Media Credenza, Now with More Crotch!

Written on 04/09/2019

Marc Spagnuolo

A fun design and a great opportunity to incorporate beautiful walnut grain.

I have been on the hunt for a Media Credenza design for over a year now and nothing really tickled my fancy. That is until I came across a cabinet in Mike Pekovich’s IG feed that he made with a student, Sean Montague. Turns out, the cabinet was inspired by the work of Philip Morley. So in a somewhat convoluted way, all three of these gentlemen had a role in influencing the design of this Media Credenza.

The project features book-matched crotch grain raised panel doors that slide smoothly in shallow grooves. Each compartment has holes and slots for wires and ventilation. While I made the project from 5/4 walnut and the plans reflect that, you should know that standard 4/4 material would suffice. I hope you enjoy.

If you’re interested in my new book, Essential Joinery, you can buy an autographed copy from me directly here or on Amazon.

Stuff I Used

Referenced Videos

Round Red Oak Table Top
Hollow Chisel Mortiser Setup & Use

Plans

Gallery

Brian

on 04/09/2019 at 08:36 AM

Great project and video.Are the bore holes on the cleats (used to attach the cabinet to the base)oversized, to allow for expansion and contraction of the cabinet wood?

on 04/09/2019 at 08:59 PM

Yes. That was actually covered in the video.

Gary

on 04/10/2019 at 01:35 PM

Life goals. Find someone who says your name with as much love and care as Marc does when he says crotch.

on 04/11/2019 at 08:31 AM

Ha!

Claude Stewart

on 04/12/2019 at 05:26 PM

Nice save!

rob

on 04/23/2019 at 08:12 PM

Marc,as a novice I learn immensely from both the video and your commentary,but a few things still elude me.When you routed the dado’s for the partitions,why did the plywood go from boards’ edge to dado, rather than a just a thiner straight edge to guide the router?

on 04/30/2019 at 11:10 AM

To locate it accurately. If you have a thinner guide, you have to know where to put that guide. By making it really wide, it’s a no-brainer as it just lines up flush with the edge of the workpiece.

xavior

on 05/29/2019 at 03:01 AM

Great video. Great creation. Nice looking creation.Thanks for sharing

Eric Engle

on 06/28/2019 at 01:43 PM

Marc,Your work and your videos are impressive. Fortunately for me, I need a credenza and your version is a perfect fit for the space and purpose! I can’t wait to start this project. …said the old-timer woodworking enthusiast to the pro: Rock on!

Jason Hine

on 07/08/2019 at 09:36 AM

Hey Marc. Really beautiful design! I just bought the materials to build this. It looks like you re-sawed the door panels without a fence. If I saw correctly, why did you not use your fence?

on 07/08/2019 at 10:37 AM

If you can follow a line well, you really don’t need a fence. But if your saw is tuned up and the cuts are running true, the fence can be an asset. I think my logic in this instance was that the fence requires one face to be jointed, and I didn’t want to joint the face ahead of time because I wanted to retain as much thickness as possible. So by cutting down the center free-hand, I can then joint and place the two halves and hopefully end up with the target thickness on each piece.

on 07/12/2019 at 06:23 AM

Thank you. Good to know. By the way, when I routed the mortises in the top and bottom, I used an edge guide instead of your idea of cutting a plywood template. Now I have one mortise off by a 16th and I see why you used that method.

Hanneke

on 10/17/2019 at 12:49 PM

Hi Marc,I’m making a drinks cabinet and am looking for a finish that will work with potential alcohol spills and liquid spills in general. I’d like to try Osmo Polyx-Oil or TopOil. It looks like you use Osmo products on the inside and outside of cabinets/boxes. Is this correct? And do you have any problems with the inside of the cabinet smelling like finish? Thanks

on 10/22/2019 at 02:33 PM

I do use it inside and out. There is an odor to be sure, but I find it’s not too bad and it dissipates with time.

Jon Erickson

on 06/20/2020 at 02:01 PM

Down to the finish line on this project and while drilling my shelf pins holes I didn’t account for the fact the outside panel sticks out 1″ further than the inside panel. I know have three shelf pin holes in front of the actual shelf. Any good idea on how to plug those? I made my cabinet from cherry. Great project, has really enjoyed this build. Thanks in advance for any tips on how to fix them. At least the door will cover them 99% of the time!

on 06/22/2020 at 11:08 AM

Look into some tapered plug cutters. Should be able to cut a few face grain plugs to patch those up. If they don’t make them that small, you can just plug with with a wooden dowel, though the repair will be more obvious.

Fleiman Kurdsocker

on 11/24/2020 at 11:29 AM

4/4 and 5/4 seems to be significantly more expensive and harder to source at my wood supply shop. I can easily get 3/4 stock milled for a reasonable price. I’m wondering if you think it would look much different. I’m assuming you chose 4/4 stock for looks? How would it look if I splurged on 4/4 for the top and bottom and 3/4 for everything else?

on 11/25/2020 at 09:12 AM

I’m sure that would be fine. Most furniture you see out there is constructed with 3/4″ material. But I do prefer going thicker when feasible.

Brian Schmid

on 02/07/2021 at 10:20 AM

Hey Marc, great video as always. I was wondering if you could clarify something for me. I am about to rout the grooves in the top and bottom for the door to slide in. What is the set back for those grooves? In the plans it says to reference the video but I couldn’t find where you mention those measurements. I assume they are different since the rabbets in the doors are located on opposite faces. Thank you for any help you can provide and for the great content.

on 02/07/2021 at 11:27 AM

The setback should be 1″. Just make sure this jives with your door thickness and the partitions as well as the sides.

Media Credenza, Now with More Crotch!

Stuff I Used

Referenced Videos

Plans

Gallery

Comments