Design ideas – Console for record player & vinyl storage
user-7768098
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Hi Forum,
I’m looking to build a piece to hold a record player, some small stereo components and a growing collection of vinyl records.
A few quick searches in the FWW vault for “Vinyl” and “Records” and “Storage” yielded a lot of noise.
Does anyone out there know of some good articles/plans/examples of awesome design ideas? I’ve found plenty of cool examples via we searches (notably PhilM), but was hoping for a good ole’ FWW ‘recipe’ that I could start from in terms of designing my own.
Thanks in advance.
~JF
Replies
Try searching "entertainment center" in the box at the top of the page.
cool - thank you!
I went through this about 20 years ago and I think you'll still find the same thing: the projects and plans are for nice furniture and don't take into account the needs of the equipment at all. For example, if you have tube electronics, putting them behind doors is going to trap a lot of heat. Not good! If you have a better-grade turntable, you're not going to want a drawer that pulls out and you are going to want some vibration damping under it. Other than that, you want to make sure that if you're connecting multiple pieces on multiple shelves, you make sure there's room for cables and room to get at them later (you'll inevitably have to take things in and out of the system).
Check this design out:
https://www.finewoodworking.com/2024/12/09/craftsman-door-made-modern
The right side of the console can accommodate a direct drive turntable (on a full extension shelf) and a vinyl collection in the space below. Following is what I proposed to FWW.
I have a love/hate relationship with electronic media technology. A surround sound system that can transport you into another world of sight and sound is truly a joy that belongs in your home. But, it inevitably comes with a number of electronic boxes, speakers, and wires, not to mention a collection of remote controls. Where do you put all this electronic detritus and maintain some sense of decorum?
Designing a media console today presents a number of challenges. For me, first, and foremost, I want a beautiful piece of furniture to conceal my electronic gadgets including the center channel speaker. Second, I want remote control access to all of the components without having to open the doors or using an IR repeater. Third, I want to clearly hear the center channel sound and provide an escape path for the unavoidable waste heat generated by the electronics. And finally, there is the daunting challenge of obsolescence.
My design confronts obsolescence with flexibility. It can easily accommodate a thin profile TV of 50” to 80” on top or mounted on the wall behind it. Further, the cabinet is simply a shell that houses space that can be readily configured to accommodate your current electronics or modified for future technology. I used dovetails (without glue) and screws to construct the inner drawers and shelves. Since nothing is permanently attached, it can be readily dismantled and reconfigured as new technology comes to the fore. Any left over space can be configured to store your media collection or house that direct drive turntable needed to spin some retro vinyl.
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This may or may not be relevant to your situation. Over 40 years ago I designed an entertainment center/wall unit. I designed it to be "modular" so it would accommodate new technologies, equipment, and my changing needs. The Oak "boxes" are not fixed to anything, they are just sitting there and can be moved and even rotated to vertical if necessary. The long horizontal cabinet with the smoked Plexiglas sliding doors held my record albums. Each box had an open cutout in the back closeout panel for wiring.
Amazingly, it started out with a 21" CRT screen and now holds a 58" flat screen and all I had to do was move the modules around.
I also built the floor standing speakers based on the JBL L300's. I actually used JBL speaker components including a ring radiator (tweeter) and a 12" extended range loud speaker. I've since added a JBL subwoofer.
I too need to build a cabinet for vinyl record storage. I plan on using drawers to house several hundred.
In this thread, however, a number of folks have commented on the need for cabinet ventilation. I recently built a cherry console that is wall-mounted below a 65 inch TV. I don’t have any large heat source electronics inside, but I still wanted to be able to operate the system (Blu-ray, olde VCR) with the doors closed. I was delighted to discover a Fine Woodworking article from 2010 where Christian Becksvoort writes about how to “Rout Your Way to a Custom Panel.”
https://www.finewoodworking.com/2010/02/11/4-ways-to-make-panels-pop
In the photos, my cherry is still not finished and there are still no door pulls, but the cherry top/sides/doors are easily removed for outdoor finishing now that warmer weather is here. The remote controls do work fine through the door! If this door was used on a freestanding cabinet, with holes also in the back, I think the cooling would be sufficient. But quiet fans could also be added for tube amplifiers.
My pattern was made using a ¾ inch round nose core box bit and a 1 inch spacing between cuts. Before routing, the panel was ½ inch thick. The cut depth was about 9/16 inch, slightly more than the ½ inch thickness. So, when the panel was flipped over to rout the second side, it cuts through and leaves this wonderful pattern.
My humble thanks to Fine Woodworking!
George
That is beautiful! I too considered Becksvoort's panel as well as these two other possibilities:
https://www.finewoodworking.com/2016/02/10/energized-door-panels
https://www.finewoodworking.com/2020/04/03/how-to-make-pierced-panels
I really like the fractured ice pattern. I also find that the remote controls work through the panels. The only indication that the electronics are on is a soft glow through the panels. Full extension (or over extension) drawer slides would accommodate a turntable for the vinyl:)
Maybe a little design inspiration for you here. Made this for a friend last year. He's a Hans Wegner fan, so we leaned on his design elements to come up with something to complement one of his pieces already in the room. Very simple, made to fit between the doors. Black walnut, unstained, open pore, rubbed finish.
Fun project except for the stinky walnut sawdust!
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