Oak record/av unit design comments

[al3ph]

Hi all,
I`ve started designing a oak unit/table/sideboard, it`ll have vinyl records in the lower shelves and some av / gaming consoles in the middle and an amp and record player on the top.

I`d just like to get some feed back and make sure I`m not doing anything stupid, this`ll be my first attempt at making something like this :?

I`ve attached a couple rough sketchup iamges to show what I`m trying to do.

The bottom plinth (mitre`d) and top will be chamfered to make them a bit more interesting.

The top will be held on with some buttons, 20mm high, 10mm slot 2 mm gap between top of button and bottom of top (so as to give some tension to hold top in place).

Horizontal shelves will be either biscuit joined or dado jointed (10mm)( not sure which to use, possible dado on bottom shelf and buiscuit on middle), to sides, bottom shelf also buiscuit joined to front plinth.

Shelf partitons either dado or biscuit.

The back is going to be 10mm tongue and groove, located in a slot running around the back

I`m wondering whether I might need an additonal rail along the back to support the bottom shelf, and wheter I should be using biscuits to joint the other shelf, I`m assuming I`ll need to allow 5mm or so at the back to allow for expanstion across the grain.

ps. vinyl records weight a lot, so the bottom shelve will be supporting around 80kg

cheers

al

 

[AndyT]

Hi Al,

You don't say what wood this will be - but I assume from references to expansion that you are planning on using solid wood, not a veneered board.

I'd suggest a few minor changes.

At the top, instead of your table-top style buttons, I'd put stretchers across the front and back, dovetailed into the tops of the sides, as is commonly done on chests of drawers. At the back you just need to use the piece you have drawn, but lay it on its side not on edge. At the front, it will be hidden by the similar sized piece you have drawn, or you could just use the same piece, according to how you want the appearance. These will hold the sides in nice and square independently of the top. You can then manoeuvre and fit the heavy top independently, just using screws through slotted holes in the stretchers. Angle the holes so you can get a screwdriver in.

At the bottom, I would definitely but a long piece across the back, as a fourth side to the plinth, to help take the weight.

Your reference to 5mm at the back for expansion is confusing. As drawn, the grain correctly goes round the outside of the main box, so if the whole unit becomes 5mm shallower, that's not a problem at all. If you are thinking about your back panel, then the T&G absorbs it. Incidentally, a rebate will be much less fiddly than a groove for fixing the back.
Good luck - a nice 'old school' project against the tide of downloads and music away in the clouds!

 

[al3ph]

The wood is in the title Yep it`s solid oak.

Yep stretchers sounds quicker than buttons, less to go wrong and it`ll add extra stability, have to practice dovetails as I haven`t tried those before.
I assume three or four should do, I`ll only really be fighting any cupping .
These go front to back I assume ?

5mm is to allow for expansion of the shelves, hmmm or am I to assume the whole structure will expand front to back so it`ll be fine ?

A slight concern is the side plinth panels, as the grain will run in different direction to the sides, is it likely the plinth panels will pop off ?

Yep good point, rebate would be simpler, some glue and panel pins should be fine.

Yep I still play vinyl on the odd occasion, I`ll got a lovely Michell Engineering Hydraulic Reference record player (like the one in A Clockwork Orange) , doesn`t sound that great to be honest, but looks lovely

Cheers for the pointers!

Hi Al,

You don't say what wood this will be - but I assume from references to expansion that you are planning on using solid wood, not a veneered board.

I'd suggest a few minor changes.

At the top, instead of your table-top style buttons, I'd put stretchers across the front and back, dovetailed into the tops of the sides, as is commonly done on chests of drawers. At the back you just need to use the piece you have drawn, but lay it on its side not on edge. At the front, it will be hidden by the similar sized piece you have drawn, or you could just use the same piece, according to how you want the appearance. These will hold the sides in nice and square independently of the top. You can then manoeuvre and fit the heavy top independently, just using screws through slotted holes in the stretchers. Angle the holes so you can get a screwdriver in.

At the bottom, I would definitely but a long piece across the back, as a fourth side to the plinth, to help take the weight.

Your reference to 5mm at the back for expansion is confusing. As drawn, the grain correctly goes round the outside of the main box, so if the whole unit becomes 5mm shallower, that's not a problem at all. If you are thinking about your back panel, then the T&G absorbs it. Incidentally, a rebate will be much less fiddly than a groove for fixing the back.
Good luck - a nice 'old school' project against the tide of downloads and music away in the clouds!

 

[AndyT]

Oops - missed the oak!

The stretchers only need be about 50mm wide and need only one or two lap dovetails. This link should lead to a diagram from Joyce on furniture making - diagram 10 is the relevant one, and shows a stretcher at the back of a cabinet.

http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=...#v=onepage&q=joyce furniture dovetail&f=false

You're right about the grain problem with the crossways bit of the plinth - ways to avoid it include only glueing the plinth at the front, and nailing it at the back - nails have enough give in them to let go when they need to.

 

[al3ph]

Ah I see now, whats to stop the top lifting off in the middle i.e. cupping across the grain, as this will only anchor the front and back ?

Oops - missed the oak!

The stretchers only need be about 50mm wide and need only one or two lap dovetails. This link should lead to a diagram from Joyce on furniture making - diagram 10 is the relevant one, and shows a stretcher at the back of a cabinet.

http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=...#v=onepage&q=joyce furniture dovetail&f=false

You're right about the grain problem with the crossways bit of the plinth - ways to avoid it include only glueing the plinth at the front, and nailing it at the back - nails have enough give in them to let go when they need to.

 

[AndyT]

Ah I see now, whats to stop the top lifting off in the middle i.e. cupping across the grain, as this will only anchor the front and back ?

Well, it's not really very deep - the method I'm describing is used on quite big chests of drawers - but a lot depends on the quality and dryness of your wood, which I've not seen. You can always add more wood and make it more complicated, but often simple is ok.

 

[SurreyHills]

Is the unit going to be static or will it be moved around? If it's going to be moved then think about making the base, concealed by the plinth, a torsion box to give some rigidity. I would put 45° mitres on the plinth to make them blend in.

Finally, you need to give some thought to cable management, unless you want all the cables coming out of the front. It's going to be a compromise between catering for the A/V equipment, hiding it from view and what's easiest to work into the design. It could be as simple as having a hole/slot in the back corner of the floor of each cube and dropping the cables and taking them out through the back plinth.

 

[al3ph]

Going to be static, very static with 80kg of vinyl
Yep the plinth is going to be mitred, think I mentioned that further up.

Yeah I was going to cut a section out behind the second shelf for the cables to exit, it'll be hidden behind a front surrond speaker. The bottom shelves will be records

cheers

Is the unit going to be static or will it be moved around? If it's going to be moved then think about making the base, concealed by the plinth, a torsion box to give some rigidity. I would put 45° mitres on the plinth to make them blend in.

Finally, you need to give some thought to cable management, unless you want all the cables coming out of the front. It's going to be a compromise between catering for the A/V equipment, hiding it from view and what's easiest to work into the design. It could be as simple as having a hole/slot in the back corner of the floor of each cube and dropping the cables and taking them out through the back plinth.

 

[al3ph]

Finished unit is now posted in the projects forum