Stereo Cabinet Door style

[dnoyeB]

I am building a stereo cabinet into a wall in my basement. Im going to build a box, then shim it into an opening like a DEEP medecine cabinet. Then I will support the tail with a pedestal of some sort. The back side of the opening I have access too. Think of it as you might a typical fish tank opening in some wall where other side of wall is a different room. Its about 20" x 48" WxH. The hole is 19" deep from dryall face to brick wall rear, but I dont plan to fill more than 12-16" with cabinet. There is 1/2" drywal and the opening is lined with 2x4s like a doorway.

The question is, do I put the door over the frame like a cabinet, or within the frame like an entry door?

If I put it like a cabinet door I assume I should face it with a square frame and let the door close overtop. If as a passage door, I will face it with bevel cut frame and put door inside box opening.

Which way is the better way? Or is this just a choice of taste? One thing I want is to be able to lock this door. I also want it to be glass. Are there locks that work on both types of doors?

Im a handy man and not a wood specialist. I have a table saw, a circular saw now, and a 10" compound miter saw on the way in the mail. Any other tools I should need?

[Josh]

I think it's just a matter of taste, but for what it's worth, overlay doors are MUCH more forgiving than inset doors. If inset, the door has to match the opening exactly with the margin identical all the way around. If the opening is slightly out of square, the door has to match. It helps a little to oversize the door when you make it, then trim to fit the opening, but overlay doors are SO much easier. If you don't have a strong preference and aren't an experienced door-maker, go with the overlay style. You should be able to find all the hardware you need.

[dnoyeB]

Great.

[Charles Spitzer]

i agree, but the inset ones look so much better, imho. here's a stereo cabinet i built a bit ago with inset flipper doors.

?action=ShowPhoto&PhotoID=375regards,charlie

[Java Man]

Very nice design and nice work, Charlie.

Did I see right -- do you have several components stacked on top of a receiver, with inadequate ventilation space above the receiver? If so, this could cause problems with receiver life.

Rick

[Charles Spitzer]

thanks. it was the first thing i've built with only a sketch of what i wanted before i started. it sort of evolved, and mk2, if i ever get a round tuit, will have a few changes :)

the cabinet has no back, so there's lots of ventilation into it. i've had the receiver for about 10 years or so with other components on top of it. i'd bet that most purchased stereo cabinets also are stacked this way, with the large & heavy receiver on the bottom of the stack, too.

charlie

[Java Man]

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Isn't that always the way? I'm thinking about making one myself. I've looked everywhere trying to buy one, and everything I've seen looks cheap and/or isn't deep enough.

Smart design, not only for ventilation, but also for the ease of connecting up all the cables. 7-channel systems have a gazillion (highly technical number -- if you have to ask, you aren't qualified to do it) cables to be connected, all to the correct place. It's no picnic.

I've certainly done the same. My recent reading of audio and home theatre forums shows people actually have problems with them, but most of the reports are for high-wattage receivers in 5+ channel home theatre setups. If your setup hasn't cause problems by now, I doubt there's anything to worry about.

Cheers,

Rick