A bit of woodworking

[Andy Burns]

Not often I build stuff from scratch, but I'd decided to fit the TV on the chimney breast (nice and low down, rather than neck aching height) so wanted to fit the AV kit within the fire opening.

Actually I was hoping to find a lintel in the chimney, and be able to replae it with another one higher up to allow recessing the TV into the wall, but I found there was a "flue gathering" instead and AFAIK these tend to hold up all the pre-cast flue liners, so I quickly decided to just remove the non-structural bits to widen the opening and fit a cabinet in there.

I've been building up my tools collection lately, so now have decent router, circular saw, mitre saw, planer rather than my older clunkier stuff, made a reasonable fist of it from MDF, only glue required was for the moulding on the front.

How come 18mm MDF fits precisely into an 18mm routed slot, but 6mm MDF needs the thickness planing down by about 0.75mm to fit a 6mm slot?

Anyway, it was quite a tight fit within the opening, had to get the SDS out to chase the mortar snots etc from inside the chimney to get it in (some noisy revenge) fitted temporary MDF shelves in place of the toughened glass ones that are on order.

The slate hearth was chopped down from a previous attempt at doing something with the fireplace, the mains and aerial cables (along with speaker and ethernet) will run in via the side of the chimney, all the clutter on the middle shelf will eventually sit on the hidden top shelf that's behind the TV, along with an ethernet switch, chromecast, RF remote receiver etc.

[Bob H]

While I can't offer anything in the way of advice or help, I will say it looks a nice job so far, and having the tv at that height looks just right.

Do you want to come and do ours, lol

[Roger Mills]

What happens when you want to light the fire?

Seriously though, it looks like a nice job - well done!

[tony sayer]

In article , Andy Burns scribeth thus

And what its not being used for TV, some nice log fire flickering pix on it;)...

[tony sayer]

Yes it is I think you'll find anything much above eye level when seated will after some time give you neck ache...

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Quite. Remember being taught at the BBC some 50 odd years ago that for comfort you must look down to the screen. Which defined TV control room design.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Probably because its actually inch stuff I THOUGHT it was 3/4"=19.275mm and 6.35mm=1/4"

Wood sizes are all fairly 'nominal' anyway.

[Gazz]

Too true,

in my motorhome i put the TV near the roof, as it was the best place for it, out of the way, close to the sat dish and all that, it's the common place factory built motorhomes use too, a few using those flip down screens, and the american RV's have had a 30 odd inch CRT hung from the roof above the driver and passengers seats since time began.

but bloody hell was it a pain i the neck to watch, best was to lay down on the sofa so you were in a better position to watch.

I did deliberately put the bedroom TV up against the celing tho, as it is only ever watched in bed, so it's at the ideal angle and position for watching when laying down... tho we dont watch much actual tv stuff, more playing games on the ps3,

[Andy Burns]

I just mounted the wall bracket so it'd stay at the same height as the existing stand.

[Andy Burns]

I haven't had a gas fire installed for nearly 20 years after my abortive attempt to build a "random" stone fireplace, it kept tending toward looking regimented and brick wall like, so I gave-up and took it out.

[Andy Burns]

At the moment it's whatever random photos the chromecast decides to display, some of which are quite stunning.

[fred]

In article , Andy Burns writes

You'll need to turn those speakers round and move them closer to the wall if you're going to teach those neighbours a lesson.

[The Natural Philosopher]

[Nick Odell]

Inspector de Luca? I've downloaded it from the iPlayer but haven't got around to watching it yet. Is it any good?

Oh yes: nice idea, nicely executed. Thanks for showing it.

Nick

[polygonum]

Couldn't get on with it at all. Somehow the Flemish, Danish, Swedish languages are easy even though I have to read the subtitles but the fast, jabbery Italian is very annoying. About 10 minutes was my limit.

Is it just me? In the picture, everything looks to be at odd angles? I'm sure it isn't really but my attention goes to that rather than the neat shelving.

[Andy Burns]

Yes, I wanted to test the Chromecast got a good signal when stuffed in one of the TV's rear HDMI sockets surrounded by chimney ... that was the first "featured" program on iPlayer :-)

From the start, it looked OK, might watch it if I get time before it expires.

I can marginally grok Italian having had plenty of work trips over there years ago, never got into Borgen etc myself.

Sorry it was just a quick phone snap, mum likes to see what I'm on with, and you lot got the same photo, I sort of matched the angle of the photo to the drawing I'd sent her earlier, the speakers were temporarily dragged from under their dust sheet to see what they'd look like too, probably not straight and one of them was certainly not level.

[Jeremy Nicoll - news posts]

Yes, but quite confusing... lots of characters, and very much bound up in the political problems of Italy. The stories do stand alone, but there are references in the later ones to what happened in earlier ones.

The four episodes span the time from well before WWII when Mussolini and the Black Shirts had acquired power and were ruling the roost with thuggery well to the fore, to a period a few years after the war when 'normal' political processes were trying to get going. But there's plenty of corruption all the way through, making life hard for de Luca (and everyone else).

[fred]

As an aside I wouldn't be planing mdf to thickness. I'd enlarge the routed groove instead.

[Andy Burns]

I only planed a 1cm strip down the sides, but the MDF is just temporary until the glass arrives, if 6mm glass isn't actually 6mm, I'll widen the groove ...

[polygonum]

A number of years ago I was marginally involved with an amazing laser photographic printing machine, made in Italy. Some problem with it resulted in a couple of engineers being sent over. Despite sort-of knowing the possibility, it was nevertheless a surprise when they arrived speaking German.

No apologies needed, my eyes simply could not get comfortable!