TV & ENTERTAINMENT CABINET
LORENA BROWN

I designed and constructed a television and entertainment cabinet for my HSC major project. My objective was to create an original piece of furniture for our family’s living room. 

 

The furniture in our house is quite basic and I wanted to use the skills that I had learned over the past three years to create something that adds a personal touch to our living room.

I reviewed a number of entertainment and TV stand designs looking for trends and inspiration in storage, door styles, finishes, handles and hinges. 

I worked up some concepts on paper and then transferred them to Onshape to create isometrics and an illustration of the final assembly of the cabinet. I then created a materials list and a budget. 

I used hoop pine for the exterior of my project as it suits the design I created and will also complement our living room. I had planned to use recycled timber, but the local timber yard had limited supplies of hoop pine, so I purchased hoop panels from Bunnings. 

I was also able to source some contrasting Jarrah timber for the sides of the cabinet and a cabinet drawer from another student’s unfinished project. This helped reduce costs. 

I decided upon pin joints for the construction of my drawers. I gained a lot of experience in creating these joints on projects over the years and knew I was capable of doing a good job. Pin joints are also relatively straightforward to make, very strong and aesthetically pleasing.  

I used a domino joint to join the shelves and the panels, as it is a reliably strong joint and quicker to construct than a dowel joint.

For joining the edges of my cabinet together, I used a mitred edge joint. I had never used this type of joint before and wanted to develop my skills and challenge myself. I also liked the simplicity of the joint’s appearance as it would not distract from other details in my project. 

I’ve had previous experience working with water-based estapol and knew it would be perfect for finishing the cabinet. 

I am very pleased with the outcome of this project. Through having a clear vision from the outset, I was able to create something of which I am very proud - and my family has a new piece of furniture that complements our living room. 

I know that the skills I have gained through constructing this cabinet will benefit me in the future.

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