish. I was told the Lockwood is also sold by Woodworker Supply but under their brand, J. E. Moser. I purchased 5 different colors; 3 were water based (Colonial Red, Redder Mahogany #333, Standard Red Mahogany #54, Conlonial Dark Red Mahogany #34) and 2 were alcohol based (Bismark Brown, Dark Red #5083, Bismark Brown, Reddish #6288). The two colors I liked were # 333 and # 34 (this is the color I ended up using).

I use Ball glass jars for mixing my stains, shellac and other things. I purchase the 32oz in a 12 jar case and the 64 oz. jars in a 6 jar case. I found the best price for these is at an Ace Hardware. There are so many uses for these jars.



















I mixed the powder dyes in the jar. I then filter the dye into another jar. I tape the label that came with the dye on the jar.

*Shellac*
After getting the stain correct, I wiped on a coat of 2 pound cut shellac.

*Wood Filler*
Water and oil based fillers - In the articles I read if you use water base you use it before you stain where as if you use oil base you stain first, then put a layer of shellac then fill the wood.

*Behlen's Mahogany filler*
I first tried Behlen's Mahogany filler but no matter what I tried the filler dyed the wood almost black. I tried a bunch of different things but no matter what I tried it ruined the wood. Not only didn't it work but it's a mess to work with. If you notice in the photo below the liquid on the top has to be mixed with the rest of the filler. This makes a complete mess so use gloves, a lot of newspapers and even another mixing cup.










*Behlen's Natural Filler*
Next I tried Behlen's none colored wood filler. This filler is a grey color and needs to be colored. If you don't color it the filler stays grey. Again I tried a bunch of different things but couldn't get it to work. It wasn't as messy because it didn't stain everything it touched but I still didn't like working with it. Someday I'll try it again with a different type of wood.

*CrystaLac Clear Waterborne Wood Grain Filler*
I tried this filler but didn't like it at all. It covered the wood in a clear coat. When I tried to sand the coat off the top and leave the filler in the pores, the sanding removed some of the stain. I might try this again on something else or try putting a couple of coats of shellac over the stain before I use it but I really didn't like the way it looked.

After trying all these things, including pore filling with rottenstone and pumice, I discovered that if I added a couple more coats of a 2 pound cut shellac to the stained wood, then use the Behlen's Mahogany wood filler on top of that, it wouldn't stain the wood and worked perfectly.

It took a long time getting to this point but after I discovered this, it comes out perfect. 
It takes a few days for the wood filler to completely dry. You need to wait until you can't smell it anymore.

Here's a few very *good articles about filling Mahogany*. Sorry but they are all from FineWoodworking and you need to have a Subscription to view the articles.
1. Making your own filler
2. Finishing Mahogany 
3. Bring out the best of Mahogany

*More Shellac*
Woodcraft had a good sale on the Earlex HV5500 sprayer so I purchased one. I can't say enough good things about it. It's amazing and if you're thinking of getting one, get it. It is well worth the money.

I used the sprayer and sprayer 5 light coats of a 2 pound cut of shellac.

*Behlen's RockHard Tabletop Varnish*
I wanted something more durable on the top than just shellac so I sprayed 3 light coats of the rockhard table top varnish. I wasn't sure if this stuff could be sprayed because it is thick, but I was advised to thin it 50%, which I did and it worked great.










*Attaching the Top*
After everything was finished I used table top fasteners (the type of clip that slip into a groove) to secure the top to the case. I didn't fill the backside of the top only the topside. You can tell a big difference between the two sides.










I used a handheld router and routed small slots for the clips.










*Attaching the front molding *
I used screws to attach the molding and only used glue to glue the seems together.










I installed one of the doors even though I haven't installed the knobs yet, I have some knobs on order.





































I would have like to added some molding under the top edge but since I messed up on the sizing of the top it wouldn't have looked right.

It took awhile to get everything done but I wasn't in a hurry and I learned so much. I hope the sharing of my work helps others.

Angela


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## gfadvm (Jan 13, 2011)

GPDMTR25 said:


> *Finishing and finishing*
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I think that turned out exceptionally well. Your finishing/grain filling woes would have sorely tried my patience but you won! Next time try TimberMate grain filler. It will go MUCH easier. I promise. Great job. You should be proud of this one.


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## AugieSr (Dec 28, 2014)

GPDMTR25 said:


> *Finishing and finishing*
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Great job Angela. I have been trying to view your web sites but I get a post that says they are suspended. Do you have another site where I can download your Mobile Miter Saw Plan?

Thanks,

AugieSr


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