Ric's A/V Cabinet Build

[MaCruz]

Took you long enough!

Man, that's nice though and well put together. Bet you saved a fortune.

[crazyBLUE]

Originally Posted by Ricshoe

I'm coming down the home stretch and should finish this weekend.

Attachment 37188

It's looking great & can't wait to see it finished & filled with the gear

[sk33tr]

lookin' great, Ric.

i'm almost as excited to see it finished as you probably are.....ok, maybe not as much as you, but you get the idea.

and i had to go out and get myself a corner (picture frame) clamp and a pocket screw jig.

i realized after seeing yours it's what was was missing from my tool collection. i've got 2 or 3 (sometimes 4 or more) of every other tool in my little shop/tool room, but i didn't have either of those. but now i have them so when i get ready to build......something......i'll be ready, i hope.

i've already got some plans for the corner clamp; i wanna make some doors for my movie rack i built a couple years ago. you can see it in my gallery, although it has more movies in it now than what is shown; as well it has been recently stained to match the rest of my furniture. when i start that i'll make my own thread, though. don't wanna highjack yours anymore.

[My_Two_Cents]

Originally Posted by MaCruz

Took you long enough!

Man, that's nice though and well put together. Bet you saved a fortune.

You can't rush these things!

If I compare the cost of materials against the similar cabinet I initially bought (and then returned) at Costco, I saved about half. But as many of these types of projects go with me, I use them as justification to buy new or upgrade existing tools. This time I had to buy a new jigsaw and blades at ~$130 and I upgraded the blade in my miter saw at ~$35, so now it's getting closer to the cost of simply buying one. BUT, I would put the quality and finish of mine up against the one from Costco any day!

Originally Posted by sk33tr

lookin' great, Ric.

i'm almost as excited to see it finished as you probably are.....ok, maybe not as much as you, but you get the idea.

and i had to go out and get myself a corner (picture frame) clamp and a pocket screw jig.

i realized after seeing yours it's what was was missing from my tool collection. i've got 2 or 3 (sometimes 4 or more) of every other tool in my little shop/tool room, but i didn't have either of those. but now i have them so when i get ready to build......something......i'll be ready, i hope.

i've already got some plans for the corner clamp; i wanna make some doors for my movie rack i built a couple years ago. you can see it in my gallery, although it has more movies in it now than what is shown; as well it has been recently stained to match the rest of my furniture. when i start that i'll make my own thread, though. don't wanna highjack yours anymore.

Thanks, again.

I've found that the Kreg pocket hole jig comes in handy in a LOT of situations. It would have been perfect for your acoustic panel frames, and will be just what you need to build cabinet door frames. I realize it's another $20, but you should also get the Kreg face clamp, as it really helps to keep the two pieces on the same plane when screwing them together.

Make sure to start your own thread when you begin. Like you and others, I enjoy watching people's DIY progress.

[prerich]

Originally Posted by Ricshoe

You can't rush these things!

If I compare the cost of materials against the similar cabinet I initially bought (and then returned) at Costco, I saved about half. But as many of these types of projects go with me, I use them as justification to buy new or upgrade existing tools. This time I had to buy a new jigsaw and blades at ~$130 and I upgraded the blade in my miter saw at ~$35, so now it's getting closer to the cost of simply buying one. BUT, I would put the quality and finish of mine up against the one from Costco any day!



Thanks, again.

I've found that the Kreg pocket hole jig comes in handy in a LOT of situations. It would have been perfect for your acoustic panel frames, and will be just what you need to build cabinet door frames. I realize it's another $20, but you should also get the Kreg face clamp, as it really helps to keep the two pieces on the same plane when screwing them together.

Make sure to start your own thread when you begin. Like you and others, I enjoy watching people's DIY progress.

Very nice Ricshoe! I'm very impressed!!!!

[Blu-Dog]

Originally Posted by Ricshoe

I'm coming down the home stretch and should finish this weekend.

VERY slick.

[sk33tr]

Originally Posted by Ricshoe

But as many of these types of projects go with me, I use them as justification to buy new or upgrade existing tools.

i do that too.
we recently replaced all the flooring and baseboards upstairs in our house. instead of using just my circular saw to make the cuts, i bought a compound miter saw and stand to make it much easier. of course i've used it for much more than just flooring, so i feel i've gotten my money's worth out of it.
also, we're replacing all the interior (and 1 exterior) doors in the house. the doors we're putting up have already been bored for the doorknob and latch, but i have to cut out for the hinges. i tried to use a hammer and chisel on the first two, but those didn't go so well (i suck with the chisel getting a smooth surface). so i ordered a door hinge jig from amazon. it came with the router bit so now i can just use my router and it goes way faster and the hinges fit perfectly in the mortises. also only takes a few seconds to rout them out vs. using a hammer and chisel.

Originally Posted by Ricshoe

.....but you should also get the Kreg face clamp, as it really helps to keep the two pieces on the same plane when screwing them together.

i got one of those when i ordered my pocket screw jig. i ordered them all from amazon (pocket screw jig, face clamp, hinge jig and corner clamp).

[Taipan]

I just wanted to chime in from another fellow woodworker. That is a nice cabinet. You should be proud. The only thing I dislike is all the Oak. I'm a maple and mahogany type of guy.

[sk33tr]

Originally Posted by Taipan

I just wanted to chime in from another fellow woodworker. That is a nice cabinet. You should be proud. The only thing I dislike is all the Oak. I'm a maple and mahogany type of guy.

aahhhhh, oak vs maple.

sorta like ford vs chevy.

[My_Two_Cents]

Originally Posted by Taipan

I just wanted to chime in from another fellow woodworker. That is a nice cabinet. You should be proud. The only thing I dislike is all the Oak. I'm a maple and mahogany type of guy.

Thanks!

I went with oak for a couple reasons. First, it matches the bookshelves I've built in the past. Second, and more important, it is readily available in plywood sheet form, solid boards and molding pieces.

I finished adding the crown molding and am now waiting on the wood filler to dry so I can sand and get it stained. This should be the last photo until the finished product.

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[StalkerVette]

The cabinet is looking awesome!!!!!

[Xtempo]

that is awesome. I like it

[JimShaw]

I am truly impressed. Not only is your cabinet making talent superb, you also have photo skills.

I hate people like you!!

Ric, a tremendous job. I am jealous.




n

[My_Two_Cents]

Originally Posted by JimShaw

I am truly impressed. Not only is your cabinet making talent superb, you also have photo skills.

I hate people like you!!

Ric, a tremendous job. I am jealous.

n

Thanks, Jim. This is actually the first semi-complicated piece I've ever made. Sure, I've made simple bookshelves before and started dabbling in homemade MDF cabinets for my garage. They turned-out decent, so it gave me the confidence to try something like this. There's a lot of minor things I'm not happy about with this cabinet, but I can live with them. I just got the second coat of lacquer on a little while ago, so now I'm just waiting for it to dry so I can give it a light sanding and two more coats.

As for the photos, it's all my new camera right now. I haven't played with it enough to get really "good" pictures yet, but I'm learning!

[4K display]

Those sidewall access holes are a true blessing in a nice deep cabinet, and a dead giveaway about someone who knows what they are doing. That is something I did not do when I built my triple section stand some 20 years ago.
My stand was placed on carpet and next to impossible to move (without unloading the whole thing) so anytime I had a component/wiring change it was a nightmare, I had to do it from the front (grrr cablebox changes). Longer cables helped but eventually I made access holes and when the thing is already built and together it is not fun, but in the end very worth it.
Amazing job btw...

[My_Two_Cents]

Done!

After many weekends (and the occasional weeknight), my labor of love is complete. The only problem I ran into was with the center speaker compartment. I can't believe I did this, but since the compartment was sized only slightly larger than my existing speaker, I failed to realize the only way to get it in there was through the back, and I had permanently stapled a back to the compartment. I couple hammer stokes removed the back, and I decided to leave it off for now, since my speaker completely covers the front opening and you can't see behind it. Anyway, here's a few shots of the final product.

IMGP0293sm.jpg

Shot of the back with the covers off. I used magnetic catches to hold them in place. Here you can see the wire channel holes in the center pieces that allow me to keep most wires contained inside the cabinet.

IMGP0292sm.jpg

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[My_Two_Cents]

One more shot of the stand after everything was put in and on it. I'll be updating my gallery with some better shots later.

IMGP0298sm.jpg

[Waboman]

You have some serious woodworking skills. I'm quite jealous. Well done, sir.

[ZIPPO]

The best DIY cabinet I've seen on this site.
Others look DIY, but your's screams professional quality.

[rpatt]

Excellent job Ric. Nothing like the satisfaction of a DIY project.