How to Build a Television Cabinet

Create a Beautiful TV Cabinet in Your Home

Learning how to build a television cabinet is simple and gives you the power to customize your final product to match the style and feel of the rest of your home. Following these instructions, you can build a cabinet that will hold a 27 inch TV and a few extras such as a DVD player or cable box. You'll also have room for DVDs.

Things You'll Need

• Solid maple
• Maple stock
• Veneer-core (plywood)

Instructions

Simple Steps Toward a Great TV Cabinet

1. 

   Choose the materials your cabinet will be made out of. A popular and sturdy choice is solid maple. Throw in some veneer-core for the panels, sides, back and shelves, and finally get some maple stock for the doorframes.

2. 

   Cut ¾ inch panels for the sides of the case, the shelves and partition of the drawer. Glue 13/16 inch maple stripes to the front edges of the sides, and then center the strips so they reach beyond the panel equally on both sides. Install some edge banding on the ends and front edge of what will be the cabinet bottom, and then use miter joints at the corners.

3. 

   Create a 24 ¾ inch wide maple top by gluing together several pieces of the maple stock. You can use glued butt joints to help hold the pieces together, or use joining plates to help with further alignment. When glue is dry, use a straightedge and circular saw to cut the panel to size.

4. 

   Spread out the joining plate positions for what will be the panels of the cabinet, and cut slots. Use a straight edge to assist with this.
   Cut slots (rabbets) along the back edges of the cabinet sides. Then cut the molding for the middle shelf and sides of the cabinet. The middle shelf should come out of a maple blank that is approximately 48 inches long, 4 inches wide and 2/4 inches thick. Use a table saw to rip the molding away as needed.
   Use more joining plates and screws to join the middle shelf up with the drawer partition. Screws work well to fasten everything together -- avoid glue for this part. 2 inch No. 8 screws are ideal.

Tips & Warnings

• Purchase 10 to15 percent more wood than you need, to make room for mistakes. Make a cut list and diagrams before you begin construction. Choose hardware that is compatible and complimentary to your wood choice.

• Using the most inexpensive wood available will give you a cheap-looking final result. Take your time - you don't want to display something in your living room that looks like a rush job. Take caution using power tools, always putting safety first.

References

• Popular Mechanics
• About Cabinets

Resources

• Amateur Woodworking