Just delivered this media cabinet I built for a friend to hold up his big screen tv and provide a place for components and dvds. It is a combination of walnut veneer ply and solid walnut. The end panels are veneer t&g'd into solid legs. The bottom, the shelf and the compartment dividers are also ply with solid fronts. Top is glued up from solid boards. The solid aprons are mortised into the legs in a traditional way. I used water soluble dye to bring the walnut of the ply surface closer in tone to the solid pieces. Then sealed with shellac and sanded. Topped off with wiped-on polyurethane for easy housekeeping. Since I don't have much space I just put plastic sheeting over the bench and do the finishing there. Weather last week was great for drying.
