Cane Media Console

This project has been on my list since 2017. Not this specific project, but a cabinet with cane panels. I loved the breeziness of this IKEA piece that somehow never made it to my local store, and now it appears it never will. I wanted to get an up close look at how it was made.

But, finally, after years of dabbling, checking out cane and drooling over other cane furniture, (like the cabinets and chairs I shared in posts here and here (oh gosh, this is really embarrassing – even those posts are over a year old!)) I sat down and designed something I needed – a media console for our bedroom.

I wanted the piece to feel light and airy, but I worried about the minimal framing and my total lack of experience in working with cane. So I went through multiple designs with many of the various pieces I covered in my cane cabinet post in the back of the mind. I eventually got it all designed and built, but I changed and stretcher bar at the last minute. And then, when my console was already in use in my bedroom, I saw this while perusing one of my favorite stores…

I mean, goodness, it’s the same exact design minus a leg! I had to laugh. I certainly am not taking credit for this design… I had looked at lots of inspiration pieces and with all of those designs in my head I just tried to plan something that I felt I could build. The fact that it ended up the same as this was just comical.

I had even planned on similar pulls, but decided to abandon them based on how my door spacing worked (long story short, sometimes I don’t realize errors in my design until I’m actually building it!) But I ended up with minimal hardware, which I like because it lends well to the streamlined design.

As I have for other projects, including this bath linen cabinet and this rast hack, I opted to use these stain grade project panels to help the project come together quickly. To save a bit of money, I opted for a paint grade 1×12 panel for the shelf.

Cane

I went back and forth on what cane to use, but finally settled on this open weave at OnlineFabricStore. I really liked that they offered it in 18″ wide so that I wouldn’t waste (or spend) as much!

Cut List

1×16 Stain Grade panel (find here at Lowe’s)
2 @ 6′ top and bottom
3 @ 23 1/2″ side panels

1×12 Panel (at Lowe’s)
1 @ 34 1/2″ shelf
1 @ 35 1/4 shelf

1×2
4 @ 11″ (optional shelf supports)
8 @ ~ 14″ door rails (cut to fit)
8@ ~23″ door stiles (cut to fit)
3 @ 12 1/4″ leg assemblies

2×2
6 @ 7″ legs
3 @ 12 1/4″ leg assemblies
2 @ stretchers

3/4″ dowel
1 @ 23 12″

Backerboard cut to fit

Steps

1. Begin by assembling the box using 1 1/4″ pocket screws in 3/4″ pocket holes inside of the sides. For attaching the bottom panel, you could use countersunk screws from the bottom in place of the pocket screws since they will not be seen.
   
2. Attach the middle support in the same fashion, keeping the right side of the support at the center of the box.
   
   
3. Attach the back piece with brad nails and wood glue. Be sure to check for square before attaching. You cannot underestimate the power of a good nail gun, which is why I love mine! (Check it out here). You could use luan or hardboard for this. Because I was in the middle of the corona lockdown, I used what I had on hand, which were the hardboard backs of a dresser I had recently deconstructed. I left the center open to allow for light and to make cords easier to plug in and use. The pieces on each side provide enough support to keep the box square.
   
4. Using glue and nails/ screws, attach the dowel to the right of the middle support, flush to the front.
   
5. Measure and construct your doors from 1×2 using 1 1/4″ pocket hole screws from the back, leaving 1/8″ gap on the tops, bottoms and sides, as well as an 1/8″ gap in between each pair of doors.
   
6. Prep 3 leg assemblies as shown below, with the pocket holes facing the ground for the 2×2 and up for the 1×2. Attach the 1×2 to the 2 2×2 legs, but do not attach the bottom 2×2 until you’ve secured the leg assemblies to the main piece.
   
7. Flip the box upside down and carefully attach the leg assemblies to the underside of the box, screwing through the 1x2s and into the bottom and side panels. For the middle, I used shorter screws to go only through the bottom of the box, but not the middle panel as it is off-center.
8. Attach the 12 1/4″ 2×2 bottoms on each assembly with 2 1/2″ pocket hole screws. Then attach the 2 stretchers in between each leg, using pocket holes and screws facing the floor.
9. Add in your shelves. I attached mine by using 1×2 supports, then laid the shelf on top. You can also use shelf pins if you wish to keep the shelf positions flexible. Alternatively, you can attach with pocket holes and screws underneath.
10. At this point, I attached the cane to the backs of the door panels using a staple gun. I found that cutting the cane with a simple rotary cutter like this one worked very well. I am so not a pro at this as it was the first time I used cane. I made sure to soak the cane and to try to pull it as tightly as possible while keeping it straight. It did not come out perfectly, but I’m happy with the results. I am eager, though, to learn how to cane with spline.
    
    

Stain

I stressed on this stain color for a while. I wanted something leaning more towards natural, but I had to deal with the one big downfall of these panels… they can be very yellow. After trying a few different stains, as well as different techniques, such as wetting the wood to keep the stain from penetrating too much, I found that my favorite was a mix of Minwax Honey Oak and Minwax Special Walnut.

I would like to say I can give you an exact ratio, but I just can’t! I started with about 3 parts Honey Oak to 1 part Special Walnut, but it was just still too dark. I then dumped in more Honey Oak, but it was still too dark. I used my entire can of Honey Oak with just a bit of Special Walnut mixed in. A total shot in the dark guess would be that I ended up more at like a 10:1 ratio. The Special Walnut added just enough brown to keep it from looking too yellow, and overall, I’m really happy with the color! I used the same stain on the cane.

Door Hardware

The hinges are simple small brass hinges (find them here). The doors are lightweight, and I wanted the hardware to be as minimal as possible. I then found these push to open door latches on Amazon. After being nervous to install them, it was actually quite a breeze.

I finally used 3 coats of Polycrylic to seal it off.

In the pic below, you can see my crazy cords stuck in the bottom. I’ll show you how I handled them soon.

I have a couple more projects with cane planned. Hopefully they will take less than 3 years to finish!

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