TV and Hi-Fi Unit

Hi Deke, thanks for the kind comments. Yes, the base, sides and the top are veneered plywood.
I used (several) biscuits to attach the sides to the front and back frames, and to attach the base to the frames and the sides. I initially intended to use rails, but realised that the 3/4 inch ply was thick enough for the biscuits, so rails were not really needed. I would not consider this 'fine woodwork' but it worked for me.
The top was finally attached by pocket screws as it was easier to put all the units and cables in place from above and then put on the lid.
I used 3/4 inch veneered ply as it was available from a local place called 'Woodpile', as slightly damaged 8×4 ft sheets, but was cheap! If I'd had to buy full price board, then I would probably have used thinner material and then rails.

Beautiful !! I like the design, clean lines. Nice build.

Fits with the style of the T.V. very nice design and finish.

I was just browsing and I found this project. Good design, Don. Nice clean lines and 'sexy' smoked glass doors.

Well done on working through Sketchup. I mastered a thing called TurboCAD a few years ago so I think I may stick to that

Thanks for the kind comments BritBoxmaker - but it would take me years to get up to your standard.

However, I do think I can give you some advice - if you haven't already, give Sketchup a try!

As the IT Director/Manager/Analyst/programmer/maintenance engineer/head cook and bottlewasher, I was familiar with TurboCAD and AutoCad before I retired, and they were good in their day, but Sketchup is in a different league for functionality, ease of use and versatility - and has the distinct bonus of being free!

As I has been mentioned elsewhere, like all these 'clever' programs one has to invest some time in learning how to use it - my normal approach of 'poke it and see what happens' got me started, but I was unable to really get anywhere until I found the excellent - free - tutorials provided by Jos P Zeh at http://www.srww.com/google-sketchup.htm.

The tutorials can be downloaded onto your own PC, so can be run 'offline' and stopped/started/re-run without continued use of the 'net, which was the first good point. (Download them in the background whilst doing something else - perhaps using a free download manager - eg GetGo!)

I took my time and worked through the tutorials starting from the basics, and quickly realised where I had previously made life difficult for myself. As Joe says, 'As soon as a part takes 3D shape make it a component' - and preferably put it on its own layer as well. It takes but a few moments to do so (hardest part is thinking of a name) but the reward is that parts can be manipulated/copied/edited easily - and they do what you expect. Suddenly I 'got' Sketchup, and started to make real progress.

Joe's tutorials are videos of him actually using Sketchup (I found Jing as a result of this) and he has left in the odd error and necessary correction so you also see how to do things 'wrong' as well as 'right', which is very comforting - especially when you get more experienced and can see that he has pressed the wrong button before he does! He has a pleasant teaching voice and manner, which makes learning quite enjoyable.

I cannot recommend these tutorials enough, they would be worth paying a lot of money for - but then I would probably have never bothered with them if I'd had to pay for them before using them.

When I look at the Sketchup drawing above, I realise just how far I have progressed with Jos Zeh's help. I'm currently making a pair of two-part bookshelves for my son, and by designing it in Sketchup I could easily modify it to suit my son's changing ideas. Also, with the free 'Cutlist' plugin, I was easily able to produce a list of pieces to be cut from 8' x 4' veneered MDF boards by Avon Plywood, so that I could get them into my Citroen C3 which could not have coped with the full boards unless it was temporarily changed into a Tardis!

You may have realised by now that I'm a bit of an evangelist for Sketchup - and Jos Zeh. LOL

I'm sure you could make even more complex boxes with Sketchup.

Thanks, Don. When I get some time I'll give it a try.

Just an update on this old project - I ripped all my CDs onto a memory stick that plugs into the smart TV, so the 300 CD player became redundant. My wife, Avril, had always felt that the unit was rather bulky, and a bit out of place with our other furniture, so as the unit no longer had to accommodate the very deep 300 CD player, I chopped 6 inches off the sides, base and top, then re-assembled it. Avril is now much happier with its look.

Lovely. I really like the lines.