Custom Entertainment Cabinet

The last furniture piece for now, I wanted this to have a more modern and custom look. I designed and built this entertainment center to hold games, books, DVDs, beer, and more. The right side has two shelves to hold books or DVDs and the front right compartment is the perfect width for stacking video games and DVDs. The space in the middle fits a cube mini fridge perfectly, and the cabinet on the left side is a nice storage space. It was supposed to be on hardwood floor but I moved to carpet and that made the fridge fit a little tight. The wires would later be hidden in the wall.

I wanted this piece to look nice so I went with sanded 3/8" birch plywood, the nicest grade they had available at the store. The shelves on the right side are designed to fit dvds, games, and books. The front right cubby is 5 1/3" deep so dvds and games fit flush. I ditched the triangle supports in the back for two pieces of 2x1" oak to span the gap, one on top one on bottom. The cabinet on the left is hollow and the door is very simple, just a piece of birch plywood cut 1" larger in all directions than the hole.

The third picture is all the pieces I cut to make this. I think all that is missing is: I cut four 3x3" squares of birch plywood to make the feet for the left side, and four 2x2" squares for the right side.

The trim is just unfinished moulding from home depot. I went plain for the top piece and fancier for the bottom, next time I would do the same of whatever one I picked. The bottom moulding hangs down to cover the feet.

To begin this project I cut out every piece I was going to use (Trim goes on last) from 3/8" birch plywood. I picked nice looking pieces for the top, sides, and door. These are the most visible surfaces when completed.

For strength I used wood glue, and nails from a finish nail gun. Allow for drying times and wipe up excess glue.

First Construct the left cube, clamps or assistance might help. Decide if you want to assemble the cabinet and plunge cut out the door, or cut it out before assembly. Next assemble the right side resembling a bookshelf. you may need clamps or another pair of hands for this one. At this point you should have two pieces: a cabinet with a door hole and a little bookshelf. Next being generous with the glue attach your top piece to the cube and the shelf, aligning up all edges before adding four to six nails to secure the cabinet and the same to secure the shelf.

With a clean surface flip over your cabinet in order to attach the support beams and feet to the bottom. I spanned the back gap with two pieces of 2x1" oak securing with glue and nails from inside the cabinet and the side shelf. The feet were cut from the leftover birch plywood; four 3x3" square feet and four 2x2" square feet. Larger for the cabinet side and smaller for the shelf side, one goes in each corner with glue and nails.

Next I added the trim, using a miter saw to cut the 45* angles. You can use a jap saw probably. The top trim sits flush with the top surface, and the bottom trim hangs down in order to cover the feet.

last I used a light stainable wood-filler to cover all the visible nail holes. Using a super small punch on any nails that weren't sunk.

Next sand the entire piece with 2-3 levels of increasingly fine sandpaper (Don't forget the door). I used 120 and finished with 220 grit. Use folded pieces to get in corners and grooves. To match my other furniture I went with "early american" stain from minwax. After ample drying time I brushed on two coats of polycrylic to protect it. The hardware for the door is two matte black overlay hinges and a matte black handle I liked. The mini fridge is from "wally world" and holds an ample amount of beer and snacks.

overall I am super happy with how this project turned out, I will try to answer any questions anyone has and thanks for looking!