Poplar TV stand: 6 - Completed

Stained with Minwax "Red Mahogany", and Minwax Paste Wax.  We were going for a rustic, slightly "worn" look, which works well with my rustic, novice joinery.  The finish came out nicely.  We had read before that the poplar would take up the stain in a "blotchy" fashion, we did not use pre-finish, though we thought about it.  Looking back, it might have evened out the color, but it works nicely.  

The top being smooth-planed to reduce sanding.  We left a lot of the rough plane marks to enhance the desired appearance.   I had not accounted for the visibility of the wire-mess that emanates from my TV, so I might be adding some hideaway features shortly to hide the cables underneath.

Poplar TV Stand: 5

The bottom shelf is done. Somehow I had a bit of an issue with fitting one corner. Lesson here I think is decide on the shelf design first and dry fit instead if trying to wedge it in and size it as you go. At least I learned a little repair work as a bonus. Next: attach top, sand, stain!

Small repair in the back corner, which ended up being the front.  It fit nicely.

Poplar TV Stand: 2

The frame is coming together. I must confess that I tried out the technique of boring out the mortise holes with a drill before cleaning up with a chisel instead of chopping them entirely, just to compare. I would say, like most of these things, the drill method requires less skill overall which is nice since I am over my head with this project in terms of skills required.
My final tenons were nearly perfect as I finally figured out the correct/best way to pare them down to the lines. I'm now hoping glue will help my slightly loose tenons...