Contemporary TV Stand | Popular Woodworking Magazine

Build a rock-solid cupboard from one sheet of plywood.

Your state-of-the-art TV deserves one thing higher than a flimsy flat-pack shelving unit from the massive field retailer. This good-looking show stand options sturdy development, storage for CDs and loads of room for cable, gaming and sound-system parts. It’s even designed to cover the wire muddle that’s inevitable once you join every part collectively. You can construct it in a pair weekends utilizing primary store instruments and a single sheet of plywood. If you employ birch plywood from the house heart, as we did, you may construct this cupboard for lower than most flat-packs will value.

The of entirety is a wipe-on end that makes birch plywood—even budget-priced birch plywood—look wealthy and opulent. Professional finisher Kevin Southwick explains create that look in “Cherry Finish for  Birch Plywood”.

Contemporary TV Stand Cut List

Overall Dimensions: 23-3/4″ H x 53-1/2″ W x 17″ D

Notes:
a) Leg tapers to 7-1/2″ at prime. Cut two tapered legs from one 18-1/8″ x 23″ clean.

b) Cut size to suit.

c) Both edges mitered.

d) One edge mitered.

Fig. A) Exploded View

Fig. B) Plywood Cutting Diagram

Fig. C) Leg Details

Fig. D) B Leg Tapering Set-up

Home heart plywood

Home heart birch plywood isn’t more likely to win any awards, as a result of it’s a decrease grade product than the birch plywood bought at hardwood lumberyards. The face veneers on dwelling heart plywood are often very skinny they usually virtually at all times include each light-colored sapwood and dark-colored heartwood. Grain patterns and determine can range broadly, even on the identical sheet. Try to keep away from sheets with vital colour contrasts, wild grain or pronounced determine.

Some sheets might include substrate supplies that aren’t flat. Eyeball every sheet at a low angle and keep away from sheets with divots or depressions within the floor or areas the place the birch veneer seems to be sanded skinny. You solely want one sheet of three/4″ birch plywood for this challenge, so in case you can’t discover a sheet you want, attempt one other retailer or come again one other day.

As far as buying strong birch for edge banding the plywood, it’s a puzzle why dwelling facilities that inventory birch plywood don’t at all times inventory birch boards. I didn’t wish to use iron-on edge banding, so I needed to go to a hardwood lumberyard to purchase the birch.

Cut the tapered legs

The veneer on dwelling heart plywood is susceptible to chipping, so earlier than you narrow the sheet, it’s a good suggestion to put in a zero-clearance throat plate in your tablesaw together with an 80-tooth alternate top bevel (ATB) blade designed for reducing plywood.

Lay out the elements on the plywood in line with the reducing listing (web page 50) and reducing diagram (Fig. B, identical web page). Note: Oversize the elements by 1/2″ in each dimensions once you lay them out.

Break down the plywood sheet into manageable items. First, use a jig noticed to rough-cut the again panel (A, Fig. B and Fig. A). Then both rip the sheet to separate the 18-1/2″ vast part that features the highest (B), or crosscut the sheet to separate the 2 23″ lengthy leg blanks (C); be aware that every clean comprises two legs. Once these preliminary cuts are made it’s a lot simpler to chop all of the items to remaining dimension.

1. Cut two tapered legs without delay utilizing a sled with cleats connected to carry the clean at an angle. Runners connected to the underside of the sled trip within the noticed’s miter gauge slots.

Rip the 2 leg blanks 18-1/8″ vast. Then use a crosscut sled to chop every clean into two an identical tapered legs (Photo 1). Fasten a pair of cleats to the sled to carry the clean on the right angle (Fig. D).

You don’t must measure any angles—simply mark the legs’ 7-1/2″ prime and 10-1/2″ backside measurements onto the ends of the clean. Place the clean on the sled and align the 1/8″ areas between the 2 traces you’ve drawn on its ends with the sled’s noticed kerf. Hold the clean in place and hint its proper edge and backside edge onto the sled. Screw the cleats alongside these marks, and also you’re prepared to chop the tapered legs. Orient the blanks in order that the entrance faces of the left and proper entrance legs will look good collectively. Pay consideration to the grain: You might resolve to chop one of many blanks with its again face up, as a result of that’s the best-looking face.

Edge band the plywood

Rip lengths of vast edge banding (D) for the highest and slim edge banding (E) for the legs, heart cabinets (F) and prime and backside finish cabinets (G, H). Spread a beneficiant bead of glue on every plywood edge and unfold it evenly. Center the sting banding on the plywood and stretch tape throughout the joint to carry the sting banding in place for a pair minutes to permit the glue to tack. Then clamp the joint, utilizing a caul to evenly distribute the stress.

Here’s a neat trick: After gluing and taping the sting band to at least one shelf, use one other shelf of the identical size because the clamping caul. This trick works for the tapered legs, too.

Be certain to take away all of the squeezed-out glue earlier than it dries. For a neat, completed look, I glued the highest’s 1″ edge banding throughout and mitered the corners.

2. Plane the sting banding practically flush with a block aircraft. Then end the job by hand sanding with a block. Power-sanding is dangerous as a result of the veneer is so skinny.

Trim the sting banding flush with the ends of every piece. Then use a block aircraft to flush the sting banding with the plywood faces (Photo 2). Set the aircraft to make effective shavings and comply with the grain. It’s OK to sand the faces of the sting banding with a random orbital sander, nevertheless it’s greatest to sand the plywood by hand, utilizing a sanding block.

It’s a good suggestion to aircraft and sand a take a look at shelf to get a really feel for the boundaries posed by the super-thin birch veneer on this low-cost plywood.

Easy joinery

3. Use the bench to register the biscuit joiner once you reduce slots for biscuits within the ends of elements such because the shelf proven right here. Center every biscuit utilizing the joiner’s index line.

Lay out slots for #20 biscuits within the ends of all of the cabinets, the highest ends of each entrance legs and the underside fringe of the again panel (Fig. A and Fig. C). Center the slots or area them evenly. Orient the biscuit joiner horizontally to chop these slots (Photo 3).

4. Use a fence to register the biscuit joiner once you reduce slots within the faces of elements such because the leg proven right here. Position the fence on a format line that signifies the underside of the adjoining piece.

Lay out matching slots within the prime face of 1 heart shelf and within the inside faces of every leg and each finish panels (J). Note that on the top panels, the middle cabinets mount immediately reverse the top cabinets, however solely the middle cabinets are biscuited. Draw traces that point out the underside of every adjoining piece. Then clamp a fence on the road and orient the biscuit joiner vertically to chop these slots (Photo 4). The fence registers the biscuit joiner in order that these slots will align with those already reduce within the ends of the opposite items. To reduce the slots ultimately panel for the underside heart shelf, merely clamp the fence to the top of the top panel.

5. Drill pocket holes within the again legs and the again panel. Using each pocket screws and biscuits simplifies meeting.

Lay out and drill pocket holes within the again faces of the again legs and again panel, utilizing a jig (Photo 5). Set up the jig to assemble 3/4″ inventory with 1-1/4″ coarse-thread pocket screws.

Assemble in levels

6. Assemble the bookshelf ends with biscuits and glue. Work on a flat floor and ensure the glued-up meeting is sq..

Start by gluing collectively the 2 bookshelf ends (Photo 6). Sand all of the elements by hand, utilizing a block. Start with 120 grit sandpaper, then swap to 150 grit for remaining sanding. Be cautious to not sand by the veneer. Remove any format traces that gained’t be coated by the joints.

Working on a flat floor, dry-assemble the elements to ensure every part matches correctly. Then use a flux brush (obtainable at {hardware} shops) to unfold glue into the slots and on the plywood edges. Position the again panel first, flush with with the leg on the prime and the format line on the again. Then set up the cabinets, adopted by the remaining leg.

Stand up the meeting to clamp it collectively. Make certain every part is straight and sq. and take away any squeezed-out glue earlier than it dries. Note: You’ll have the ability to clamp the underside shelf to the again panel, however not the highest shelf. Use a pair pin nails to safe it.

Drill a 1-3/4″ dia. gap within the higher heart shelf, 1-1/4″ from the again edge and centered between the ends. Finish-sand this shelf and the again panel after which assemble these elements utilizing biscuits and glue. Make certain the ends stay flush once you clamp the joint. Finish-sand the decrease heart shelf.

7. Glue and clamp the cabinets between the ends. You can use brief clamps to finish this job by clamping 2x2s to the decrease shelf (picture, at proper).

Glue the middle cabinets between the bookcase ends (Photo 7). This giant meeting might be laborious to handle, so it’s a good suggestion to enlist an assistant to assist apply glue, set up biscuits, align the elements, place the clamps and take away the squeezed-out glue. Fasten the again panel to the top panels to stabilize the bottom (Photo 8).

7B.

Locate and reduce the biscuit slots on the underside of the highest. You can flip over the bottom and heart it on the highest to switch the slot areas, however there’s a better approach: Inside the sting banding, the highest overhangs the bottom by 3/4″ on the entrance.

8. Pocket-screw the again panel to the top panels to maintain the bottom from racking. Use a clamp to again up the glued butt joint.

That means all it’s a must to do to correctly register the biscuit joiner is set up a 3/4″ vast fence towards the entrance edge banding. Similarly, the highest overhangs the bottom at each ends by 2-1/2″. So, simply measure the slot heart areas within the prime of every leg and add the 2-1/2″ overhang to switch them to the highest.

9. Install the highest. Glue and clamp the biscuit joints on the entrance and set up pocket screws on the again. This technique hides the joinery on the entrance and eases the meeting in again.

Install the highest. Apply glue within the slots and to the ends of all of the legs and each finish panels. Insert the biscuits, place the highest and clamp it on the entrance, utilizing the underside of your bench. Then anchor the again of the highest with pocket screws (Photo 9).

10. Fasten the wire chase after centering it on the opening within the higher shelf. The chase and the recess behind the again panel make it straightforward to cover all the ability cords.

Assemble and glue the mitered wire chase (Ok, L) after drilling 1-3/4″ dia. holes in each of the aspect items. Then fasten it between the middle cabinets (Photo 10). Install grommets for a completed look.