Family Room built-in entertainment center & cabinets

[Jeffrey Schronce]

I have to disagree about biscuits not adding strength. For an application like an edging, using biscuits will add contact area for the glue so it will add strength. I agree with the comments about needing them, however. You don't. Unless you cannot get good contact between the edging and the MDF. They are a quick and easy insurance policy, however. I used them when I put an oak edge on the countertop for my cabinets.

Jim

There is an aweful lot of research floating around in the last few months that indicate biscuits add very little strength from vertical pressure as you would experience on a edge band. They will assist in preventing pulling apart, but honestly if your stuff is pulling apart you have glue problems. Standard yellow PVA wood glue will provide all the strength you need for an edge band.

Note the suggestion on sizing with thinned glue. Very good idea.

Edit: BTW, I agree that you have designed a great looking project!

[jziegler]

Gary,

Overall your design looks good to me. The heat will probably be an issue both for the components and the TV, but there are already some suggestions for dealing with that. Have you thought about installing a repote control repeater of some sort so that the doors to the bottom cabinet don't need to be opened for the remote(s) to work?

For attaching the MDF and holding it in place while the glue dries, confirmat screws could be another possibility. I ordered some from McFeely's a while ago and they work well. Not terribly cheap, but good. I got them to fix a problem where I made a case that the shelves were slightly different lengths, and it solved the problem well. Not the solution I wanted, but it worked.

Now, a picky question about your speakers, which you might not care about. Are the speakers rear vented, sealed, or something else? If the speakers are rear vented, putting them in enclosed spaces like you are planning to do may significantly (and negatively) change their sound quality. Rear vented speakers need open space behind them, and many people say the more the better. If the speakers are sealed (or front vented, which is uncommon) they would be ideal for this type of application. Also, you probably should take of their front grills if you can so you aren't doubling up on the grill cloth.

Jim

[GaryA]

Thanks Jim. I am going to go with an IR repeater behind the doors. I looked at the Confirmat, and then ran into the Spax screws at HD locally before I got a chance to order them. The Spax are MDF & hardwood self-tapping and don't split in MDF. They turned out really well.

My B&W speakers are front vented, so I guess I should be alright (maybe baffle the cabinet cavity??)?. Good idea on removing the grill. Anybody have suggestions on speaker clotch (was thinking Rocklers) & technique (do I just do rail & stile with a rabbet & tack the cloth or does there need to be some type of mesh behind it like you see in most speakers?).

Here is the progress so far (see pictures). The base unit is built and in place - no doors yet, and I'm going to do the base cap tonight probably. For the doors I was thinking of just a flat recessed panel with an applied molding (poplar for the rail & stiles & 1/4 birch ply for the panel?? Should I just rabbet the back of the r&s's, (I dont need to groove it as you would a raised panel, do I?).

Thanks

[footprintsinconc]

Gary,

Do you have any more progress pictures?

regards,

[GaryA]

Gary,

Do you have any more progress pictures?

regards,

Not yet Omar. But, took my wife & kids to the airport this weekend to go to her sisters .....so, having uninterupted shop time - I'll be making a lot of sawdust this weekend! Going to try and work on the doors next...will post when make some progress. Thanks

[footprintsinconc]

cool! i am going to try to do some ww this weekend aswell.

[JimD]

Jeffrey,

I think you may be referring to the article in Wood. It demonstrated that biscuits are not so great for joining narrow pieces which makes sense if you look at a biscuit. They are long and not very wide. I think they used #0 biscuits in the test and they were weaker than pocket screws. They don't prove much about how biscuits work when pieces are wider and you can use #20 biscuits.

I think it was Fine Woodworking but it may have been Fine Homebuilding that tested door joints several years ago. They tested dowels, biscuits and mortise and tenons. Biscuits were second to mortise and tenon. I built a house full of doors for our last house with biscuit joints. They all held up fine. If you are forced to use #0 or #00 biscuits then you will not get much strength. If you can use #20, and especially if you can use multiple #20, biscuits can make a pretty strong joint.

Changing subjects, my speakers do not have grill cloths. I have never had a lot of luck making them. I used metal grills. We like the look but it is probable that not everybody would. I didn't put anything on the tweeters - they are piezo so they do not need protection.

Jim

[footprintsinconc]

gary, did you paint the carcass and then cut the dadoos? did you spray it or paint it on?

[GaryA]

gary, did you paint the carcass and then cut the dadoos? did you spray it or paint it on?

I did all cuts first, then primed the pieces, then assembled, then painted. I ended up painting it with a fine roller, which did not yield great results. I tried painting it initially with a Porter-Cable HVLP gun I bought, but as those wiser than I in this forum pointed out (after I explained the blotchy results I was getting), I didn't have enough compressor (CFM). I have since went out and bought an Earlex HVLP spray system, and am certain I'll have better results on the doors (which it doesnt look like I'll get to them this weekend after all)

Question for anyone who may know - with the base carcass installed now in my family room, would it be a bad idea to sand down the (somewhat bumpy) finish I got on the exposed pieces, then repaint with the HVLP? I'm not sure about doing that in the house (even with careful masking)??