Reclaimed Wood Entertainment Console

I am walking you one of my very first builds, my reclaimed wood media console.

Tools required:

• Circular Saw (I used a Kreg guide, can substitute a table saw)
• (4) 18" Bar Clamps (Any length longer than 18")
• Power Drill
• Electric Sander
• 1/2 Drill Bit

Materials Needed:

• (5) 2" x 10" x 8' Dimensional Reclaimed Wood (From Second Chance, google and craigslist are your friends)
• (1) 2" x 10" x 10' Dimensional Reclaimed Wood - Cut in half
• (3) 1/2" Pine Dowel (36"-48")
• 2' x 4' 1/4" Underlayment
• (2) Hinge sets
• (2) Handles
• Hairpin Legs (I purchased mine off of Etsy)
• Shelf Pins
• Wood Stain (Varathane Dark Walnut Wood Stain)
• Poly (General Finishes Polyacrylic)
• Wood Glue (Titebond 2)
• Sand Paper (80 and 150 grit are good starters)
• Brad nails
• 2" Chip Brush
• 3" Foam Brush
• Painter's Rags

Once you have your reclaimed wood, cut a clean edge off the end of one board. Before you cut, make sure to check for screws and nails as it will ruin your saw blade. I used a Kreg rip fence to make sure I was only taking off what I needed and to make sure the alignment was straight. I didn't own a table saw/joiner at the time of this build, use what you have!

Proceed for boards 2-6

Turn the boards up on their ends and mark where you would like your dowel holes to go. I Marked at 4, 12, 20, 28 for the ends, then at 38, 48, 58, 68, 78, 88. Once marked, use a marking tool to mark the middle of the board. I used a sliding t square to easily do this.

Take the 5' boards, repeat the process by marking at 4, 12, 20, 28, 36, 46 56.

Once marked, drill through with your 1/2 drill bit so that there is around a 2" hole in each board. I found this to be much easier with a jig, but this can be done with proper alignment. (If you have access to a biscuit joiner, I would highly advise using this over dowels)

Once holes are drilled in all pieces, cut 3.5" dowels from your dowel stock you purchased. Glue up all surfaces to be joined and insert the dowels into the holes. You might need a mallet to set the dowels fully into the holes. Then align second board with the dowels that were just inserted and clamp together the two pieces. Repeat for the second and third set of boards.

On the 8ft joined boards, mark at 16", 32" and 92". Cut at each mark to end up with 4 16" pieces and 2 60" pieces.

On the 5ft board, mark at 15.75", 31.5", and 55.5". Cut to end up with 2 15.75" doors and a 24" shelf.

Rip the backing at 16.75 and cut the remainder at 16.75 twice to use to cover up the end hole. If you would like a more seamless look, purchase a large sheet of backing and use the remainder for another project!

Scrape off all excess glue and I decided to do a preliminary 80 grit sand of all surfaces instead of having to sand it all when it is assembled. Either way works, just my choice.

Mark 4.5" and 3/4" from each corner on both the top and bottom and sides. If you do not have a pocket hole system, also do this in the middle 4.5" and 18.25" from each corner. Use your 1/2" drill bit to drill down into the wood, only drill halfway through (3/4") for the top and bottom, but bout 2" should do it for each side.

Cut (8 for just sides, 16 for all) 2.5" dowels.

Glue the ends of the sides and insert dowels. Start from the middle bottom, and work your way to the ends, attaching the top after the bottom is in place. Use more clamps if available.

Once clamped measure how high you would like the shelf and mark this about 2" on the inside of the inside supports. Drill a hole to accept the shelf support you purchased. I made an extra 2 sets of holes to account for any future changes in stereo equipment I will purchase in the future.

I started by scraping all the extra glue off the joints. Once complete, begin with 80 grit to resurface the reclaimed wood. Finish sanding with 150-220 grit and wipe off all the dust with a tack cloth or painters cloth.

Next stain the wood with your choice of wood stain, I decided to go with a Dark Walnut Stain. I use a 3" foam brush to wipe the stain on, and wipe off any extra stain from piling up with a painter's rag.

Finish with your choice of Polyurethane/Polyacrylic, I went with General Finishes. I like to use a 2" chip brush for applying the top coat since Poly likes to ruin good brushes. After each coat but the last, I wait at least 30 minutes then sand with 400 grit.

First install your backing, I used small nails to just nail it on.

Next step is installing your hardware. I went on Etsy and found these hairpin legs for cheap, but find the ones that suit your style and height requirements.

I purchased the hinges and handles from a local hardware store, but the ones you choose will come with their own mounting instructions.

Thanks for following along, I hope you enjoyed and don't forget to share your creation!