The idea for a stand for our TV started out on the couch. My wife and I often watch an episode of some series in the evenings before going to bed. Half asleep on the couch it's a "nightmare" to get up, brush your teeth and then go to sleep a second time when the episode is done.

This got me thinking about moving one of our TVs to the bedroom. But there is a catch... Our bedroom isn't too wide and the ceiling is angled, so I couldn't use a wall mount. Therefor I created a functional stand for our TV. It was functional, but even as the mother of this stand I couldn't call it pretty! My wife didn't complain much about it, but it had to be upgraded.

The plywood contest gave me the idea of making something more then just a stand for the TV. After watching several interior programs it came to my attention that women love storage, and I saw an opportunity to implement this in my build.

Step 1: Tools and Materials

* One sheet of plywood (In Norway these come in the size: 12mm*1220mm*2420mm)

* Appropriate saw. Circular or plunge circular saw is the best choice in my opinion, but a table saw will work as well if you get a hand handling the sheet as you cut it.

* Cordless drill, drill bit, countersink (optional) and screws. I used 4,0*20mm screws for wood. This way I didn't have to worry about driving my screws through the sheets.

* Some hand tools for measurements, marking and sanding rough edges.

* Wall mount for the TV

As a Christmas present to myself I bought a Makita plunge circular saw and a guide rail. It's the best tool for splitting large sheets of plywood or other wooden material in my opinion. This way the sheet can lay flat on the ground raised on some thin boards. Of course you could split the sheet with any kind of saw, but a saw with a guide rail makes the job easy peasy lemon squeezy.

Step 2: Plans

I used SketchUp Maker to draw a model of the stand, to get a thought of how the result would turn out. This step isn't all that necessary, but for me it's part of the fun in a project like this.

One problem I had to address in my sketch was the balance point of the stand. My first "stand" was way to top heavy, and the TV almost tipped into the bed where it was anchored. The only thing holding it upright was the rug on the floor that provided friction holding the legs in place. That was why I chose to move the wall mount as close to the center as possible, and still have some room at the back of it. The stand is 30cm deep, but it doesn't feel like it would tip. If you have a larger screen then my 32" and is anxious it might tip over, you can add some weight at the bottom, or mount some support legs in the front.

It's a smart move to plan out the cuts on the sheet, so you can get as large pieces of scrap wood as you can for other projects later on. In the picture attached I have marked up approximately how I made my cuts.

Keep in mind when marking up, that the saw blade removes roughly 2mm of wood, so you want to do your final marks in between the cutting.

TVkryssfiner1.skp
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Step 3: Cutting Necessary Pieces

Start by cutting a 600mm width all the way down the middle. This way you get the same width for all the parts needed except the side panels.

You can then cut that piece into the length needed to make the top, upper front, mid "shelf", lower front and bottom piece.

Now comes the slightly trickier part, since you can't use a circular saw on the 90* angel cut. Cut almost all the way town to the perpendicular cut, but remember that a circular saw blade is... circular and you will need to use a handsaw for the last few centimeter.

Step 4: Assembly the Parts

When assembling it can be hard to keep edges aligned while holding the drill and the screw. I solved this by clamping a piece of wood to the side panel, and hold the bottom piece up against that piece. This way I didn't have to worry about the bottom plate moving out of place while using the drill bit.

I wanted to countersink holes for the screws, since they are close to the edge, and the layers in the plywood can splinter. This is a bit tiresome, but gives a better finish.

I started from the bottom and worked my way to the top with the assembly. This is easiest done laying flat on the ground. Fasten each plate with screws before moving on to the next piece.

When every pieces of plywood is fasten, you can measure how high your TV is above your wall mount. I aligned the center of the wall mount with the center of the back plate, and screwed it in place so the top of the TV is as high as the stand itself.

My wife also wanted some pegs ("buttons") to hang stuff on on the back. She helped me spacing out where she wanted them, and I drilled right trough with a drillbit. The screws are hidden behind the TV anyway, so why bother covering them up in some other way.

Step 5: Shelves for Storage

For the back side of the TV holder you can make the storage of your choosing. For us it became shelves for shoes. Some how my wife got more shoes then me, and need more space to put them. I got some pairs myself, but they "all" serve different purposes, and my soccer shoes are not fitted to store in the bedroom!

I fount it natural to make a shelf where the box at the bottom is. And it fitted nicely with another shelf centered in the lower "box". Another option here is to make some kind of drawer to store anything in.

The shelves where attached by cutting supports of plywood that where slightly shorter then the shelf itself. These where fastened to each side of the self with a screw from the top side.

This way I could easily fasten the shelf to the side panel at the height I wanted it to be. Since my screws are 20mm long they will only pierce 8mm in the outer wall after going through one sheet of plywood.