Popular Woodworking 2006-08 № 156, страница 45

While an enclosed cabinet provides a clean look, it makes it difficult to manage wires and to allow proper ventilation. Shown here are a few products to keep things cool and organized while not affecting the look of your cabinetry too much. At top left are a couple of wire grommets. Holes are cut in the top or side surfaces of your cabinets and the grommets slip into the hole. While the round grommets take up less space, they are often too small to handle larger computer cable connectors. That's what the oval grommet is for. Also shown are a couple of ventilation grommets that are installed the same manner as the wire grommets. They allow air to circulate in the cabinetry while offering a "finished" exterior.

ing everything (and hoping you remember where everything goes).

Managing the wires and cabling so that it's organized is good for appearance, but even more important because it doesn't take much to accidentally disconnect a wire when shifting components. There are a number of different wire-management systems available, but most are flexible plastic conduits that corral the wires in a single tube, as shown on the previous page. Some of these conduits are left to hang free, while others are mounted to the cabinet to more efficiently direct the wiring.

That's half the battle, but you still have to get to the back of the components to make changes. One of the most convenient options we've seen is a pull-out mechanism that slides the components into the room and then swivels to make access a snap (this device is shown on the previous page).

Wire conduit connects the components when they're close together, but there are lots of situations where components aren't near each other. The printer for your computer may need to be on a separate shelf or compartment and that means running cable through the cabinet sides, top or shelves. Cable grommets are a tidy way to dress up the wiring holes in your cabinet. While the hole is still there, the grommet helps blend the hole with the cabinet and even allows the larger connector on the end of the cord to pass through, but can then be closed to allow an opening large enough for just the cord itself. Neat.

Other useful grommets include those for ventilation. Whether it's a computer or a stereo system, the components heat up, and not only when they're running. To keep things cool, air needs to be able to circulate inside the cabinet. Cutting ventilation holes in the cabinet back or sides is one ventilation method and there are grommets to help "dress up" these holes as well.

There are also small ventilator fans that can be mounted in cabinet sides to not only allow air to circulate, but to create air movement to quickly dissipate the heat. All of these options will extend the life of your expensive components.

That takes care of the components, but we still need to store the discs. Whether on DVD or CD, your movies, music and software can take up a fair

Media storage is another big part of keeping things organized and tidy. Whether it's your collection of compact discs or your DVDs, there are dozens of inserts for vertical or horizontal storage of all these music and video formats. The inserts shown here are built into a drawer at chest height. When the drawer is pulled open, it's easy to view and access the discs you want.

amount of space in your cabinets. Storage options can be as simple as a set of shallow shelves at the sides of a main cabinet, or as complicated as drawers designed with a variety of manufactured inserts to perfectly fit your discs.

Shown below is an option that provides hidden storage while still offering maximum capacity and convenience. The drawer is built to open to the side rather than the top, and is built into a storage unit. Manufactured inserts keep the discs separated and in place.

When preparing storage for any medium, remember to measure the discs and cases as appropriate. While there are standard sizes, DVD movie "collections" and compact disc anthologies can throw all of your careful storage plans right out the window.

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