Popular Woodworking 2006-06 № 155, страница 69

This article is about developing workable designs, and not about construction. We turned our illustrator loose to build a "virtual" cabinet and take you through the process of developing a design to fit your room and your needs.

The techniques for building entertainment cabinets are the same as for building any other type of casework. A box is a box and a drawer is a drawer. Our Woodworking Essentials series on casework construction (issues #150 through #155) will help you make the cabinets; this article will help you decide what to make.

With entertainment centers, there are some important considerations due to the size and shape of the components and the media. Because every room's design and every combination of audio-visual equipment will be different, you'll need to utilize your design and problem-solving skills along with your cabinetmaking abilities.

Engineer First, Design Later

Whether you are building wall-to-wall built-ins or a freestanding shrine to your new widescreen, you need to select the size and type of TV first, and make sure that it will be in the right position for comfortable viewing. This should be the starting point for developing your design.

Great leaps in electronics have been made in the last few years, making larger screens much more affordable. The other good news is that today's TVs are lighter in weight, and require less depth than those made just a few years ago. Although it may seem that it's a problem like being too rich or too thin, you can get a screen that is too big for your room.

Before you commit to purchasing, get the dimensions of any TV you're considering, and make a mock-up out of cardboard or foam

insulation board. Put this in the location you're planning, take a seat on the sofa, and spend some time staring at it (beer and pretzels are optional). Sit in all possible locations in the room, and consider viewing angles both from side to side, and up and down.

It may look good on paper to place the screen above the fireplace, but in many rooms that will force you into an uncomfortable position for viewing. When you have settled on the size and location of the screen, as shown at right, you can begin to develop your design around it. In the drawing below, we take it one step further and make a full size mock-up.

Before you design how the cabinet will look, engineer it to be sure there is room for everything, and that it will be functional. Plan the dimensions of the cabinet around the TV screen, your other electronic components and the media you need to store. Use those dimensions to build a drawing of a simple box. Once this is established, you can then work out the stylistic elements of your design.

Even though TVs are lighter than they used to be, their overall width requires firm support below. ³/4" plywood will likely sag if it has to span more than 30", especially if it carries a load in the center. Solid-wood rails front and back, and even in between, will likely be needed. A vertical support of plywood may be used instead of rails to support the television.

In our design, we opted for cabinets to hold components and discs below the screen. This let us store CDs and DVDs out of sight in drawers, and the cabinet boxes provide a solid base for the screen.

The first step in creating a good design is to locate the TV screen in the in the room. Place a full-size mock-up on the wall. Then make sure it is the right size and will be in a comfortable field of vision from seating areas.

Changes for the Better

Older TVs were much deeper than today's, and it was common to see deeper cabinets to accommodate this. In entertainment centers going from wall to wall, the cabinet containing the TV

When you have the screen where you want it, you can begin to design the casework around it. Making a full-scale mock-up from cardboard boxes gives you a realistic view If you're not sure about the mock-up, leave it in place for a few days.

would often project out in front of the other cabinets.

This projection is hard to make gracefully, so from that standpoint less depth is a good thing. The negative aspect of making a shallower cabinet is that there is

popularwoodworking.com I

67