Home Improvement with DJ Cable

Allow the lack of posting on here....It's been a mad couple of weeks.

Why? Well...This past fortnight I've been indulging in some home improvement (hence the scary-looking picture of Tim Allen), by putting up new blinds, putting together a new desk/unit, and building some storage units for excess vinyl. Those who know me, or have regularly read my posts on Twitter are aware that I'm pretty damn good at putting all kinds of flatpack shit together...In fact, where most poeple think of it as a highly laborious task, I find it quite fun...But then again I do need to get out more often...

In this episode, I've been putting together a heavy duty DJ table/unit from those nice people over at Deconomix.

I'd been meaning to get a new unit sorted for a few months, and last month I finally got round to placing my order. The unit was customised to a height of 900mm, great for a short(ish) person (I'm only 5' 9") such as myself, whilst the top was cut deeper to accommodate a battle-style setup.



The shelves slotted together really easily, and fitting the back panels weren't too difficult. I managed to move the inner shell into my room before fitting on the sides. This is when the desk gets ultra heavy...As a result, I enlisted the help of my boy Nimblefingerz to give me a hand with turning the unit upside down to fit the bottom, and vice vera for the top.



After that, it was simple case of moving all these things back into my room...Ever moved 2000+ records between rooms before? "Par!" is only way to describe it.



After that, it was a case of tidying up...

Before:



After:



Stay tuned for part 2, where I've been putting together some storage cubes for my vinyl collection. Trust me, they're alot.

P.S. I'm also available to put together your Ikea furniture in return for an obscene amount of money. Holla at your boy.

Home Improvement with DJ Cable: Part 2

Thanks to Juxtaposer for the photoshop edit. I actually look rather good with that tie...

As promised, here's part 2 of my DIY adventure. In this episode, I've been making some storage units for the excess vinyl that was laying around the house...

Rather than go out and purchase a proper storage unit, which can cost anywhere from £70 to over £250, I decided to make my own out of MDF.

First up, I sorted out my measurements and got everything cut to size at B&Q. I worked out that I needed 30 pieces (5 per cube) in total...Needless to say, the guy who operated the cutting machine was pretty pissed off with me by the end of it. I think it had something to do with him nearly missing his lunch break...



I put the cubes together at first using a strong adhesive, and then re-inforcing them by adding screws. The best adhesive I found was this "Timebond" stuff from Evo-Stik. The best thing about this is that unlike most adhesives which tends to set almost immediately, this gives you a couple of minutes to carefully align your wood/metal/etc before it starts to set. I successfully managed not to stick my fingers together either. Result!



I started off my glueing the sides onto the base, and then waiting about 10 minutes for them to set.



Then it was a case of fitting the top, and the back, carefully making sure everything was aligned properly. After that, I left the finished cubes overnight in order for the adhesive to set fully. In the words of that meerkat from the Compare The Market advert, "Simples!".



The next task was to add the screws for extra rigidity. I went with a set of Rapidrive 4 x 40mm zinc-plated single thread screws (found at any good hardware store). They say you can use them without having to drill a pilot hole, but I decided to make the holes anyway to make things easier. In total, I used 4 screws each for the top and bottom pieces, and 6 for the back panel. There's no way these things will fall apart now...

After that, it was merely a case of taking the off cuts, and my old Ikea unit (which nobody wanted, unfortunately) to the tip, and putting everything in place. The first 4 cubes went either side of my desk, and also double up as speaker stands...


(I also quickly built a small monitor stand for extra space)

...while the last 2 act as a bedside shelf...



And thus concludes my DIY adventure for the time being. Tim Allen ain't got shit on me!

EDIT: I forgot to add - the cost of buying materials, and getting everything cut? Only £48! Result...

Upper West Side Combo by STUDIOLAB

I'm a sucker for interior design and home improvement shows (e.g. Grand Designs, Location Location Location), and if I wasn't in the music industry, I'd have probably gone into that field.

As a result, I get geeked at seeing things like this...

Design experts StudioLAB have developed the interior for an apartment on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Their challenge was to take the two prewar units that were challenged of light and turn them into one singular living space with three bedrooms.

Wide-plank grey-washed walnut flooring was applied throughout the apartment along with sliding Starphire acid-etched glass doors, high-gloss white lacquer millwork, LED Cove lighting, and custom floor-to-ceiling Ash wood veneered doors. 

Make sure you check out StudioLAB's portfolio on their website. It's pretty sick.