# Built In Shelving - Will not fit Stereo Reciever



## Chuck1818 (Jan 6, 2018)

Bad measurement in design (width of the receiver was not accounted for in trim). The width of the opening is large enough for the receiver but the trim pieces make the opening 3/8" too small to fit receiver (right side). Looking for suggestions to fix this without tearing entire thing apart. All trim is glued and screwed with pocket holes from the backside.


----------



## mayday3374 (Sep 15, 2017)

Oopsie… can u drop a shelf and make room some to tip stereo into place? Can the shelf be pulled out and stereo installed from back? Just double checking these options. You could maybe run a router along the sides with a flush trim bit, cutting back the 3/8 from the face frame. Clean corners with chisel, sand and touch up with paint. U could rip new 3/8 strips, pin back in place, paint to match, if u need to keep the trim the same to match up with rest of cabinet. See what others suggest.. good luck


----------



## splintergroup (Jan 20, 2015)

I had a similar problem long ago, about the same size mismatch (it was a rental apartment)

Ended up unscrewing the top of the receiver and lifting it off the main unit. I could then tilt the receiver into place and slide the lid back on.

Royal PITA, but it worked 8^)


----------



## Firewood (Dec 4, 2013)

DOH! I hate it when that happens. How is the back attached? Can you remove it and slide it in and then reattach? It looks like you plugged the pocket holes, so that would make it even more difficult to remove the trim.

Worst case is you cut a hole in the back or buy a smaller receiver.


----------



## Lazyman (Aug 8, 2014)

And it won't fit through the opening diagonally? Can you simply cut that strip on the right side off, slide the receiver in and then attach a new one (for aesthetics) with some brads or screws?


----------



## Chuck1818 (Jan 6, 2018)

Here is a better photo of the shelving as a whole. The unit was built separately then set into a recess in the concrete wall. All of the pocket holes are on the backside.


----------



## tomsteve (Jan 23, 2015)

can ya tilt the receiver to get it through the trim and set it inside?


----------



## Chuck1818 (Jan 6, 2018)

No it is too tight of a fit to tilt it.


----------



## Loren (May 30, 2008)

Cut out the trim. I might use a hand saw
and a chisel to get most of it out and then
finish it off flush with a router using a 
flush trim bit.


----------



## pintodeluxe (Sep 12, 2010)

I'd be shopping for a new receiver.


----------



## Smitty_Cabinetshop (Mar 26, 2011)

Remove this piece?










And cut the divider behind it too, of course. Not sure what that does to the integrity of the remaining shelf piece, but it may not be an issue. If it is, retain some portion of the divider? Or even remove face trim piece circled, then cut divider and slide it over (left) one inch. insert receiver, replace face trim with screws to divider. Not the ultimate fix, but better than tearing out?


----------



## BenjaminNY (Jul 24, 2014)

I feel like I'm not understanding something, the opening is large enough but there's a small piece of 3/8 trim you have to get past to make it fit? It would seem like putting it in diaganol should do the trick…?

If not, flush rout off the trim and then make a new piece of trim


----------



## Mike_in_STL (Dec 8, 2016)

Shopping for a new receiver likely won't work. If it's a quality home theater receiver, there is an industry pseudo-standard size. Having worked in the home theater industry, we always told the carpenters about minimum clearances needed first.

I want to know, can the unit be pulled out of the recess to gain access from the back panel? That would be the way we would have addressed the issue when I was doing installs. Otherwise, the face frame has to be wrecked.


----------



## AlaskaGuy (Jan 29, 2012)

> Cut out the trim. I might use a hand saw
> and a chisel to get most of it out and then
> finish it off flush with a router using a
> flush trim bit.
> ...


This , use a router for most of it, finish with saw, chisel, or multi tool works well.


----------



## Kazooman (Jan 20, 2013)

Lots of good suggestions, but I think this could get pretty ugly. Any solution that lets you get the receiver in place and restore the trim is just setting you up for another round of this trouble down the road. I know that I need access to the back of my AV equipment on occasion as technology advances and new gear is acquired. For example, swapping out the DVD player for a Blue-Ray unit required swapping a lot of cables to keep all of the components happy with each other. I have stood on my head with a mirror and flashlight in hand to know where this all leads.

As tough as it may seem, I recommend going with one of the suggested fixes that will allow you easy access to the back of the receiver in the future. Unfortunately, "simply" removing the trim around that one opening is probably not going to be to your liking since I assume that the other openings also have the trim. You may have to remove the trim on the right side, and take out the center divider, shelf and trim on the left and then install a new divider and shelf to bring everything back into a common theme.

Or….. Put the receiver on the shelf above the intended opening and use the original space for another purpose.


----------



## knotscott (Feb 27, 2009)

The easiest solution is to put the receiver on the shelf above.

Or you could sell the receiver and replace it with an amp or integrated amp that will fit. Amazon actually has some Asian tube amps that will fit that are affordable and sound a whole lot better than most solid state receivers.


----------



## Tony_S (Dec 16, 2009)

Cut an opening in the shelf directly above the opening for the receiver and avoiding cutting the trim altogether. Replace the cut out piece with a new, tighter fitting, removable piece.


----------



## Andybb (Sep 30, 2016)

We've all been there. Cut out the divider to the left and if you still need 2 shelves to the left just make them narrower. Re-trim and use putty to hide the mess.

What's wrong with putting a shelf in that open space below? I put the shelf that the receiver is on on drawer slides to get easy access to connections.


----------



## Mike_in_STL (Dec 8, 2016)

> The easiest solution is to put the receiver on the shelf above.
> 
> Or you could sell the receiver and replace it with an amp or integrated amp that will fit. Amazon actually has some Asian tube amps that will fit that are affordable and sound a whole lot better than most solid state receivers.
> 
> - knotscott


That's not going to work if he wants surround sound. He's still going to need a processor to decode the signals and routing, not to mention video up-scaling and switching. Processors are usually more expensive than home theater receivers.

If destructive remodeling is out of the question, my vote is the shelf above. Use a 2 1/2 inch hole saw to drill a hole to route the wires through. Probably a better option anyway, modern receivers don't like getting hot.


----------



## MT_Stringer (Jul 21, 2009)

So it's a tight fit, huh? Forget about the front opening for a minute. If you have to put the receiver in at an angle as part of the solution, will it sit level? Take some diagonal measurements to make sure you have enough wiggle room.

Saying that, I like the ideas of cutting the trim away as needed. Jig saw, hand saw, multi tool (my choice). Cut it fairly close the the vertical divider, then use a 1 inch flush trim bit to trim up the opening.

Hopefully, this will work , and once repaired, painted and stereo installed, no one will ever know except us!


----------



## Gilley23 (May 9, 2017)

Remove the trim and reattach it using several neo magnets to hold it in place. Easy future removal, secure hold. And if you don't want to go the exxxxtra mile of a perfect repair, any bludgering and previous screw holes of the frame behind the trim will be concealed by the trim back in place.


----------



## Andybb (Sep 30, 2016)

> Remove the trim and reattach it using several neo magnets to hold it in place. Easy future removal, secure hold. And if you don t want to go the exxxxtra mile of a perfect repair, any bludgering and previous screw holes of the frame behind the trim will be concealed by the trim back in place.
> 
> - Gilley23


Oooo. That's a great idea!


----------



## Rayne (Mar 9, 2014)

> Remove the trim and reattach it using several neo magnets to hold it in place. Easy future removal, secure hold. And if you don t want to go the exxxxtra mile of a perfect repair, any bludgering and previous screw holes of the frame behind the trim will be concealed by the trim back in place.
> 
> - Gilley23
> 
> ...


Make sure there's enough room for the receiver to breath as well. Diagonal would never work anyways if it was made that tight. The corners would make the receiver wider than the opening would allow.


----------



## bndawgs (Oct 21, 2016)

I think I would try to route the trim and repaint. Also route the far left trim to keep the proportions looking the same.


----------



## rbrjr1 (Nov 2, 2017)

> Make sure there s enough room for the receiver to breath as well. Diagonal would never work anyways if it was made that tight. The corners would make the receiver wider than the opening would allow.
> 
> - Rayne


I've never seen a receiver operating manual that didn't ask for at least 1/2" down both sides (and top) of the receiver.


----------



## jeffswildwood (Dec 26, 2012)

I would cut the trim back even on the right, allowing access, then do the left side to match.


----------



## DS (Oct 10, 2011)

+!, I agree. 
The piece will even look like you designed it that way once it is trimmed and refinished.

FYI, I think this is where the stereotypical "measure twice cut once" axiom comes from.



> I would cut the trim back even on the right, allowing access, then do the left side to match.
> 
> - jeffswildwood


----------



## BHZ (Sep 21, 2015)

You could cut out the shelf above, lower the unit in…replace the shelf, should be invisible.


----------



## dhazelton (Feb 11, 2012)

I'd a dd another shelf to the lower compartment or put it on the wider shelf above. You still need room to get your head into the compartment to see where to hook everything up and have future access. You only THINK it has to be on the shelf you originally intended.


----------



## bondogaposis (Dec 18, 2011)

> I d a dd another shelf to the lower compartment or put it on the wider shelf above. You still need room to get your head into the compartment to see where to hook everything up and have future access. You only THINK it has to be on the shelf you originally intended.
> 
> - dhazelton


Yeah, that would be my solution. That or run the reciever through the planer.


----------



## Rick Dennington (Aug 27, 2009)

When building an entertainment center, or any type shelving to hold stereo components, ALWAYS measure the components first to get their actual size, then allow several more inches all the way around for plenty of room and heat that the components dispense….Then you won't have this problem…...!!!


----------



## jeffswildwood (Dec 26, 2012)

By the way. Even with your "glitch", which I'm sure you will get fixed, that IS a beautiful and well built shelf system.


----------



## rbrjr1 (Nov 2, 2017)

> When building an entertainment center, or any type shelving to hold stereo components, ALWAYS measure the components first to get their actual size, then allow several more inches all the way around for plenty of room and heat that the components dispense….Then you won t have this problem…...!!!
> - Rick Dennington


I've seen this before.. people want the look of a rack system without actually using the rack (which can be flush at the face of the work given how unobstructed the rear supports are for ventilation).

you'll see pretty short life on any AV receiver that doesnt have proper airflow down the sides and at the top


----------



## danwolfgang (Mar 10, 2016)

I'm also going to harp on airflow clearance. There should be more clearance on the side for airflow, and this is all the more important because the back isn't open for airflow, either. I wouldn't be surprised if you find the receiver overheating and shutting down unexpectedly if you put it in this tight spot. I'd reconsider the whole plan.


----------



## Gilley23 (May 9, 2017)

Just cut a hole in the back of the shelf above and recess a small fan in it to suck the heat up and out. Easy enough, cheap enough, effective enough. Get a white one and you'll never even see it.


----------



## Mike_in_STL (Dec 8, 2016)

The most interesting thing here is we haven't heard back from the OP yet….


----------



## Chuck1818 (Jan 6, 2018)

Thanks for the input, I am going to give it a stab this weekend. Leaning towards flush cut w/Router on the center trim piece or cutting it out completely and replacing w/the magnet option or screws.

The opening was actually designed to allow for air flow, ~6" above the receiver is open as well as around 1" on each side, center divider also does not go back all the way so it is open across the entire back. The issue was the trim was not accounted for in measurement. Will be able to drop a small fan in very easily as well if it is getting too hot.


----------



## rbrjr1 (Nov 2, 2017)

sounds like a plan! good luck.

If you run that flush trim router bit on all the vertical surfaces of the face frame (for both boxes) and no one will know the difference..


----------



## Chuck1818 (Jan 6, 2018)

Ended up going with the cut the trim out option. Need to clean it up for paint and fasten the vertical center trim piece w/magnets or screws but I am pleased with the final result. Thanks for all of the input.


----------



## AlaskaGuy (Jan 29, 2012)

*Good deal, glad it worked out for you. 
*


----------



## diversity210 (Oct 26, 2016)

Glad you got it figured out


----------



## Mike_in_STL (Dec 8, 2016)

nice work.


----------

