Making a Cabinet - what material & finish....
Discussion
....so it doesn't look s
t?
I have no idea.
I'm thinking that 12mm ply will suffice, but how to make it look ok for use in a living room?
MDF probably a better finish natural, but MDF.
Painting: pain in the arse & my skills not good. Spray finish might be an option though.
Staining: stuff I've done previously looked all streaky & a bit naff.
Polish: I'm all ears.
I have access to power tools (unsupervised too).
t?I have no idea.
I'm thinking that 12mm ply will suffice, but how to make it look ok for use in a living room?
MDF probably a better finish natural, but MDF.
Painting: pain in the arse & my skills not good. Spray finish might be an option though.
Staining: stuff I've done previously looked all streaky & a bit naff.
Polish: I'm all ears.
I have access to power tools (unsupervised too).
It's like asking how long is a piece of string, there are a million ways you could make it. Hardwood would look better than softwood if you're staining it, for the shelves themselves maybe a veneered cabinet grade ply, leaving the laminations exposed on the edges. Your going to have a buy a Festool track saw as well
Depends on what tools you have and how much you want to spend.
I would use birch ply for the shelves if you want to leave it unpainted or even if you were painting it.
I'd also change the square/timber supports to hardwood dowels and sink them in to the shelves - https://www.toolsandtimber.co.uk/hardwood-timber-s...
Would look much nicer, and I'd put curves on all the corners to soften it up a little bit. Then roundover/chamfer etc. You;d need some forstner bits, but you can buy a set or work out what size dowel you are getting. You'd need thicker ply, though, so you can bore a hole on either side, so something like 18-22mm would work fine so you can have a comfortable amount of dowel sunken in both side without going all the way through. Or you can make 1 shelf as a guide and drill all the way through, then stack the others on top and drill all the way through, but that will make getting the heights of the shelves a lot harder.
It could take quite a lot in tools etc to make that as it is.
I would use birch ply for the shelves if you want to leave it unpainted or even if you were painting it.
I'd also change the square/timber supports to hardwood dowels and sink them in to the shelves - https://www.toolsandtimber.co.uk/hardwood-timber-s...
Would look much nicer, and I'd put curves on all the corners to soften it up a little bit. Then roundover/chamfer etc. You;d need some forstner bits, but you can buy a set or work out what size dowel you are getting. You'd need thicker ply, though, so you can bore a hole on either side, so something like 18-22mm would work fine so you can have a comfortable amount of dowel sunken in both side without going all the way through. Or you can make 1 shelf as a guide and drill all the way through, then stack the others on top and drill all the way through, but that will make getting the heights of the shelves a lot harder.
It could take quite a lot in tools etc to make that as it is.
If I "made" anything like that it'd look pretty st, and very, very, homemade.
So assuming I didn't want to buy one, or have a bespoke one made. I'd scour the charity shops, recycling centres, second hand shops for something a bit less st. Adjust/convert/paint/stain maybe a bit of offcut oak worksurface to make a new top, and generally upcycle.
With the current trend for wall mounting TV's there must be plenty knocking about.
t, and very, very, homemade. So assuming I didn't want to buy one, or have a bespoke one made. I'd scour the charity shops, recycling centres, second hand shops for something a bit less s
t. Adjust/convert/paint/stain maybe a bit of offcut oak worksurface to make a new top, and generally upcycle.With the current trend for wall mounting TV's there must be plenty knocking about.
PositronicRay said:
If I "made" anything like that it'd look pretty st, and very, very, homemade.
Well that's pissed on my chips.t, and very, very, homemade. Challenge accepted.
Slagathore said:
I'd also change the square/timber supports to hardwood dowels and sink them in to the shelves - https://www.toolsandtimber.co.uk/hardwood-timber-s...
Would look much nicer, and I'd put curves on all the corners to soften it up a little bit. Then roundover/chamfer etc. You;d need some forstner bits, but you can buy a set or work out what size dowel you are getting. You'd need thicker ply, though, so you can bore a hole on either side, so something like 18-22mm would work fine so you can have a comfortable amount of dowel sunken in both side without going all the way through. Or you can make 1 shelf as a guide and drill all the way through, then stack the others on top and drill all the way through, but that will make getting the heights of the shelves a lot harder.
I thought about using dowel, but I made a shelving unit previously & it was proper kack.Would look much nicer, and I'd put curves on all the corners to soften it up a little bit. Then roundover/chamfer etc. You;d need some forstner bits, but you can buy a set or work out what size dowel you are getting. You'd need thicker ply, though, so you can bore a hole on either side, so something like 18-22mm would work fine so you can have a comfortable amount of dowel sunken in both side without going all the way through. Or you can make 1 shelf as a guide and drill all the way through, then stack the others on top and drill all the way through, but that will make getting the heights of the shelves a lot harder.
However, your idea of passing the dowels through the shelves has legs. I have a wizard idea of how to set the shelf heights (assuming it's not also kack).
Fixing the top shelf though, screw from the top into the centre (long thin screw, sufficient diameter on the dowel)?
PositronicRay said:
I'd scour the charity shops, recycling centres, second hand shops for something a bit less st. Adjust/convert/paint/stain maybe a bit of offcut oak worksurface to make a new top, and generally upcycle.
With the current trend for wall mounting TV's there must be plenty knocking about.
Ah, I hadn't though of that - good shout.t. Adjust/convert/paint/stain maybe a bit of offcut oak worksurface to make a new top, and generally upcycle.With the current trend for wall mounting TV's there must be plenty knocking about.
Cheers for all the tips.
Smiler. said:
Slagathore said:
I'd also change the square/timber supports to hardwood dowels and sink them in to the shelves - https://www.toolsandtimber.co.uk/hardwood-timber-s...
Would look much nicer, and I'd put curves on all the corners to soften it up a little bit. Then roundover/chamfer etc. You;d need some forstner bits, but you can buy a set or work out what size dowel you are getting. You'd need thicker ply, though, so you can bore a hole on either side, so something like 18-22mm would work fine so you can have a comfortable amount of dowel sunken in both side without going all the way through. Or you can make 1 shelf as a guide and drill all the way through, then stack the others on top and drill all the way through, but that will make getting the heights of the shelves a lot harder.
I thought about using dowel, but I made a shelving unit previously & it was proper kack.Would look much nicer, and I'd put curves on all the corners to soften it up a little bit. Then roundover/chamfer etc. You;d need some forstner bits, but you can buy a set or work out what size dowel you are getting. You'd need thicker ply, though, so you can bore a hole on either side, so something like 18-22mm would work fine so you can have a comfortable amount of dowel sunken in both side without going all the way through. Or you can make 1 shelf as a guide and drill all the way through, then stack the others on top and drill all the way through, but that will make getting the heights of the shelves a lot harder.
However, your idea of passing the dowels through the shelves has legs. I have a wizard idea of how to set the shelf heights (assuming it's not also kack).
Fixing the top shelf though, screw from the top into the centre (long thin screw, sufficient diameter on the dowel)?
Actually had a thought that you probably don't want to go all the way through with the dowel, as it wouldn't be particularly strong that way. The shelves under load would just be relying on the glue around the dowel to support it and I've no idea if that would be strong enough for the weight of a TV. So going back to setting the dowel in to the shelf would probably be stronger, you just need to be very accurate when setting the holes/cuts out so they all line up.
Edited by Slagathore on Monday 12th November 08:45
This is one of those jobs that will take 5 times longer than you think and if you're going to spend that long doing it you might as well go all in. And then you find you've spent more than the same thing at Oak Furniture Land.
Your design is overly complicated in my view, it's not stylish enough to justify the work involved. I'd say it looks worse than a more conventional design and will be a lot more work, especially if you want it to look good.
If you use MDF you'll need to round the corners, though even then there's a risk some bellend will dent it. Ply will either cost a fortune (you'll have to buy a whole sheet) or will be B&Q ste that'll need the edges filling. If you want to round the edges to soften them you'll find cheap ply doesn't take a router well enough so you'll struggle to get a smooth finish. Softwood will be OK if it's painted, but you'll have a job buying it from anywhere you can find on Google that isn't cupped or bent, so you'll need a sharp plane and lots of time to dimension the wood. Hardwood will cost money, but you'll be able to buy it straight and flat and it'll look good. So long as it matches the room.
The trick really is to understand what will cost money and what will take time and then design around that. I quite like painted panels sat within frames because you can quickly knock up a frame with a mitre saw, tape measure, marking gauge and a sharp chisel. If you have a router you can round over the outer edges and use a slot cutter to recess for a hardboard panel, or softwood panelling like used to be fashionable for the sides of baths, or you can fill with 9mm MDF and router in the v-grooves to get the same effect. Add a shelf for your Sky Box/Amp and either a drawer or door below if you can have time.
Your design is overly complicated in my view, it's not stylish enough to justify the work involved. I'd say it looks worse than a more conventional design and will be a lot more work, especially if you want it to look good.
If you use MDF you'll need to round the corners, though even then there's a risk some bellend will dent it. Ply will either cost a fortune (you'll have to buy a whole sheet) or will be B&Q s
te that'll need the edges filling. If you want to round the edges to soften them you'll find cheap ply doesn't take a router well enough so you'll struggle to get a smooth finish. Softwood will be OK if it's painted, but you'll have a job buying it from anywhere you can find on Google that isn't cupped or bent, so you'll need a sharp plane and lots of time to dimension the wood. Hardwood will cost money, but you'll be able to buy it straight and flat and it'll look good. So long as it matches the room.The trick really is to understand what will cost money and what will take time and then design around that. I quite like painted panels sat within frames because you can quickly knock up a frame with a mitre saw, tape measure, marking gauge and a sharp chisel. If you have a router you can round over the outer edges and use a slot cutter to recess for a hardboard panel, or softwood panelling like used to be fashionable for the sides of baths, or you can fill with 9mm MDF and router in the v-grooves to get the same effect. Add a shelf for your Sky Box/Amp and either a drawer or door below if you can have time.
I did something similar as could not find anything that I could fit my kit in, would fit in the corner and my wife liked.
Ended up making this out of 12mm birch ply. Originally unpainted and with exposed edges but again overruled by the boss. Add edging to the front and looks good in its environment. I may put a thin piece of coloured Perspex on top shelf if the painted finish starts to look a bit crap but so far so good.
For size context that is a 55" TV on it.
This is slightly different to what you have proposed as it is slotted into the walls to provide extra support. Dowelled through the shelves into each vertical, and a double sheet for the floor to reduce speaker vibration. Also the small shelf holding the BluRay is dowelled and clued into the verticals. Panel at the back to hide the cables and since this was taken a year ago we have routed most of the cables so you cannot see any. It is very heavy and was definitely a double handed job though.
Presume you want something you can move around though?
Ended up making this out of 12mm birch ply. Originally unpainted and with exposed edges but again overruled by the boss. Add edging to the front and looks good in its environment. I may put a thin piece of coloured Perspex on top shelf if the painted finish starts to look a bit crap but so far so good.
For size context that is a 55" TV on it.
This is slightly different to what you have proposed as it is slotted into the walls to provide extra support. Dowelled through the shelves into each vertical, and a double sheet for the floor to reduce speaker vibration. Also the small shelf holding the BluRay is dowelled and clued into the verticals. Panel at the back to hide the cables and since this was taken a year ago we have routed most of the cables so you cannot see any. It is very heavy and was definitely a double handed job though.
Presume you want something you can move around though?
For some inspiration and ideas on how to construct things using plywood, check out Chris Salomone (Four Eyes Furniture)
https://www.foureyesfurniture.com/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1V-DYqsaj764uBis...
One of my favourite woodworking channels on youtube
https://www.foureyesfurniture.com/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1V-DYqsaj764uBis...
One of my favourite woodworking channels on youtube
Camoradi said:
For some inspiration and ideas on how to construct things using plywood, check out Chris Salomone (Four Eyes Furniture)
https://www.foureyesfurniture.com/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1V-DYqsaj764uBis...
One of my favourite woodworking channels on youtube
Thanks for this, some beautiful pieces. Love the one legged side table!https://www.foureyesfurniture.com/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1V-DYqsaj764uBis...
One of my favourite woodworking channels on youtube
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