Under TV Cabinet design - Getting back to the roots

Rennie Heuer

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This is my first try using sketch-up to design furniture. This will go under the TV (wall hanging) in our TV room. It's 34" tall and 40" wide, 17" deep. The drawer banks on either side will actually be one tall drawer for DVD storage. A matching cabinet, longer, shallower, but same height, will also be built.

As always, feedback is appreciated.

TV Cabinet 1 (800 x 727).jpgTV Cabinet 2 (800 x 735).jpgTV Cabinet 3 (800 x 769).jpg
 
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from my stand point ,, first of all congrats on getting that far in sketchup,, wish i could.. now on the looks of the cabinet.. to me and its just a me thing rennie.. i know your abilities fairly well in the wood cutting and i think the applied frnt with the taper is nice for your style but i think i would either do it to the back as well or take and lean the whole side to make it look real rather than applied to get a look your after.. it kinda like painting a wheel silver paint to mimic chrome wheels in my eyes.. once again this is just my thoughts:)
 
...i think the applied frnt with the taper is nice for your style but i think i would either do it to the back as well or take and lean the whole side to make it look real rather than applied to get a look your after.. it kinda like painting a wheel silver paint to mimic chrome wheels in my eyes.:)
Interestingly enough, Jan expressed the same concerns. I don't know if I'm ready to slant the entire side. Might try it with straight legs and see how it looks.

I have a long way to go in sketch-up. But I needed to learn SOMETHING in order to show my plans to potential customers.:D
 
rennie you dont need to satisfy me:) its you and jan on this one:) i was just seeing your style the slanting not being carried threw like i thought it should be.. to me the straight stiles arent you and your G&G look. look at some similar pieces and see how they done it.. if they have frnt one way the rest another than i am all wet:rofl::rofl:
 
i think this is what larry meant by having the front and back legs tapering the same way. this is what i'll be making for next year's fair, i call it the b26.
 

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Hi Rennie,

Good work for your first SketchUp model. I can see a couple of things related to the drawing that I would change but you seem more interested in getting the design right so I won't clutter your thread with SketchUp stuff.

I can't quite tell from your last drawing but I think you might have the taper on the inside of the legs? You could do something similar to Dan's design with the sides being inset from the outside faces of the legs. the sides would remain vertical so the offset would be greater at the bottom of the case sides than at the top. And do the same thing on both the front and back legs.

I was thinking as I looked at your drawings that the legs ought to start from square stock and be tapered on both the outside faces. I did that in this desk design I'm working on.



You probably can't tell it in this image but the two inner faces are vertical.

Maybe it shows better in this image:


Another thought I had was that the overlay drawer fronts should be a bit thinner. Or perhaps you could bevel them so they don't look so thick. They aren't very large so they look kind of chunky.
 
Hi Dave - Nope, the taper is on the outside of the legs. It is hard to see. In the latest incarnation (not posted yet) I increased the taper from 1" to 2". That seems to make the piece look more grounded.
 
Rennie as difficult as it gets, dont let the Sketchup side limit your design ideas. Dave is an excellent teacher when it comes to sketchup to be able to

1) Setup your initial pallette approriate to your need and woodworking.
2) Help with approaching the drawing of you design in a format that assists when it comes to making the parts.
3) Helping to get the design you want both on the surface and the joints.
Try hookup with Dave it will be oh so worth it.

Great that you are preparing for being able to show designs to prospective customers. This tool will help with enabling them to see the deliverables.
This makes me say learn to make components it will be of huge value to you given your intentions in the long run. Even for bits of hardware. Doing my vanity with the Butler hinges Daves help with those was invaluable to me to getting them right.

Way to go I am cheering for you. As I am no designer or artist i cannot comment on the design.

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you're doing better with sketchup than when i started rennie. a couple of helpful things, when i start a drawing, i go to camera, and in standard views, i click iso, then i go over to the window tab, and i leave it at fractional, and change the defaut to 1/16", that way it's easier for me.:thumb:
 
If this is for you and its going to have a tapered side then why not make the draws change widths as they go down the side.

Loosen the grip a little on the square easy cuts.:D
 
you're doing better with sketchup than when i started rennie. a couple of helpful things, when i start a drawing, i go to camera, and in standard views, i click iso, then i go over to the window tab, and i leave it at fractional, and change the defaut to 1/16", that way it's easier for me.:thumb:
Thanks Dan - you have been a true help - and Dave too!!:thumb::thumb:

If this is for you and its going to have a tapered side then why not make the draws change widths as they go down the side.

Loosen the grip a little on the square easy cuts.:D
:eek::eek::eek::rofl::rofl: BTW Rob, components are cool.

OK, tapers are gone. As much as I thought I could do something with them SWIMBO wasn't sold. So, moving away from the slight G&G influence, and closer to Stickley, here is the latest iteration.

TV Cabinet5.jpgTV Cabinet6.jpgTV Cabinet7.jpg
 
I am sorry but knowing what you can do this is not exactly a stretch for you. Looks a bit like Norm Abrahams New Yankee workshop router table with a twist.

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