It is said it takes a community to raise a child. That seems pretty accurate when you put together furniture yourself.
Purchase an item with instructions, and “some assembly required” on the box, and you’re likely in for a mental and physical workout.
We recently acquired a new entertainment centre for the basement. My stereo cabinet that my brother built for me more than 40 years ago was great for me for many years, but the evolution of home entertainment systems, as well as the fact our daughter now has her entire audio library on her phone, made it obsolete.
So we downsized. The completed product has plenty of space for an audio receiver, streaming module, and video game console.
But getting there…man, that was a struggle.
The box arrived innocently enough. We lugged it downstairs and cut it open, which in essence was opening a puzzle box.
Sure, such things come with instructions, which are essentially a list of parts and pages of images on how to put the unit together. Written instructions? A thing of the past.
In this case, each piece of this unit had a unique way of having other items attached to it. But installing it wrong was always an option. And we figured that out with hands-on experience.
It began with my daughter and I working on it, and ended with my wife and our daughter’s boyfriend involved.
First off, Brenna and I put the initial three pieces together.
That was our first mistake. It turned out I didn’t see one of the pre-drilled holes and how one piece was to face prior to putting these things together.
Fixed that.
Next we added shelf brackets on two end frames. Two of those had gone on backwards.
Fixed that. Which caused a later problem.
Next, on went additional shelves and that seemed to go properly.
But when we went to put on the end frames, we came to realize the middle vertical pieces were backwards. Drawers would not slide in if we left it that way.
Fixed that. I must say, I believe the instructions were incorrect here, but my daughter said they were particularly confusing at that point.
To me, they were confusing throughout. A caveman named Grog could have done a better job writing these instructions in a scrawling on a wall.
With the help of Mary and Riley, we got everything in the right place and the unit looks great.
Except for one thing. The audio receiver.
I bought this Pioneer surround sound portal of power about 20 years ago. I had seven speakers attached to it, and it delivered incredible audio. But it is huge.
The darned thing is too long for the entertainment centre, and not by a little bit. Try about seven inches too long. Front to back, this thing is about 18 inches deep. The shelf is under 12 in depth.
Ooops.
The good news is I am re-inheriting my old receiver. Bad news is I will have to go shopping for speakers, and I am sure to get the furrowed-brow look from my wife when I inevitably crank up the sound.
Ozzy Osborne, however, would surely approve.
Bob, the cat, probably not so much.
Recipe tip
If you have an air fryer and like hot dogs, this one is for you.
Jumbo hot dogs + 400 F + air fryer + turning once = perfect hot dog.
I’m not saying this is remotely healthy, but so efficient and tasty…if you like hot dogs.
