Cabinet for turntable, receiver, and vinyl storage.
I built this piece during my final semester at The Krenov School of Fine Woodworking. It was an effort to build something functional and elegant, while utilizing the skills I had developed over the last year and a half.
The record console is constructed from Brazilian rosewood and European cherry using a combination of solid wood and sawn veneers. I made a conscious effort to highlight the natural grain pattern and striking color variations. There is a prominent dark line that is carried throughout the piece, wrapping around the drawers and bottom rail. The cherry was chosen to complement the rich tones in the rosewood and for its calming straight grain.
The legs are both curved and tapered, featuring a cove to catch the light on the corner of the leg. The top of the leg is also carved in a variation on Krenov’s “Owl Ear” mimicking the shape of the leg and creating a graceful transition. I carried this theme through the rest of the piece by utilizing coves between surface element transitions. The door pulls also follow the same theme, being both coved and pillowed like the top of the leg.
One of my goals for this cabinet was to learn new mechanisms. This involved nearly three weeks of prototyping, making 15 pieces of custom brass hardware and requiring an additional six pairs of brass hinges. The cabinet is centered around a glass display lid for the turntable. Below is a compartment for the receiver, which is accessed by a two-part roll-up door. This allows for the compartment to remain open for ventilation during use, whilst not obtruding from the cabinet. The door rides on a series of pins in two separate tracks to achieve a lower clearance requirement and utilizes a pulley system to prevent accidental slamming. There is storage for vinyl on both sides, behind the bi-folding doors. Four dovetailed drawers round out the piece.
