first project - media console

[Pete Cavanaugh]

I've been lurking this forum for a short while now, trying to soak up as much knowledge and inspiration from all the members as I can, and having finally finished my first project, thought I would share a few photos.

I moved in with my girlfriend in October, and after sorting through all our stuff, we decided we needed a media console. And so I went to work...

On impulse and as a not-so-subtle nudge for me to pick up my grandfather's woodworking skills, my mom bought me a small tablesaw from home depot several birthdays ago. It was incredibly generous, buuut I live in Brooklyn and space isn't really something we come by. Luckily my old apartment had roof access and nice neighbors, so I was able to do all the rough cuts on the roof before I moved into my girlfriend's apartment.

After that, though, I was relegated to turning our living room into my workshop for a few hours at a time over the course of a couple months. It was less than ideal, obviously, but it was a blast and after no complaints from the neighbors after chiseling out rabbets, I'm already thinking about my next projects.

Mishaps abound, as this is the first project I put any real energy in, but everything is still standing for now.
thanks for looking, and comments and criticism more than appreciated. And thank you all for the inspiring work and conversation I've found on this board.

drawing.jpgroof.jpgphoto (1).jpgphoto.jpgfingerjoint.JPGconsole1.jpg

[Peter Gavin]

Very Very Cool!! What kind of wood is that? I hope you don't mind a comment? I would be very worried that that top shelf will sag if you put any weight on it. GO here to get an estimate of what will happen.

http://www.woodbin.com/calcs/sagulator.htm

Is their any way you could provide support that would be hidden behind components etc?

Great job and great first post.

Peter

[Brett Bobo]

Hi Pete,
Welcome to the Creek and very well done for your first project! Being in Texas, I take shop space for granted so it's inspiring to see what can be completed without the luxury and conveniences of a dedicated shop.

Peter beat me to it but the span of the top shelf may be a potential concern, whether it be long-term creep and/or the weight of the contents on top of it.

The wood appears to be walnut, no? What's the secondary wood for the back panels? How did you finish the piece?

Keep up the good work!

[paul cottingham]

Very nice indeed. I, too, would be concerned about that top shelf sagging. I think I would support it with dividers placed over the bottom supports.

[Pete Cavanaugh]

thanks for the feedback, guys. i wasn't quite sure what i could get away with in the top shelf and was hoping to leave it open, but will definitely be looking to slide some dividers in to combat the inevitable.
thanks for that "sagulator" site, peter. much more reliable than gently pushing on some boards and scratching my head.
main body is walnut and the back panels are oak plywood and finished just with danish oil...i'm not sure how i feel about the combination, but the panels are mostly obscured by records anyway.