I need help from a brilliant furniture designer!

[Toller]

made it exactly how the customer wanted, to hold a lcd TV. Sadly, they measured the screen only, so the TV and stand will not fit in! She wants me to make the inside 2" higher. The top is a mitered; the bottom is butt jointed. I thought of sawing the bottom out and putting a new bottom below it but that would only gain 3/4". She is willing to pay for "repairs", but I can't think of anything that wouldn't look like repairs. Any ideas of anything that could be done that would look good? The project is butternut.

I suspect it is cheaper and easer just to start over, but would like to salvage it if I can.

I would like to put some walnut uprights in it, and hang the TV from the uprights (losing the stand . I think that would look great, but she doesn't.

[The3rd Earl Of Derby]

You could cut the top off about 2" or 3" down and biscuit joint it with a darker piece of 2" in between the top and lower body. This will give a nice band going around the top.

[Toller]

The grain on the sides runs vertically. That would make it difficult, as the insert would have to be vertical also.

[The3rd Earl Of Derby]

Got any dark walnut? this wouldn't matter about the grain going opposite directions as it will look ok.

[Toller]

Maybe I am not understanding you. If I put horizontal grain walnut in between two pieces of vertical grain butternut it should crack when the wood moves. But maybe you meant something else...

[Jim Northey]

Could you do it like the Earl of Derby said and then put a chair rail type moulding around it? Maybe use a small chunk of moulding and slide it up and down the case till you find the spot that looks best and cut it there? Maybe if you could post a pic of it others may have better solutions for you. Jim

[Markem]

Cut the bottom off and fit a thicker bit of walnut to the base to get the 2". You could do a sliding dovetail joint or a dado.

Mark (sixoneeight) = 618

[CW]

Build a large fire, toss it in. Problem solved.

[Andy]

So why can't you put a stripe of vertical-grain walnut in the vertical-grain section, and horizontal grain for the back? It might take some careful planning to cut the top off your finished piece and glue up a chunk of walnut, but if you glued up a piece that was 6" high x (depth of workpiece) long, you could then cut that down to two 3" high pieces. I think a 2-3" stripe of walnut could look really nice, especially if the base were walnut also. I love the contrast of butternut and walnut - obviously different colors, but very similar grain patterns and there's a similar "warmth" or "value" or "tone" or something between the 2 colors. (As you can see, I don't know the real words to describe the various aspects of colors, but do you know what I mean?) Good luck, and let us know what works, Andy

[New Wave Dave]

Use the same butternut oriented the same way; stain it darker or bleach it lighter or use maple for a contrasting band. Some variation of the theme is likely your best bet though.

[The3rd Earl Of Derby]

Here's another ;-)

Cut a recess inside the bottom resting panel were the TV would sit and if possible a support ledge in the recess for the TV stand to sit on.

Or do you think she might not like that?

[The3rd Earl Of Derby]

Forget that it won't work. :-(

[The3rd Earl Of Derby]

How do you mean *Crack* ?

If you where to biscuit joint the new walnut section all round it shouldn't have any adverse effects on the wood.

[Toller]

"what I have always heard" The butternut will want to move about a quarter of an inch (16" times .2"/foot) from summer to winter. The walnut will not move at all. That movement cannot be contained in the joint, which will crack to accomodate it.

[henry]

Cut it in half with a bandsaw, add 3" piece with grain running same direction. Rout a recess at the two seams and add a banding strip.Does the TV have enough ventalation?

[todd]

If this was my project, I bet they would think losing the stand would be OK if I told them how much it would be to "fix" it. My first thought before reading your last paragraph was to attach to the VESA mounts that I assume are there to hold the TV.

todd

[Joe Bemier]

Could you just build an extension box onto the existing box? If the OA depth increase would be excessive then you could remove a corresponding width from the existing box on the TS. Also, on the box stand base unit, why are you showing the butt ends.? Is there a reson for that?

[KENDALL SEYBERT]

Orrrr, instead of a banding strip, a nice piece of custom molding in a matching or contrasting color, depending on the customer's wishes.

--Jim

[ivy.dolan]

Toller, Consider splicing in a 2" piece at the top and covering it on the sides with a decorative moulding. The splice could be biscuited and covered on the inside with a piece of veneer. The LCD screen has a dead spot at the top which isn't used so a smaller moulding arched to see the screen but dropping at the corners to match the side mouldings would not look bad. Anyway you fix it, I would charge a lot, just for the frustration Jim

[Toller]

You noticed that.... The side pieces have vertical grain , while the front piece has horizontal grain; I didn't think the 6" joint was long enough for wood movement to matter, especially since they are connected with pocket screws. Since the front piece would show end grain I figured I would put the front piece between the side pieces, since they wouldn't be end grain. I didn't think the perpendicular grain would be as conspicuous as it actually is.