#bromagic

Build: TV Tray Table!

This episode of Kwa + Reims we make a simple table you can build in about an hour or so! Fold it away when you don't need it. CONVENIENCE!

The table top

We're using a Ponderosa Panel for our table top. It has awesome grain so staining it will make it look HANDSOME! They come in all kinds of sizes. This one is 20 inches by 36 inches by 3/4 of an inch. Like any other material you buy at places like Home Depot or Lowes, inspect the stock to make sure it's not warped, cracked or damaged.

Dry fitting the pieces together

We cut support pieces that will also raise the table top higher since our TV trays stand quite low. Since the TV trays are smaller than the table top the support pieces will also provide rigidity along the width of the table top. Dimensions of these 4 pieces: 20 inches by 3.5 inches by 3/4 of an inch.

More dry fitting.

"Prototype" it

Pull up a chair you'll use for the table and make sure everything works. Enough leg room? The table height comfortable? Good opportunity to spot problems before you drill holes and make more cuts.

Moar dry fitting

Because you're using TV trays for legs, you want to make sure you have clearance to properly fold it away. Make your final adjustments and center the pieces. We placed the TV trays 2-7/8 inches away from the ends of the table top, it will differ from what materials you're using so this is a good time to figure that out. Make sure the TV trays are going the same direction, you don't want the legs crashing into each other. The benefits of dry fitting!

Pre drill your holes!

That's a lot of material you're screwing into, so it's best if you drill pilot holes first. Make sure not to drill all the way through putting holes in your table top.

Screw it all...

together. Screw it all together. We used #8 - 2 inch wood screws. They'll go through the TV tray, the support pieces and stop in the middle of the table top. Buy screws depending on the materials you're using, making sure you don't screw through the table top surface.

All done!

We make music...al instruments!

We're back and we're making music quite literally! We craft a diddley bow and a cajon and have a jam session! Then we realized, we're better at making the instruments than playing them. We don't care! We'll play until our neighbors call the cops!

The great thing about a diddley bow and a cajon is you can build them for under $20 each in materials. Since you made them yourself, they are instantly awesome. 

For the cajon, we started out with a 6 foot board and planed it down for a consistent thickness to make a proper box. For the striking surface we used 5.2mm thick oak plywood. Fastened all the sides together by pre-drilling holes and using wood screws. Used a 4-inch hole saw to cut the "sound hole" and duct-taped a snare to the back of the striking surface. A very musical chair that can drop dat bass.

For the diddley bow, we actually used a scrap board 2 feet in length, pre-drilled two holes for eye hole screws. Cut down more scrap pieces for the bridge and a string from Kwa's guitar makes for a pretty resourceful diddley bow. Used twine to secure the pickup and you can start rocking out with an amp.

Cooking Time! EXTREME BEEFCAKAGE!

Hey guys! We'll be at Maker Faire Bay Area! We'll be on the scene covering fellow makers with hard hitting questions like "What's your name?" "How did you make this iPhone controlled Dalek?" and "What do you mean you've never heard of Kwa and Reims before?!"

Maker Faire Bay Area will be happening this weekend, May 18th and 19th at San Mateo County Events center. We'll be attending on Sunday the 19th, so we hope to see you there. Find more info on Maker Faire here

We GIF you a sneak peek at our new intro segment

Work In Progress: Music Box Part 1 - PIRATE RADIO

We present to you a WORK IN PROGRESS! We're trying to build a music center for the house out of an old IKEA cabinet. It's got a turntable, a boombox, and for the pièce de résistance, an FM radio transmitter. So whatever is playing on the music center can be listened to throughout the house on affordable radios. It also becomes the hub of our PIRATE RADIO STATION! Check out the video for a closer look at the music center, and how far our PIRATE RADIO reaches. BRO MAGIC!