TV Cabinet Enclosure and Pocket Hole Joinery

Joinery is everything in woodworking and there are many varied ways to do it.  In cabinet making the speediest method is using pocket hole joinery.  Many purist woodworkers are likely not to use it but this is "Woodworking made easy" and as you shall see it can be fine woodworking when they're well hidden; and not an unpleasant sight even when exposed, as with the installation of the rear surround speakers up on the ceiling.

The original "TV stand" in the living area just had a table cabinet to support a television. The goal was to construct a cabinet around a flat TV and no wires should be visible in front.

The table cabinet had two solid doors so the first order of business was (1) cut out the left door and install a smoked glass where the receiver and other electronics that work on infrared frequency controls can receive the signal from the remote; (2) cut out a hole on the right door to expose the front of the sub woofer speaker.  A hand held jig saw did all the cutting.

The frame of the enclosure was constructed with stock white pine and put together with pocket holes (you may review previous blog on "Why pocket hole joinery".  I painted it to match the original table cabinet.

The right side is against a brick wall so it was left open. The left side has an access door to the back of the TV and to all the wiring behind.

An electronic fan was installed to evacuate heat generated by all the equipment below through holes drilled on the table top.

Indeed these do generate some heat.

The open top allows for heat from the TV to dissipate easily.

To hide the wires from showing up front I constructed narrow wall as shown and painted it with matching color of the cabinet and enclosure.

The wall in effect hides from the front view any wires behind the TV

And, no wires in front indeed. (Right, left and center speakers are at the enclosure itself.  The propagation of the sound from ten speaker sources (which includes the sub woofer) are managed by an on board computer that processes how much sound each speaker produces for five different listening locations, set up initially by five microphone placements (chosen typically by the seat locations where people sit). 

The two locations of the surround speakers were located at the back ceiling of the listening area and note the use of pocket holes to install the "post".

First, I installed a base plate (plywood) with a hole just enough for the speaker wires to go through from the ceiling. I constructed the post separately with pre-drilled four pocket holes. They were painted before installation. 

Expanding the Utility of the Krenov Sawhorse

While the basic Krenov is already quite useful in a small work shop, "accessorizing" it adds more utility. The latest version of the Krenov 2G with the top rail laid flat allows for added capability when I routed out a 3/4 inch channel to accommodate T-tracks.  The T-tracks are flush to the flat surface so a double sided clamp can be installed as well for special but temporary applications.  A hefty work bench is typically considered a must-have in a work shop.  I have one but often, for much of what I do, it is either inadequate or way too much, which makes the space it occupies hard to justify.  I don't do a lot of hammering and the chisel work and hand planing I do are considerably light.  I do a lot of clamping for joinery and where mechanical fasteners are needed I use cordless drills. I find that 90 % of the operations do not necessarily require a work bench.  For sure I can do clamping and driving screws without needing a work bench. And often the Krenov sawhorse or a flat table are all I need. And with a small work shop I would like to set aside certain things when I don't need them and that way I do not encroach into the area where the car is (garage).  But if I have to I can always set up a temporary work area.  The Krenov fits the bill.

Refer to previous blog for constructing the Krenov 2G.

I keep repeating myself but one must agree that the Krenov sawhorses do not require much storage space. There are two pairs of them shown here.

An adjustable pair of clamps provide many work surface options; this is one example

If a small but  thick platform is needed, the adjustable clamps can secure it and more clamping options can be used.  The thick board can reasonably handle hammer blows and chisel work.

The double sided clamps allow the bottom section to clamp against the top rail while the top portion will have plenty of clamping options.

More clamping options

During construction of the Krenov 2, I made sure they were the same height as the "older" model to accommodate a wide board. A circular saw will cut this board safely.

The next photos are just examples of what the Krenov will support.  And don't forget how easy they were constructed and I assure the reader that the joinery provided by the pocket holes are very strong.

The tops here are light weight but incredibly strong and rigid.  Check the construction of the platform in "Torsion Box Construction" blog.

These tops will not even flex under the weight of standard table top power tools.