This week I completed this media console. It is made of solid White Oak, and is designed to house record player equipment on the pull out tray and for a TV to sit on top. I’m considering this a Danish Modern design as the overall design is minimalist with subtle details that reveal themselves when you are up close. Clean lines blended with large roundovers and small shadow lines give this modern design character and interest that can fit in any home.
It’s been a few projects since I’ve had a piece that required so much joinery. Projects like these can be intimidating at first, but with some patience and perseverance, I feel like I executed a very high quality piece.
I began with the case, as all of the other components reference that. After milling down the stock, I created four edge glued panels paying attention to the grain at the seams to achieve a cohesive appearance. The panels received a miter joint reinforced with domino tenons. Next, I installed two stretchers to define the space for the pull out tray. These stretchers give me a reference point to mount the drawer hardware and a place for the cabinet door stops. These were installed with a sliding dovetail.
With the case assembled, I moved on to the face frame leg assemblies. One of the main features of this design are the continuous legs which wrap around the front and back of the case. The front assembly has the continuous leg and one rail to cover the edges of the case. The back assembly is much more complex and features an entire frame and panel assembly. The back features a vent panel and shiplap panels allowing the record player equipment to breathe and enclosing the bottom of the cabinet. I attached the face frame/leg assemblies to the case with domino tenons for alignment and strength.
I finished the cabinet with a set of doors and a pull out tray. The doors are frames and panels with a haunched mortise and tenon for strength. I took this opportunity to highlight some impressive curly grain I found on one board. The panels are the same thickness as the frame and feature a shadow line detail very common in Danish Modern and Mid Century Modern design. The pull out tray is basically a super shallow drawer which I joined with a single dovetail at each corner. Since there isn’t a lot of room for joinery here, I created my own 1/8″ veneer for the panel allowing me to glue the panel to the frame for extra strength. This was also important since the undermount drawer slides require you to cut a notch out of the back for the slides. I also added an adjustable shelf for extra storage.
This piece was finished with Osmo’s Polyx Oil. I love the natural look of White Oak, and a hard wax oil finish like this is a perfect choice to maintain the natural look and feel of the lumber.
Whitehurst Custom Woodworking 