sm_entertainment_center.pdf

Small Entertainment Center

Before tackling this project, understand that it is for a more advanced woodworker. The need

for non-standard thickness of hardwood joined in intricate ways demands advanced skill and

surgically-sharp tools. But if you're up to the challenge, this project will be a stunning

centerpiece for your home.

A Strong Foundation

Start construction with the main case. It's the largest part of the

project, and the foundation to which all other parts are added. Begin

by cutting the rails and stiles to size, taking time to orient the wood

grain for best overall appearance.

Once all stiles and rails are cut, mark their relative locations on end

grain surfaces. Mark panel grooves, mortises and tenons, then cut

mortises in the ends of the stiles. I use a hollow-chisel mortising

machine for this operation.

To cut the 1/4"-wide x 3/8"-deep panel grooves in the rails and

stiles, use a tablesaw and make three passes across an ordinary ripping blade. Reference all

cuts with the same faces of the frame parts against the fence so the grooves line up during

assembly.

I must admit, I don't take any shortcuts when it comes to tenon design. They are step-

shaped (called "haunched" in the trade) and some interlock with their neighbors inside the

beefy 2" x 2" back corner stiles. Go ahead and simplify the design of the tenons if it suits you

better. Regardless of design, the total tenon length must be 1/16" shorter than the mortises

to allow the tenon shoulders to fit tightly against the surrounding wood.

A shop-built tablesaw sled is required to cut accurate tenon shoulders. A sled turns your

tablesaw into a precision crosscutting tool, with lots of room to hold large parts securely. To

build one like mine, use a 3/4"-thick plywood base, with a fence attached along the back

edge and hardwood runners that slide in the grooves of your tablesaw top.

By clamping a stop block on the crosscutting sled's fence, you'll find it easy to get absolutely

consistent cuts across the tenon shoulders. As usual, I make the shoulder cuts 1/32" deeper

than the kerfing cuts that will define the tenons themselves. This makes it easy to pare the

tenons down to final size later with a chisel or plane. The slightly deeper cuts prevent

shavings from hanging onto the shoulder areas as they'd normally do if kerfing cuts were the

same depth.

A precise tenon fit is especially important when joining hardwood. The difference between a

too-tight joint and a too-loose one is small, just one or two thicknesses of the paper you're

reading now.

Saw the tenons slightly wider than they need to be for a good fit in their mortises, then pare

away the excess carefully until parts slide together just right. Check the fit after each shaving

is removed. With all tenons cut, assemble the stile and rail framework without glue and

panels. If you did everything right, it should stand firm, by friction alone. Keep the stiles and

rails assembled for now as you work on installing the other main cabinet parts.

The dovetail-joined top and bottom stretchers square the case by supporting and

strengthening it at the front. The stretchers also provide a surface against which the doors

can close. Cut and install these now, without glue, before making the mitred top and bottom

frames.

YOU WILL NEED

Material

Size

Qty.

For the Base

Legs

2 1/2" x 2 1/2" x 15"

Front/back skirt

7/8" x 4 3/4" x 35 1/8"

End skirts

7/8" x 4 3/4" x 23 3/8"

Cross braces

3/4" x 3" x 20 3/4"

For the Main Case

Back stiles

2" x 2" x 46"

Front stiles

1 1/4" x 2" x 46"

Side rails

2" x 2" x 22 1/2"

Back rails

2" x 2" x 45 1/2"

Short side stiles

3/4" x 2" x 45 1/2"

Top and bottom stretchers

3/4" x 2 1/8" x 32 3/4"

Back panels

maple-veneer ply

3/4" x 5 1/2" x 42 3/4"

Side panels

walnut

3/4" x 9 1/2" x 42 9/16"

For the Doors

Door rails

3/4" x 2" x 16"

Outer door stiles

3/4" x 2" x 46"

Inner door stiles*

3/4" x 5" x 46"

Door panels

5/8" x 12 15/16" x 42

9/16"

For the Top and Bottom Frames

Frame front and back

7/8" x 4" x 39 1/4"

Frame sides

7/8" x 4" x 27 1/2"

Frame braces

7/8" x 3" x 21 7/8"

For the TV Shelf and Drawer

Case

TV shelf

maple-veneered

ply

3/4" x 20 1/4"** x 34 1/4" 1

Drawer case faces***

3/4" x 5 1/4" x 5 1/2"

Drawer case sides

maple-veneered

ply

3/4" x 6" x 19 3/8"

Drawer case back

maple-veneered

ply

3/4" x 6" x 22 3/4"

Drawer runner

maple

3/4" x 1" x 17 7/8"

Drawer front

3/4" x 5 1/4" x 22"

Drawer back

5/8" x 5 1/4" x 22"

Drawer sides

5/8" x 5 1/4" x 18 3/4"

Drawer handle

walnut

5/8" x 5/8" x 3"

For the Equipment Shelf****

Equipment shelf top

maple-veneered

ply

3/4" x 19 1/2" x 32 3/4"

Equipment shelf sides

3/4" x 13 1/2" x 18 3/4"

Equipment shelf bottom

3/4" x 18 3/4" x 26 3/4"

*See plans for important details

**Width includes 1/4" solid maple strip along front edge

***Cut from same plank as drawer front

**** All part sizes include 1/4" thick solid maple strips on visible edges

The Doors

It is even more important than normal to preserve grain direction and pattern. I started by

labeling parts in the order they came off the boards while cutting. The only tricky parts were

the 3" decorative wings on the inside door stiles. I ripped a 3"-wide strip, crosscut it to length,

then reattached it to the stiles using #20 biscuits to create the necessary step. The

advantage of having crisp, inside corners far exceeds the extra work of cutting and gluing.

Prepare all these details now, but don't glue the decorative wings on until later.

Make the panel grooves in the door stiles and rails next. Use a tablesaw to prepare these, as

with the main case stiles and rails. By getting these grooves done first, they act as a guide

for preparing the haunched mortises that need to be cut in the ends of the door stiles. Once

again, I used a mortising machine fitted with a 1/4"-wide bit. Tenons in the door rails are

made following the door stile mortises, cut in the same was as before on the tablesaw, then

pared down by hand to fit.

Crisp details and

contrasting wood

colors help give this

project its good looks.

Solid brass hinges and

traditional inward-

oriented panels are

revealed every time

doors are opened

Hand-cut, half-blind

dovetails testify to the

uncompromising

quality that runs

through this cabinet.

Varying the spacing of

pins and tails adds to

the visual effect of this

classic feature

The Panels

Prepare the panels for both the doors and the main cabinet by following measurements

taken from the frame openings. Raising panels means reducing the thickness of their edges

so they fit into the grooves of the frames that surround them. The usual way to do this is with

a large table-mounted router and bit, but I did the job differently, using a tablesaw.

The design of my raised panels allows for a tablesaw to be used to remove the bulky waste,

but the resulting surface isn't very smooth. It's necessary to clean things up by hand with a

shoulder plane. As you do, test fit the panels into their grooves, using the plane to adjust for

a precise fit.

Now you should be able to dry fit the main case and doors with their panels in place. Fasten

the decorative wings now to the inner door stiles, using glue and biscuits.

Plywood projects parts include the equipment shelf components, the TV shelf, and the

drawer case sides and back, and the two back panels. These are actually 51/2"-wide strips

that create the illusion of a solid back when the cabinet is stocked with gear, yet leave the

back wide open for wiring. Cut all ply parts to size now.

FINISHING

The Drawer, Equipment Shelf and Base

I used solid maple for the visible drawer parts, with 7/16" Baltic birch ply for the bottom. The

layout of the hand-cut, half-blind dovetails is offset, as shown in the plans, to add visual

interest for those who assess the quality of furniture by pulling out a drawer and looking at

the joinery. The drawer pull is shop made and secured with a wedged through.

The equipment shelf is suspended from rabbets and dados cut into the top parts of the main

cabinet. The plans show how the sides, bottom and top are joined with glued dados and

screws to support the electronics that will be stored there. The visible front edges are capped

with strips of varying thickness, to create a stepped look.

I built the base last because I needed as much time as possible to figure out how to do it. I

started by preparing the leg stock to thickness and width, then trimmed the 7* compound

angles on both top and bottom ends. Be careful here. If one of the angles is off, even by half

a degree, it will throw off the whole assembly. Stand all four trimmed legs up in a group,

leaning together to check for accuracy.

The base legs are reverse-tapered, starting at 2" x 2" at the top (same as the stiles that sit on

them), expanding to 21/2" x 21/2" at the bottom. I used a shop-built tablesaw jig to prepare

the tapers, though with parts this small, rough-cutting to size and planing down to final

dimensions works fine.

Final Assembly

Now's the time to fine-tune, prepare hinge pockets and get all your clamps and glue stuff

ready for a final assault on the summit. Start by assembling the main case, and then fit the

inner parts when its glue has had a chance to dry. The upper and lower frames attach to the

cabinet with screws driven into the end-grain parts of the main case. I used some shop-cut

maple notch blocks to secure the TV shelf.

Finishing

My goal for the final finish of this project was to bring out the figure of the curly maple,

without darkening the color of the walnut significantly. After lots of experimentation on scrap

pieces of both woods, I settled on an aniline dye mixture. To duplicate my finish, mix half the

recommended concentration of Lee Valley's Light Yellow Maple in water and apply one coat

with a gauze pad. After the dye had dried overnight, I flattened the raised grain with a

Scotch-Brite pad, then applied three coats of tung oil, rubbed down with a pair of old track

pants after each. A coat of Briwax provided a final, smooth-as-silk seal.

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