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Computer Desk WIP

This is where we don't want anything but evidence of your finest wood butchering in all its glorious, and photograph laden glory. Bring your finished products or WIP's, we love them all, so long as there's pictures, and plenty of 'em!

Re: Computer Desk WIP

Postby Robert » 28 Sep 2018, 14:17

Never tried it but you can find pigments for resin on ebay as well as clear casting resin. The stuff I used is transparent but not crystal clear.

probably find stuff on youtube about resin casting.
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Re: Computer Desk WIP

Postby Andyp » 28 Sep 2018, 19:09

I've added Rustins spirit wood stain to West's epoxy but not the coloured stuff just medium or dark oak.
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Re: Computer Desk WIP

Postby Pinch » 01 Oct 2018, 19:16

Good to see some reclaimed oak making a new project. I bet there's some weight there. 8-)
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Re: Computer Desk WIP

Postby Robert » 12 Dec 2018, 16:16

Better late than never...

I finished the cabinets a couple of weeks ago and having not posted any updates I slacked a bit with picture taking towards the end too.

Having got the carcases together I resawed some floor planks for the drawer boxes.
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The planks were only 21mm thick to start with so I ended up with 8mm thick boards after thicknessing them clean and equal. Then set a stop for length cutting.
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Ready for joining.
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Simple setup on the router table to do the dovetail cuts. The board is backed up by a MDF construction that keeps it square as it passes the cutter.
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They all got the cuts at the same distance from either edge. Then it was repeated until the width was covered. The 3 drawers on each chest are each different heights.
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Usually I'd just mark the diagonal cuts and use a combination of hacksaw and fret saw to take out the scrap. As these were constant from the edge and quite a lot of them I used the bandsaw as a kind of power rasp and did the cuts as well as scrap removal.
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Took a while and quite a few setups but I got there
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Apart from the one I missed
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Cutting the base panel groove
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It was 2 passes with a 4mm biscuit cutter.
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Test fit. Some needed a rub with a metal file but most just went together.
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The sliding table for my little TS200 saw is a bit of a joke but it does do the job for making a square cut.
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Glue up
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Getting there. The anti warp grooves that were already in the planks I arranged so they would be outside on front or back of the boxes. Sides and whats visible when you open a drawer are plain wood.
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Drawer fronts screwed to drawer box.
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The soft close full travel runners need the plastic latches fitted and clearance for the runner rail.
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Then I stopped taking pictures so nothing of the varnish spraying or runner fitting.
Part of the reason is because of the cock up i made.
You know the thing about measure twice cut once? I did that ok but I should have calculated twice as well. All 6 of the smaller pedestal drawers were 10mm too narrow!
Couldn't make them wider so had to think of some other way.

Picture taken just now to show the plastic latches on a drawer. I do like how easy the drawer come off and back on these runners.
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And the solution to the problem - 5mm ply pads under all the slide brackets
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Oh and I made a wheeled base for the computer too - which contains another cock up! It has a drawer built in for wire and other small bits storage. I got that one the right size. It was only when I sprayed the carcase I realised I had the grain on the ends going crossways creating a breadboard with no give in it. It's only a foot wide so maybe I'll get away with it. Worry about it if it breaks.
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So now I'm sitting here still with the old desk and new storage. Had to screw brackets to the desk when trying to move it just so it didn't collapse on me.

To be continued...
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Re: Computer Desk WIP

Postby Robert » 27 Mar 2019, 17:33

It's been a while..

I've finished the desk now. No WIP posts along the way but I did take some pictures in case I ever got round to it so here goes.

This was the original sketchup from the start of this thread
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I didn't like the end panels and left the final version on the back burner while i made the other units. After more thought I changed it to versions of the chunky hollow legs I've made for other furniture in the past.

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Front legs
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Back leg. The ply pieces are glued in and the face piece slides in as a loose part. it can be lifted out for access to hidden wiring. The ply was in there just for a test - this is looking at the lower part of the leg and the front piece will be glued in here.
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I glued two pieces of flooring plank together for the rail between the legs
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Front leg glue up. The middle is in-filled with a long block at the top and a short one at the bottom.
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Front legs. The top end is heavier but I marked the Top anyway.
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The lower part of the back legs was glued up first.
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Dry fit to the back panel. the panel was from a sheet of 18mm pre veneered MDF. Not much of it is visible and it was easy!
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Legs glue up. The scrap used for clamping was my test piece for the groove and rebate in the MDF
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Top cableway/ facia board
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I wanted 25mm MDF for the desktop but didn't want to buy a full sheet that I had no other use for and would be stupid heavy to handle... so I vacuumed 2 pieces of 12mm together using black DPM sheet and silicone as i have done before. Bit inadequate on the picture front but maybe you get the idea.
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Trial fit
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If you remember my Crispins visit thread i bought some 2mm thick veneers for the surface and now need to true the edges. So I thought hmm try the track saw.

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Didn't work out so good close up. Maybe with a better blade.
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So back to the way I've done it before using laminate flooring planks... which are reliably straight
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Veneer clamped down with a piece of CLS
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Push down sticks from the ceiling and push back sticks from the wall. The plane blade misses the narrow edge on the flooring strips so it just cuts the veneer.
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Masking tape trial join. the thick veneers are not flat.
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There were splits near one end where the boldest crown cut grain patterns were. I got enough material not to need to use those areas but though I'd try and salvage the nice patterned grain. If it didn't work it would end up as the underside. I made the area around the split wet so it would swell and close the split.
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For vacuum veneering the desktop I bought some 30" poly sleeving as the DPM plastic had been a pain to get sealed last time. I needed to get the sleeving over the panel and veneer so I made a support to balance the panel on off of the bench.
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First side. I ended up using duct tape to make the thick veneer stay aligned and had the bright idea of using an old towel to protect the poly from the veneer edges.
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The pump never came back on once. no leaks.
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Other side
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Placed in position. The towel idea wasn't so clever as I ended up with red towel glued on the edges. nor was the duct tape as it was a bugger to get off after being pressed on by the vacuum.
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Made some edging
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No clamps long enough to glue the end trims on. CLS and wedges to the rescue. The front trim was clamped briefly in place to align the ends.
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Spraying weather! 2 coats of flag brand satin poly varnish. It has dome well on other things I have made so sticking with it.
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The old desk was notched to clear the radiator. Not doing that this time so it had to go.
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Sneak preview as i didn't take a picture of the new rad going in.
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Installing. It was made in handleable lumps that screw together. The back panel screws to the leg uprights and the shelf and cable ways screw to the back panel.
Upright with slide in front removed for wiring
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Cable holes to the monitors
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The skirting board spaces the desk off the wall by 1/2" so that is where all the network cable go. Bit of a mess but a never seen one.
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The other bit you don't see under the desk. There is a full width cable way at the back that helps support the desktop and a lot of wiring. The obround extension socket is a master/slave unit that turns on the sound system anytime the monitor is awake. Works well and quite cheap from homebase. Overrun after the master is switched off is about 2 mins so too long for shop vac switching.
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Done

From
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To
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Oh and the wetting the splits down almost worked but small gaps were still there so that is the underside now.
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Re: Computer Desk WIP

Postby Malc2098 » 27 Mar 2019, 18:10

Top job!
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Re: Computer Desk WIP

Postby TrimTheKing » 27 Mar 2019, 19:10

Very nice mate. Love that wide monitor!
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Re: Computer Desk WIP

Postby DaveL » 27 Mar 2019, 20:10

Yes very nice. Just how big is that monitor?
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Re: Computer Desk WIP

Postby Doug » 27 Mar 2019, 20:15

Very nice :eusa-clap:
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Re: Computer Desk WIP

Postby Robert » 27 Mar 2019, 23:18

DaveL wrote:Yes very nice. Just how big is that monitor?


34" 3440 x 1440. It is relatively slow refresh though. hence the second smaller fast one for gaming :)
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Re: Computer Desk WIP

Postby Andyp » 28 Mar 2019, 09:19

Wow that does look good.
I am not sure I would want to be so close to a monitor that big.
I do not think therefore I do not am.

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Re: Computer Desk WIP

Postby Robert » 28 Mar 2019, 10:44

Andyp wrote:Wow that does look good.
I am not sure I would want to be so close to a monitor that big.


I used to have the monitors on their stands sitting on the desk. I moved on to brackets after deciding they were too low and gave me neck ache.
I don't think they are actually any closer than they used to be on stands. Out of curiosity I just extended a tape measure from my forehead as I sit here. Both monitors are 700mm away which suits me for reading text etc. if you use a laptop or a monitor it might be interesting to compare viewing distances.
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Re: Computer Desk WIP

Postby Robert » 28 Mar 2019, 10:55

One thing I forgot to mention that I'm quite pleased with is the desktop finish.

These thick veneers have a coarse texture to them. When I've used them before I've spent ages sanding, spraying,sanding,spraying.... to try and fill the grain and end up with a smooth surface.

This time the first thing I did after an initial sanding was to apply glass fibre resin to the whole surface. I mixed up about a quarter of a normal cup of resin and spread it about with an old plastic credit card type card. Then I left it to set.

It was a bit of a bugger to sand as it clogged the discs and I got through 6 discs per side but the result was brilliant. Glassy smooth surface for spraying but the resin was only in the grain 'holes' and I was spraying almost entirely onto wood.

So glass fibre resin is a good grain filler as well as hole filler.
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Re: Computer Desk WIP

Postby Andyp » 28 Mar 2019, 11:03

Sitting at my desk the iMAc 21.5" is 50cm from my eyes. I don't game :)
I do not think therefore I do not am.

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Re: Computer Desk WIP

Postby Mike G » 28 Mar 2019, 12:35

Really neat, Robert. I like the cable-ways. I'm also interested in your finish, because I have a long-term project in mind which will require precisely such an approach. It scares the heck out of me!!
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Re: Computer Desk WIP

Postby 9fingers » 28 Mar 2019, 14:19

Robert wrote:
Andyp wrote:Wow that does look good.
I am not sure I would want to be so close to a monitor that big.


I used to have the monitors on their stands sitting on the desk. I moved on to brackets after deciding they were too low and gave me neck ache.
I don't think they are actually any closer than they used to be on stands. Out of curiosity I just extended a tape measure from my forehead as I sit here. Both monitors are 700mm away which suits me for reading text etc. if you use a laptop or a monitor it might be interesting to compare viewing distances.


In the bad old days of me working for a living, we had annual elfin safety checks on our working positions sitting at a desk and such tha the centre of the monitor was at eye level for a normal sitting position. Intially a pile of telephone directories sorted it out but latterly I had our chippy make me a squat shelf unit that sat on the desk for stationery and other handy stuff.
The underlying princple of the monitor at eye level seemed good.

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