# Tv Stand Build



## ryan50hrl (Jun 30, 2012)

So I've got the coffee table and endtables done (see pictures below)....and it's time to get started on the last piece in the living room, the Tv Stand. While the rest are all solid wood with mortise and tenon joints and dovetailed aprons, the TV stand is going to be a bit easier as most of the cabinet will be rift sawn oak plywood. I've started a few weeks ago by gluing up the legs. Now to match the other pieces I've chosen to laminate the legs out of 3 pieces of oak rather than make them out of 4 pieces with 45's on each edge. 

It's a rough start....but here are the legs run through the jointer, planer, table saw and radial arm saw. 

Pictures in Order. 

1. TV stand Plans 
2. Furniture this will need to match
3. Legs getting started


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## ryan50hrl (Jun 30, 2012)

Missed the last ones...legs getting started.


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## Travico (Dec 25, 2012)

I will be watching this build. Compared to what you have already made, it should be super nice!!


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## ryan50hrl (Jun 30, 2012)

Glued up the plywood cabinet tonight. Hopefully tomorrow I can start ripping down face frame material.


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## Burb (Nov 30, 2012)

This should be good...

Mark


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## ryan50hrl (Jun 30, 2012)

Well.....I meant to make some progress on it tonight, but I got a bit busy hanging drywall on one of my shop walls tonight and didn't get anywhere on the TV stand....I guess there's always tomorrow.....


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## Burb (Nov 30, 2012)

ryan50hrl said:


> ..I guess there's always tomorrow.....


I've said that a time or 2.....or 10,000 :yes:


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## ryan50hrl (Jun 30, 2012)

Well I haven't made much progress lately as I've had a lot of other things going on. However, I got the dividers in today, and the top stringers in. 

So the bottom divider is going to support drawer slides, but the middle shelf will will have the stereo, blue ray and dvr on it so the divider is only half way back to allow for cords to pass behind. It's there really only to keep the look that I was going for.


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## ryan50hrl (Jun 30, 2012)

Well I started attaching the face frames tonight. I used my biscuit jointer ( gasp...yes I said biscuit jointer) to align them. One glued on...the others will be tomorrow.


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## Pcride (Jun 4, 2012)

What kind of plywood are you using?, Also the type of wood for the trim/face frame and legs?


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## ryan50hrl (Jun 30, 2012)

All the face frames and solid trim will be rift sawn red oak. The plywood is rift sawn on the outside, quartersawn on the inside


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## ryan50hrl (Jun 30, 2012)

The rest of the face frames are on...is like to say it's been slow and steady, but really it's just slow.


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## Oneal-Woodworking (Apr 14, 2013)

There are NO dogs on your couch... 

Something is seriously 'wrong' here. :yes:


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## ryan50hrl (Jun 30, 2012)

Huh??


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## epicfail48 (Mar 27, 2014)

ryan50hrl said:


> Huh??


Info believe oneal is making a joke at his own expense, given that every one of his photos has a least one of his dogs in it. I believe that the lack of canines on your furniture is shocking to him


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## ryan50hrl (Jun 30, 2012)

Clamps removed.


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## Burb (Nov 30, 2012)

Looking good Ryan!!


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## ryan50hrl (Jun 30, 2012)

Thanks man!!! The back is now attached and I hope to have the legs on tonight as well.


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## ryan50hrl (Jun 30, 2012)

Back is installed.


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## Oneal-Woodworking (Apr 14, 2013)

ryan50hrl said:


> Clamps removed.
> View attachment 128505


Why do the rails extend all the way to the outside edge of the sides like that? 

Should they have not stopped 3/4" shorter on each side so the outside legs would be flush with the inside of the box carcass? 

Looking at the plan pic you posted and what you have currently - I am missing something here. 

I would have skipped the biscuits for that personally (and I DO like me some biscuits). If there is no 'lip' hanging down or above on the nosings / ff parts like you have - They are NOT coming off or moving around any time soon if glued properly. Nothing can possibly 'hit' or 'bang' them and 'catch' on the lip and possibly break the glue joint the way you have yours flush like that.

I have had to remove plenty of nosings over the years and change them out because the end customer 'changed their mind' (many times nosings that I glued on in the first place). They can be a bitch to remove if glued properly.

If those were 1 1/2" tall nosings attached to the plywood - I can see how biscuits would make them slightly 'harder' to break loose and remove.

No doubt that this IS going to look awesome when you get finished. You don't tend to 'skimp' on any of your projects from what I have seen. :smile:


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## ryan50hrl (Jun 30, 2012)

The edging is 1 inch on 3/4 ply, so there is a edge that can get caught. Also I don't trust edge gluing on plywood....just a personal thing. 


As for the face frames extending to the ends, the legs will wrap around each shelf giving the appearance that the shelves are mortised into the legs. 

I really dislike plywood carcass work...I'm hoping this will be the last plywood I have to work with for a while.


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## ryan50hrl (Jun 30, 2012)

Well the front legs are on...


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## Burb (Nov 30, 2012)

I'd be a lot easier to see if you'd take those darn clamps outta the picture...


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## ryan50hrl (Jun 30, 2012)

Lol....ya ya.


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## Oneal-Woodworking (Apr 14, 2013)

ryan50hrl said:


> Well the front legs are on...
> View attachment 129065


Looks awesome and no doubt that it is rock solid built. :yes:

How do you like those particular clamps? They look fairly strong. Do they clamp fairly evenly across the entire length of the clamping surfaces as you tighten them or do they have any 'slop' to them and apply more pressure at the bottoms (or tops)? 

Asking because those look better than what I currently have and I have been wanting to slowly upgrade to 'better' bar clamps. The ones you have look like they could last a lifetime. 

I wasted a lot of time today having to use blocks between my clamps and work piece 'surfaces' to prevent the clamps from leaving indents in the material. (due to both uneven pressure on the clamp faces as they get tightened and to over-tightening on my part) 

You don't seem to be having any issues with that using the clamps in your pictures... :no:


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## Smith Brother (Dec 9, 2012)

No, No, the cabinet is holding the clamps off the floor, he hasn't had time to make a clamp rack, MAYBE.

I would guess you are HAVIN SOME FUN.

Enjoy,

Dale in Indy


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## ryan50hrl (Jun 30, 2012)

I love them.... I've got about 20 of them and have no complaints.


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## hwebb99 (Nov 27, 2012)

I have some Bessey k-body clamps, and they are great. I have some Jet clamps, and they suck.


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## ryan50hrl (Jun 30, 2012)

I also hate the jet clamps....I had some and disliked them.


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## ryan50hrl (Jun 30, 2012)

smithbrother said:


> No, No, the cabinet is holding the clamps off the floor, he hasn't had time to make a clamp rack, MAYBE.
> 
> I would guess you are HAVIN SOME FUN.
> 
> ...



Lol....funny thing. I built a clamp rack for 10 of them, then I bought more so now they just clamp to a 2x4 cause I haven't had time to build another.


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## Oneal-Woodworking (Apr 14, 2013)

hwebb99 said:


> I have some Bessey k-body clamps, and they are great. I have some Jet clamps, and they suck.


I was also wanting to know if they clamp 'evenly' across their surfaces. 

If you purposely 'over-tighten' one on a piece of relatively soft wood - Do they leave an indent on one side of the clamping surface or the other or do they clamp 'evenly'???

Appreciate any advice you guys can give here. :yes:


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## ryan50hrl (Jun 30, 2012)

Nope....they don't dent it unless it's super soft wood. Oak, maple and walnut are all fine.


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## hwebb99 (Nov 27, 2012)

I went and did a test for you. In all test I tightened it as tightly as I could. 1-1/2 popular nice and square, and no marks.















7/8 walnut nice and square, and no marks.















3/4 pine lift very slight marks, but you can clamp lighter.


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## hwebb99 (Nov 27, 2012)

The head on the Bessey is square. The head on the jet is about 3/16 out of square. To store them I find it easier to drop the handle over a 2 by 4. WARNING if you get dried glue on the head it WILL dent your work.


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## epicfail48 (Mar 27, 2014)

OnealWoodworking said:


> I wasted a lot of time today having to use blocks between my clamps and work piece 'surfaces' to prevent the clamps from leaving indents in the material. (due to both uneven pressure on the clamp faces as they get tightened and to over-tightening on my part


Little trick ive have to learn because I only buy harbor freight clamp. Assuming you have clamps with metal pads, bar-, c- or pipe clamps, and you get uneven pressure marks across the face, grab a nice, trusty mill file and run it over the face until you get an even scratch pattern. Similar to lapping a plane blade or chisel, just not as fine. I do it on any of the ones I buy if they don't clamp properly, now the only time I get dents is if I put on too much pressure. Same trick also works to bring pipe clamps into square, just clamp the file between the jaws just tight enough for the teeth to bit and file both at once. If you do it right the jaws will be square and parallel to each other.

Sorry for temporarily borrowing your thread Ryan, the builds looking great!


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## Oneal-Woodworking (Apr 14, 2013)

hwebb99 said:


> I went and did a test for you. In all test I tightened it as tightly as I could. 1-1/2 popular nice and square, and no marks.
> 
> View attachment 129121
> View attachment 129129
> ...


You and Ryan just 'schooled' me on which clamps I need to be moving towards AND you showed me pictures of WHY. :thumbsup: 

Very much appreciate the learning here. :yes:


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## Oneal-Woodworking (Apr 14, 2013)

epicfail48 said:


> Little trick ive have to learn because I only buy harbor freight clamp. Assuming you have clamps with metal pads, bar-, c- or pipe clamps, and you get uneven pressure marks across the face, grab a nice, trusty mill file and run it over the face until you get an even scratch pattern. Similar to lapping a plane blade or chisel, just not as fine. I do it on any of the ones I buy if they don't clamp properly, now the only time I get dents is if I put on too much pressure. Same trick also works to bring pipe clamps into square, just clamp the file between the jaws just tight enough for the teeth to bit and file both at once. If you do it right the jaws will be square and parallel to each other.
> 
> Sorry for temporarily borrowing your thread Ryan, the builds looking great!


I am using a *lot* of the Jorgensen I-bar clamps in various lengths and they are uneven as heck from top to bottom of the clamping surface.

Appreciate your advice and you pointing me to a possible fix for what I am dealing with currently. :smile:


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## ryan50hrl (Jun 30, 2012)

OnealWoodworking said:


> You and Ryan just 'schooled' me on which clamps I need to be moving towards AND you showed me pictures of WHY. :thumbsup:
> 
> Very much appreciate the learning here. :yes:



Do you live near a menards?


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## Oneal-Woodworking (Apr 14, 2013)

ryan50hrl said:


> Do you live near a menards?


Nope. Never seen such a thing around here.


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## ryan50hrl (Jun 30, 2012)

Back on track...the tops not cut to size, it's just sitting on top right now. 









I need to box the legs out to full size where they were cut down to fit around the plywood case, add the panel trim on the side and back. Add some edge banding on the bottom ( it's always my goal to hide plywood edges even if their underneath or behind a piece). And cut down and attach the top. Then we're on to drawer building and finishing.


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## ryan50hrl (Jun 30, 2012)

So the legs are glued to the outside of the plywood cabinet, but I wanted it to appear that the shelves were mortised into solid legs so I'm adding back the leg that's missing from the plywood corner.


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## ryan50hrl (Jun 30, 2012)

One more shot.


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## Burb (Nov 30, 2012)

Cool idea. Turned out great. .

Mark


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## ryan50hrl (Jun 30, 2012)

It still needs one more layer behind what you see now to ensure the leg is as thick on the inside as the outside...


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## Oneal-Woodworking (Apr 14, 2013)

ryan50hrl said:


> One more shot.
> View attachment 130825


Understand perfectly now. :yes:


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## ryan50hrl (Jun 30, 2012)

Here's the last piece in the interior giving the inside and outside of the leg the same dimensions.


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## ryan50hrl (Jun 30, 2012)

So looking at the bottom, I dislike being able to see plywood anywhere whether it's visible or not. So since my construction method included exposed edges underneath, I'm adding a faux panel look underneath.


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## ryan50hrl (Jun 30, 2012)

Waiting for glue to dry....boring as heck when you can't move on until it's done.


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## ryan50hrl (Jun 30, 2012)

My process for rebuilding the legs...


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## ryan50hrl (Jun 30, 2012)

Just a hair too long...back to the saw


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## ryan50hrl (Jun 30, 2012)

So clamps are off...legs are done and just need to be sanded.








Here's the bottom showing the plywood hiding detail.


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## ryan50hrl (Jun 30, 2012)

Started working on fitting drawers today. The drawer fronts are inset so the gaps are critical here. Set up to be a 3/64 gap all the way around. Annoyingly the center piece is just a touch off square (1/128 over about a foot) so I had to cut the drawer fronts slightly off square to match it.


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## Seubs070 (Oct 7, 2013)

Looks great Ryan. I have been thinking of building something similar for my parents. Care to share the overall dimensions?


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## ryan50hrl (Jun 30, 2012)

Thanks...my projects usually aren't quick, but generally turn out ok. 

The cabinet is 44 1/2 wide by 31 3/4 tall. The top will hang over about an inch.


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## ryan50hrl (Jun 30, 2012)

So here's the top trimmed to size....sanding is in progress.


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## ryan50hrl (Jun 30, 2012)

The front and side edges are chamfered using a 45 degree router bit.....note to self...I need a new bit.


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## Smith Brother (Dec 9, 2012)

Nice, I really like the edge work.

Dale in Indy


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## ryan50hrl (Jun 30, 2012)

Well it's staining day!!!














Always amazes me how crappy stuff looks in bare stain....here comes the lacquer.


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## Burb (Nov 30, 2012)

Looking better with every post!!

Mark


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## Seubs070 (Oct 7, 2013)

Looks great Ryan! What stain did you use?


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## ryan50hrl (Jun 30, 2012)

Sherwin Williams pro line, chestnut base stain.


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## ryan50hrl (Jun 30, 2012)

So here's the TV stand in place. I don't yet have drawer slides so the drawer fronts aren't yet mounted or have the pulls installed. 

Compared to the old stand...








And new....


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## Burb (Nov 30, 2012)

Great job!!

Mark


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## Jeff Shafer (Nov 16, 2010)

Really great build thread and really nice looking piece of furniture!


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## ryan50hrl (Jun 30, 2012)

Thanks!!


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## ryan50hrl (Jun 30, 2012)

Here the final product. Drawers and hardware installed.


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## epicfail48 (Mar 27, 2014)

Good looking stand mate. Little bit of shaker style there, I like it


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## Pandemonium (Dec 31, 2014)

That looks great. Good work. My next big project is going to be a TV stand, and I learned a lot just from following this build. Thanks for the detailed description of the process.


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## ryan50hrl (Jun 30, 2012)

No problem, and thanks for the kind words.


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