Entertainment Center Credenza

When it came time to replace a large rear-projection HDTV with something more up-to-date, my wife and I discussed several options for a design. My first thought was the typical rectangular center section with smaller side sections to reduce its footprint. In time, we began to see that a bowfront design would satisfy our desire to reduce the overall size of the unit as well as make a more pleasing design.

We chose Honduran mahogany as the primary wood. The visible side of the base and the internal panels are 3/4” plywood covered with mahogany veneer. The top and bottom rails of the doors are a lamination of six 1/8” thick strips of mahogany that I formed in my vacuum press. I also formed the panels of the doors in the press using two pieces of 1/8” bending plywood, then covered them with sapele pomelle veneer.

We’ve had some pieces of olive ash burl veneer for quite a while and decided this was the project on which it would be used. After matching the pieces in the best possible way, I used it for the center of the top panel. The end segments of the top are a sunburst of cherry veneer with a small cutoff of olive ash burl acting as the “Sun”.

Ventilation if provided by making the top half of the back panel with mahogany strips to form a lattice.

Overall dimensions are 74.5” wide by 22.25” deep by 24” high.

-- Bill, Thomasville, GA