Media Cabinet - Cherry

glenn bradley

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I need to get started on this item while I've got a bit of in-between time going on. The design elements are still in flux but, in general this approximately 44" wide by 29" tall cabinet will look something like this:

Media Cab (0).jpg

The doors will hide the components while the drawers will hold media. The eventual plan is to have a TV on the wall over it if I ever get bored enough to buy a TV. Until then it will hold the stereo that got displaced when I added a machine to the gym.

I had just finished a piece for someone out of cherry but, didn't think I had enough left for this piece of my own. I went digging and found more than I thought I had. Still, a trip to the lumber yard was in order. I think it was on this forum that I noticed someone breaking down lumber with their jigsaw as opposed to a circ-saw. I can't spare the room for a CMS or a RAS so I used to use a circ-saw. The jigsaw is quieter, cleaner (with the vac hooked up) and easier/quicker to get out and put away, I gotta tell ya. I have been doing this ever since I saw it done years ago. thanks, whoever you were :thumb:.

Media Cab (1).jpg . Media Cab (2).jpg

There are three large panels in this piece; the top, an adjustable shelf and a lower fixed shelf (above the drawers). Although I power joint pieces for general milling operations I have fell into the habit of hand jointing parts for panel glue-ups. Have I mentioned that I am really happy to have a BU jointer plane? There's also some gratuitous glue-up pics :rolleyes:.

Media Cab (3).jpg . Media Cab (4).jpg . Media Cab (5).jpg

I found a nice set of figure that I plan to incorporate into the corner posts.

Media Cab (6).jpg

I picked up the stock I'll need for a lot (if not all) of the framing parts so I will be milling those up next.
 
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I also usually break down my boards with a jigsaw. I picked that up from someone on the Canadian forum ages ago. I've just never liked using a circular saw. I find the jigsaw much easier to control, and I don't really care that it is a bit slower.
 
I also usually break down my boards with a jigsaw. I picked that up from someone on the Canadian forum ages ago.

So, it was YOU!!!

The planer sled doesn't come out very often but, it is at the ready for wider stock like this that I need squared up. I want to resaw the wide stock off the "back" for possible use as some of the panels before I rip thinner parts from whats left.

Media Cab (7).jpg

Of course the very next thing I will do is thickness away my chalk marks that identify my parts. The camera (usually my phone) is very handy for reminding me so I can re-mark after milling.

Media Cab (8).jpg
 
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Glenn i gotta tell ya you are an inspiration to me.
I cannot express how much i get from your posts.
Thanks for the detail and write up of your process.

Just curious but with the great jointer you have and given you going to be cutting up those boards as your parts layout shows, is there any specific reason why you did not rough cut your components and then mill.
I can see that getting milling out the way as one piece makes everything the same dimension but do you manage to get as accurate an edge ie 90 degree from jointing using your planner sled. ? Or is this just the first stage of your milling process?

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is there any specific reason why you did not rough cut your components and then mill.

Thanks for the kind words Rob. That particular board is 6/4. I will be taking some stretchers and frame parts from it that will end up ~3/4" thick and 2-1/2" at the widest. The "back" that I resaw off will yield some panel parts that will be ~5/16" thick but, around 6" wide. It just so happened that the figure I wanted for the panel didn't line up with the figure I wanted for the frame parts so, I separated the "blanks" before breaking them down further.

I have been doing things like this ever since I got my first benchtop jointer and planer and realized the freedom that "making" your own boards allows. To increase this freedom I went after a larger bandsaw that allows resawing as in this specific case ;-) I do normally break down parts as you describe to minimize the effect of irregularities prior to milling. It is always a good idea to bring a group of parts to final size in one run although the DRO's I have on some machines make "go backs" less traumatic than they once were. Still it is just easier to do things in batches. For example; a bunch of door frame parts :).

Shorter and narrower blanks have less wane or cup effect to remove, yes? The exception to this is when I leave a group of smaller parts together in a blank as milling parts of that size is dangerous or pushing the minimum limits of a machining process. A good example of this is profiling the edge of a larger board and then ripping off a piece of trim, profiling the new edge and ripping off the piece of trim, etc.
 
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Great, another Glenn A&C piece to make me drool, envy, and inspire. Oh the humanity!

AKA, really looking forward to watching this come together.
 
Doesn't look like much but, this is the result of tonight's milling effort. The resawn blanks made ready to break down and the thinner "spoil"; part of which will be used on this project, part of which will become scroll stock for Christmas goodies.

Media Cab (9).jpg

And the blanks borken down into parts just a bit oversize.

Media Cab (10).jpg

More parts breakdown planned for tomorrow :bliss:
 
I want that very thin rail at the bottom under the drawers that you see in the drawing. This is where a wider piece might normally be used to supply resistance to racking. I have a habit of deciding how I want something to look and then figuring out the structural elements. I will be doing a little joinery voodoo to get back the strength I am giving up with the thin rail.

The visual focus on this piece is the doors and drawers so the corner posts are light as well. I will mortise them into the feet which will be supported by a stretcher between them. The visually thin lower rail will actually be twice as wide as it looks with a rabbeted area laminated to the stretcher between the feet . . . from behind . . . Hmmm I'm not describing this very well. You'll have to trust me on this, it will make more sense once I get there :).

I will take advantage of some sapwood figure on the front posts.

Media Cab (11).jpg . Media Cab (12).jpg

I have a plethora (yes El Guapo, a plethora) of sled inserts and such for dados. The shop made digital height gauge comes in handy here as I need dado depths of 1/8", 1/4" and 3/8" in turn. I do the posts in sets to keep my place.

Media Cab (13).jpg . Media Cab (14).jpg . Media Cab (16).jpg . Media Cab (15).jpg

For the mortises I drill out most of the waste and chisel the final fit. The leg and foot look odd standing alone but, you get the idea of what I am doing with the figure.
Media Cab (17).jpg . Media Cab (18).jpg . Media Cab (22).jpg . Media Cab (23).jpg

I have to do a few things around the house so I think that is it for today.
 
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looking good glenn, i think your gonna use the bottom rail as part of your stretcher strength which will look like its still thin huh:) on your dado sled is that the same as your panel sled or do you have two?
 
looking good glenn, i think your gonna use the bottom rail as part of your stretcher strength which will look like its still thin huh:) on your dado sled is that the same as your panel sled or do you have two?

Correct on the stretcher. I have a large sled (about 40" capacity) and a "regular' sled (about 21" capacity). I use the regular sled for dados and most other things by swapping inserts.
 
Wow, time flies. I got through the mortise and tenons for the side assemblies. Having company tomorrow but, hope to get to the panel grooves on Sunday.

Media Cab (24).jpg

This is just a dry fit of rough cut parts. The feet will have to be shaped and mortised to accept the lower stretchers. The panels need to be cut and pre-finished before glue-up.

We had talked about boo-boo's and recovering from them as being a part of developing our skills. I got a chance to hone mine when I misplaced a mortise. This was an easy repair as I just cut a piece of cherry with the grain running the same direction, filled the errant mortise and re-cut.

Media Cab (25).jpg

If I had measured and marked the position correctly I could have saved some time. The feet on this project offer a good opportunity to get confused. Still feeling the sting of the errant mortise I marked the edges to be milled boldly.

Media Cab (26).jpg

These are an example of the feet in rough form, after profiling on the router table and then after roughly shaping by hand. I like the transitions between flat planes and profiles to be seamless. The foot in the pic isn't there yet but will be prior to glue-up.

Media Cab (27).jpg
 
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I got pulled away for a bit but, managed to get the M&T done to a point where I can dry fit and measure for the various panels / panel grooves.

Media Cab (28).jpg

I need to catch up on the usual domestic chores tomorrow but, hope to add all the panel grooves as well.
 
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