TV Stand

[Luckbox72]

I am in the process of building a entertainment center/tv Stand

It is made out of about 1.5" Hickory so if I fully assemble it will be rather heavy and hard to carry upstairs. So I was thing of finishing each piece individually and then bring up the pieces and doing final assembly in the room. That being said I am tring to figure out the best way to do the final assembly.
1) My first though would be with some pocket holes, figure 3 to 4 in each of the vertical.
2) Then I though maybe dowel and pocket holes, but not sure if that really add anything.
3) Then it was pocket holes and a few L brackets.
4) I then though I could do a no through mortise and tenon on all of the lower bottom horizontal pieces, with pocket hole screws and then pocket hole screws into the bottom of each horizontal, or l brackets.
5) Then I thought I could use non through mortise and tenon of both end of the far right piece because I know the exact location and then do the same as the 4th.
6) I could mortise and tenon and glue the bottom self and then pocket hole the rest.

Also trying to figure out if I should add any feet to the bottom the the unit just so the whole thing isn't resting on the carpeted floor and it would just be 4 or 6 feet that it would sit on.

 

[sawman101]

Were it me Eric, I would use screws directly though the bottom of the shelves into the uprights while using yellow glue also. Then I'd use pocket hole screws at the top of the uprights into the bottom of the shelves, again with yellow glue. Excess, or squeeze out glue will show so you want to clean it up with a wet rag before it cures. As for sitting on the floor, if it has no feet, there is no space for dust to collect, or something accidently roll out of reach beneath the unit. I'd simply install glides beneath where each upright intersects in the event you have need of moving it. Hope the end results are what you want. Good fortune with your project.

 

[KenOfCary]

Do you have a way to make dadoes in the cross pieces for the uprights to fit into. That would greatly increase the racking strength of the unit. About a 1/2 to 3/4" deep dado would work.

 

[Henry W]

Do you have a way to make dadoes in the cross pieces for the uprights to fit into. That would greatly increase the racking strength of the unit. About a 1/2 to 3/4" deep dado would work.

Agreed. Projects with an open back, like this one, really are prone to racking (side to side swaying).
Dadoes would help, and certainly mortise and tenons would as well. Both of these approaches increase complexity of the project significantly over the screws through the shelves from the bottom - which might prove to be an entirely suitable approach.

 

[Jeff]

It is made out of about 1.5" Hickory...

Why hickory wood and 1.5" thick for a plain old media center built like a bomb shelter? Just curious, but 3/4"-7/8" t wood would work fine.

Pocket hole screw butt joints are reasonably sturdy and you won't have racking of the stand even without a back on it or dadoes/mortises & tenons for the vertical pieces. The pocket holes are visible but if that doesn't bother you folks in the finished product just go with that. Using pocket holes makes it a "knock-down" unit for disassembly if needed.

They're definitely not as strong as a mortise & tenon but not too bad either.

 

[Luckbox72]

Thanks. It really needs to be able to be "knock-down" for weight issues. It 1.5" thick because I was going for more of a blocky look and I liked the look of the hickory. I had a mock-up at 3/4" but I didn't like the look of it. Also I have a tendency to build thighs to levels that are way more sturdy than need be. I do think I will permanently affix the vertical supports to the low self and then pocket hole the tops on. That way I gain some racking strength. That being said with the 1.5" thick I have it dry fit right now so I could see how it looks and with no joinery it is already pretty stable.

 

[Hmerkle]

O.K. Eric,Thinking WAY outside the little box we have drawn.

How about 3/4" "shelves (solid board or veneered plywood??) with a 1 1/2" face board.
It maintains the Brawny look, but lightens the load and give you other options to assemble / dis-assemble.