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Woodworkers, Info Needed!!

S

silbeej

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Feb 3, 2007
797
0
So i'm building a tv/media stand, so i don't have to pay 500+ for a decent one. Now the top is going to be a solid piece of oak, 18inches deep and 40-48inches wide. My question is, will a 1.5inch thick piece be thick enough to hold a 37inch lcd tv (50-60lbs) without support in the middle. I have a design to support in the middle, just it kills the overall look of the piece.

So, anyone with a good amount of woodworking experience, suggestions would be appreciated.
 
I would think a 1.5" inch piece of solid oak across a 40-48" span should be sufficient to hold 50-60 lbs. I can look it up if you need. But I wanted to suggest making the span only wide enough to hold the TV at it's feet. This way, the stand acts a bit like an arch and all the weight gets distributed directly down into the sides. I used that technique for a 150lb tube TV. The stand was built using MDF and 2x4s for internal framing.
 
skunk said:
Two by fours? Jesus, you guys are really into over-building, aren't you? :rolleyes:
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Yeah, I'll admit that was probably overbuilt. But you should've seen the 250gal salt-water aquarium stand my buddies built with 2x6s! We later looked at similar stands at the fish source and noticed they were only using 2x2s.
 
Yeah, I'll second the making the stand only as wide as the TV opinion. However, a piece that thick should be able to hold a TV that big without much bowing.
 
it should be fine, the other thing you could do would be to laminate two thinner pieces together for strength...

I find that no matter what i build by hand, I can always buy an 'out of the shop' item for cheaper.

It's just no longer cheaper to build things yourself anymore.

About the only good thing is at the end you can say "i made that".

James
 
Cybix said:
I find that no matter what i build by hand, I can always buy an 'out of the shop' item for cheaper.
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Plus, if you have very specific needs, like I did with my TV stand, most of the time you can't find an 'out of the shop' item that satisfies those needs. Building something yourself can get you much closer. For my stand, I needed it 29" high but just 27" wide. You just can't find something like that for sale.
 
dejo said:
Plus, if you have very specific needs, like I did with my TV stand, most of the time you can't find an 'out of the shop' item that satisfies those needs. Building something yourself can get you much closer. For my stand, I needed it 29" high but just 27" wide. You just can't find something like that for sale.
Click to expand...

make that two good things from building it yourself.

Agree with that one, I need a corner unit for my tv/gear, but dont want it to be an exact corner unit, I need some other angle. looks like I'll be getting dirty for this one!

also want to deck some teak in the roof of my front alcove, with some downllights... mmmm the vision is good. :) I love wood (the tree kind) haha
 
Where are you finding an 18" x 45" x 1.5" oak plank? That would cost more than an iPod Nano here...

or are you gluing it up?

If so you can use a dodge I've used on bookshelves and stuff - make the outermost pieces thicker and oriented 'on edge'; they will stiffen the shelf and give the appearance of the massive plank, without actually having to have the whole thing be so heavy.

Better carpenters than I can no doubt improve on this idea...
 

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If you build it, it will rock.

Building your own furniture is very satisfying and there is no store bought alternative to quality custom design. I built a floating desk for my tv and entertainments system which is six and a half feet long. I also built a floating computer desk with slide out keyboard thingy underneath and a separate printer cabinet on rollers. The desks have plugs on the inside so all wires go into the desks and disappear (even speaker wires). No legs and no wires. Next I am working on matching light fixtures/boxes. Custom is the only way to get what you want.

Oh and on the shelf, I would recommend 3/4 inch ply with a strip of veneer on the front. There is no chance of bowing because the feet of the tv will be at the outer edges of the shelf.
 
I could always go get a $250 stand from circuit city, which would be nice, but it's not mine you know? As many have stated, i find is satisfying when you build something custom that no one else has, and it works just like you want, not compromises. So thanks for the info.
 
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Well i built this in 11th grade, so i was hoping i could one up it with the tv stand i'm going to build once school's out.
 
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