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An Eco-Friendly Media Center Made With Bamboo Plywood DIY takes you behind the scenes on HGTV's Carter Can where Carter Oosterhouse and his team of experts create an entertainment center made from renewable bamboo. From "The Inside Job" episode DISJ-110

A piece of furniture you can really feel good about: this media center is built entirely from bamboo, one of the most renewable resources imaginable.

Carter Oosterhouse and his skilled Inside Job team give you the inside scoop on how they built an incredible entertainment center in just one day by following these easy steps. We've chosen an eco-friendly bamboo plywood because it's an attractive and durable hardwood, it's a renewable resource and it'll look fantastic in your family room.

DIY Green Solution: Bamboo Plywood

Bamboo is durable, attractive and using it helps preserve forests that, in many parts of the world, are being destroyed at an alarming rate. Laminated bamboo plywood is a great alternative to standard wood materials. It's made from 100 percent bamboo, which grows rapidly and reaches maturity in just four years. Harvesting is done by hand in closely-managed forests, minimizing any harmful impact on the environment. The bamboo is laminated together using a low-VOC (volatile organic compound) adhesive and is adaptable to many different climates.

Below is a list of materials and tools, as well as a summary of the steps in the deck project as featured in this Inside Job.

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Materials:

3/4" bamboo plywood (4 sheets)
3/8" inch wooden dowels
Euro hinges (3)
biscuits
wood glue

Tools:

table saw
biscuit joiner
nail gun
drill; 3/8" drill bit
mallet
clamps
pencil

Steps:

1. Using a table saw, rip the following pieces to size. These dimensions will fit a 47-inch flat screen television:

55-1/2" x 28" for your base (1)
54" x 17 3/4" for your shelves (4)
35" x 17" for your sides (2)
52-1/2" x 17" for your middle shelf (1)
17" x 6" for your dividers (6)
17" x 8" for your top dividers (4)
16-1/2" x 8" for your doors (3)
51-1/2" x 3" for the backing (2)

	Figure A
	Figure B
	Figure C

Building the Base (finished piece #1 and #2)

2. On your base, measure and mark a line with a pencil 3/4" from both sides and also one directly in the middle of the piece.

3. Glue the long side of three divider pieces to the base where you've made your marks (figure A). Use a nail gun to secure the dividers to the base from the underside.

4. Take one 54" x 17 3/4" piece and glue it to the top of the dividers, making sure there is 3/4" on either side. Nail in the top with a nail gun. Drill pilot holes using a countersink bit, then secure the top piece on to the dividers with screws (figure B). This is your finished piece #1.
Photo:

5. Repeat steps 2 and 3, but substitute a 54" x 17 3/4" piece as your base. Let this section dry completely. This is your finished piece #2.

6. Next, stack your finished piece #2 on to your finished piece #1. Using a 3/8" drill bit, make six holes in the top of your finished piece #1 directly over your dividers. Make six holes in the dividers of your finished piece #2. All the holes should be 3/4" from the edge so they line up when piece #2 is stacked on to piece #1.

7. Apply glue into each hole and insert wooden dowels into the holes of finished piece. Connect the two pieces by placing the dowels on finished piece #2 into the holes on finished piece #1. Using a mallet, pound the top to make sure they're securely fastened together. Set this piece aside for now (figure C).

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