Mountain Ash Entertainment Cabinet

Commissioned by the client to suit a living room with extensive wall space to replace their trusted old 'milk crate' arrangement.

He specifically wanted a unit that was as low as possible with a minimum of depth (determined by the TV). Fortunately his living room provided ample wall length to accommodate a unit long enough to provide the storage required. Apart from this criteria I had a lot of freedom to design something a little different. I suggested using some different materials such as aluminium tubing for the feet and as a feature for the centre columns. The equipment shelves also feature aluminium plate braced by an Oak frame. Jarrah was also be used as a feature to highlight the cabinet.

At 2800 mm long the unit needed to made in two or three pieces. Three units allowed the best configuration to set up the equipment in the centre unit with two end cabinets used for storage. Due to the floor being uneven the feet needed to be adjustable in height. The solution is pictured below. I wanted to hide any workings from sight so the Jarrah dowels slide in the aluminium sleeves. It was a complicated and time consuming solution but the end result looks great - there are 15 of them!

As for the construction of the cabinet, it is entirely glued together using tenons and dovetails for strength and only a couple of hidden s/s screws. I've gave a lot of attention to ensuring the construction would allow for the wood to move from season to season. Something I've learnt the hard way from a previous project! A detailed example of one of the end cabinets is pictured below. The back panels are simply plywood slotted freely into channels cut in the upright supports.

Dimensions: approx. 2800(L)x600(W)x500(H)