# TV Stand



## xCarsonx (Jul 30, 2008)

I really like this TV stand from West Elm. 










I was wondering if I could get some feed back on how to recreate something like this. I really like how there is a thickness to the stand, but I am unsure how to recreate it. I have built shelves in the past and used dowels to hold it together. it worked out quite well and I plan on doing it again for this piece. With the shelves I just used a piece of veneered plywood and it turned out pretty well, but It seems like that would leave a lot of unfinished edges, which might make it look bad. I appreciate any help. 

Carson


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## frankp (Oct 29, 2007)

Carson, you can veneer the edges as well, if that's how you want to go. It's no more difficult than veneering any other surface. 

The other option is to use the same building techniques with solid wood. I'm planning a TV stand right now with through tenons and mortises because I like the way it looks. It's similar to dowels, but a little more work. Either will function for what you need, though mortise and tenon will be stronger if you're planning on putting a particularly heavy TV on the stand.


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

There are several ways to make that piece. A lot of it depends on the equipment that you have and know how to use, your skill level, and your budget for materials.


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## PaulAlford (Jul 31, 2008)

I just joined this forum today (and am a novice) but wanted to jump into this thread since I am wanting to also build a TV stand. This is the one I am going to attempt... a bit bigger than yours Carson, but we will have a 52" LCD on it so I want a heavy duty piece of furniture. I want to build mine from 1x4s, 1x6s (for main frame), and pine boards or 3/4" oak sheets (for walls, top & bottom).

I was thinking of doing the kreg screw jig (that I happen to have) to join the 1x4s together for main frame. Just not sure what to do about joining the vertical panels to the top and bottom panels.... I dont want brad or screw heads showing. Anyone have ideas for joining the vertical boards to the top & bottom panels ? 

Thanks
Paul


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## xCarsonx (Jul 30, 2008)

I appreciate the advice so far. Here is a little more of what I am planning on doing. I was hoping not to veneer this project. The cost of this from West Elm is 500$ plus shipping. I was hoping to build it for half of that. The overall dimensions are 56"w x 20"d x 18"h. 

The top piece I would really like to be a solid piece of wood. The top piece is 56"w x 20"d x 2". This seems like a really odd piece of wood. Also, I am assuming the 2" thickness could it be something different from the picture? I don't believe you can buy wood 2" thick like that. Am I wrong. I know I couldn't get a 20" board like that so I am assuming that I could get several smaller boards and join them side by side using dowels or tenons. If I did that would the piece look real stripy like hard wood floors? I dont think I would like that but I might be wrong. 

One last question. Where do most of you buy wood for projects like these. I would normally just go to Lowes. Is there a better place to find wood at. I live in the Tallahassee Fl area if anyone is from around here.


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## frankp (Oct 29, 2007)

Carson,

At 20" depth and 2 inch thickness, any solid piece of wood is going to get pretty pricey. Still well under $500 (depending on the type of wood) but certainly not cheap. That piece alone will likely cost on the order of $100-$150 unless you have a particularly cheap source for your wood or you use something like poplar or pine, in which case finding the 8/4 thickness would be more difficult. Finding the 8/4 thickness isn't too hard for most decent wood sources, though you won't find it in the big box stores like home depot or Lowes. For wood sources I'd look at Daren's website (you can find a link to it in any of his posts on here) and also just do a google search for hardwood suppliers in your area. I'd also try exotic wood, lumber and similar searches for your area to see what turns up. The more you find the better likelihood you'll find what you want at a reasonable price. You can also buy wood online, if you can't find something local, though I don't know how well that works as I've not done it yet.

Now, if you want to join boards together for the top piece, that's the more common method for something that deep, and it can look pretty much as close as you want it to look for a single piece. Find pieces with as close to matching grain as you can, or better yet, rip two sides of the same board to get the exact same grain pattern, repeated. Finding a 16/4 10" wide piece of material won't be easy either though, so odds are the easiest solution will be joining to sections of an 8/4 10" board that you cross cut to the length you want. Look for a 10' section of it at your supplier and then crosscut to your 56" length and join, using whatever method you feel is appropriate, biscuits, dowels, or whatever.


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

Cabinet work involving ends and a floor are usually done by the floor being set into a rabbet at the bottom of the ends (or into a dadoe if the ends go to the floor) Interior dividers are usually set into dadoes in the floor. Glue and clamps and/or fasteners are used at the joints.

The top of the ends are rabbeted to accept cross pieces of wood, maybe 2 1/2" to 3" wide each to tie the two ends together. Interior dividers are cut to fit from the bottom dadoe to a dadoe in the cross pieces. This creates a "caged" fabrication. The back edges of the floor and the ends are rabbeted to accept a 1/4" back (that should already have been done before assembly). The back top rail and interior dividers are cut to the depth from the front of the floor to the edge of the back dadoe, When the back goes in to square the cabinet, it is fastened to the flat of the interior dividers and back rail.

The top is then mounted by being screwed to the two top rails from underneath the rails.

A wall mounting rail can be added to the underside of the back cross rail, creating an "L", and that results in stiffing up the back rail.
That, is pretty much my method. Creating thicker looking ends or front aprons can be done by mitering the fronts of the ends and adding mitered faces, which creates a two sided end, with a front face and it can be all plywood and mitered.


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## ecologito (Jan 27, 2008)

Paul, 

It looks like you are looking at building the same stand that I am looking at.

This is the answer I got from Pianoman:
"Ya know, It looks to be 6 feet long, 34"s tall and 20"s deep...using 1x8s (actual 3/4 by 7and1/4"s) for the base. Simple frame and pannel with two dividers. Build the base so the floor is flush with the top edge of the base apron. The end pannels have 1 and 3/4" styles and rails...using a 1/4" pannel rabbited into the center. The back can be the same...using three pannels...with the center styles centered with the dividers. The facing looks like rails are 1 and 3/4"s and the end styles are 2 and 1/4"s with the center styles being 1 and 1/4"s. The doors look like 3" styles and rails...I`d use 1/2" pannel for the doors so they don`t sound cheap when they close. The top is 3/4 ply with flush edge and small cove under overhang. When the base is done...size the end pannels so they are 3/4"s in from the sides and 1 and 1/2"s from the front and flush with the back. Rabbit the back edge of side pannels to recieve the back pannel...the facing can be face nailed to the ends and dividers...glued filled and sanded. Side pannels can be Kreg screwed to the floor...then fit the back pannel...then fit the facing. I`d stop route the vertical front edges. Now put the top on using trim screwes (small quad headed screwes) fill with Famowood filler or bondo sand and prime. Use the steel or chrome hinges and knobs...looks good on black! Hope it goes well! Rick"

Details about it here:
http://www.woodworkingtalk.com/showthread.php?t=4922

I am moving from Ohio to North Carolina so the building will have to wait until I settle at the new place.


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## crecore (Sep 2, 2007)

Not trying to hijack the thread, but I just built a entertainment center of sorts... Two cabinets and a bridge. My tv has a built in stand and speakers so I didnt build the stand. It's a different style than the ones here, but the plans had a stand included. There's pictures of my setup and also a link to the magazine with the plans and a photo including the stand in the thread:

http://www.woodworkingtalk.com/showthread.php?t=1495


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