The Entertainment Center

I got a call from a friend who just bought a new big screen tv and needed an entertainment center for it. So I drew up some designs and we went back and forth on dimensions, before settling on a final design. The unit would house the TV, a sound system, a cable/satellite receiver and a DVD player. He also wanted room on the side for general display space. Red oak was to be used for strength and durability. So it was on to the lumber store for some oak:


Do you see the entertainment center hiding in those oak boards? I do, and it's going to be a work of art when it's all done! By the way, it's going to take more than these six boards to build it!

When I build cabinets, I like to make the face frames first, then work my way back to the other pieces which attach to it. Here's a look at the face frames for this project:


These are the face frames for the "bookcase" units that will attach to either side of the main tv unit. They will have a door at the bottom, and provision for glass shelving in the upper part of the bookcase.

Here's a look at the face frame for the main tv unit:


Wow, that's one big face frame! 54" wide by 68" high to be exact! The lower part of this unit will have two doors, and an area in between the doors which will be open (for "clicker" visibility).

I decided to make the sides of the cabinet out of solid oak, although I usually use oak plywood. I was going for maximum strength, and durability in case of an occasional ding. For the bookcase units, I glued-up two pieces of oak to get the full width I needed:


In my next posting I'll post images of the pieces coming together. The plan is to assemble the three pieces, join them together, and finish applying the moldings. Then I'll disassemble the pieces and finish them separately. The units will be joined back together upon delivery at their new home.