Bookcase and Entertainment Center (2020)

I'm dredging up some projects from the past today.

We needed a bookcase / entertainment center for the big room in the basement, part of setting it up for the grandchildren - each of whom have used it ONCE !   This resulted form a photo the wife found on line; no dimensions, nothing to go from - oh, and the photo was of a Murphy bed of entirely different proportions. Noooo problem I said….... famous last words…...at least I didn't say "hold my beer."
 
Lacking dimensions, I had a 9' ceiling to work with, so I determined the height by subtracting the width of the crown/banding moldings, it appears to have worked. Width was set to accommodate a 48" wide TV; that was my dimensional starting point. Overall dimensions are 7' 2" high and 8' 6" wide.
 
The major challenge was duplicating the doors shown in the photo, with the angles and joinery of the grid. Just getting that worked out - and making sure - took some time.  Believe it or not, I pulled out an old trigonometry book from 1962 - finally found a use for that. I recalled asking if we would ever really use any of that. The instructor said "You won't, but the smarter kids probably will."  Fooled him, even though it took 60 years ! 
 
Then came the issue of the stop molding used to surround the grid. Half finished and the pieces did not match. Home Depot had 2 versions of the molding in the same bin, same SKU stickers, etc., but one was 1/16" wider and a little thicker than the other. Pulled it all off and a trip back to HD and had a conversation with the manager, and his ho-hum attitude. Then a trip to a second HD to find enough of one type to finish. 
 
I included a pullout tray for the printer in the center base.
 
The last photo is what I worked from, no dimensions, etc. just the photo. Oh, its a Murphy bed, so the proportions all had to be reworked. Thank goodness she didn't want the circles on the center doors, nor the glass doors on the bookcases.
 
The finish is 2 coats of primer and 2 coats of Sherwin Williams Emerald cabinet enamel - $80/ gal., but well worth it The tall doors required some tall pulls that were finally found at House of Antique Hardware. 


And the purpose was to have a nice TV n the basement to keep the grandchildren entertained so they would visit more.  Each has spent exactly one night there in 4 years - once they become teenagers, you won't see them much.  I do put an old laptop on a shelf to access internet music, and connect via Bluetooth to the amp.