DIY Project – TV Cabinet – The Plan
I like woodworking. Not the type where you use hand tools, but the kind where you get to use power tools. Not just power tools, but big power equipment, like planers, table saws and drill presses.
I enjoyed watching The New Yankee Workshop with Norm Abrams. Norm had no problem using big power equipment. He did use powered and manual hand tools. However, he used his table saw a lot in his woodworking projects. I always took mental notes on his techniques.
I now watch Tom Silva’s woodworking skills on This Old House and Ask This Old House. Tom has all kinds of power tools and uses them frequently during one of his projects. Tom, like Norm, is not afraid to share tips when building something out of wood.
The only big power equipment I have is my table saw. A hand-me-down from my sister-in-law’s father. It works okay but has its issues. I did receive a used radial arm saw from my brother. It still sits in the same spot where I originally put it over 20 years ago. The saw is apart and needs to be placed back on its table. I have not had a use for it yet, so there it stays.
A while ago I decided to register for a non-credit woodworking class through the local technical college. The class would teach you the basis of woodworking and introduce you to woodworking tools, big and small, and powered and manual. I was focused on the big, powered equipment. I was not sure what I could build during the class, so I was looking forward to the first class.
The first class was spent talking about safety and what the different tools were designed to do. There were mainly newbies in the class. They were there so they could learn a little about woodworking and maybe do their first small project. I am not bragging, but I was more knowledgeable than others in the class. I spent my time during the class thinking of a project to work on with all this great equipment.
We could not work on any equipment until the instructor reviewed with the class the proper use and safety requirements of that particular machine. We covered several powered hand tools, but did not have time to review the big powered machinery. I hinted to the instructor that I wanted to build a TV cabinet and he told me to bring in the plans next class and we could talk about it.
I talked with Efiwym, my wife, about making a TV cabinet. We needed a TV cabinet in the family room. We just had the TV on a cheap stand. We talked about buying one, but the cost for one was too pricey. I had seen several TV cabinets at furniture stores that we liked, and I could possibly replicate. As I described my ideas to Efiwym, she nodded in agreement and I was ready to start my plan.
Before the next class, I went to several furniture stores to check out TV cabinets. I found the one I liked. The cabinet was large enough to fit a 26-inch TV (big in those days) and a VCR. There was a drawer on the bottom for storage and doors to hide the TV.
When I got home, I found some graph paper and sketched out my TV cabinet. I had laid out all parts with dimensions including rabbet and dado cuts. I showed Efiwym my plan and I sensed she was excited, but I was not sure. I would make it from pine. The wood would fit well into our Early American motif in that room. First, I needed to get the okay from the instructor before I could proceed.
During the next class, the instructor completed his lessons on safety and use of the large equipment. He asked the students to provide him with a drawing of their project for the class. With my plan already complete and in hand, I approached him with the hope that he would approve.
When I handed him the plan, he was impressed with my drawing skills. He asked if I have drawn up plans before. I replied that I had taken drafting in high school and always had an interest in architectural drawing. He perused the plan carefully. He indicated to me that it was a big project, and I might not have time in this class to finish it. I told him I would just want to make all the parts of the cabinet there and I would assemble it at home. He gave me the okay, suggested I put together a bill of materials and offered his help.