Craftsman Media Cabinet

WOODWEB Content Editor, Brett Hagstrom, Interviewed Dennis Brown in December 2009.Dennis Brown was introduced to woodworking in high school shop class. At the age of 22 he apprenticed at a small Father and Son shop that did reproduction work as well as restoration and refinishing. After completing his apprenticeship Dennis moved north to Oregon and worked as a cabinetmaker and antiques restorer. He realized that restoration work would not allow him to survive sufficiently in his rural area so he focused on cabinetmaking and slowly developed his skills and reputation. Dennis Brown Furniture and Cabinets was established in 1982 and is still running strong today.Dennis has a fair variety of tools including a 1943 unisaw, Rodgers profile edge sander, 15-inch Makita planer, 14-inch Delta bandsaw, 36-inch Atlas lathe, 32-inch radial drill press, 12-inch Rockwell radial arm saw, Davis and Wells jointer, 10-inch Dewalt miter saw, Makita compound, saw, and five shapers. He also has the ability to grind his own steel shaper knives when needed to reproduce an otherwise unavailable profile. Dennis has several hundred different sets of steel knives as well as everyday carbide cutters for stiles, rails, and raised panels.

Dennis works primarily with hardwoods, although he will work with most types of wood. Some of the woods he has used include alder, poplar, pine, Port Orford cedar, spruce, eastern red oak, western black oak, mahogany, vertical grain fir, cherry, maple, black walnut, and jatoba. He especially likes quartersawn white oak because it machines beautifully. Dennis buys his lumber from a local hardwood supplier making sure to purchase the best grade he can in order to ensure a quality start to his projects.

Dennis stresses that communication with clients is key. Spending time with clients and listening to them allows him to know exactly what they want and expect before a job is started and makes for a much easier time developing and having a successful outcome. It also helps improve customer satisfaction. Dennis believes that his background with customer service from previous sales jobs helps tremendously when dealing with clients.

Dennis has built over one hundred kitchens locally and does all types of cabinetry, commercial or residential, but his main passion is building the best furniture he can. He especially likes to build original designs. Dennis mentions that he is “still like a kid in a candy shop” each time he goes to the hardwood supplier.

Projects are all custom orders made on commission, and for the most part Dennis designs the projects himself. He is also willing to work with clients’ plans, tweaking any areas that can be improved. He ultimately prefers to design projects himself when possible mainly because he “never designs anything he can’t build.”

Occasionally customers come and pick up their projects, but usually Dennis delivers them and handles any installations needed.

The project below is a quartersawn white oak media cabinet just completed for a client's new wide screen TV - got to love them. Blumotion slides and cord chase built into the back side of the component area. A shelf will go inside behind the glass. The top is 5/4 and about 75" and the post legs are 2" square. The elongated corbels were added to the look as desired. This was a fun piece to build. Thanks for looking.