Friday, March 29, 2013

Kura bed to loft bed hack


Materials: Kura Bed, 3x2 Wood

Description: Please note, make sure you use strong enough fixings to secure the bed to the wall, if you are fixing to a plasterboard/drywall wall you will need to secure it to the studs, DO NOT SECURE IT TO THE PLASTERBOARD!!!!!!

I did this hack with the bed fully built and on my own, but you could modify it in pieces if you find it easier, and a second person would help make it easier, this took me about 3 hours but would be quicker if I had a second pair of hands. This need to be done in a corner of the room as you need 2 sides supported.

You will need.
1 x Kura Bed
1 x 3m length of wood (about 3" x 2"€)
Some suitable wall fixings and screws, and some basic tools.

12" Depth Bathroom Vanity


Materials: 4 AKURUM Wall Cabinets, LILLÅNGEN Sink, RÖRSKÄR Faucet

Description: My customer needed a shallow bathroom vanity to increase the available space in her bathroom for her disabled mother.

Cost was also an issue.

I used 2 full length AKURUM wall cabinets (12" depth) and 2 smaller over the refrigerator type AKURUM cabinets to create a hanging vanity. Also to allow airflow from a poorly placed heating vent.

The top is made from tha same mosaic tiles I used for the shower floor. (She needed a zero entry barrier shower due to her wheel chair)

Kura Princess Bed


Materials: Kura bed, Tounge and Groove Cladding, Decorative mouldings, MDF, Joist Hangers

Description: Daughter wanted a princess bed so after seeing some other Kura hack, the "Geek with power tools" thought lets go.

Got the bed frame off eBay and then proceeded as follows :

!!SAND EVERYTHING before you build it.!!

#1 Build the frame with only the 3 NON ladder corners.

#2 Take the two bed lengths post and fix in place where the ladder would go. These act as the ladder and support for the floating side of the bed.

#3 Measure and fix 6 joist hangers on the wall where the long side will sit, and 4 for the head end of the bed.

#4 Lift the bed onto the joist hangers and tweak your levels.

Monitor stand with Ribba photo frame legs


Materials: EKBY JA„RPEN shelf, RIBBA frames

Description: Dual monitor stand, or desk shelf.

1. Remove packaging from items
2. Remove the stand and matt paper from the photo frames
3. Choose four screws that are not so long they will push through the edge of the shelf.
4. Place shelf (top down) on workbench
5. Place a photo frame at the end of the shelf with glass side facing away from the shelf, and long side against the shelf. The frames are slightly shorter than the width of the frame. I consider this a design feature to accommodate cables, or you can use the space to brace it with some MDF if you need to put heavier items on the shelf.

Custom Expedit


Materials: Expedit 4x2

Description: First of all I decided to hang my Expedit, in spite of Ikea's advise (the say NO for hanging Expedit). I made additional supporting beam under it (one of the pics shows this).

Thursday, March 28, 2013

Black and white Stolmen Cat Tree


Materials: IKEA Stolmen storage system (post and fixtures)

Description: Here is our version of the "Stolmen" cat tree. We were inspired by pictures we saw on this website. We bought the post and fixtures and built our own shelves to reduce the cost. We gave the shelves the shape we wanted and painted them in white.

Princess Storage Without the Princess Price Tag


Materials: APA storage box

Description: Lately I have been drooling over the very expensive, and very few dress up storage garment racks on the market, but I didn't want to spend $200 on furniture we'd only use for a few years. Meanwhile, I'd already been using an Apa storage box for dress up clothes when one day I realized, it might work great with a rack built-in!

The construction is simple- I screwed two 3-foot long 1x4's into the inside panels of the toy box. Then I cut a dowel and screwed it between the two lengths of wood. Easy peasy! I used some pink hangers from the dollar store to add some cohesiveness (I like matching hangers) but didn't need to paint, since the toy box also has unfinished wood trim.

Now we hang clothes on the rack and store purses, shoes and hats below. It takes up no more room than our toy box was taking, and makes for easy dress-up!

~ Sarah, United States

9€ IKEA Verner Panton Flowerpot


Materials: IKEA blanda blank diameter 12 cm and 20 cm

Description: How to create a lamp that looks like the Verner Panton Flowerpot using 2 IKEA Blanda bowls:

- Drill a 10 mm hole in the centre of a 20 cm IKEA blanda blank bowl
- Mount a light bulb socket.
- Create some structure that will keep the 12 cm bowl. Use whatever you have lying around for this task. I used an old biscuit can that I cut up and made the hooks. These hooks are glued in place, 3 in the 12 cm bowl and 3 in the 20 cm bowl. This system allows you to change the light bulb.

Hova goes Honeycomb


Materials: Hova armchair (1993, discontinued), painters tape, paint, fabric medium

Description: My aunt gave us an old accent chair she no longer had room for. It was 20 years old and from Ikea. My initial idea was to make a new cover out of a fun patterned fabric. The problem? I don't really know how to sew, so I'd either have to learn, or ask someone for help. My next idea was to dye it. That posed another issue: it wouldn't be patterned, something I think is severely lacking in the living room.

So I decided to try my hand at stenciling the slipcover with paint. I had already done something similar with a rug and I loved the results, plus I figured if it didn't turn out okay this time I could sew a new cover eventually. After checking out other armchairs out there I settled on a hexagonal design. My idea was to tape off all the areas I wanted to leave as-is (the lines between the hexagons) and leave the hexagons bare so that I could paint them.

I started in the middle of the armchair, and with painter's tape, I taped around a cut-out hexagon. I moved it around and continued to tape, tape, tape.

Kitchen cart with folding extension


Materials: IKEA cabinet of unknown name, 1/4" X 1 1/2" wood, 1/2" X 1 3/4" wood, 3/4" X 2 1/2" wood, wood glue, some hinges, hacksaw

Description: I started with this kitchen storage cabinet from IKEA, whose name I don't know. The top was originally a single piece which was much wider than the base, overhanging in a way that always made it a bit awkward to place in the kitchen.

After some time, I decided to cut off the extending portion, but I didn't want to lose the 'counter' space it provided. So, I patched up the cut ends, screwed them back together with hinges, and added a support which slides in and out of the unit to either allow the extension to hang down, taking up less space, or stay up, providing the counter space occasionally needed.

The top is made of two layers of a thin paperboard with a paper honeycomb structure sandwiched between them. After cutting the extension off, I had to do something to hide the hollow top. I glued some 1/4" thin wood strips to each of the cut ends. I unfortunately used a wood that didn't quite match the finish of the cabinet - with some searching, I'm sure a better match could be found.

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

How-to: Make a replacement Samtid lamp shade


Materials: board, cutting tool, patience

Description: The Samtid floor lamp is a beautiful design, and will last for many years. Sadly, the skimpy plastic shade that comes with it disintegrates after two short years, and Ikea does not sell replacements. It doesn't matter if sunlight hits the shade, it doesn't matter if you used a low-heat compact fluorescent. They just fall apart. DO NOT throw that base away. Here is a template to make your own replacement shade.

Instructions:
Print out the pdf on regular old letter sized paper. Your printer may cut off the edges of the images; don't worry, just print out at 100% size. Tape the pages together according to the indications. Tape onto your Bristol board, card stock, or sheet plastic. Cut out on lines, "weave" tabs together, and attach to your base. The template includes the original shade, and also a slightly taller and (I think) much more graceful shape.

Years of extended life for a great but flawed Ikea product!


Download the pdf here.

~ Matthew Bird, Providence, RI

Fairy princess treehouse: KURA Bunk Beds with STUVA storage


Materials: 2 Kura beds, 3 Stuva drawers 60x35.

Description: Needed bunk beds for my twin daughters but already had a Kura bed that my son had been using. Decided to buy another Kura bed second hand and essentially used one complete and the base of another. In order to add storage, raised the height of base bed to accommodate 3 Stuva drawers that provide good deep storage. Both sections are fixed together with 6 coach bolts.


Both my daughters struggled with the built in stair so made a new ladder from wood taken from the 'help yourself bin' outside IKEA.

My wife added some wall stickers we bought from next.

We are calling it their fairy princess tree house.

~ Chris Kennedy, Innerleithen Scotland

Reincarnated Rolling Shoe Storage


Materials: Various shelves and bookcase sides from the as-is section at Ikea, MDF trim, casters, wood screws and L brackets.

Description: I used various shelves and bookcase sides to build a rolling shoe storage for our newly built mudroom bench.

1. A circular saw was used to cut the boards to desired length. Due to the laminate finish of the boards, a ten inch blade with sixty teeth was used.

2. Drawers were assembled using 1 3/4 wood screws and L brackets.

3. Non swivel casters were added to bottom.

Lack TV riser


Materials: 1 Lack shelf, 3 pair Besta wooden legs, glue

Description: Take 1 Lack shelf and glue the six legs right on. The back of the shelf is still raw, but it works for me.


~ Tom

Carpet turned to Entertainment Centre backing


Materials: 1 x VINDE Carpet, 2x BENNO DVD Tower, 1x LACK Wall Shelf, 1x LACK Regal, 6x CAPITA Legs

Description: My wife is tired of cleaning the carpet everyday and we decided to change it but we don't want throw it away. I thought it might be good to use it as wall carpet with the wall mount TV to hide the cables :)

1st, I mounted the LACK shelf as the same height of the BENNO DVD Tower.
2nd is the carpet using wall plugs, screws and washers then mounted the TV (I made a small cut on the carpet for the cables)
3rd the BENNO DVD tower
4th finally the 6 CAPITA legs to the LACK Regal but I removed the 2 dividers so I can put the amplifier.

See my other hack: DJ Stolmen STUDIO

~ DJ MX3, Dubai, UAE

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Grundtal Hanger Airport Extreme Mount


Materials: 4 Grundtal Hangers, Ikea item no. 300.612.47, Drill and bit for wall anchors, Screwdriver, 5 tacks, Template (posted in this link), Spirit Level, Fasteners (wall anchors) for the Grundtal hangers

Description: I looked for retail mounts, but I had a real problem with spending $40-$50 for the available plastic mounts. However, the Grundtal hangers 300.612.47, that I had installed on the inside of the coat closet looked ideal for my purpose.

They looked great and fit perfectly in the channel around the Airport Extreme. The Grundtal hangers also allowed space behind the router for wires and airflow.

Kura Firetruck Bed


Materials: Kura Bed, 1/2 in MDF sheet, 1/4 in panels, 2x2, lights, switches, 120-to-12V adaptor, IKEA style screws and bolts, paint., reflectors, hose and faucet...

Description: We decided to buy the Kura bed to make a Firetruck bed for our toddler, trying to keep the original bed as intact as possible for when he outgrow the theme bed.

Steps :
1- Paint the blue sides of all panels Firetruck red with a roller.

2- Assemble bed, omitting the 3rd from bottom panel and the ladder steps - to avoid monkey climbing! (stored under the bed for future use)

3- Cut a MDF sheet in the desired form for the side of firetruck; we used the ladder sides to support the cabin "door" and left about 12-14 inches at the end to allow easy entry for a toddler. We decided on a partial side for the ease of bed making and putting a sleeping kid to bed. To design it, I printed the Kura bed image repeatedly on a paper and drew right on it until we were happy with the look of it!

4- To support the side, use the ladder and we made and "F" out of 2x2 and used the actual holes for the ladder step to anchor it to the left. We drill into the frame to anchor it down. We tried to limit the number of holes drilled and we used bolt and screws with similar IKEA hexagon head shape for the look. Note that kids will climb on it, so secure it well! Cut the window. We didn't put a door because I was afraid of fingers stuck in it... But with a door, the side would be sturdier as an horizontal 2x2 could be fixed to the ladder holes on both sides of the bed.

Wedded Hemnes Shoe Cabinets [Twined and Painted]


Materials: IKEA Hemnes Shoe Cabinet

Description: Greatly inspired by the Twined Hemnes Shoe Cabinet Hack conducted by Paulo from Canada and ScrapHacker.com.

I wedded the two newly purchased Hemnes happily.

I took out one of the cabinet leg, so instead of having four legs and an ugly gap in between, we now have a three legged cabinet with no gap in between and a top board that is just a little over hanging on both sides.

I am a tool rookie, so pardon me for some of my terms.

Turntable Desk for the Turntablist


Materials: Micke Desk (top only), Utby Legs, Besta Storage Unit

Description: My wife had a Besta sliding storage unit that she was using for her crafts drawer. Long story short... we are having our first child and things in the house had to change and transform into something a bit more space conscious.

So that leads me to the hack. Like I said we had the Besta storage unit already so I had to measure up from that to get the ideal height for the turntables, it worked out that legs just under 4" would work well with a 1" (roughly) desk top.

Every table top seemed to be too large in either one direction or the other until I ran across the Micke desk. The first thing I noticed and loved about this desk was that it had a hole directly in the center of the table where cords could be directed (for turntables this is a huge bonus). Now all I needed was a way to prop it up to the right height. Most of the legs that IKEA sell wouldn't just screw in to the bottom - so I had to find a set that had a flat piece to screw directly into the bottom of the table top. I ran across the Utby legs in the warehouse section (I did not see these in the showroom). They ended up working perfectly! Also when I picked up the desk from the warehouse they had it on sale for only $40!

Gorm shelves into a fantabulous cat house


Materials: Gorm shelving unit (x4)

Description: Our 3 cats were in need of some extra space. They seemed to be outgrowing their small-ish enclosure and it was increasingly difficult to have to take them out and let them loose indoors since I was developing a bit of an allergy to their fur.

We had a narrow space behind the house which was roofed and enclosed by grills (e.g. bars on windows - quite common here in Malaysia), but was effectively still "open to the elements" and therefore quite airy. This was initially planned as an extra "wet-kitchen" for us, as well as a place for the washing machine which we didn't want running inside the house. However, we barely used it for anything other than washing so decided we could locate the cats there. They would be safe from access by the public/strangers but still effectively be outdoors.

My wife and I were considering various options; from having a new enclosure tailor built, to thinking about what could be modified to suit the purpose. In searching for inspiration online, we came across the chicken coop hack here on Ikeahackers (what luck!) and decided we could probably use something from IKEA as a starting point.

Monday, March 25, 2013

Campaign Inspired Dresser Hack


Materials: Hemnes dresser, sand paper, white semi-gloss paint, flat corner braces, screws, knobs/pulls

Description: This super easy hack involved painting the drawer fronts and adding new decorative hardware for a quick aesthetic update.

After lightly sanding the drawer fronts and wiping them clean, add a few coats of semi-gloss paint. Once they are completely dry, screw in the corner braces on each corner. Then simply attach the knobs or drawer pulls and you're done!

See more of the Campaign Inspired Dresser hack.

~ Lacquer & Linen

Hacker help: Harlig for Billy?


Materials: Billy Bookcase, Harlig doors

Description: Hello,

I recently discovered the various built-in bookcases that can be made with simple Billys, and have decided to try it out.

However, the Billy doors are all too high for my configuration (the TV will be on this built in, and needs to be lower than what the doors would allow for). Also, Billy doors are not the cheapest and I will need 6 of them...

I was thinking of using Harlig doors, which are cheaper, and come in 40x70, which would be perfect for me.

Since I have never done the slightest modification to IKEA furniture before, I would like to know: would the Harlig doors be compatible with the Billy bookcase? Will I have to drill extra holes into the Billy for the hinges to fit properly?

~ Julie, France

Photo: IKEA.com

Ambilight enabled Hovet mirror


Materials: IKEA Hovet mirror, self-adhesive LED cable with power supply, J-shaped aluminum molding bar

Description: To get some cool vibes out of my Hovet mirror placed at the very end of a narrow hallway, I decided to play a little bit with LED lightning.

Step 1: Take precise measurements of the height and width of all sides of the mirror frame. Saw the molding bars to their correct length with 45 degree corners accordingly, so that you can create an additional frame by attaching the molding bars on the mirror edges. You can attach the bars for example with screws or glue.

Step 2: Attach the self-adhesive LED cable to the backside of the molding bars. Depending on the cable, you might need to cut it in the corners and use some soldered cords to connect the pieces with each other. The IKEA led bars and cables can of course be used also.

Concrete Umbrella Stand from Lamp Shade


Materials: IKEA Melodi Lamp Shade, Plywood Base Board, 2.5" Galvanized Pipe, Foam Strip, Modeling Clay, Silicone Caulk, CHENG Outdoor Pro-Formula, 100+ pounds Concrete Mix

Description: The IKEA Melodi lamp shade makes a perfect concrete mold for an umbrella stand. It's cheap, attractive, re-usable, and comes in two sizes.

The first step is to drill a 2" hole in a plywood base. A PVC or galvanized pipe fits in the hole, then the lamp shade slides over the pipe and onto the base board.

A small wooden frame is built to hold the lamp shade in place, and some modeling clay and silicone are used to seal the form at the bottom.

Kitchen Appliance Garage


Materials: Varde glass door wall cabinet, standard Ikea base cabinets & Ekby Bjarnum wall shelves

Description: We were looking for a built in storage unit/appliance garage to store all of our small counter-top appliances. The problems we were facing were:

1) Cost...highly expensive to have custom built
2) Availability...we could find roller door cabinetry but most was too shallow to house our large kitchen aid mixer and Magimix...so

IKEA to the rescue. We wanted all of the clutter HIDDEN and we wanted something that looked custom built to fit the space.

Friday, March 22, 2013

Gorm becomes padded headboard full/queen


Materials: 12x30 gorm shelving system, metal braces, fabric, 4 Ikea Gosa Slan pillows, staple gun, twin size foam mattress pad, 4

Description: I wanted to use all of the fantastic bargains I got over Presidents' Day weekend. Since there was a comforter and a duvet set and a Gorm, obviously the Gorm must become bed. The Gorm was the smaller size of 12x30 shelf and included 4 shelves and 4 posts. I cut the posts down to 45 inches (don't throw away the other 23 inches because its the perfect size for a bedside table or shoe rack)

I put the 4 shelves together with metal braces until it felt sturdy. Be careful not to screw anything into that tiny half inch trim because it tends to crack. I screwed into the shelves only.

With the 4 posts I attached to the back of the shelf set (which by now is about 60 x 24). The 2 outer ones are butted up right against the sides and the 2 inner ones are butted up as close to the inside as possible. As it turned put for me, with my basic metal bed frame that converts from full to queen, drilling out 3/8 inch holes along the inside of the posts makes it a full size and the outside of the posts makes it a queen size. This headboard is fully exchangeable between sizes.

Glamorous girly change table


Materials: Hemnes 3 drawer dresser, Wallpaper, upholstery tacks

Description: Open the ikea box. Pull out all the wood parts that are not painted (they will be the back of the drawers, the drawer sides, the 2 back braces, the drawer bottoms and the back panel. As well as the bag of screws, nails etc and the drawer runners. Put them to one side.
What you should be left with is all the pieces that need wallpaper.
I started with the 3 drawer fronts and the top piece.

I used wallpaper paste to adhere the wallpaper. But this was a dud. It didn'€™t stick the best. If I was to do it again, I would need to find something else. I was tempted to use spray adhesive.
The drawer fronts, I cut the wallpaper over sized and stuck it on. Let it dry and then trimmed it face down with a sharp utility blade.

Expedit 6.5x4


Materials: 2x Expedit 4x4, long screws, two mounts

Description: I have had my Expedit 4x4 for years, but was desperately running out of room in it, so when someone left another white 4x4 in the trash room, I quickly ran out there with an Allen key and saved it!

First, I found that I could fit just over 2.5 extra rows between my existing 4x4 and the ceiling. Measured out, drew the cut lines on the side panels and went to attack it with a saw. Sanded down the worst of the rough edges and assembled top part as usual, except I actually used the bottom board for the top; I figured that since it would be near the ceiling anyway, it wouldn't be visible, and I had a plan for the nicer top part. Also cut a single shelf to match the height to help support the shelves.

Thursday, March 21, 2013

HEMMA Book Lamp


Materials: HEMMA table lamp base, OLLSTA lampshade, 4 old books, white glue

Description: The HEMMA table lamp is a bit plain so we decided to use some old books we picked up to make it more interesting (we used discarded and boring hardcover books â€" we would never destroy a book worth reading). HEMMA is particularly good for this hack since the cord runs through the rod and base, so there'€™s no need to cut a separate route for it through the books, and the base provides a sturdy foundation for the books to rest on.

1. Disassemble the socket and cord from the lamp rod.
2. Cut a hole through the centers of the books. You could use a drill for this; we didn't have one handy so we used a screwdriver to make the initial hole and a two-sided apple corer to expand it the right size. Don't make the hole too big! This is less important for the bottom books but it’s crucial for the top book.
3. Mix a solution of white glue and water (about 80% glue 20% water) and use a brush to generously apply the glue to the book'€™s pages - first glue the inside of the covers, and then hold the pages together tightly and glue the sides of the book and the inside of the hole.
4. Allow books to dry for several hours, preferably with some weight on top of them. There'€™s no need to glue the books to each other - their weight is enough, and it also allows you to play around with their positioning.
5. Place the rod through the books and attach it to the base. Reattach the cord and socket, add the lampshade.

~ Shay and Yaara, Israel

Besta TV hide


Materials: Besta Jagra

Description: The Besta was assembled without top- and backplate. The backplate was cut so it could be used to cover the top of the front.

Loft bed to 4 poster bed


Photo: IKEA.com
Materials: Tromso

Description: Our 7 yr old daughter who loved her loft bed when she was 5 now wanted a more "grown up" bed on the ground. At first my husband and I considered just cutting the legs down. We had done that already because the house we live in now didn't have the ceiling clearance for the full height of the loft. But she wanted a bed curtain too. Which we thought of just attaching it to the ceiling as we have seen others do. But the idea came to me to just FLIP the bed upside down! My husband LOVED the idea and it took literally only 2 hours for the full move.

Materials used:
Tormso Loft bed
Drill
Metal 1/2" drill bit
PVC pipe & elbows

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Hemnes Beautified Barnboard Coffee Table


Materials: Hemnes Square Grey Brown Coffee Table

Description: I loved the size and shape of my Hemnes Coffee Table but thought it needed to be beautified just a bit.

I began by painting the base of this coffee table in Anne Sloans Chalkpaint in French Linen and then sanding with a fine sand paper.

I then cut 5 lengths of 1"(d) x 7.25"(h) pine planks to 36"(l). I hit them with a hammer, crow bar and heavy chains to give them a worn appearance. I then sanded these with a heavy sandpaper to make sure it was smooth & the edges were not sharp.

I began the process by staining the wood with a steel wool and vinegar mixture, this gave the wood a nice aged patina. I then watered down BM Texas Leather to a milky consistency and applied evenly. Then, it was onto my light gray layers.

Hacker help: How to remove Hemnes drawers?

Photo: IKEA.com

Materials: HEMNES 3 drawer chest

Description: HELP ME ! I'm moving and I'm trying to dismantle my Ikea bookcase. I can't get or figure out how to get the drawers out of the slides, so I can dismantle the rest of the bookcase.

Thank you

~ Russ, Bristol, CT

Lift door Faktum for TV


Materials: Faktum: 3 elements 60 x 70 (35cm deep), 3 elements 60 x 70 (60cm deep), 2 elements 80 x 70 (60 deep), 2 elements 30 x 70 (60 deep), Integral hinges, Rationell drawers and custom made doors

Description: After the domestic success of my 1st hack, it was time to tackle the TV corner. We have enough toys lying around so the goal was again to have a closed clean unit.

The unit had to go between a wall and the fire place and turns the Faktum cabinets were the ideal solution for this.

I started building the base and then I started adding the 60 cm deep cabinets.

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Hacker help: How to Dress My-Shelf?

Photo: IKEA.com

Materials: RANSBY Dressing table

Description: I want to put the RANSBY dressing table in my bedroom, but wall space in the room is limited and I also need to get some bookcases in. I was wondering if anyone had any ideas how to hack the RANSBY into/onto/under? a bookcase (or bookcases). The ceilings are quite high in the bedroom, so the shelves could be quite tall, but I am worried about stability (don't want the whole thing to topple over). Any suggestions?

~ Mikaela

Mixing and matching Besta & Billy


Kate, the always centsational girl, sent me her latest Billy-Besta library. If you've been wary of mixing and matching your IKEA bookcases, this should allay your fears. The Billy and Besta is a match made in heaven (or Sweden). And Kate adds her unmistakable touch - brass lighting and pink backing. Gorgeous! Go check it out on her site.


See more of the Billy & Besta bookcase combo.

The BEST(A) LEGO shelves


Materials: Besta shelves & doors, wooden coasters, DIODER, spray paint

Description: On Christmas I was brainstorming with my mother on her workspace makeover, I finally got the idea how to design some more shelves next to my Mandal LEGO storage. I noticed that BESTA doors could transform into giant LEGO plates.

So I started working on it, bought the shelves, doors and some wooden coasters, spraypainted everything in different colours and ... was already done. Since there is no 3x3 plate from LEGO, I thought that I could turn the giant square door into a LEGO logo, and I did.

You can see the whole process on the link to snapguide below. Took me ... well from Christmas until today (but I only worked in the evenings...)

Monday, March 18, 2013

Subwoofer in a Drawer


Materials: Hemnes Three-Drawer TV Unit and Onkyo Subwoofer

Description: I have an Onkyo soundsystem hooked up to the TV that sits on my Hemnes TV Unit and the subwoofer is so big that it was almost as tall as the unit when it sat beside it. The speakers themselves were pretty big too, and inspired by the salad bowl speakers I saw on Ikea Hackers, I intent to make me own, smaller, housings for speakers too.

However, when I realized one of my drawers was empty, I decided, what the heck! Why not put the Sub in the drawer!

I didn't think to take a pic of the sub before destroying, but I tore apart the box and separated all the equipment inside, cut holes in the bottom of the drawer for the speaker, for the sub's control panel (cable and power input, output level, etc.), and for the air intake. I mounted the power supply to the side. The wood on the bottom of the drawer was pretty flimsy which wouldn't insulate well, so I used wood from the original box to reinforce the the bottom and make for better sound insulation.

2 hours later, the base was booming and my living room was less cluttered! I was afraid it might rattle the slide brackets, or make my TV vibrate, but you can't even tell the sub is in there!

~ David, Brazil