# Corby TV Cabinet



## cutting42 (23 Dec 2008)

Hi All

I am finally putting saw to wood in my first planned WIP project. It will be a TV cabinet from the Iroko science tables from the Corby wood mine! Here is the first stage, the design, borrowed and adapted from a TV cabinet I saw in a shop.







More to come as I get further down the road. I seem to spend more time making jigs and test pieces than anything else at the moment. Construction will be M&T and the side panels will have to be loose in a housing/dado to allow for movement I think. Comments and hints welcome, I have not figured out handles yet for the drawers.


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## Waka (23 Dec 2008)

Gareth

Nice design and good use of reclaimed timber. You mention the handles for the drawers, are you going to use drawer runners? If you are then you could consider the "push to open" type, that way handles would not be required.
Thats the type that I'm using on the tool cabinet.


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## cutting42 (24 Dec 2008)

Hi Waka

I am glad you replied, your work has really inspired me with your tool cabinet WIP instrumental to me getting off my backside and starting this. I like the push to open idea a lot as the panels look really clean as they are without a handle.


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## motownmartin (24 Dec 2008)

Nice design, try adding some handles to the drawing, Brass, Chrome or Black, it will give you a better idea , also legs look very short, personally I would make them at least 2" also it will make it easier to clean the dust from underneath.

Don't forget WIP pics as you do it


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## Mattty (24 Dec 2008)

motownmartin":2gm6iww3 said:


> Nice design, try adding some handles to the drawing, Brass, Chrome or Black, it will give you a better idea , also legs look very short, personally I would make them at least 2" also it will make it easier to clean the dust from underneath.
> 
> Don't forget WIP pics as you do it



Nice design, I like the low legs so you cant see the dust underneath :wink:  .
I just wish i could use Sketchup!


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## motownmartin (24 Dec 2008)

Mattty":6hay4u1i said:


> motownmartin":6hay4u1i said:
> 
> 
> > Nice design, try adding some handles to the drawing, Brass, Chrome or Black, it will give you a better idea , also legs look very short, personally I would make them at least 2" also it will make it easier to clean the dust from underneath.
> ...


 :lol: good hiding place for allsorts :shock: 

Matty, you can use sketch up, just need a little patience at first, once you get started it gets easier.


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## cutting42 (22 Feb 2009)

Hi All

Well now I have stopped travelling and working every second I have taken a few hours this weekend to do some WOODWORK Wahoo!!! Not only that but taken some pics as well.

Pic of some Corby worktops:






Missed out taking pics of the stock prep, using table saw, belt sander and planer Thicknesser as I did that work a few weeks ago. Started working on the framework of the cabinet using M&T. This is my first attempt at this type of construction having used mainly biscuits before.

Before:






After:






Just noticed some snipe looking at the pics and looked at the wood again and it should sand out thankfully, or maybe even hand plane :shock: 
Morticing:






Making tenons on the tablesaw










Really happy how accurate it worked out and nice tight fits all round. Need to tidy up the insides of the mortices and trim the end of the tenons then cut slots for the panels.






Thanks for looking.


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## Lord Nibbo (22 Feb 2009)

That looks a nice design, and your well on the way with it. Like Mattty said it hides any dust underneath it which is a problem with all TV cabinets inside as well not just underneath.


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## OPJ (22 Feb 2009)

I like the design and I like forward to seeing this one come together. Nothing wrong with making practice pieces and mock-ups either - it's cheaper to mess them up than it is to ruin the real job! :wink:


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## brianhabby (22 Feb 2009)

One of the projects I've got planned for the future is a TV cabinet so I'll be keeping a close eye on this one  

I like the idea of drawers underneath for storing DVDs etc. & with a wooden design like this all the wires can be hidden behind. The one we have at the moment is an open stand with all the wiring on display.

Assuming you have a Sky Box and a DVD player will they be sitting side by side on what looks like a wide shelf? I was thinking of making something with two shelves but one may be enough.

regards

Brian


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## cutting42 (3 Mar 2009)

Hi All

A little update from the weekend and a couple of hours today:

Chopped up and thicknessed a slightly thinner top to make the side fielded panels, lots of messing about with grain tearout, push it through one way, if OK mark up direction, if tearout mark to plane in the other direction. Is all hardwood like this or just Iroko - blimin stuff!!!!







Cut very roughly to size and used biscuits to join (note to self, please plan where you place the biscuits next time - this came back to haunt me).







Glue up overnight






Now skip to result, carefully ignoring all the cursing about after I fielded the panels on my tenoning jig that this would expose the biscuit joints and look horrible. I cut a small offcut to size and glued it in place, actually quite happy with the repair.











Then took a stacked dado blade to the previously made frame,






and it looks like this:






Pretty happy with the results and progress to date, bit of sanding to clean it up and ready for glue up but will wait till other bits are done first.


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## joiner_sim (5 Mar 2009)

It looks great so far, and I like how you've used the table saw for the tennoning, also guessing the grooving. How did you field the panels exactly?


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## Mr Ed (5 Mar 2009)

Looking good.

I would plane those bevels on the raised panels,not sand them. You did a fine job on the biscuit repair, no-one will ever know.  ...in my view you don't need biscuits in there - I would just use a glued butt joint in that situation.

Cheers, Ed


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## joiner_sim (5 Mar 2009)

I disagree. I think you always need something to strengthen the joint. I undertand where you are coiming from as it will be held in a frame, but in my opinion you've got to have something to joint the panel. T&G, biscuits or dowels. 

Just thinking about past experiences, how wide is that panel, as if its too wide, it only being in two pieces could cause it to cup and would have been better in three pieces.


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## cutting42 (6 Mar 2009)

EdSutton":1z30479o said:


> Looking good.
> 
> I would plane those bevels on the raised panels,not sand them. You did a fine job on the biscuit repair, no-one will ever know.  ...in my view you don't need biscuits in there - I would just use a glued butt joint in that situation.
> 
> Cheers, Ed



Thanks Ed, really chuffed with the repair. I need a better plane as I tried to smooth a few pieces with my £15 B&Q smoother, keep getting tear out. Might need a better plane and some time tuning it.


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## cutting42 (6 Mar 2009)

joiner_sim":2v0w8ika said:


> Just thinking about past experiences, how wide is that panel, as if its too wide, it only being in two pieces could cause it to cup and would have been better in three pieces.



The panel is 350mm high, I had not considered cupping as I was hoping the boards would be stable having been classroom benches. I have the top to make up and was going to rip as wide as my Thicknesser will take 260mm width, should I go narrower to compensate for cupping?

Oh and I used my ts blade at max height and tilted 9 degrees then clamped the boards to the tenoning jig to field the panels. Got some more to do for the drawers so will take pics then.

Thanks for comments.


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## cutting42 (11 Aug 2009)

Hi All

Well after a bit of a Hiatus with the rebuild of my workshop into a usable space, I have got back the TV cabinet. Missed out the WIP shots I am afraid, so we will have to jump to the end phases.

Built the rest of the panels and have glued up the carcass, pleased with the fit for the most part, a couple of gaps here and there but not too bad. Top has worked out OK except for some stains I cannot get rid of (no pics of these yet). So here are the pics to date with the Drawer fronts in progress as well. Thanks for looking, C&C welcome!


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## eggflan (11 Aug 2009)

Well that is coming along very nice indeed , I for one cant wait to see it completed 8) 

What finish will you be using on this unit :?:


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## cutting42 (12 Aug 2009)

eggflan":23f7hlgp said:


> What finish will you be using on this unit :?:



Ta for the comment, re the finish. I feel a post asking for help in the Finishing section coming on as I have no clue to be honest. I tried looking for previous posts and don't really have a definitive answer. I don't have spray gear so that is out. I want a satin finish rather than gloss or matt and don't want to re oil each year. Maybe oil then shellac seems to be a popular finish but I am looking for advice really as |I don't know how resilient that is. I am guessing a tin of Ronseal polyurethane varnish is not a popular choice :twisted:


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## cutting42 (28 Aug 2009)

Well the ongoing intermittent progress continues - holidays this time tho 8) I got going on the drawers and decided to use Blum soft close hardware and design the drawers around that. It turned out to be quite critical in the measurements so took a lot longer than expected but I am pretty pleased with the results.

These are the sides and back from the same Iroko thicknessed to 15mm and the housings and rebate done with my Stacked Dado head.







This is the back of the drawer front with biscuit slots cut and a long housing/mortice? cut one the router table to match up to the housings on the sides. I used the router as I wanted the slot to finish under the side so it did not show on the side of the front.





Dry fitted together to check, all looks OK.






And the bottom with the Blum mechanisms resting in place. Lovely design and manufacture; if a bit picky on the depths etc of the draw sides and length.






With the slides in the closed position.






Its no good, I am going to have to start breaking out the brushes very soon now [-o<


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## Ironballs (29 Aug 2009)

This is looking very good, drawers should finish it off nicely


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## cutting42 (30 Aug 2009)

Ironballs":2bz35kpn said:


> This is looking very good, drawers should finish it off nicely



Thank you kindly, need to look for some handles. Any thoughts out there, not keen on tuned knobs, maybe some metal pull handles. Our bedroom uses mainly stainless where metal is used nut not sure about stainless with the darkish iroko. 

Any suggestions.


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## Lord Nibbo (30 Aug 2009)

This list from Knobs & Knockers will give you a good selection from which to choose.

http://www.diytools.co.uk/diy/Main/sc-3 ... -pulls.asp


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## cutting42 (31 Aug 2009)

Lord Nibbo":1wunc2vc said:


> This list from Knobs & Knockers will give you a good selection from which to choose.
> 
> http://www.diytools.co.uk/diy/Main/sc-3 ... -pulls.asp



Ta, nice collection!


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## cutting42 (29 Oct 2009)

Hi All

I have FINALLY completed the TV cabinet. I finished it in Rustins Plastic Coating as recommended by Derek. I have to say it is a nice finish and coats well. A bit fiddly with the 4:1 mix ratio but you can get 3 coats done in a day if you are going for it.

I am really happy with how it has turned out and it is really only my second piece of furniture and I have learned so much. 

The next piece will be better!

In place in the bedroom with a small portable on it


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