This design package includes three TV Stands. One is done in an Early American style, the second is in a modern style, and the other in a modern style featuring cross dowel bolts in the joints. All three look best if done in hardwood, but you can use any materials that suit your budget.
Woodware Design's TV Stands are easy to build and decorate. It usually replaces something ugly, worn out, and cheap, that people have been living with for years.
The Early American style version can either be made from boards that are joined with biscuits or with 3/4 inch plywood with wood strips on the outer edges.The modern style version is made from uniform wooden strips. These can either be store bought or cut from material left over from other projects. The modern style takes less wood. The cross dowel versions is made like the modern version except that it uses European style connector bolts with cross dowel bolts for all the joints. Although these hardware more expensive, costing about $34.00, it is easy to build with and very strong. This hardware can either be locally bought or ordered over the Web (see cut our Rockler link below).
The ends of the Early American style unit can be craved and can serve as well a very first lesson in wood carving.
All three versions of this design are included. These construction notes cover both designs and can be printed out by your Web browser. To get the plans, simply send in this little freebie form.
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You can make one of these boxes by:
After you download the sketches, these notes will help you understand them.
The TV Stand is made from inexpensive wood. The parts are assembled with glue, nails, and screws. The mail order source for any special hardware is given below.
---------- @ 4.50 / bf Subtotal: $54.00 to $100.00
------- Subtotal: $34.00 to $46.00
Finish Subtotal: $19.00
This is only an estimate (made in Winter 2005). The price may vary in your area. Getting a good price on the wood is the best way to keep the price down.
This stand was designed in a small woodshop. It requires the use of a table saw or radial arm saw, drill, and general hand tools.
The cross dowel bolts require a drill of an odd size and a metric allen wrench that you may want to order with their bolts.
The very simple carving can be made with one gouge. The one I use is a 3/16 inch #6 gouge. You also need a small, rounded-edged slip for sharpening it. A simple hand mallet can easily be cut from scrap wood. This is a very easy and fun way to start learning wood carving. Please e-mail me if you would like more information.
This is not intended to be a detailed step-by-step construction guide, but rather a number of points to consider. It is your project and you can build it to suit your likes.
Look over the drawing and decide what you are going to do:
This stand is made from five wide boards held together with screws, dados, and chair leg braces.
The ends and shelves are made from large flat boards. In American Colonial times, boards of this width were common. Today they are not. You may either purchase precluded wood panels, usually make of pine, glue together several boards using biscuits in the edge joints, or cut the boards from plywood and apply an edge trim.
The shelves fit into dado slots in the end boards. The bottom dado does not go all the way to the outside of the leg area. You may wish to make the dados before attaching the extension pieces for the legs. You can make the dados with a table saw, radial arm saw, or router.
Four thin pieces of wood are glued and attached with brads to make the handles stronger and easier to grip.
Four pieces of wood are cut to match the inside of the leg area so that the casters will be installed in to something strong. These pieces have a cut out for the bottom shelf.
This design is made completely from .75 inch by 1.5 inch slats. The required lengths are shown in Sketch #6
The ends assemblies are each made from four pieces. You can use any of the joints shown in Figure #5. I recommend Cross Dowel Bolts. It is best to cut the dado slots without hardware installed.
The six Shelf Supports require a lot of dado slots. You can temporarily gang them together and cut them as a group.
The shelf slats have a dado slot in the ends. The two outside slats on each shelf are cut off slightly.
The cross dowel version is made very like the modern version except that the cross dowel bolts are used for all joints. A paddle drill the exact size of the head is first used to make a 1/8" counter sink. A 5/16" hole is then drilled for the bolt shaft, be careful to drill this hole straight. A hole the exact size of the cross dowel not is drilled up form the bottom of the second piece but does not break out the top. The joint is trial fitted and the bolt shaft hole extended into the second piece. The joint is then trial assembled with the hardware. The joints are glued before final assembly.
The Early American style is assemble by gluing the shelves into the dado slots. You can use screws from the end and plug the holes if you like. The stand is given diagonal strength by installing four chair braces. One is screwed under two shelves in the middle.
The Modern Version is assemble by making the two end assemblies with glue and hardware. The shelves are assembled with glue and screws or nails in drilled holes. The shelves are glued and screwed to the frame.
The casters come with a plastic or metal sleeve that is installed into a hole in the bottom of the foot.
Finish your TV Stand any way you like. I recommend: stain, a spit coat of shellac, and two coats of satin finish polyurethane or modern tung oil.
If you are using hardwood, you can stain it. Be sure to wipe excess stain out of the carving with a cloth before it sets.
A spit coat made of one part 3-pound shellac to five parts shellac thinner makes a good wood sealer.
For this TV Stand I like satin finish-polyurethane or a modern tung oil finish such as:
Formby's Tung Oil FinishTung oil finishes are applied with a cloth pad rather than a brush. Follow the instructions on the bottle carefully and apply a liberal number of applications on areas that will be handled. I would apply the finish over the painted surfaces also to produce a glazed effect, but try this on scrap first.
Do not let excess finish accumulate in the carving.
All that is left is reinstall the hardware and screw a power strip under the middle shelf.
Thanks again for using Woodware Computer Plans. We very much want to know how you are getting along with your project and will be happy to answer any questions by e-mail.
If you send us a picture of your finished TV Stand, we can put it on our Web page. We need pictures of projects with real people standing beside them.