Help Me Design My Stereo Component Cabinet

Okay, I’ve been trying to figure this out on my own for a couple of weeks now, but I can’t come up with anything that I like, so I’m turing to my fellow Dopers for advice.

I need to build a cabinet to house my stereo components, and since I’ve got access to machine tools, I want to build it out of metal and have a high tech/industrial feel to it. Unfortunately, I can’t come up with any ideas that’ll work. I thought about making it look like a scale model version of the WTC, but in order for that to work out, the thing would have to be 14 feet high!

Then I thought about using a design based on the Apollo rockets or lander. Alas, in both cases, the scale renderings proved impractical. The design would have come out insanely tall (in the case of the Saturn V and Command Module designs) or insanely wide (in the case of the Lunar Lander), and in pouring through the various books I have, I haven’t been able to come up with anything truly nifty looking.

So, I’m hoping that someone out there has a suggestion that can point me in the right direction at the very least.

The cabinet has to be at least 56 inches tall and 22 inches square to house everything. Also, if I make a replica of anything, I don’t want it to be a “trunicated” design (i.e. I chop off a hunk of it just so it’ll fit, or I make one part ludicrously oversized to fit the components). Space themed would be nice, since I’m thinking about making a CD rack designed around a Saturn V rocket. Anyone got any suggestions?

Just a note to run down to the local circuit city and measure components.

We got a 400 disk CD player it turns out to be too deep for my entertainment center. It has to be on top. :frowning:

That’s not a problem since I’ve already got 90% of the components that I want and since the largest is my turntable and it’s 17 inches square (See that? Even left room to wiggle in!).

I defy you to actually come up with it, but how about ‘Robbie the Robot’? It should scale nicely, if be impossible to replicate…

and make sure there is enough vertical clearance for the turntable

Well, other than the plexiglass top, that wouldn’t be too terribly hard, but I dunno, just can’t picture Robby in my living room.

Robby, no, but WTC/lunar lander/apollo rockets yes?

maybe something Star Wars-ish?

Well, I’ve thought about that, but I can’t come up with anything. The droids are too cutesy, Vader’s too geeky (well, Vader’d make me look too geeky, I don’t need any help in that department, as I already practically have “flaming dork” tattooed on my forehead.), something that didn’t scream Star Wars when you first looked at it, but was vaguely familiar to someone, would be okay, I think.

How about a retro look -

http://users.chariot.net.au/~theburfs/URsalmon.html

The wings could hold TONS of CD’s…

Yeah, but I’ve never been much of a fan of the “pogo planes.” The reason I liked the Apollo lander was because of its skeletal appearance. Its just too bad that if I build one large enough to hold my components, it’d take up six feet of floor space due to the legs. The Command Module was a back up idea that didn’t work either. Sigh. Thanks for the help, I just keep hoping that something’ll turn up that’ll make me go “Yeah! That’s it!”

Sandcrawler.

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your humble TubaDiva
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Hell, in for a penny…

**Tuckerfan - **

first, decide whether you want a horizontal or verticle arrangement (if you already have the components, you need SOMEPLACE to put them).

Then - go buy something - you can wrap it in sheetmetal later - and the shape may point you in the direction of the design.

and, if you want somethong with a curved front, how ya’ gonna get to the controls? Ever rivet piano hinge?

happyheathen, I’ve got most of the components (there’s a few left I need to get one of these days), the problem is that they’re all odd sized and none of the pre-made cabinets I’ve seen will work. I’ve had an improvised solution (its far from perfect) for about a year now and I’d like something more permanent. Veritical integration is definately the way I want to go. If I spread the things out horizontally, I lose huge chunks o’ living room (that’s currently the way things are now). I also don’t want to just slap a hunk o’ sheet metal around what I’ve got now as then it’ll look like duct work. (I can be a picky little bastard at times, I must admit.)