Section 1
Initial construction

The first phase of construction was to draw the shape of the sides on a bit of MDF and cut it out.  Where else could you possibly start.  Here's the only picture of me on this website.  Yes, I'm the bald bloke on the left.

That jigsaw was quite noisy and it was about midnight.  I couldn't wait until tomorrow to get started.  You know what it's like when you get an idea in your head..... don't you?

The next day, I got so into what I was doing, I forgot to take photos of my progress.  The next shot I have is this one.

There's a fair few hours work there.  I felt I had better get on with it before I forgot what I was doing.  All the plans were in my head, I just had a few rough sketches, but I knew what I wanted. The slider for the keyboard and mouse drawer was fitted just before I took this photo. Yes, this day brought me my first big time cock up.....

Before I went any further, I decided to get the TV in there to see whereabouts I want it.  The damn thing weighed far too much for to to hold in position, even with about three people to help me it would have been too much.  If I had five people, I might have got away with it, but I don't have that many friends.

The TV was given to my by a very kind chap where I work called Alan.  It's an ex-security monitor and had spent several hundred hours showing the same CCTV picture I suspect.  When you got it in the right light, you could make out the side of a building and a bit of a car park!  Since playing a few games on it, this image has vanished.

I measured the TV and made a cardboard mock-up of it so I could bugger about and hold it with one hand.  This worked a treat and I was so chuffed with myself, I took a photo of it. But then.... I realised, no matter how much I squashed this cardboard facsimile into the back of the cabinet, it wasn't going to fit.

The cut-aways I had made in the sides for the TV were about three inches too deep!  I was distraught.  I didn't know what to do.  Eventually, I had an idea.  Cut two more pieces the right shape and size and glue them in to extend the panels.

The yellow Areas here mark out the lines along which I originally cut the sides. The red line is the profile of the TV. I think it would have been a problem had I not done what I did. It wouldn't look that cool with the telly sticking out would it?