DIY Cane Media Center With Minimal Tools
This week I am taking over! I have been wanting to build something by myself for so long and what better way to do that by making something (a), we need and (b), with something I am obsessed with, cane! Cane gives that beachy, coastal look, but also I can totally see a boho vibe in there. That’s exactly what I want. It’s perfect. If you want your own set of plans, you can get those here!
PLANS HERE: https://www.woodbrew.tv/product/diy-media-center-plans/
If you want to check out the way we plan and design our projects, you can watch the video here! We use a program called SketchUp, you might have heard of it. We went through the whole process of talking things out first, adding in materials, textures, measurements and a lot of tips and tricks along that way!
Alright let’s get into this project.
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Since this is my first major project, I wanted to take this from the beginning and use a circular saw. I know how to use a table saw and miter saw, but I completely skipped the whole learning to use a circular saw part. Taking things back a bit. Let me tell ya if you want to challenge yourself or master your skills, use a circular saw for an entire project. It’ll get ya.
Materials in this project are pretty simple. For the cabinet itself, I am using 4 sheets of 72”x18” project panels. You can totally get some 2x and glue them up together for everything or just for the top, but we were kind of on a time crunch, #regrettable. If you choose to use project panels, MAKE SURE you check to make sure they are square. Ours were a little off and the boards were not parallel to the cut, if that make sense. Either way, choose some good boards.
For the base, we got (3) 8ft 2x2s and for the doors and door catches we got (5) 8ft 1x2s. The 1x2s eventually changed to 1x3s because our hinges were too big for the 1x2s. Check your hinges before you get your boards to make sure they will fit!
For the back, just a sheet of 1/4” plywood.
You’ll also need pocket holes screws and CANE, duh it’s like the best part!
List form:
(4) 72”x18” project panels - These are hard to find online, but you can most likely find them in-store! They are labeled as laminated panels!
Pocket Hole Screws ( 1 1/4" and 2 1/2" )
The first step is cutting all materials down to size. I tried to use a guide, but for some reason my hand and eyes were not working together, so I said screw it and I just free handed it. I could not keep the saw against the guide to save my life, weird I know. I only had to cut the project panels for the sides, middle, and shelves, which took 2 panels. I could leave the other 2 untouched because they are already 72” long and that is what the cabinet will be. I free handed the 1x2s and 2x2s as well. I made sure to mark on the ends of each board what they are, so I don’t get confused and have to keep measuring each one to know what it is for.
Now that everything is cut, time for pocket holes. This is the jig we used: https://amzn.to/2URq8T9 . Everything needed to be drilled for pocket holes, so just get your pile ready and get to drilling! For the doors, make sure you are only drilling holes in the rails. You’ll be fastening the rails to the styles, so you only need 1 set of holes per joint. For the panels, I just kept moving them down so I could drill 4 holes or so in each one. Also, make sure you are flipping those over to drill in the top and bottom. I may have forgotten to do that on a few and had to go back.
Once that was done, it was time for assembly! Dylan had to help me out on this, I really just needed an extra set of hands. We used the pocket hole clamp to help out when screwing the base and doors together. It helps out a TON! We assembled the cabinet and base separately and then attached them together. A little bit easier.
Once your doors are put together, measure and drill out for your hinges.
Now for the cane. We bought a 10’ sheet, so we rolled it out on the back of the door, made some 1/4” plywood wood strips, put those on the back of the cane and then used a pneumatic stapler to staple it all to the door. Start with the top or the bottom of the door. Then do the top or bottom you didn't just do, pull the cane really tight and then staple. We put a few in the top, put one in the middle of the bottom while keeping it tight, put one in the middle of one of the sides, and the same to the other side. That way it’s pulled pretty tight already for the rest of the staples, but make sure you keep pulling the cane tight for all the staples. Super important so you don't have a droopy cane. After that, I cut off the excess with a utility knife to clean it all up.
Now go to the cabinet and measure for the hinges and attach them. This is the best part when you can start to see the finished product! All that’s left is stapling on the back panel (1/4" plywood) and applying a finish! I used the wood wax from Walrus Oil for finish.
I am so, so, so happy with how this turned out! Sure, there are some uneven cuts here and there, and the hinges were a pain for us when hanging them because the panels were twisted and everything else, but overall it looks amazing! Not to toot my own horn, but I am definitely giving my self a pat on the back for this one. I didn’t know this was possible for me to build with just a circular saw. I have to give a huge shoutout to Dylan for being the best cheerleader and keeping me going, even when I got super frustrated with cutting freehand. He's the real trooper.
If you want to build this for yourself we do have a set of plans here! We did give you a few options when it comes to the project panels, but you totally don't have to use them!
I hope you love this media center as much as I do! You can watch the whole series of videos (3) on this project on our YouTube channel! See ya next week!