Making the Man Cave

[Crazy Climber]

I admire your dedication, I would have just slapped some planks of wood on bricks then call it a day and have a beer

[potatohead]

So we moved to BFE in December. After all the packing and everything else, it was shocking how much stuff I had collected. Sad thing is, in our last place we never got a chance to get the furniture we needed for everything to be accessible.

 

I figured, let's do this right. My office has to be the first room (my wife agreed) and everything has to be the best it can. Instead of having cool stuff in containers, why not make everything perfect from the start.

 

Easier said than done. We closed on the house on December 4, moved December 5, but it took until the end of December just to paint the walls.

 

I couldn't find all of the furniture I needed, at least not without spending several thousand, so our only choice was for me to build it. I needed 2 bookcases, 2 consoles cabinets, and 2 storage cabinets. It took another few weeks to figure it all out.

 

In mid-January, I started buying supplies. Apparently where we moved, things are 10-25% more expensive because it is rural. Bummer, a lot more expense. On top of that, there's a lot of stuff not carried locally (I use that term loosely, local around here means an hour drive or more) that was carried in stores where we used to live.

 

So, several hundred dollars later, and by late January, we had all of the materials delivered. It was time to use tools.

 

 

Of course, everything takes longer than expected. As many others have experienced, this has been a particularly cold and snowy winter. That made it impossible to construct the office furniture outdoors, so my future office/man-cave had to become a workshop. Drop clothes, a window fan for venting dust, and a Shop Vac would take care of most of the mess.

 

153 pieces of wood needed to be cut to width before assembling the furniture. The basic lumber preparation took two weeks.

 

 

Even though the boards were cut to width, they still needed to be cut to length. I decided to do that one cabinet at a time. It seemed best to do the easiest first, the fixed shelves. By February 24, had finally started to get something recognizably done beside stacks of lumber.

 

 

The next day, I managed to get a lot done. One bookcase was finished and sanded, then moved to the hallway to make room. Another was started.

 

 

 

 

I have no idea when it will all be done. After all of the construction, the room needs to be cleaned amazingly. Then all of the dropclothes go back down and all of the new furniture gets painted. Then, sometime around late March or early April, I will finally get to unpack everything...

 

YES!!! I've got similar plans 'a brewing. Do share, and know that it's likely a lot of people have "man cave" envy

 

And BFE, is not a bad thing at all, so long as you can get a reasonable net connection.

[akator]

YES!!! I've got similar plans 'a brewing. Do share, and know that it's likely a lot of people have "man cave" envy

 

I hear you. It took a long 5 years to do this project -- my wife went to grad school, changed jobs, we moved twice, etc.

 

I certainly hope your "man cave" gets done a little faster than mine

 

And BFE, is not a bad thing at all, so long as you can get a reasonable net connection.

 

Yeah, we've got relatively decent DSL, but it's about half of the speed we got in Richmond. It seems to average about 6, whereas before we got 15. I can live with it, though.

 

The biggest adjustment has been the change in lifestyle. A lot more ordering things off the web, so like you said it's a good thing we have a decent net connection

[akator]

Took the weekend off. Monday the last 3 shelf faces were mounted and all of the holes for the handles. Glue had to dry, so it was another "hurry up and wait" day.

 

Today I took all of the drawer slides off of the shelves and cases, then sanded and puttied the shelves. I wanted to do more, but after hours of sanding my hand went numb, my wrist started aching, and it was obviously time to call it a day. Assuming my wrist recovers, tomorrow I plan to finish the shelf sanding and puttying.

 

It's amazing how long it took to do the first round of sanding and puttying the 6 sliding console shelves... it was longer than the time required to do the cases. But hey, at least it will all be done right

[akator]

This week has progressed much more slowly that I would have liked, but still something has been done. The unseasonable heat over the last few days put a crimp on the work.

 

Today the last of the puttying and sanding for the console shelves was finished. I cleaned up the room and moved the cases to a wall to make room for new work.

 

 

There's a lot of wood already cut, but not enough...

 

 

... so I moved the new MDF purchased over the weekend to the room for the next stage of construction.

 

 

I could have possibly gotten more done today, but I was wiped out. Because it was time to start the interior work on another case, a new phase of the project seemed like a good time to quit a few hours early and think about how to approach the new work. Of course, there's a little bit of procrastination involved, but sometimes thinking things over helps to figure out the most efficient way of doing things...

[akator]

Today I started on the interior of the filing cabinet. The parts were cut to width, sanded, then I cut, sanded, and assembled the hardware shelf that will go above the file drawers.

 

I just realized how optimistic my original post was, that I would have the construction finished by now. It's a good thing I finally grew my sense of humor back after the move (I guess that took 4 months), otherwise not having things finished already would make me crazy

[akator]

Last week the file drawer frames were cut and assembled.

 

 

We had family coming to visit for the weekend so construction stopped while I spent a few days cleaning the house. It was a great visit, but when it came time for me to restart the furniture on Monday my head wasn't into it. Today I finally got back to work.

 

The file rails were cut, drilled, and attached to the file drawer frames. All of the slides were mounted and everything ready for the file drawer faces.

 

 

Attaching the file drawer faces requires a little thinking about the best way to do things. Because the frames are significantly smaller in height that the faces (that saves weight), they are somewhat "floating" and will have to be aligned carefully to the rest of the cabinet. I spent a few hours this afternoon figuring out the best way to approach things, and I think I've got a good plan...

[Ghost Soldier]

Looking good

[Ghost Soldier]

Any updates on the builds ?

[akator]

Any updates on the builds ?

 

Sadly, no. The last few weeks have been spent dealing with house issues.

 

A non-working (but brand-new) heat pump made the upstairs too hot for me to do any construction and caused $400/month electric bills. That is a big, big problem that may require legal help.

 

We finally found a contractor who removed the 50-year-old concrete foundations from our backyard, but until yesterday we couldn't find anyone to build our backyard fence who wasn't trying to scam us.

Edited May 8, 2010 by akator

[akator]

Finally... this round of house issues and dealing with contractors is done, which was preventing me from getting work done on the furniture. Our heat pump works again as well, which was a big problem with building furniture when the temperatures were climbing.

 

Today I finished construction on the filing cabinet.

 

 

Next is the interior of the final cabinet, a chest of 9 drawers for stationary, electronics, cables, and whatever else will fit. The end of the project is finally within sight

[akator]

I've run into an interesting design dilemma, but one I knew would show up sooner or later. With 7 of the drawer faces laid out on the cabinet, a question remains what to do with the remaining drawer space. It could be one large bottom drawer, as shown in the photo...

 

 

...or the same space could add one extra 3" and two extra 4" drawers.

 

I think the one larger drawer would look better, but I'm not sure a drawer that size would be practical.

[akator]

The parts for 7 of the drawers are finally cut to size and sanded. The 8th bottom drawer will be made after all of the others are done and mounted, since only then will I know the exact dimensions.

 

These are the drawer sides and drawer dividers.

 

 

These are the drawer horizontals.

 

 

These are the drawer faces.

 

 

It feels like I'm on the "home stretch" now, and I'm looking forward to getting the drawers assembled and mounted

[Ethaniel]

The parts for 7 of the drawers are finally cut to size and sanded. The 8th bottom drawer will be made after all of the others are done and mounted, since only then will I know the exact dimensions.

 

These are the drawer sides and drawer dividers.

 

is that your supervisor?

I've been reading this thread since you started it and i have to admit that i'm a bit jealous

i really wanna do my own shelves but i need to find an empty room to make them, or temporarily move my stuff...

great work

Edited June 2, 2010 by Ethaniel

[akator]

is that your supervisor?

 

Heh heh, yeah. She's most annoyed when I have to close her out of the room because of power tools, noise, and sawdust. After cleaning everything up and letting her back in, the cat has to inspect it. I think it all meets her approval, since that is now her favorite room. I doubt she will be as happy when everything is setup and she realizes I didn't build it all for her...

 

I've been reading this thread since you started it and i have to admit that i'm a bit jealous

i really wanna do my own shelves but i need to find an empty room to make them, or temporarily move my stuff...

great work

 

Thanks. I hear you about the space dilemma... that's one reason why I hadn't built these over the last few years. Admittedly, some days it has been frustrating not to have access to my stuff -- although fingers crossed, everything will be unpacked by the end of summer. Later than I had hoped, but it will be worth it in the end

[akator]

The 7 drawer frames are assembled (one frame is still clamped waiting for the glue to dry).

 

 

Next is the drawer bottoms and mounting the drawers...

[akator]

Work on the office has not progressed as rapidly as I would have liked. My wife had a car accident (fortunately only the car was hurt), then as I was getting back to the project last week I somehow managed to pinch a nerve in my neck. Still waiting for the doctors to figure out what they're going to do about it, but in the meantime the steroids and muscle relaxants are making things less painful

 

Since the last post, I attached the drawer bottoms and mounted the 7 completed drawers to the case.

 

 

Next the final drawer can be measured, cut, constructed, and mounted. Once all of the drawers are in place, the drawer fronts will follow.

[akator]

Because of the pinched nerves in my neck, progress came to a halt. I've spent most of the last 2 months in bed. On my best days, I managed to get a little done.

 

The bottom drawer was assembled. Sadly, I mis-measured and had to take it apart to redo it. Fortunately, I managed to salvage most of it without having to make a whole new drawer.

 

A few weeks later, I cut and attached the drawer bottom to the drawer frame. That was all the work I could do for over a month.

 

Yesterday I felt pretty good (comparatively), so I sanded the bottom drawer, attached the drawer slides, cut 3 drawer fronts, and attached 2 drawer fronts. That took about 2 hours. I wanted to do a lot more, but my left arm gave out and went into shaky spasms which still haven't gone away. Still, I'm really happy that I made at least a little progress. The end of the project is in sight!

 

 

Months ago, I made the mistake of cutting the drawer fronts before the drawers were mounted. Most of those parts are the wrong size. Now everything is cut based on the exact dimensions needed. Some of the lumber I previously cut is useless for this project, but only a few parts are "wasted" and can of course be saved and used for future projects.

 

Today I'm screwed, my left arm is still useless. With so much shakiness, it's a really bad idea to use power tools. I have high hopes that tomorrow may be better. If not, then there is always the next day. If not then, I know there will be another day that it's possible

[Chuck D. Head]

 

 

Today I'm screwed, my left arm is still useless. With so much shakiness, it's a really bad idea to use power tools. I have high hopes that tomorrow may be better. If not, then there is always the next day. If not then, I know there will be another day that it's possible

 

If you can handle making 20 minutes of progress every day, it might help keep you sane as you deal with the health issue. It will be worth it eventually. Morgan

[akator]

If you can handle making 20 minutes of progress every day, it might help keep you sane as you deal with the health issue. It will be worth it eventually. Morgan

 

Yeah, that has been my goal. Back in the end of June and most of July, I set a goal of doing a little bit a day. It didn't work out then, but I still have high hopes that will work out tomorrow or the next day.

 

I'm really proud that I got anything done at all. Still, it took months in bed. In that time, I've been longing to get back to work on the project. No doubt, yesterday I pushed too far. I have been so excited to get anything done at all that yesterday when I could I didn't realize how much I was pushing things. Now I know, recover and do less -- no matter how excited I am to go farther

 

I'm going to take things easy, and as you said maybe do less next time hoping that it will allow me to do a little bit more the following day

[the-topdog]

I'm going to take things easy, and as you said maybe do less next time hoping that it will allow me to do a little bit more the following day

 

Slow and steady wins the race. Your health comes first.

 

You are making great progress, but you will need more storage since I have a ton more consoles and computers for you to add to your collection

[akator]

You are making great progress, but you will need more storage since I have a ton more consoles and computers for you to add to your collection

 

Thanks for the inspiration Although... I'd have to build an addition onto the house if I had a collection like yours

[akator]

Over the last month, I've been doing tons of physical therapy, so work on the furniture seriously slowed. Even so, I was able to get a few things done.

 

A few weeks ago I managed to finally get the drawer fronts measured, cut, and attached to the drawers.

 

 

Today was a day for celebration. The cabinet construction is finished!

 

 

There's still quite a bit to do. The scrap lumber needs to be cut and taken to the landfill, the usable lumber cleaned and moved to storage, the tools cleaned and put away, the furniture cleaned and moved from the room, and the room completely cleaned from top to bottom so that not a speck of sawdust remains. Once that is done, the drop clothes go down, the furniture moved back in, and it's time to paint. I am soooo looking forward to having it all done and being able to "move in." Hopefully the PT will continue to improve my neck, surgery won't be required, and in a few months I'll be enjoying some classic gaming at its best

[the-topdog]

Over the last month, I've been doing tons of physical therapy, so work on the furniture seriously slowed. Even so, I was able to get a few things done.

 

A few weeks ago I managed to finally get the drawer fronts measured, cut, and attached to the drawers.

 

 

Today was a day for celebration. The cabinet construction is finished!

 

 

There's still quite a bit to do. The scrap lumber needs to be cut and taken to the landfill, the usable lumber cleaned and moved to storage, the tools cleaned and put away, the furniture cleaned and moved from the room, and the room completely cleaned from top to bottom so that not a speck of sawdust remains. Once that is done, the drop clothes go down, the furniture moved back in, and it's time to paint. I am soooo looking forward to having it all done and being able to "move in." Hopefully the PT will continue to improve my neck, surgery won't be required, and in a few months I'll be enjoying some classic gaming at its best

 

Woohoo! Nice! You are getting close to the finish line! But don't over exert yourself... health comes first!

[akator]

Strange time we've been having. Long story short, it took until only a few days ago to start painting the furniture. The filing cabinet is now primed with 2 coats.

 

 

My original plan was to prime and paint the finish color for each cabinet, doing one at a time. Because of the unseasonably nice weather predicted for this week (60+F), instead I want to use the "Kilz" oil primer while I can keep all of the windows in the house open during the day. It has been years since I did a project like this... and I forgot how heinous the primer smells. Without intense ventilation and fresh air, the evaporating solvents will create a headache in minutes.

 

Priming this first cabinet also helped me work out a new plan for the process, which should be much faster. I will do the interiors and bottom first, so that the entire cabinet can be "rotated" during the painting process. Because the exterior will be bare, the cabinets can be moved as necessary to get the best application and finish. That way 2 coats of primer can be applied each day to the interior. Once that is dry, I put the cabinet right-side-up on $1 mini-crates and paint the exterior. In theory, that will allow a cabinet to be fully primed each day... in theory...