Re-Purpose Girl

I have to thank my wife.  Just when you are not sure what you will write about as a next blog post she gives me my material.  This past year she gave me material for at least four posts, and I am sure she was probably wondering when she would next show up in a post.  So here it is, the first one for 2020.  For sometime now my spouse, or the wife, has been commenting about our Oak Entertainment Center, and how it is, well, out of date.  Most of those who remember the old televisions, that is before flat screens, will recall the depth of the old cathode ray tube televisions in being almost as deep as they were wide. They were also very heavy.  Entertainment centers date back in time to accommodate cathode ray tube televisions, VHS/DVD players and the music center which would have consisted of a receiver, speakers, cassette player,and/or player, and maybe even a turntable, which us old folks refer to as a record player.  Records are now retro chic (or perhaps that fad has passed).  These entertainment centers could also be used as a wardrobe in a bedroom with insufficient closet space.

Family Room, Oak Entertainment Center is in back center of the
photo, right of the fireplace

Technology has allowed us to get by with less equipment, and has reduced the size of other pieces.  For example, flat screen televisions are much lighter and lack the depth needed for the old cathode ray tube televisions.  While we have a receiver and speakers, our music is now on a small device.  VHS players have gone the way of the beta max, and DVD players are heading the same way, although we still have a DVD player.  Streaming of videos is all the rage, and we can stream videos from two different providers, we still watch a good number of DVD's.  Therefore, we were no longer in need of the large entertainment center, but to store our DVD's. 

Re-purposed Dresser to Entertainment Center

While we may have less equipment, if you look at what is plugged in you would think it was not so.  There are plugs for the Amazon Firestick, television, DVD player, antennae, and receiver.  Two are not normal plugs so they do not sit in the six prong capable power strip.  It is almost like I need to run new electric wire to place an  additional two duplex outlets to power all of this stuff.  If we had cable we could be down to four, but we have never have had cable TV, and I don't think that is in the offing. 

Close up to show shelf made of drawer front

Sometime ago my wife had the idea of taking the entertainment center and cutting off the top, say two thirds of height, and using a pane from the oak sides as a new top.  On Saturday, December 28, she was again ruminating about the large cabinet and cutting the entertainment center apart.  My woodworking skills are not at furniture quality, which she well knows,  so I did not wish to take on that project.  She then commented to the effect that ten years from now we will still have the entertainment center in the same place.  Perhaps that is what led to begin looking at pieces of furniture in the house.  I even looked on line for smaller entertainment centers to see what the cost of a new one would be.  Then wen started doing some measurements of walls and other pieces of furniture.  

Plugs everywhere

Measuring furniture compared to wall width gave her an idea.  She suggested that we take an old dresser, that had been used as the boys changing table when they were babies, and was now used in the her basement sewing and craft area.  This old dresser was purchased at a garage sale.  Her idea was to take a drawer out of the dresser, take it apart and use the drawer front and back for an inside shelf. While in the basement looking at the dresser, she said: "Well, are we going to do it?"  Her next, quick step indicated it was a command more than a question.  I hardly had time to take a breath, and she was already pulling her sewing stuff out of, and clearing the top of, the old dresser.  I knew her tactic, she gave little time so I did not come up with reason why not to proceed.  I went upstairs to clear out the entertainment center.  When that was completed I verified and earlier check of  television viewing height to best determine how much of the dresser legs would need to come off.  We hauled the dresser to the workshop, cut about 5" off the legs, and took apart the drawer.  I cut a left over piece of 1/4" plywood panel to get the rear drawer back for a shelf to proper heights with the front piece, and used that plywood to extend the shelf to the back of the dresser.  

Oak Entertainment Center now in Basement
for Sewing and Craft storage

After it was completed, I noted that "I am not going to say I was skeptical", but it does look good.  There was no way I would be able to dissuade her in this project.   It is like she was in one of her organizing binges, which I guess she was, reorganizing the entertainment center.  The entertainment center took the place of the dresser for her crafts and she has now organized that to hold craft and sewing materials.  When she gets on a roll it is either help out, or get out of the way.  It took a few hours to unload, cut assemble, adjust, and put all back to order, but it was completed and it looks better than the large old entertainment center.  Not to say that I was skeptical.  

Part of Inside of Oak Entertainment Center
Re-purposed for sewing and crafts

In the end, I think it looks much better than what her original idea of cutting apart the entertainment center would have turned out, because this is not the depth and so looks "lighter" than even a reconfigured entertainment center would have looked.  We have re-purposed a piece of furniture, improved the appearance of the family room where our television and music equipment is located, and did with no expenditure required.  So, my re-purpose girl came through.

Images by author, Dec. 2019