Well ladies and gentlemen, looks like I'm building a new a/v stand this weekend. I've been buying quit a bit of new equipment here lately and it seems I've run out of room. The new stand will be built out of 3/4" white oak and stained ebony in color to match the rest of the speakers and the room. I'm going to datto channels vertically of the insides of the stand and flush mount brass Pilaster Strips for the adjustable shelves, a whole lot quicker than drilling holes every 2 inches for those pegs. I'll keep you posted on the build process along with pics.

Sounds like a good project - look forward to seeing pics of it.

For the life of me I can't seem to figure out how to post pics so here is a link on the Polk forum that shows my build progress.

http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=49845

Grimster,

Very nice work. I've been known to make some sawdust on the weekends too. Woodworking continues to be one of my favorite hobbies. My last project was a cabinet that is similar to what you are building. I based the unit on a bookcase in Woodsmith magazine that I proportioned to fit my HT equipment. Its made of cherry (solid and ply) with a clear finish. I really like the look of cherry that has turned that dark red-brown over the years. I'll try post some pics when I get a host set up.

Keep us posted on your progress.

Photobucket to the rescue...My last woodworking project.

Very nice! Thanks for the pics.

AvFan,

That is an absolutely gorgeous piece of furniture. I'm ready to place my order. Just let me know how much and where to send my check.

Aaron

Thanks for the kind words Aaron. I wanted a cabinet that was as open as possible so I used just one intermediate shelf. I was very concerned the shelves would eventually sag, in particular the one supporting the 80+ amp (same as the Outlaw 7500), so I reinforced them with oak runners dadoed into their underside. Using a fixed middle shelf also helps to prevent sag but limits flexibility. Grimster seems to have solved this problem with a middle support and so he can use shorter adjustable shelves.

Now that I've had my gear in the cabinet for about a year I know I don't need as much breathing room around each component. The 990 runs so cool I won't hesitate to stack another light item (e.g. dvd player) on top of it as long as the vents are not blocked. The ATI 2005 runs very cool and only gets warm after a couple of hours. Not shown in the photos are large holes in the cabinet back behind each component for wires but also at the shelf above to let warm air escape.

It was a fun project to plan and build.

Very nice AvFan, very nice indeed. The problem I seem to be having is my color choice. My entire room is dark (charcoal grey and midnite blue) and all the furniture, speakers, gear and DVD shelves are black or ebony. I plan on staining the stand ebony but I just hate the thought of hiding the natural look of the oak.

Both of these projects are great looking pieces of work - AvFan and grimster are to be commended on their craftsmanship. I keep going back to AvFan's pics and looking at them again. And it looks like you're making good progress on your build, grimster. I really like the design.