HDTV Flat Panel Custom Unit

[RayintheUK]

I've now finished the corner unit to replace a 50" back-projection TV with a 52" plasma flat panel. The unit was to fit onto an existing plinth and match a large hi-fi cabinet I'd installed in the opposite corner (in February, 2004). The sides had to be left fairly "open" because of the output from a very large sub-base unit in the corner, so there was no opportunity to make the overall shape to exactly match the plinth footprint.

The most interesting part was making a louvre panel to conceal the large front center JBL speaker. This involved making a Norm-style jig (details at the end of this thread).

Construction was in 3/4" ply, wrapped in sapele. The cupboards are 20" deep, 19" tall including the skirting and 12" wide. The panel is 24" wide. Door and panel rails and stiles in 3/4" sapele. Door panels from 3/8" ply. Stained in Georgian Mahogany, then Danish Oil, then poly.

Due to the shape of the shelves, clamping the wrapping while the glue cured was a bit of a pain:



Overall view:



The twin cupboards and custom louvre panel:



I'm pleased with how the panel turned out:



Top shelf is 1/2" ply dadoed into a 4" piece of 3/4" sapele to prevent sagging, as the span is over 5 feet.



Thanks for looking!

Ray.

[Whaler]

WOW! It's beautiful.

[poolhound]

Nice unit Ray

I have the beginnings of some plans (2 more ahead of it though) for something similar to support and house my 61" DLP. It is also in a corner.

I thought the choice of louvres for the center chanel was interesting. Do you find that this causes and distortion or directional challenges? I would have thought that the louvres would cause the sound to be deflected and bounce around strangely.

My current idea is to have the center channel behind a frame filled with acoustic neutral material similar to the front of a regular speaker cabinet.

Did you test with and without the louvr'd cover?

Jon

[RayintheUK]

I thought the choice of louvres for the center chanel was interesting. Do you find that this causes and distortion or directional challenges? I would have thought that the louvres would cause the sound to be deflected and bounce around strangely.

My current idea is to have the center channel behind a frame filled with acoustic neutral material similar to the front of a regular speaker cabinet.

Did you test with and without the louvr'd cover?

Jon

I can't assist you here, Jon. The panel was at the client's specific request (I could have done without having to make a louvre panel jig!). The front center speaker is a powered JBL - the client is a DJ and a sound fanatic. With the old back-projector TV, the JBL was right in the corner above the unit. He states that the sound is much improved now and as long as he's pleased, I'm pleased!

Ray.

[Popeye]

Hey Ray,..... Anybody ever tell you that you do good work? If the they have, then they were wrong!! You do Great work. That's just awsome buddy. Pat

[atgcpaul]

Slow down! You're making the rest of us look bad.

Very nice work. I think you're in the lead this year for
most prolific woodworker.


Paul

[bigsteel15]

Hey Ray,..... Anybody ever tell you that you do good work? If the they have, then they were wrong!! You do Great work. That's just awsome buddy. Pat

DITTO to that.
It must be the quantity of clamps you use...

What the heck is sapele?

[Tom Miller]

Looks great, Ray!

Regards,
Tom
p.s. Your link to the louvre jig thread needs an edit. The url starts with "panelhttp://...." for some reason.

[RayintheUK]

What the heck is sapele?

In the UK, Brian, it's commonly known as "poor man's mahogany". Here's a quote from Wikipedia:

"Sapele, Sapelli or Aboudikro (Entandrophragma cylindricum) is a large tree, up to 45 m high (rarely reaching 60 m), native to tropical Africa.

Uses

The commercially important wood is reminiscent of mahogany, with a distinctive figure, typically applied where figure is important. Among its more exotic uses is that in guitar manufacturing, in the back and sides of acoustic guitar bodies, for example by well known guitar manufacturers such as Taylor (USA) and Esteve (Spain).
Sapele is also a city in southwestern Nigeria, located in Delta State, and the timber center which was the original source of the wood." HTH

Thanks for the heads-up on the bad link to the previous post, Tom - edited and now working.

Ray.

[Luckbox]

Wow, very nice.

[Turaj]

Wow

That looks great! Beautiful work Ray!

[meika123]

Absolutely beautiful work, Ray. That TV looks shockingly like my new Plasma.

Dave in NC

[drumpriest]

Nice Ray, very well done.

[mater]

That is beautiful Ray. You did excellent work on it.

[KenBurris]

WOW! It's beautiful.

oh,i dont know... something there looks a little Goofy to me