This is my first project and I am going to take photos and put on my
website when done.

I have a hole in one basement wall specifically for my stereo equipment.
Think of it as a 2 foot deep medecine cabinet sort of. What I want to
know is what wood to use. I am thinking of using particle board, and
laminating black laminate over it. If so, do I laminate the pieces
before assembly? Would I glue overtop the laminate? Would particle
board require special jointing or is glueing enough?

Should I use hardwood/softwood instead? Im trying to make my basement
contemporary in design, thats why I was thinking black cabinet with
glass door. but I can do wood if it wont look too traditional.


Just looking for small tips and direction. I will have a light in the
top of the cabinet and im not sure if I should put the electrical outlet
inside the cabinet, or drill a hole and leave it on the cement wall
behind the cabinet. I have access to the cabinet back side through a
full size door.


--
Thank you,



"Then said I, Wisdom [is] better than strength: nevertheless the poor
man's wisdom [is] despised, and his words are not heard." Ecclesiastes 9:16

Don't forget the all important proper ventilation! Absolute
necessity. Use fans if necessary.

"dnoyeB" wrote in message
...
: This is my first project and I am going to take photos and put
on my
: website when done.
:
: I have a hole in one basement wall specifically for my stereo
equipment.
: Think of it as a 2 foot deep medecine cabinet sort of. What I
want to
: know is what wood to use. I am thinking of using particle
board, and
: laminating black laminate over it. If so, do I laminate the
pieces
: before assembly? Would I glue overtop the laminate? Would
particle
: board require special jointing or is glueing enough?
:
: Should I use hardwood/softwood instead? Im trying to make my
basement
: contemporary in design, thats why I was thinking black cabinet
with
: glass door. but I can do wood if it wont look too traditional.
:
:
: Just looking for small tips and direction. I will have a light
in the
: top of the cabinet and im not sure if I should put the
electrical outlet
: inside the cabinet, or drill a hole and leave it on the cement
wall
: behind the cabinet. I have access to the cabinet back side
through a
: full size door.
:
:
: --
: Thank you,
:
:
:
: "Then said I, Wisdom [is] better than strength: nevertheless
the poor
: man's wisdom [is] despised, and his words are not heard."
Ecclesiastes 9:16

I'd lean toward already-laminated ply, with oak/birch/maple skin. With
real wood on exposed laminations. Stain to suit- can be made very
handsome.

OTOH, I've also made stuff of basic spruce/pine/fir ply with fir strips
on exposed edges, with black-walnut stain. Looks great to me. Light,
strong, cost pennies so to speak.

Laminate can be tricky to adhere fully and tightly to material with any
surface irregularity. DAMHIKT.

J

"dnoyeB" wrote in message

I have a hole in one basement wall specifically for my stereo equipment.
Think of it as a 2 foot deep medecine cabinet sort of. What I want to
know is what wood to use. I am thinking of using particle board, and
laminating black laminate over it. If so, do I laminate the pieces before
assembly? Would I glue overtop the laminate? Would particle board
require special jointing or is glueing enough?

Particle board or MDF? I'm not familiar with laminating so won't comment
on that. MDF works pretty much the same as wood but there are some different
screws that can be used for better holding.


Should I use hardwood/softwood instead? Im trying to make my basement
contemporary in design, thats why I was thinking black cabinet with glass
door. but I can do wood if it wont look too traditional.

Wood can be painted, lacqured. MDF is more stable for using with laminate
though.



Just looking for small tips and direction. I will have a light in the top
of the cabinet and im not sure if I should put the electrical outlet
inside the cabinet, or drill a hole and leave it on the cement wall behind
the cabinet. I have access to the cabinet back side through a full size
door.

There may be some code issues with a mounted receptical in the cabinet. In
any case, be sure t hee is venticlatio for the components.

Thats an excellent point. I Wonder what effect the heat will have on
the glue and laminate? Should I strive to maintain a limited
temperature below a certain value?



Pop wrote:
Don't forget the all important proper ventilation! Absolute
necessity. Use fans if necessary.

"dnoyeB" wrote in message
...
: This is my first project and I am going to take photos and put
on my
: website when done.
:
: I have a hole in one basement wall specifically for my stereo
equipment.
: Think of it as a 2 foot deep medecine cabinet sort of. What I
want to
: know is what wood to use. I am thinking of using particle
board, and
: laminating black laminate over it. If so, do I laminate the
pieces
: before assembly? Would I glue overtop the laminate? Would
particle
: board require special jointing or is glueing enough?
:
: Should I use hardwood/softwood instead? Im trying to make my
basement
: contemporary in design, thats why I was thinking black cabinet
with
: glass door. but I can do wood if it wont look too traditional.
:
:
: Just looking for small tips and direction. I will have a light
in the
: top of the cabinet and im not sure if I should put the
electrical outlet
: inside the cabinet, or drill a hole and leave it on the cement
wall
: behind the cabinet. I have access to the cabinet back side
through a
: full size door.
:
:
: --
: Thank you,
:
:
:
: "Then said I, Wisdom [is] better than strength: nevertheless
the poor
: man's wisdom [is] despised, and his words are not heard."
Ecclesiastes 9:16




--
Thank you,



"Then said I, Wisdom [is] better than strength: nevertheless the poor
man's wisdom [is] despised, and his words are not heard." Ecclesiastes 9:16

DnoyeB,

I just finished making my stereo/entertainment center. Its painted, so
the entire thing is made of MDF. Fine WoodWorking did an article a
while back about how if you're going to paint a cabinet anyway, MDF
might be the best material to ues. I bring this up only because you
could paint it black or whatever, and skip the laminating process. The
only thing I've ever laminated is Formica, so I don't know about other
thinner laminates, but that requires that use of a router, which if
you're new to woodworking you might not have.

MDF is great because it paints well, is very consistent in thickness,
and doesn't warp much if at all. The primary concern is that it lacks
rigidity, which can be overcome if you design you cabinet properly.
That being said, if you're building a 2' x 4' cabinet to put stereo
equipment on, it won't be much of a concern. Butt joints and screws
probably would be a good fastner with MDF but its not with Particle
Board (or plywood for that matter) either. Simple dadoes do the trick
as would some sort of a cleat (3/4" strip of wood to support the
shelf).

Good Luck

Chuck

dnoyeB wrote:
This is my first project and I am going to take photos and put on my
website when done.

I have a hole in one basement wall specifically for my stereo
equipment. Think of it as a 2 foot deep medecine cabinet sort of.
What I want to know is what wood to use. I am thinking of using
particle board, and laminating black laminate over it.

It would be easier and *lots* cheaper to use melamine board. That is
particle board with a thin layer of melamine plastic already on it.
Available in several colors including black.
_______________

Would particle board require special jointing or is
glueing enough?

Depends on size of pieces, how they are stressed, etc. People often use
butt joints with PB (with/without screws) but that plus hardwood glue
blocks is stronger. You can also make cut joints such as rabbet/dado
either with or without glue blocks.

--
dadiOH
____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.06...
....a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
Get it at http://mysite.verizon.net/xico

Woodchuck34 wrote:
DnoyeB,

I just finished making my stereo/entertainment center. Its painted, so
the entire thing is made of MDF. Fine WoodWorking did an article a
while back about how if you're going to paint a cabinet anyway, MDF
might be the best material to ues. I bring this up only because you
could paint it black or whatever, and skip the laminating process. The
only thing I've ever laminated is Formica, so I don't know about other
thinner laminates, but that requires that use of a router, which if
you're new to woodworking you might not have.

MDF is great because it paints well, is very consistent in thickness,
and doesn't warp much if at all. The primary concern is that it lacks
rigidity, which can be overcome if you design you cabinet properly.
That being said, if you're building a 2' x 4' cabinet to put stereo
equipment on, it won't be much of a concern. Butt joints and screws
probably would be a good fastner with MDF but its not with Particle
Board (or plywood for that matter) either. Simple dadoes do the trick
as would some sort of a cleat (3/4" strip of wood to support the
shelf).

Good Luck

Chuck


Ahh, great info thanks. So the MDF is 'done' on both sides? When I put
the shelves in, ill have to cut them down to size. So what to do with
the cut surfaces?

The front facing cut of the box im not worried aobut since Ill be
trimming it out with some kind of painted trim i suppose, as well as a
glass door.

So I can do butt joints with screws and no glue?

Did you take any pictures of your work?

--
Thank you,



"Then said I, Wisdom [is] better than strength: nevertheless the poor
man's wisdom [is] despised, and his words are not heard." Ecclesiastes 9:16

dnoyeB writes:
Thats an excellent point. I Wonder what effect the heat will have on
the glue and laminate? Should I strive to maintain a limited
temperature below a certain value?


I would be far more worried about the effect of the heat on the
electronics, than I would the effect of the heat on the laminate.

scott

"dnoyeB" wrote in message
. ..


Ahh, great info thanks. So the MDF is 'done' on both sides? When I put
the shelves in, ill have to cut them down to size. So what to do with
the cut surfaces?

The front facing cut of the box im not worried aobut since Ill be
trimming it out with some kind of painted trim i suppose, as well as a
glass door.

So I can do butt joints with screws and no glue?

No. MDF will not fasten securely with screws in butt joints. It's a
compressed material and it has little ability to hold to a screw thread. In
fact, it is quite likely to swell around the screw as you drive it in.
Unless you support the shelves somehow underneath them, the weight of stero
gear is likely to bow the shelf. I used a piece of 3/4 MDF to make an
extension on my table saw. It was 27" deep and around 2 feet long. It was
set into a cherry frame, rabbited to receive it. I hung a DeWalt 618 router
underneath it in a router insert. A year later the weight of the router
sagged the MDF.

I don't believe my router is any heavier than the typical stereo receiver,
though it is a more concentrated weight than a receiver would present. I
don't know if you're thinking of 3/4" MDF or 1/2", but I wouldn't use
either. The stuff is nothing more than termite puke and dust pressed under
pressure. If you're looking to build something nice, go get some nice
plywood and use that. You'll end up using the same techniques to build it,
but you'll have something that won't rack apart when it gets bumped or
moved, and it will last a lifetime.

Just my opinion, but I find MDF to be a completely useless product.

--

-Mike-

In article ,
says...
dnoyeB writes:
Thats an excellent point. I Wonder what effect the heat will have on
the glue and laminate? Should I strive to maintain a limited
temperature below a certain value?


I would be far more worried about the effect of the heat on the
electronics, than I would the effect of the heat on the laminate.

Ditto. Several people have posted to audio/home theatre forums wondering
why their receiver in an unventilated cabinet keeps shutting down.

Rick

On Tue, 31 Jan 2006 09:42:41 -0500, dnoyeB
wrote:

This is my first project and I am going to take photos and put on my
website when done.

I have a hole in one basement wall specifically for my stereo equipment.
Think of it as a 2 foot deep medecine cabinet sort of. What I want to
know is what wood to use. I am thinking of using particle board, and
laminating black laminate over it. If so, do I laminate the pieces
before assembly? Would I glue overtop the laminate? Would particle
board require special jointing or is glueing enough?

Should I use hardwood/softwood instead? Im trying to make my basement
contemporary in design, thats why I was thinking black cabinet with
glass door. but I can do wood if it wont look too traditional.


Just looking for small tips and direction. I will have a light in the
top of the cabinet and im not sure if I should put the electrical outlet
inside the cabinet, or drill a hole and leave it on the cement wall
behind the cabinet. I have access to the cabinet back side through a
full size door.

This dosen't address your question about MDF but the following
web site has quite a few pictures of "media niches" for stereo and
HDTV setups framed in wood (like large medicine cabinets) that
might give you some alternate ideas...
"http://woodworkcreations.com"

On Tue, 31 Jan 2006 09:42:41 -0500, dnoyeB
wrote:

Should I use hardwood/softwood instead? Im trying to make my basement
contemporary in design, thats why I was thinking black cabinet with
glass door. but I can do wood if it wont look too traditional.


Just looking for small tips and direction. I will have a light in the
top of the cabinet and im not sure if I should put the electrical outlet
inside the cabinet, or drill a hole and leave it on the cement wall
behind the cabinet. I have access to the cabinet back side through a
full size door.

I did a similar thing in my basement a few years ago.
The component cabinets were built with the stiles and rails hanging
over the outside of the carcass so that they could be slid into a hole
in the sheetrock and attached to the framing. These units actually go
to the floor but they wouldn't have to. The lower part of each unit
has one raised panel door for LPs (yeah I'm that old) and one drawer
for CDs or DVDs. The the upper component area has a frameless smoked
glass door.
The cabinet faces are made of oak and the carcass made of plywood. If
I wanted it to be black, I'd probably use a plywood carcass with a
poplar front and then paint. I used a 1/4" back on the cabinets and
to take care of the heat issue I came in about two inches from the
inside of the carcass and cut the back out where the componets are
located. This also let me run wires without fishing them around and
heat has never been a problem. With the smoked doors, you never see
the wires or the fact that the back of the cabinet is open unless the
light is on behind the wall. That light is rarely on unless I'm back
there trying to figure out how to wire something new or the cable guy
needs to test his signal.


Mike O.

Mike Marlow wrote:
"dnoyeB" wrote in message
. ..


Ahh, great info thanks. So the MDF is 'done' on both sides? When I put
the shelves in, ill have to cut them down to size. So what to do with
the cut surfaces?

The front facing cut of the box im not worried aobut since Ill be
trimming it out with some kind of painted trim i suppose, as well as a
glass door.

So I can do butt joints with screws and no glue?


No. MDF will not fasten securely with screws in butt joints. It's a
compressed material and it has little ability to hold to a screw thread. In
fact, it is quite likely to swell around the screw as you drive it in.
Unless you support the shelves somehow underneath them, the weight of stero
gear is likely to bow the shelf. I used a piece of 3/4 MDF to make an
extension on my table saw. It was 27" deep and around 2 feet long. It was
set into a cherry frame, rabbited to receive it. I hung a DeWalt 618 router
underneath it in a router insert. A year later the weight of the router
sagged the MDF.

I don't believe my router is any heavier than the typical stereo receiver,
though it is a more concentrated weight than a receiver would present. I
don't know if you're thinking of 3/4" MDF or 1/2", but I wouldn't use
either. The stuff is nothing more than termite puke and dust pressed under
pressure. If you're looking to build something nice, go get some nice
plywood and use that. You'll end up using the same techniques to build it,
but you'll have something that won't rack apart when it gets bumped or
moved, and it will last a lifetime.

Just my opinion, but I find MDF to be a completely useless product.



Thanks for the info/advice/opinoin. This cabinet will be in-wall and
never moved. I have created stereo boxes from plywood before though, so
thats still a consideration. Though im not sure how to finish plywood.
A Black stain perhaps, with some end pieces glued over the front edges
of the shelves?

--
Thank you,



"Then said I, Wisdom [is] better than strength: nevertheless the poor
man's wisdom [is] despised, and his words are not heard." Ecclesiastes 9:16