Initial Workspace

I have started making preliminary CAD models of the Corner Entertainment Center.  I first created an assembly in Alibre Design, and then added a part called Workspace to the assembly.

In this workspace part, I drew the area of the room in which the entertainment center was going to sit.  Basically I drew a corner of a room.  Nothing dramatic here, just two walls and a floor.  I did this to help visualize the area in which the piece was going to live.

I then created a new part called TV.  Using dimensions given on the stores website, I drew the television as best as I could.  As long as the overall sizes are close it will serve its purpose.  I really just needed a visual representation so that I can get a sense of scale.

Components

I also made parts for the different components that needed to fit into the entertainment center itself.  These were basically just “boxes” drawn to scale.  Again, I found the dimensions for each component either on the website where the component was purchased, or the manufacturers website.  All of these components, including the TV, were placed into the assembly and moved “roughly” into position.  Of course, now they are just floating in the air in the corner of the room.

At this point, I really needed to start roughing in the entertainment center itself.  First I drew the top and angled the ends in order to see how this was going to fit into the corner.  I started out making the top the maximum length that would fit in this particular space.  I didn’t want to get too detailed in drawing the main carcass for the entertainment center quite yet, so I started out by just drawing a box and then just sketched in some details in order to visualize the end product.  Until I get the overall shape and size  to look right, I am not going to start drawing any individual parts.

Finished Workspace

Shown to the right is what I have come up with for a concept design.  What I have decided to do is to make the entertainment center “reversible”.  Because of the angled ends, I think it will look better up against a flat wall if the back becomes the front.  This will present some design challenges when I get down to the details, but for now that is the plan.

Also, I decided to do a few renderings of the entertainment center for a couple of reasons.  First, to help get a better sense of what the final product might look like, both front and back.  This will help me get a better sense of what it will look like if I turn it around and put it up against a wall.  Secondly, well, because it was just a lot of fun. 

Shown below are some of the different renderings that I did. Rendering 4 shows what the entertainment center will look like when it is turned around.

As with any of the images on the site, click on them to enlarge them for a better view.

Rendering 1

Rendering 2

Rendering 3

Rendering 4

The first step will be to list all of the design requirements, and the first requirement is going to be about the space in which the piece will be  sitting.  The piece will be sitting in a corner of a room, rather than directly up against the wall, hence the name “Corner Entertainment Center”.  The unique design challenge here is that eventually it will be placed up against a wall and not in the corner.

What this means is that this cannot be a “built in” cabinet, it will need to be a movable piece of furniture.  My initial thought is to make a credenza style entertainment center.  The problem is that a credenza doesn’t really look good in a corner of a room.  However, if I were to angle the ends of the credenza it would be a better fit in the corner.

But, what would this look like up against a wall?  This might look a bit odd because now the ends would angle inwards toward the wall.  I am not sure if this would be aesthetically acceptable or not.  I will have to do some sketches and some mock up CAD work and see what it looks like.

The next requirement is that there will be a 55″ HDTV sitting on top of the entertainment center.  The TV is about 52″ wide so the top of the entertainment center has to be at least that long.  The diagonal measurement across the corner is 81″, so the length can be between 52″ and 81″.

The next requirement is going to relate to storage capacity.  It needs to be  able to house several components such as a DVD player, Stereo, DVR, and a Wii gaming system.  It also needs storage for DVD’s, CD’s, Wii games and controllers.

So, here is the list of requirements that I have so far for the corner entertainment center.

• Movable piece of furniture (not built in)
• It needs to look good in a corner as well as up against a flat wall
• The length needs to be between 52″ and 81″
• Lots of storage capacity

Now, off to the drawing board! Or should I say the computer.  Hmmm.  I am already there.  I guess I better get to work.

Generally when I am working on things like this I am trying to work quickly because I just want to be done with it.  It is not the kind of work I really enjoy.  Because of this, I rarely clean up after myself and I eventually end up with a very cluttered workshop that is impossible to work in because I can’t find anything.  It almost begins to feel claustrophobic.

After putting everything back in place, I began trying to reorganize a few things.  When doing so, I came across several unfinished projects.  They are all personal projects that I was working on at one time or another, when something more important would come along that I needed to make.  My project would get set aside in a corner or on a shelf, while I finished the “important” project.  Then… it was forgotten.

I found two partially made mission style lamps that were to be for our living room.  They were about half completed.

I found three marquetry mirrors that are about 80% complete.  At one time I had made several of these mirrors, either for clients or friends, but apparently I had started a few more and did not complete them.

I found a business card holder that was only about 25% complete.  There were some small intricate parts that, at the time, I did not have the proper tools to make safely.

I found the parts of a chisel mallet that is about 75% complete.  I just need to finish gluing the handle to the head and then sand it and it will be completed.

Actually, come to think of it, my router table has never really been completed.  When I first started woodworking, I had ordered the plans for Norm Abram’s router table.  It is about 95% complete, but I never finished the large bottom drawer.  All of the wood is cut, and the drawer slides are sitting where the drawer would be.

Maybe my new years resolution this year should be to finish up the unfinished projects.  The next time I am bored, (which rarely happens these days), I can’t blame it on not having anything to do. 

The frame for this net made out of laminated Walnut and White Ash. The inlaid fish is also made out of Walnut. The plan called for 3/32″ thick strips, but mine were closer to 1/8″.

I made an MDF form to use as a clamping fixture.  This was my first attempt at bentwood lamination, and I made a few mistakes in the planning of it all.  First, my clamping fixture could have been designed a little better.  I didn’t have enough room for the number of clamps that I ended up using.  I also should have done a “dry” glue up to see how everything was going work.  It was definitely one of those chaotic mad dash glue ups.

I also used too much glue and it ran everywhere.  Everything was slipping and sliding all over the place.  After it dried I had a LOT of dried glue to remove and uneven strips to sand down. It was a lot of work, but well worth the effort.

To attach the net I drilled small holes all around the frame and then pushed a loop of the net through each one. Then I took a piece of leather shoe string and put it through one hole in the frame and tied it off. Then wrapped the leather around the outside of the frame going through each loop of the net as I went around. At the other end I push the leather through the last hole and tied it off.

The frame has a small groove around the outside, but the leather string I used was thicker than the grooove was deep. A soft cotton net is what I really wanted to use but I couldn’t find one, so I settled for a nylon net.

I have made a couple of these now, and have given them away at Christmas to family members.

Mary Kay Give Away Display

A couple of years ago, I had a client who sold Mary Kay cosmetics.  She wanted me to build her a display that she could place near the cash registers at local businesses.  People could fill out an entry form and place it inside the display in order to win prizes.

She wanted the display to be a little nicer and have more class than the usual cardboard box or fish bowl that you normally see for these types of things.  She also did not want it to have a very large footprint.  Business owners would be more likely to let her place it on their counter if it didn’t take up too much room.  It also couldn’t be too small or else it wouldn’t be noticeable.

The display also needed to have some sort of “back” to it so that a pad of entry forms could hang from it.  Above the entry pads, their had to be enough room for a sign explaining what the entry forms were for.

I decided that even though this project was not going to be a very large one, I really needed to go through the entire design process.  The design needed to be more than just a rough sketch before I started building it.

Cad Design

The first thing I did was to make a prototype out of some cardboard.  This was just to determine the overall size of the display.  I wanted to get a good visual of the size to show my client.  I ended up making a couple of different sizes to present.  This part of the process really only took about 1/2 an hour.  I basically cut up a few pieces of cardboard and taped them together to form a box for the different sizes.  I also mocked up the “back” with some cardboard as well.

Once this was done, I began modeling the design in my CAD software.  This allowed me to get all of the joints figured out, as well as give a nice visual representation of the style for my client.  Between the cardboard mock-ups and the 3 dimensional CAD design, I felt that I had enough to show the client and see if she wanted to move forward from there.

Display Closeup

From the very beginning, I had a certain image in my head as to what the box should look like.  I didn’t consciously design it with an Asian flair, but that is how it turned out.  The curved legs, and curved edging of the top accomplish this.  I also wanted to add some marquetry to it as well.  I decided on a very simple rose pattern for the front of the box.

I have always liked the contrast between walnut and maple and decided to use them on this project.  In this case, I would use some curly maple that I had left over from another project.  I would also use purple-heart and cherry on the rose.

Rear View

My client loved the size and design that I had come up with, and gave her approval for going ahead with the project.  It was at this point that I decided I would need some jigs and patterns made up so that I would be able to make several of these.  In order to come up with the jigs and patterns, I built a prototype of the box out of MDF and pine.

The prototype allowed be to work out some of the challenges of creating some of the curved pieces and the joinery. The legs of the piece are curved on two faces, not just tapered.  Once the prototype was complete, I began making boxes.

Marquetry Mirror

This hand held mirror was one of my first attempts at marquetry. I saw the plan in the June 2000 issue of Wood Magazine and immediately decided I wanted to try my hand at it. It was challenging to say the least.  I made 2 or three attempts at the marquetry before I had results that I was satisfied with.

The outer part of the frame is made of black Walnut, and the back panel is made of Curly Maple. The rose petals are made of Purple Heart, while the stem is made of Cherry.  These are all woods that I had worked with before, and they compliment each other beautifully.

Mirror Inlay

I made the marquetry inlay’s using a Double Bevel technique where the inlay and the hole for the inlay are cut at the same time.  This is done using a scroll-saw and tipping the table of the scroll-saw on an angle.  The angle depends on the thickness of the inlay stock and the thickness of the blade being used.  If done properly, the inlay piece fits perfectly into the hole.

The black band you see around the back panel is actually a black epoxy, which holds the mirror and back panel in place. Once the frame and the inlay in the back panel is done, then everything is assembled centering the back panel in the opening of the frame. Then I mix up some epoxy with some black colorant and pour it into the groove between the frame and the back panel.

Once the epoxy is dry I sand it and the rest of the piece down to 320. What you end up with is what looks like a very smooth looking inlay.  The finish is a clear oil based product called Seal-a-Cell with its companion topcoat called Arm-R-Seal.

Mirror

I have made several of these mirrors now for family and friends.  I have begun coming up with my own designs for the inlays, and have started using the technique on other projects as well.