A/V cabinet

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  • JeffG78
    Established Member
    • Jan 2007
    • 385
    • Northville, Michigan - a Detroit suburb
    • BT3100

    A/V cabinet

    When I remodelled my living room, I installed a flat screen TV above the fireplace and decided to hide all of the components in the basement to save space and keep the clutter down. I bought an IR repeater to handle the remote controls so that the components could be located out of line of sight.

    This leads me to my latest project. I built a cabinet that hangs from the floor joists below the living room. I placed it so that I could walk behind it for easy access to the rear of the components. I made it from cabinet grade plywood, painted it black and used speaker grill fabric to cover the front and back doors for proper air flow. I wanted to hinge the doors, but due to limited space, I didn't have room to swing them. Instead, I epoxied steel dowel pins into the doors and inserted magnets in the cabinet holes to hold the doors tight.

    Keep in mind that this cabinet hangs in my basement behind the furnace, so nobody will ever see it. It didn't have to be pretty or furniture quality. I think it came out okay and should serve its purpose well. The top shelf will hold my home theater receiver, but I don't have the receiver or speaker system yet, so for now it will just house a small subwoofer for speakers that are hidden behind chairs upstairs. I just finished the cabinet and added the components in tonight, so I haven't taken the time yet to tidy up the cables or put away my tools. This was my first attempt at using a dado and my BT mounted router.

    Cabinet under construction


    Front of installed cabinet with door off


    Front of cabinet with door on


    Rear of cabinet with door off


    Rear of cabinet with door on (not sure why pic is spotty)
    Last edited by JeffG78; 03-31-2008, 09:35 AM. Reason: Updated links
  • Pappy
    The Full Monte
    • Dec 2002
    • 10453
    • San Marcos, TX, USA.
    • BT3000 (x2)

    #2
    It looks to be functional, which was the idea. The doors appear to be cloth over a frame. Should keep out dust and still allow plenty of air flow.
    Don, aka Pappy,

    Wise men talk because they have something to say,
    Fools because they have to say something.
    Plato

    Comment

    • LCHIEN
      Internet Fact Checker
      • Dec 2002
      • 20913
      • Katy, TX, USA.
      • BT3000 vintage 1999

      #3
      putting the subwoofer in the basement doesn't help much, it needs to be int he same room as the people watching.
      Loring in Katy, TX USA
      If your only tool is a hammer, you tend to treat all problems as if they were nails.
      BT3 FAQ - https://www.sawdustzone.org/forum/di...sked-questions

      Comment

      • JeffG78
        Established Member
        • Jan 2007
        • 385
        • Northville, Michigan - a Detroit suburb
        • BT3100

        #4
        Yeah, I know, but it is a simple little bookshelf stereo that is only being used for music as it has no inputs to be used as a home theater receiver. I only just put the speakers in the living room a few weeks ago so we could listen to Christas music while we decorated the tree.

        The sub's power and signal wires are permanently connected to the sub with weird connectors at the stereo end. The wire connectors won't fit through the existing holes in the living room hardwood floor and aren't long enough to reach anyway. Since it's temporary, rather than cutting the wires to fit through the hole and extending them to reach the stereo, I just left the sub in the basement. I don't really notice much difference without it. Hopefully I will be able to afford the home theater receiver and speakers one of these days and the bookshelf stereo can become my shop stereo.

        Comment

        • wareagle
          Forum Newbie
          • Mar 2006
          • 66

          #5
          Very cool. Simple design and functional.

          Comment

          • JeffG78
            Established Member
            • Jan 2007
            • 385
            • Northville, Michigan - a Detroit suburb
            • BT3100

            #6
            Originally posted by Pappy
            The doors appear to be cloth over a frame. Should keep out dust and still allow plenty of air flow.
            I used the same 3/4" plywood for the doors and cut out the middle leaving a 1-1/4" border with gussets at the corners. It was quicker than building frames for doors and I figured it would be plenty strong.

            Comment

            • SARGE..g-47

              #7
              Very clever Jeff... and possibly a first! At least it's the first time I have ever heard of or seen that done. But then again... I may have multiple neighbors that have done it as I don't go in their basement.

              Comment

              • mater
                Veteran Member
                • Jan 2004
                • 4197
                • SC, USA.

                #8
                Sounds like a good idea and it works. If I had a basement I might give a try.
                Ken aka "mater"

                " People may doubt what you say but they will never doubt what you do "

                Ken's Den

                Comment

                • JeffG78
                  Established Member
                  • Jan 2007
                  • 385
                  • Northville, Michigan - a Detroit suburb
                  • BT3100

                  #9
                  Originally posted by mater
                  Sounds like a good idea and it works. If I had a basement I might give a try.
                  The inconvienience of running to the basement to change a DVD (which we don't often watch) is more than offset by the space we gain in the living room. There isn't much space and it's an old house without room for a free standing cabinet or built-in unit. I also hate trying to reach behind components to mess with cables. This way I have the backs of the components at eye level with plenty of light.

                  After I decided to put the components in the besement, I toured five high-end houses in a Parade of Homes where they all had basement theater rooms. In every house, the components were hidden. Some were just outside the theater rooms, some in unfinished parts of the basement, and others were behind the seats in a built-in, lighted cabinet. Since the rooms would be dark for TV viewing, it makes it easier to change a DVD without turning on the lights and blinding everybody in the room. I used a simple IR repeater while all of these houses used a more advanced RF remote system. If anyone is thinking hiding components, the system I bought is made by Xantech and works great.

                  Comment

                  • iceman61
                    Senior Member
                    • Oct 2007
                    • 699
                    • West TN
                    • Bosch 4100-09

                    #10
                    Just an idea: For the future you might want to look at a media player & a network storage device to rip & store your DVD' on. That way you don't have to run downstairs to change a movie. All your movies can be accessed from your TV screen & a remote. You can also store & access any music or photos you store on it from your TV.

                    Comment

                    • JimD
                      Veteran Member
                      • Feb 2003
                      • 4187
                      • Lexington, SC.

                      #11
                      My sub is in the basement ceiling. Our first floor is supported by webbed trusses that are about 16 inches tall. I made a 4 cubic foot box that fit between the trusses and has the 12 inch sub at a 45 degree angle. The sub projects through a fake heat vent (a real vent, it is just not hooked up to the HVAC). My sub has it's own 100W amp and adds a lot of realism. When it is reproducing really low sounds, you can feel air moving out the heat vent.

                      Jim

                      Comment

                      • lrogers
                        Veteran Member
                        • Dec 2002
                        • 3853
                        • Mobile, AL. USA.
                        • BT3000

                        #12
                        Very interesting idea. Don't think I would have thought of doing that.
                        Larry R. Rogers
                        The Samurai Wood Butcher
                        http://splash54.multiply.com
                        http://community.webshots.com/user/splash54

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