Popular Woodworking 2006-08 № 156, страница 44

What I want to focus on here is the special hardware and accessories that can be built into your cabinetry to maximize space and performance.

A television is most commonly a stand-alone component, although today's setups often include a cable or satellite decoder box and a DVD player, and will often also be hooked into a sound system. While you may have a stand-alone stereo receiver, you need speakers to make it work and it's likely that there's also at least a CD player tied in somewhere.

The multi-component requirements of A/V systems are similar to those with a computer. There is usually a central processing unit (CPU), printer, keyboard and monitor that all work together. Some newer computers have combined the CPU and monitor, but a printer and keyboard are still separate components.

The trick with A/V or computer components is making them easy to use, and attractive at the same time. The case piece shown on the preceding page is a good example of storing all of your com-

There are still plenty of televisions out there that need to tuck into a storage space. While that's good for storage, it's not so good for viewing. That's when a turntable makes sense. This slide/turntable allows the television to pull forward and rotate to present the best viewing aspect to the seating arrangement in the room. These swivels are rated for hundreds of pounds and will easily support a large unit. The pocket doors (seen tucked back into the cabinet) are another way to hide the television when it's not in use, and special hardware keeps the doors from interfering with the view while you're watching.

puter needs in an accessible cabinet, but still having the option of simply shutting the doors to hide all the components quickly and easily.

Flat-panel screens on both televisions and computers have changed the storage needs in a positive way for both types of systems. While most stereo and computer components measure a reasonable 12" to 15" in depth, the monitor of tube-style television can require 20" of depth, dramatically affecting the appearance of a storage unit.

Designing cabinetry around components is a topic in its own and one that we tackled in depth in the previous issue of Popular Woodworking, ("Entertaining Designs," June 2006, issue #155). So

I'll just say that making sure you have adequate space (for now and the future) is a critical first step in storing A/V and computer components. One accessory that's available for standard televisions is a slide/swivel unit (shown below left) that makes storage convenient while still making viewing user-friendly.

Once you've addressed the location and organization of your components, it's time to tackle the wiring. This can be a huge mess - one that you'd probably prefer to do once and never have to tackle again. Unfortunately that's not usually how we work. There's always a reason to replace or relocate a component, and that means pulling a cabinet away from a wall, crawling behind it and disconnect-

While the two photos above are an obvious marketing ploy, they're effective. The photo on the left shows a tangled mess of wires that are not only confusing, but likely to become tangled and disconnected. One wire management solution is shown above on the right, channeling all the loose wires through a central conduit that allows access along the length of the conduit. One other problem is reaching the wires to keep them tidy. The picture to the left shows a pull-out mechanism that allows the components to slide out of the cabinet and then rotate to provide easy access.

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