I've just spent a few days browsing various web sites looking for media storage options. I've also tried to locate opinions on possible choices, looking especially for reviews that complained about cheap materials or shoddy construction. No doubt many of you have done the same.

Has anyone found a nice cabinet to store up to about 600 pieces of CD and DVD media? Something that hides the media (no glass doors or open shelves).

I've built over 100 pieces of fine furniture over the years and can't help being a little fussy. But I'm willing to compromise if the price is right.

Bob,

I don't have nearly the number of DVDs or CDs that you do, but I started to run out of room and was also looking at options. Additional furniture was not really one of them so I've put everything in binders. Maybe binders are a option for you too. For my CDs I use basic three-ring binders with pages that are designed to hold CDs. I pull the CD info from the jewel case and slip it in the adjoining slot on the page. Each page has eight slots. For DVDs I found some faux leather cases specifically for DVD storage. Each sheet will hold the art from the DVD case and two DVDs. I cut down the space used by my DVDs and CDs by about 75%. I found all the supplies at Staples or Office Depot.

If my solution does not work for you then there is always the option of having some fun making a little sawdust! If you do, please share your design.

Actually, your plan makes a heckuva lot of sense. Maybe I just have the itch to build some furniture again. I've built well over a hundred pieces over the years but nothing in the last 6-7. All that machinery and hardwood lumber is beckoning me to the depths of the basement. Or maybe it's the wine.

I suppose the jewel boxes can go in the basement in cardboard boxes. Actually...you've got me thinking. Maybe I just wanted to have everything out on display. Most of those CD's are on a PC that's used as a music server. I don't really need them. Ebay? Make money instead of spending it? Hmm. Now you've given me some real fodder to chew.

BTW, I have only about 400 CD's. I have to design in some room to grow. I'm not that old...yet. :rolleyes:

All my jewel cases and DVD boxes are stored in the garage but I'm not getting rid of them just yet. As far as the CDs I like having the originals even though everything is stored on my computer in FLAC format. My originals are my backup.

Don't forget, you can still build a piece of furniture to hold the binders. Mmmm...

Here's a great way to store 400 CDs and have them ready.
400 CD megachanger

Sells for $192 at BHPHOTOVIDEO

It has optical and analog outputs. If using analog you can "daisy-chain" two together. I'm using the analog and it sounds great. Doesn't do SACD or DVD-A, but then many of us probably have Oppo.

nfaguys --
When the carousel motors on one of those boys stops working it is one heckuva mess. I used to be a regional service manager for a large consumer electronics company and boy did we ever catch hell when a carousel changer was brought in with a bunch of CD's stuck inside.

AvFan --
The more I think about it the more I believe my inner self wants a display cabinet that displays only when the doors are opened. Like with you, the CD's are already on a hard disk and are played from there. Except, of course, for the SACD and DVD-A discs.

I'm playing with sketches at the office when I should be working. When I have something tangible I'll take a couple of photos and post them with basic measurements. This will likely not happen until it's too cold to hold a golf club without winter gloves. The weather in the Chicago area has been gorgeous the last few days.

I construct most of my furniture empirically. There are some instances where a full size drawing is helpful, but for me not many. I think a full size mockup can be very useful. Scrap wood, heavy cardboard, hot glue and staples give me an idea of size and scale. I build mostly in Arts & Crafts style, so construction is pretty straightforward. If you know Greene & Greene and Stickley you have an idea where I'm going. I did a lot of Chippendale furniture many years ago but the ex got it. I ended up not liking it so much in spite of all the time and effort spent carving feet and knees. I'll take a mission style table and chairs anytime.

BobZoom wrote: nfaguys --
When the carousel motors on one of those boys stops working it is one heckuva mess. I used to be a regional service manager for a large consumer electronics company and boy did we ever catch hell when a carousel changer was brought in with a bunch of CD's stuck inside.

I'll bet the consumer was upset. I've been told one could take the cover off to get them out. I have had four. The three I now have one DVD-SACD-CD and two CX455s are 400 disc changers, and I've never had a problem, though I follow the instructions and either remove the discs when moving the units...or...make certain to keep them absolutely level. Instructions are specific about when moving the units.

BobZ,

I look forward to seeing your sketches on a storage cabinet. I also like arts & crafts furniture. I seem to be drawn to Shaker, mission and Stickley and often I look over a Thomas Moser book for inspiration. Check out this thread for my latest project, an open shelf cabinet for my AV gear. It is a little more ornate (with the panel sides) than I usually build. I have a weakness for cherry that ages on its own to that deep red/brown. That thread also has Grimsters' nice ebony black oak cabinet that fits his dedicated theater very well. All this talk about woodworking and now I need to make some sawdust soon!

a buddy of mine is building a cd storage unit...
holding...hic! 720 cd's
using these from Lee Valley...
everything encased in a cabinet...
3 pull out drawers holding six of those brackets...which hold regular jewel cases...and you can still open the case while it's being held by the bracket...I'll try to get some pics when it's done...

Many years ago before I became single again I purchased several different kinds of CD holders for evaluation. They're now sitting in a box in a corner of the basement collecting dust. Those Lee Valley holders are pretty clever. But one of the problem with using a holder like that with a large collection is sorting. I like to keep things alphabetical. Plain old shelves are easy to keep organized. Holders mean moving a bunch of jewel boxes around when you add a new artist to your collection.
But then again, when you're playing everything from a PC the cabinet is more a display case than anything else. And those slick looking CD holders make the case sharp looking on the inside as well as the outside. I'm curious to see how he's implementing them.

AvFan...
That's a really nice job on your cabinet. Nice, tight miters. And you used cherry ply for the panels instead of birch ply, something I often do when cherry ply is hard to find. (the pitch pockets are the tell)
Cherry can be really tricky. If you don't get all your boards from the same log they can age quite differently. I scarf joined some cherry that looked exactly the same in color after sitting out in the shop for a year or so. I used it for wide baseboard in my dining room. Well, one board aged very dark and the other stayed fairly light in color. Yucko. I have a piece of furniture in front of it. One of these days I'll stain the light section to match it up.
Like you, I love working with cherry. I'll get some pictures of some of my pieces up for you somewhere.

BobZ,

Thanks for the kind words. Yes, cherry can be a real pain. Its grain swirls around and comes to the surface of the board perpendicular to the face. That's how blotchy spots occur. And you can't tell if a blochy area will occur until you apply the first coat of finish. For the HT cabinet I used sanding sealer before applying thinned coats of poly. It reduced the blotches, but not completely. Now over the years I'll see if the ply and the solid stock turn color about the same.

I built the white oak cabinet below a few years ago and something like it might work for storing binders full of music and dvds. Its not very original, I used a Woodsmith plan and modified the doors and base to my liking. Like my HT cabinet, this one uses ply for the sides, top and bottom all edged in solid stock. No stain, just several coats of thinned poly to protect it but not obliterate the grain.

Splotches...you love 'em or you hate 'em. I like them. I don't try to hide them. To me they add character to what might otherwise be a bland looking piece. Boards with a lot of curl in them are prized. I love the way the tiger striping breaks up the monotony of rails and aprons. But other people don't like the look at all. I find the flake in quartersawn white oak and the curl in cherry and maple something to treasure. It certainly doesn't cry out, 'I'm peel and stick'!

You do nice work. Nice, clean and uncluttered. Furniture that never goes out of style. You're giving me the itch to get back to it. I have what amounts to a full blown custom furniture shop in my basement that I haven't used for much of anything for the last 10 years. That's kinda sad...isn't it? Your enthusiasm might yet rekindle a spark in this pile of old shavings.

I've got copies of Fine Woodworking that go back to the days of B/W. Too bad you're so far away. I'd give them to you. Funny thing, I lived in El Cajon when I was stationed in San Diego. And that's where I first got connected to Pacific Stereo, where I worked until they went BK in '86.

I was going to take some pictures of some furniture pieces the other night when I noticed it was time to do a little rubbing out and respraying. I almost always use lacquer as a finish. It's lacking in durability but is so easy to repair. As soon as it warms up enough to use the garage as a spray booth I'm going to have some refinishing to do. However, I did find some photos I can scan. I'll post them somewhere and send you a link.

Wow, I hadn't thought of Pacific Stereo in a long time. I bought my first stereo receiver, a Pioneer SX 525, from them at the Rosecrans store too many years ago to mention. My Fine Woodworking collection does not go back to BW days, but if you are going to toss them we should discuss shipping costs. Hey, my table saw practically screams at me to start another project. With a whole shop I don't know how you resist. Maybe enjoying your HT?

I was really busy in my shop during and immediately after my divorce. And then I made a career change. That consumed my life for a few years and a lot of started furniture projects were never finished. There's the fully machined parts for a cherry and ebony sofa table to match the rest of the set that is still sitting on the rollaround cart. A custom island for an ex-girlfriend is pretty much the extent of it for the last few years. (lots of ex's in there... :rolleyes: )

The big 3hp General needs a tune up. Blades need to be sent out for sharpening. Jointer and planer knives need sharpening and setting. Mortiser bits, chisels, scrapers...the Performax needs a new table belt...gawd...so much work just to get started again. I need a big bug to bite me. And the only bug in sight is the one that has you swing a stick at a little white ball.

Priorities change. I visited Russia last year and will walk on the Great Wall this year. Also will visit Budapest and Prague. I'm thinking after all that I'll come back to the shop and get those tools ready for something creative. Seeing your work and feeling a need has me thinking about it for the first time in many years. You got the juices flowing.

I even let the HT wither until this year. Now with a new 60" SXRD Sony and the Outlaw 990 and the Oppo I can't seem to get my hands on enough DVD-Audio and SACD. Pretty soon I'll have to start building furniture part time to pay for everything.

I just remembered...I think the street I lived on was Goldfield. The street numbers will pop into my head in the middle of the night, I'm sure.

I bowled in a couple of classic leagues at I think...Frontier Lanes? On Rosecrans? Saw Lee Taylor and Chuck (Bugs) Moran on the PBA tour shortly after I returned to Chicago. I have a lot of fond memories of San Diego.

Hmm...methinks I reminisced out of the media furniture thread...