[rprice54]

After my last project (walnut jewelry box) I really wanted to make this out of walnut, but the plywood ran a bit much for the current budget. I 'needed' to find a place for a large TV I got from my father-in-law (I traded my old Ryobi TS for it) and decided to make my own. Nothing fancy about the wood, just plywood for the frame, pine for the face frame and door frames, MDF for the raised panels (heavy but cheap and flat).

I got a Craftsman rail-stile bit for Christmas- the joints aren't perfect but they work. The raised panels I made on the TS. The bottom box has holes for adjustable shelves (a great router jig I learned from here) but I haven't put any in yet. The area above the TV also has an adjustable shelf.

The hardware is from Rockler including the wrap around doors. Pocket doors would have blown the budget as well.

The finish is flat black paint on top of white primer. I distressed some of the edges and profiles, and then coated it with poly. We wanted a well-worn appearance, I don't know how it shows up in the pics. I learned it is now time for a paint spray gun...

Like everything else I do now I designed it in Google Sketchup and provided some pics from there as well. We like it.

 

[rprice54]

RE: Boatbed- actually, I'm getting ready to make bed #2 for boy #2. Luckily I kept my hardboard templates and extra large circle cutting jig for the front and headboard... That's been one of my most rewarding projects so far.

Re: hinges- http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=259&filter=270 hinge

To be honest, the hardest part was finishing it. The construction is pretty simple, square pieces of ply with some dados and rabbets. The doors were a lot more work, but a good learning experience. Beats paying $1700 for a similar piece in a furniture magazine we get.

 

[rprice54]

I love it. It makes planning, machining, and assembly so much easier. I can 'build' it piece by piece and it helps me think through the joints, order of assembly, and can give you measurements based off other pieces.

When I was making the boatbed I knew the dimensions of the frame the triangular drawers would sit in, and sketchup told me the exact angles and the dimensions I needed. My trig and geometry have long passed me by...

Plus you get a good visual feel for the overall look and balance of the item you're building.

I like it because I design all my ideas based off of my own ideas and pictures. I haven't used any commercial plans yet- not that I wouldn't if I found something that fit the bill.