Build a Hidden TV Enclosure
Jul 29, 2011
Here's a photo of the location of the hidden flat screen. The painting, done by our friend Todd Sinclair is one of our favorites. It adds a bunch of bright color in the kitchen area.
My wife and I aren’t big tv watchers, but she likes to watch the food network as she cooks each night, and I like to relax watching a baseball game once in a while. We had a great place to hang a flat screen in the kitchen, but we weren’t willing to move a favorite painting of ours. The solution was to create a recess in the wall and use the painting as a lid. I looked at different mechanical flap stays and upper cabinet
door hinges to hold the lid open, but I couldn’t find one that was just right. I decided to make a hinge out of wood and try using those little soft close dampers to let it close slowly. I drew the hinge layout to scale on a piece of plywood and used that as a guide to figure out how to carve the hinge. The one tricky part was how to get the brass pin in the bottom of the hinge knuckles on the board that would be mounted to the wall. There’s probably a better way to do it, but here’s the sequence I came up with:
1. Carved the hinge into the board that would be mounted to the wall.
2. Re-sawed the board from both ends (stopping at the hinge knuckles).
3. Drilled the holes for the hinge pin through the hinge knuckles from both sides.
4. Drilled the holes for the hinge pin into the two separated board pieces (about 1/2″ deep).
5. Glued the board faces back on with the pin and hinge in place, and hoped everything lined up straight.
It works great overall but I would try to find stronger soft close mechanisms if I built another. That way you could tap the hinge and let it close all by itself as you walk through the room.
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Here's a photo of the location of the hidden flat screen. The painting, done by our friend Todd Sinclair is one of our favorites. It adds a bunch of bright color in the kitchen area.
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The tv revealed.
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The steel arm that attaches the tv to the wall pivots out to the right, to be viewed in the dining room...
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...or to the left to be viewed in the kitchen.
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The finished hinge open. The weight of the panel and a small flat on the back of the center knuckle holds the lid open at 45 degrees.
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A small tap pop's the hinge and it can then be closed.
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Tapered hinge leaves allows it to fold flat into the recess.
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A rare earth magnet pulls it closed at the bottom...
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...and locks it closed into this notch.
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In this photo you can see the wires that I still need to organize, but also the single board that makes up the hinge and attaches to the back of the panel.
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I started by drawing the hinge full size on a scrap piece of plywood. This worked as a template to check each piece.
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Here's a quick sketch of the parts of the hinge and how it goes together.
Comments
great idea and workmanship. I've been looking for such a hiding device for out flat screen. I don't feel up to making the hinges, any suggestions as to where they can be purchased, especially the one you liked the best,
Thanks
Kennyo,
I liked the Blum Aventos HK or HK-S lift systems that are used for overhead cabinet doors. I might have used them but I didn't have the depth I needed to install them in the wall recess. A little expensive but they offer a nice smooth motion.
I wouldn't give up on the wooden version though. I'd say give it a try. It only uses one small board worth of lumber and if you don't like how it turns out, you can chalk it up to experience either way!
John
Another alternative for the hinge would be to use a piano hinge along with a couple of light duty lift cylinders such as what is used on toolbox lids. This wouldn't offer the ability to allow the lid to close on it's own but would be much easier for the novice woodworker who might have trouble building the hinge in John's design. Also a magnetic touch latch like what is used on glass stereo cabinet doors would allow the lid to easily be opened with a small simple push and the cylinders would raise the lid on their own power.
Piano Hinge: http://tinyurl.com/piano-hinge
Cylinders: http://tinyurl.com/lift-cylinder
Latches: http://tinyurl.com/magnetic-touch-latch
When I have done this I used long KV drawer slides set 1/4 inch off the wall for clearance. Even mounted a stained glass window over a working window for venting the room this way.
Thats a pretty impressive piece of work. I ended up taking the easy way out and used the Blum Aventos lift hinge. They can be found at Woodworker's Supply.
Here is a picture I took before I put the TV in.
http://www.oldhouseweb.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=25712&p=225882&hilit=wall#p225882
Here is a website that I have used.
http://www.mountsmadesimple.com for the best Tv mounting hardware that I have found.
and another http://www.hardwaresource.com for good hinges selection. They have had everything that I have ever looked for and then some.
Thanks JEvans,
Your restoration project is looking great. I like how you kept the built-ins original, yet they open up to reveal all the modern amenities. Nice job.
John
For anyone who doesn't already own a piece of artwork, and is feeling adventurous, I think some of you accomplished woodworkers could create a beautiful version of this -
http://datenform.de/tvfiltereng.html
Also similar, with better pictures but more political baggage:
http://jasoneppink.com/pixelator/
Another option...and obviously this would only work if you had enough wall space between the TV and ceiling. Build in a "sliding" mechanism that would allow the artwork to slide vertically up the wall to reveal the TV and then lock into place. This allows you to enjoy the artwork while watching TV. :)
Dale.
Nice job! Are those custom windows you built? I'm thinking about building me some to add to my shop. Ones that open like doors to let the breeze come through.
DIYDaddy,
The windows are original to the house. I just painted the sashes and refinished the trim. I really like the color of that old yellow pine.
Making your own for your shop sounds like a great idea though. Custom made is always a nice touch.
John
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