Entertainment Center

The entertainment center was something that I started designing well over 2 years ago after I finished remodeling my basement.  Now that the basement has been done for over 5yrs I figured it might be time to get the A/V equipment up off of the floor.  Up until very recent the entertainment center was not but a pile of wood in my garage.  Before I start to share the details of this project I must first tell you quick and simple Google Sketch Up was to create a 3D model to visualize how this would look.  I started with just wanting to create a wire frame drawing for reference in the shop but I quickly got lost in the computer program and began adding all the details.

Working from the left to the right I am going to be stacking my surround sound receiver and cable box.  Just to the right of the cable box I have created some slide out drawers to hold the Wii and video games.  In the middle I made room to hold the center channel speaker with a fully extenable drawer beneath for some blankets or more of the kids stuff.  To the right of this I created a few more small pull out drawers for movies and remotes.  On the far right I created another location for electronics such as blu-ray, DVD, Laser Disc, etc.

If you visit entertainment center page you can see some other details on how I integrated a PVP tube for some conduit from end to end to help with the cable management.

Downdraft Table / Table Saw Outfeed Table

The following posting is a project I started midstream of building an entertainment center for my basement.  While assembling the entertainment and cleaning the shop I was reminded of how the dust just seems to find its way to every part of the shop.  I then turned to the internet for a few ideas .... and quickly came to conclusion that converting my existing hard maple table saw outfeed table into a multipurpose work station would be ideal.  I quickly disappeared to the Home Depot for a few supplies and began crafting this project based off of a few pictures I saw on the internet.  I must credit the idea for this project from http://www.fineboxes.com/DowndraftTable.htm.  The outfeed table has now been converted into a fully functional downdraft table, outfeed table and storage cabinet.  The base of this cabinet consists of 1/2" plywood construction and 2"x2"s with Hard Maple for top.

If you want to attempt this project here is a list of supplies:

(3) 1/2" X 4' X 8' plywood

(9) 2" X 4" X 8'

(1) 60min timer switch

(1) 120VAC outlet

(10) Power cord 10-2AWG

(2) Box of Screws

(1) Door gasket / weather stripping (to seal the removable fan side)

(4) 20" X 20" furnace filters

(2) 1" X 1" steel angle iron to improve surface rigidity

(6) 1.25" Pan Head screws

(1) Hard Wood Top (Size to vary based on your shop)
(1) Old Furnace fan or blower

The finished dimensions for the base of my downdraft table are 39" X 43".  The height of my downdraft table was customized to match the height of my table saw and thickness of the hard maple top.  Since the downdraft table in my shop is a permanent fixture I finished the base with a hardwood trim to ensure it remains level with the floor and table saw.