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TV stand
I hope this isn't too far off the forum direction here...
Looking into building my own TV stand. The wife wants one of those electric fireplaces in it, but the premade tv stands with fireplace are all too shallow to fit my record player. The fireplace inserts themselves are shallow (6" in this case) which makes for lots of dead space behind it to hide a subwoofer. So I'll be doing a sub box build for this also with my UM12-22 and 500watt Yung plate. It would be a separate enclosure to try and isolate cabinet vibrations. Even still I wouldn't be surprised if I need to turn it off when spinnin vinyl.
Fun with MS paint:
The center bay above the fireplace is a drawer that will hold the record player. On either side are open bays for the stereo a/v receiver and other A/V equipment. Having the record player on drawer rails isn't the greatest idea but, after tossing around other ideas, it seems like the most reasonable. I'll need to make sure I can find beefy rails that will extend far enough to clear the top for the dust cover to open. When all the dimensions stack up It seems I need about 18" minimum depth for the top, which would be the widest and deepest piece.
For materials, to keep it frugal I'm planning to use pine. As oak or any other wood would drive up cost 2x-3x.
The rest will likely be Radiata pine for the corner legs, horizontal boards and supports, and 1/2" plywood for the shelf and sides. The top will either get a simple clearcoat, or maybe try R-Carpenter's walnut stain before the clearcoat. The rest I'm thinking to try a white wash.
The 60" fireplace insert shipped in yesterday. I got that first as it's actual size will play directly into the overall width and height of the piece. Normally this stuff seems chintzy to me, but I'm impressed with how much more realistic they are able to get the flame effect than I've seen in the past. The log/coal bed and flames are able to be independently color changed too. So if you want weird blue glowing logs and green flames then it can do that lol! On the heater side of things it has two heat settings (probably just turns on one or two 750watt coils) and even has a timer option to shut it off after up to 8 hours later if you fall asleep with it on. Pretty neat IMO. But overall this unit is a point of failure that I'm not a big fan of. And these inserts don't seem to adhere to any standard sizing. So I'm taking a chance on this and hoping when it does eventually fail I can fix it, or find a direct replacement. Or worse case scenario, remove it and make a nice looking block off plate. Similar problem to making a DIY bluetooth speaker. Spend good money on drivers and crossover only to have the electronics/amp crap out and render it useless.
Comments
Just a thought, and build it any way you want, but how about a veneered plywood top with hardwood edging.
Turntable in a drawer - great idea! Full extension drawer slides are perfect for what you are building.
Appreciate the input! Not a bad idea (more stable to temp/humidity swings) and it is a technique I have not yet tried. I do tend to try new ideas on most of my projects. I'll mull it over.
The current idea was to rip down the 36" piece to size and use the cutoff portion for a couple shelves above the TV. But could do the same with the plywood+edge trim too depending on the shelf brackets.
In the end it probably comes down to how much trust I can put into my tools to do accurate and plumb rip cuts and miters.
I basically did a search for record player tv stands and that seems to be the typical solution. Doesn't seem super ideal as it creates a cantilever that can flex and vibrate when extended and in use. But it seems to be the most realistic option.
My first thought was to just put it on top in front of the TV, but that would require too much depth. I really don't want to wall mount the TV.
Then I thought of making a whole removable cutout section in the center that would cover the turntable when not in use.. But that seemed excessive and a bit unsightly with big cuts in the top.
Is a TV mast mount a bad idea? That would get the TV off the top surface.
Also, as a point of thought, I would make the rear floor portion of the subwoofer cavity open to the floor, and set the subwoofer on the floor of the room and not on the inside floor of the entertainment center. Make sure there is enough space where it doesnt rattle against the center if it shakes around, and/or spike or rubber foot the sub. Another point is to set the center on the floor and mount rigidly to the wall. Wall mount player stands have a lot less rumble telegraph into the playback. Sport flooring, rubber, under the sub and center can help with vibration too.
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I had thought of mast mount to. Less permanent than wall mount. But a little too far in the modern direction aesthetically and I'm not a fan of raising the TV up. Yeah it is a bit nitpicky.
I won't rule it out entirely though yet. If something ruins the drawer idea it could force my hand.
The tv stand would basically be a shell that shields the sub box from view. Both just sitting on the carpet not touching each other. Sofar figured the sub would back-fire at the wall in the gap between the wall and the stand. Not expecting the ultimate performance. I've gone years without a sub anyway, just finally want to get some use out of the UM12 instead of languishing in storage.
It is currently in a nice looking maple veneered 2cf cube enclosure. But it just doesn't fit in a good spot in our small living room with 4 doors across 3 walls, hence sitting in storage. That enclosure will probably be up for sale for dirt cheap if anyone is interested to pick it up at one of the future gatherings. Has a magnetic grill too, but only 4 magnets for the 4 bolt heads so it has a pretty light hold. Baffle is glued on. It could also use some more internal bracing.. Only one left to right spar if I remember. The back is bolt on so you can make a new replacement piece if using a different/no plate amp.
Thinking out loud
Getting into the nitty gritty on measurements needed for the drawer. The dust cover takes up additional space behind the turntable when lifted. If I go without the dust cover on the turntable then 18" overall depth of the piece could work. A 16" full-extension slide would open the full depth of the turntable after overhangs are taken into account. Though I'd want to enclose it as much as I can to minimize dust ingress. That would only allow 1.5" max clearance at the back for the cables/connectors when closed unless I hog out a little extra relief space from the back panel with the router.
If I were to make the whole piece deeper that would give extra cable clearance. Continuing with that thought.. To bump up another drawer slide size I'd have to add a full 2" to the overall depth. Though if I were to do that and get 1.5" over-extension slides then it should clear the dust cover. Do I really want this thing 20" deep? hmm. No, not really. But adding .25-.5" wouldn't be the end of the world.
Could make the drawer a little wider and use a cable chain?
Ugh! I used to hate repairing those in the sliding door tracks of Chrysler minivans🖕🏼
My concern was mostly: Having enough space to not smash the RCA and power connectors against the back of the cabinet, right at the strain relief, every time the drawer is closed. As that would put a torque on the connectors and could eventually fatigue crack connections inside the turntable.
Use 90* RCA/Power cables?
https://www.amazon.com/90-degree-rca-cable/s?k=90+degree+rca+cable
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=90+degree+plug+adapter&ref=nb_sb_ss_ts-doa-p_1_10
https://www.amazon.com/CERRXIAN-Degree-Adapter-Female-Computer/dp/B0B95Y8PFN/ref=sr_1_9?keywords=90+degree+plug+adapter&sr=8-9
Thanks I'll probably pick up some of the basic 3ft RCAs incase they become necessary. The power connector for the AT-LPW40WN is a small DC type.
Sofar I'm leaning on just adding a little extra depth and that should give enough breathing room.
Why not leave the back open behind the turntable? The drawer would function and look the same from the front.
How about a slider top? My parents had one similar to this when I was really young. Theirs was just the turntable though
Dust ingress since it won't have a dust cover. The bigger the hole, the more airflow that brings dust in. Our old home is very leaky and partial basement with some crawlspace areas uncovered. So we deal with alot of dust.
Anyone know if there is a TV on the market that does not require an internet connection (ever). I'd go with a Roku, as my external streamer is Roku.. But I hear it requires you setup an account otherwise they hold your TV hostage. That is definitely not cool with me.
I just want to use it as an ol dumb TV. I will choose what it gets fed.
Maybe look for a computer monitor?
https://www.amazon.com/Gigabyte-Monitor-3840x2160-Response-S55U-SA/dp/B0B4MJBSD9/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?keywords=55+inch+monitor&qid=1702464028&sr=8-3&ufe=app_do:amzn1.fos.2b70bf2b-6730-4ccf-ab97-eb60747b8daf
Looks like even that Gigabyte has the google android OS that demands internet connection.
I found that there are some Sceptre brand ones that are non-smart. Pretty inexpensive too. I think I'll try one of those. Hopefully the picture quality isn't worse than the old 32" my wife got over a decade ago.
I have a 60" LG smart TV I bought in 2019 and I used it for some time before I connected it to Wi-Fi. I think any smart TV on the market will work just fine without an internet connection. I stream to mine off a computer and I just turned off the Wi-Fi and it's still works just fine. You can't do software updates for the TV without the internet but I suspect it won't prompt you to upgrade anything if it doesn't know there is something to upgrade to. Just buy a smart TV and if it doesn't do what you want to do, take it back.
Ron
It likely depends on the underlying OS. Sofar I heard the Roku and Google ones require setting up an account on it before it is anything but a large paperweight. I'd rather not go through the effort to bring something home, unpack it, only to take it back.. especially if I know there is a high chance that will happen. I went ahead and ordered a Sceptre U550CV-U. Fingers crossed.
You will only need to set up an account to use the apps on the TV. All of the inputs work just fine without. There are still plenty of people who don't have internet.
https://quora.com/Do-WiFi-devices-like-TVs-and-smart-TVs-need-an-Internet-connection-to-work-How-does-this-happen-technically-speaking
Ron
I don't do anything from the internet on my Samsung either. I'm guessing I've had it 3 years now. I flipped the "listening" switch off under the front edge too.
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Ok, well.. Sounds like TVs don't last quite so long anymore so who knows. I might be in the market again in a few years. Thanks for the input guys.
Figuring out assembly before hand..
Dimensions are easy enough to figure out on cuts, but mulling over how to put it together. I could try to glue the whole carcass together, but I suspect that would not hold up very well to temp/humidity swings. So I'm thinking I'll pocket screw alot of it after finishing, omitting the glue. That just sucks for applying finish since it breaks everything into a bunch of smaller pieces.
One of my uncles made his with cam-locks. This way he could move it in sections and reassemble.
Another uncle made a smaller unit with pocket screws, and Minwax Polyshades black. Simple but effective.
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I built this computer desk with pocket screws. Everything is pocket screwed except for the two little blocks on the front of the keyboard tray. Even the oak trim around the plywood top is pocket screwed in place. Remove a few pocket screw and the legs come off for easy transport.
Ron
Picked up a sheet of .5" sanded ACX with a not so ugly face and 1x2"s for the carcass. Checked around at a few Menards for the top piece but wasn't satisfied with the pieces they had. I'll check the one by my work during the week. I'm still running with the 5/4" edge-glued pine top idea for the moment since it will be easy. The edge trimmed plywood top idea would be the fallback if that falls through.
I did a quick side view mockup in MSpaint to be sure what I've got in my head doesn't conflict with reality. Glad I did because I caught a mistake that would have caused a few pieces to be cut short. I kept assuming a piece was .75" thick when it would be the .5" plywood. doh! I'm so used to working with .75" material I guess I'm conditioned to that measurement.
Too cheap for a track saw so I make do with a nice straight piece from a good quality door frame. Gets me by to chop the 4x8 sheets into chunks I can better manage on the table saw. Still dialing in the measurement though. I don't know if the motor pulls the blade sideways or something because the cut ends up a good 1/16" off when I try to match the static blade to plate edge measurement. Using a Makita cordless 6.5" circular saw. I'd be surprised if it is that sloppy.
Got about everything cut. Still need to mark and cut the big hole for the fireplace insert.
No need for a track saw. Make a simple saw guide and you'll wonder how you ever lived without one.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=9an9cAFHdXA
Ron
Cool I've got some 5ft wide 1/4" ply I could use for that. Would give some run up/run off space to keep the start and end of the cut accurate. That would limit clamp area though. hmm.
You could route some elongated holes so you could position the clamps most anywhere along the length. I need to make one of these for my old Skilsaw I keep in the garage.
