CUT IT OUT
1. Measure out and draw your pattern onto your 4' x 8' sheet of plywood, making sure your lines are nice and straight.
2. Since the plywood can be heavy and cumbersome, always cut the biggest pieces from the pattern first. This makes it way easier to manage the wood, and as you tire out you’re faced with smaller and lighter pieces to maneuver. Note: Take your time with the cuts and make your lines as straight as you possibly can. If they wiggle a little, you can smooth them out somewhat with the orbital sander later, so don’t panic. Cutting slowly also helps keep the cuts from "feathering" and makes your finish edges cleaner. Focus on slow straight lines and safety.
3. Your last cuts should be the rounded edges of the top and bottom shelves. This is because you’ve had a lot of practice following lines with your jigsaw and you’re now a master. NOTE: It’s best to cut the curve on the 2 halves of the bottom shelf in one cut, so that you get the cleanest line. Place them side by side as they’ll sit on your finished shelf and hold them together by friction or with the masking tape (or a clamp if you’ve got one or two). Again, you can smooth the edges into a more harmonious curve later with the sander. But help out your later-sanding-self now by taking your time and getting the cleanest cut you possibly can.
4. Using the 2” hole saw cut your 3 cord holes as marked, being careful not to saw all the way through the wood, only saw until your guide bit (the one in the middle) appears on the other side of the wood. Then turn the wood over and using those same guide bit holes, drill from this side to keep your circle edges nice and clean.
5. Now that you’re an expert, drill the 1 cord hole on the remaining flat topped vertical.
6. Take your 2 pieces of ¼" door material and cut out your sliding doors. Sand any edges that aren’t completely neat and smooth. Be careful about sanding the wood veneer, it’s thin and you want it to stay in place. It’s pretty, so if you have to sand it, do so lightly. Now take a moment to admire the full size puzzle you’ve created for yourself.
PUT IT TOGETHER
7. Starting with one half of the bottom shelf, begin fitting the bottom shelf notches in the 3 vertical pieces into the vertical shelf notches in that half of the bottom shelf. The fit should be pretty snug. Use a rubber mallet to gently knock them into place. If all you have is a hammer, then place a piece of scrap wood against your finish edge before gently knocking them together. This way the scrap wood absorbs the hammer damage and your nice edge stays nice.
8. Gently knock the other half of the bottom shelf into place on the opposite side of the 3 verticals and flip everything over so that you’re looking at the bottom of the bottom shelf.
9. Secure the seam on the bottom shelf with screws and your 4, 8" mending plates placed perpendicular to the seam to maximize their effectiveness. Remembering that your wood is only ¾" thick, drill shallow pilot holes for all screws before inserting them. You can wrap masking tape around your drill bit so that only ½" of the bit tip is exposed. That way you’ll know when you’ve drilled in ½" and you’ll lessen the risk of drilling through your wood.
10. Attach the end vertical (the one opposite the rounded edge) with 2 of the 3" angle brackets from underneath.
11. Lay your top shelf face down and set your bottom shelf and verticals assembly into it, fitting the tongue on your end vertical into the groove on the flat end of the top shelf.
12. Use your measuring tape to make sure you’ve got it nice and centered and affix the verticals to the top shelf using the angle brackets on the inside edges of the shelves (the better for their invisibility and your later enjoyment of your nice clean lines).
13. In the big bay of your credenza, against the middle vertical, use screws to attach your two vertical cord hiders (the thinnest pieces of wood that you cut out). Two screws on each from the small bay and 1 from underneath should do the trick. Note: If you’re feeling ambitious and you’ve got a pair of those 6 plug straight power strips, you can find the hanging holes on the backs of them and put screws on the inside of the cord hiders to hang the strips from. It’s pretty handy having all the plugs inside the unit. It really helps with the cord wrangling.
14. Inside the small bay, (where the shelves will go) using your square, draw lines where you want your sliding shelves to be. They can either be equally spaced or—using math and your brain—you can modify the shelves to better accommodate your electronics (the shelves slide out so that you can keep a turntable in there!).
15. Separate your sliders so that you’re only dealing with the sides that attach to the verticals. Screw them in along the lines you drew, making sure that they all face the same side (the cabinet is asymmetrical and reversible, so you’ll have to decide which side you want to be the front for now…you can always reverse the shelf gliders and turn it around later, so no pressure).
16. To make your first shelf, take two interior shelf gliders and two planks of shelf wood, get them nice and square and screw them together leaving a gap between the planks. The out plank edges should go to the edges of the shelf glide and the gap should be at least 1 ½" so that it matches the vents on the bottom shelf. Not only will this allow your electronics to vent better, but it also gives you a handy center shelf route for cords. Fit your new shelf into the outer gliders in the small bay. Slide it in and out. Repeat this step to make the next shelf.
17. Sand any imperfections, and thoroughly dust off your creation with a rag.
FINISHING UP
18. Using a brush, apply a thin smooth first layer of your satin finish to all visible surfaces, except the ply edges, they’ll yellow weirdly if coated, so focus your efforts on only finishing the wood veneers. Check for drips and let it dry.
19. Use the steel wool to sand the finish down to a glossy, glassy smoothness.
20. Repeat those 2 steps until you’ve got a finish you love (3 coats is plenty, 2 is probably okay too).
21. Using your hacksaw, cut your ¼" aluminum door track to length (you should have 4, 2 top and 2 bottom).
22. Set your track in place and mark the flat tongue edge of the track where it meets the middle vertical.
23. Make 2 perpendicular cuts into the tongue edge where you made your marks. Cut all the way to the inside of the tongue and use your pliers to flex the little piece back and forth until it breaks clean off. Repeat these steps for the top track, as well as the top and bottom track on the opposite side.
24. Set the tracks in place and drill pilot holes through the track and into the wood.
25. Using your #8, ¾" pan head screws, secure the tracks in place.
26. Insert your sliding doors into the track on the side you’ve decided to use as the front for now and make sure they slide easily.
27. Pour a drink and begin loading up your credenza.
