As far as blueprints go, I’ve released a Google SketchUp file. If you don’t have Google SketchUp, it’s a free download for Mac and PC. If you don’t know how to use SketchUp, or can’t figure it out, check back tomorrow because I will have some video tutorials for SketchUp to help out many of the people who have contacted me.

Donovan

My next post will be about working with the SketchUp file. How to get your measurements and how to modify it. It will probably be a screencast, so prepare yourself, I’m extra nasally sounding through a MacBook Pro’s built-in mic.

The thing is, my father’s company has all of the equipment to create all of the pieces after i supply dimensions, which will then be finished and shipped to me (NJ to FL), so I’m trying to error-proof it as much as possible before the pieces are made.

On top of that, I haven’t actually picked out the TV/monitor I’m using and am tempted to just go with a similarly made 32″ to keep your original plans intact.

Thanks again for the response. I had been itching for something just like this and your plans and worklogs have been a godsend.

I’m torn between making a blog post on that specific subject, or just replying to you. So, I’ll try and explain it with words below, and if you are still confused, let me know and I’ll do a proper blog post with pictures.

Width: The total width of the cabinet (from outside side panel to outside side panel) is 32″, so you’ll need to find out if your TV is wider than that or not. Chances are if it’s a 32″ LCD, it’s not. They seem to be just above 31″ wide. That allows the TV to be just inside the side panels so you can use the covers.

Height: You’ll want to measure the height of your TV. If your TV is taller, increase the height of the “hole” going up from the bottom. The TV is mostly held in the cabinet using a TV mount on the back, but the front of the TV also lightly rests on the front corners of the “holes” in the side panels. There is a sizable amount of the frame below the screen on my Sony (where the speaker is), if you get a TV that doesn’t have that much on the bottom, you’ll need to account for that too.

Depth: My TV is about 4″ deep, but the amount of it that actually sits on the holes is closer to 1-1/2″ because it tapers back at an angle. That’s a big reason for using the TV mount as well. You’ll want to measure your TV and make sure that the two outside edges that would sit on bottom of the “holes” are no wider than 4″, otherwise you’ll have to adjust that.

Ultimately, the best way to do it is draw your TV in Sketchup, line up the screens and then determine the size of the holes yourself. You’ll want to add 1/2″ to the depth and height to allow you to adjust the TV around. If you’re going to do side panels, you’ll want to design them to overlap the back, top, and bottom by 1/2″ (for the screws) and line up with the front of your side pieces.

The idea here really is to just leave a hole big enough to get your TV in there, the TV mount should do most of the work. Then just cover up the holes so it looks better. The hardboard used for the speaker bar and the bar below the TV should overlap the TV so you won’t see that your holes are too big from the inside either.

I hope that helps, let me know,
Donovan

I waited 2 days. I would have waited only 24 hours, but it snowed again in Michigan and was too cold to lacquer in my garage. You’ll want wait as long as you can because the lacquer can start to remove the paint as you are applying it (if you don’t wait long enough). The good news is that the lacquer container says you should wait 2 hours to re-coat, but I found in 50º weather that it was ready to re-coat in 1 hour. That time should be even less with lower humidity and higher temperatures. I was able to crank out 3 coats of lacquer in 1 day and assemble the next morning (about 12 hours later).

I’ve heard its a 24 hour deal to make sure its sealed properly.