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The Story of My Desk
- swah 13y agoWhat about dimensions? This table seems very tall.
- jlongster 13y agoGood point. I updated the post with this: It's 5' long, 25" deep, and 32" tall. It came out a little taller than expected because I put feet screws in the bottom of the legs so that I could make the table even. Those screws added almost an inch. I just have to raise my chair a little bit though.
- swah 13y agoI'm 6"2 or something, and calculated that my ideal table would be around 26-27"! Mine is 29" now and integrated into the wall... and I suffer with the pronation. (Of course the chair is always maxed out)
- tjic 13y agoIt's always great to see people jump into doing something new with their hands. That said, I predict cracks and early failure for the top. The author created something called "breadboard ends" (the left and the right side of the top writing surface have boards that run 90 degrees to the main boards of the top). Breadboard ends are a great technique - they keep the natural tendency of the left-to-right boards to cup (curl up in the short dimension) in check. That said, there is one issue with breadboard ends: the long boards will shrink and grow in width with humidity changes over the seasons by 1/4" or more. Lumber only changes in width, not in length. So the breadboard ends will not accomodate the seasonal change...and something will give. Likely cracks will open up. There are techniques to avoid this. Perhaps the author used some of them (only gluing the breadboard ends in the center, etc.), but if so I missed it. Moral of the story: * learning new things is great * diving in is awesome * sometimes trades do have semi-secret techniques evolved from dealing with the same damned issues over and over and over again.
- jlongster 13y agoYeah, I didn't think about that. There was so much research to do and eventually I just built the thing knowing I probably made mistakes. Thanks for the feedback; I didn't know it was called breadboard ends, and now I can research how to properly do that. If this ends up cracking in a few years, I'll just build another one!
- p_eter_p 13y agoThe Woodwright's Shop is one of my favorite shows for learning techniques like this. He uses all hand tools, so you get a better understanding of the theory without getting too wrapped up in what tool to use. This project has a lot of breadboard ends: http://video.pbs.org/video/2365004559/ http://video.pbs.org/video/2365004559/
- Gormo 13y agoNew Yankee Workshop is also a great show for learning woodworking with power tools.
- noir_lord 13y agoI absolutely adore this show. My grandfather was a master shipwright then carpenter and while I inherited none of his skills there is something uniquely relaxing about watching a craftsman work.
- shoover 13y agoCongrats on diving in and doing it. You made it, it's done, it works. That has to be satisfying to use every day. If it cracks, it cracks. You can always repair it, distress it further, or just live with it. It will still hold the computer up!
- doorhammer 13y agoThis is how I end up doing a lot of programming. I'll start learning a new library, concept, or approach and I'll be reading and reading, then eventually I say "man, I could read all day, but I just want to bounce my brain off some code" Course; probably a little more expensive to do that with woodworking :)
- kh_hk 13y agoMy favorite setup (for the ones that move regularly) is a pair of trestles and a wood table from the nearest Brico Depot. Not as sturdy as the OP, but enough for at least a year. The total cost should go around 30USD + one hour to sand both the table and the trestles for a safe and good looking end result.
- jlongster 13y agoI love dirt-cheap solutions too! I got interested in woodworking so it just became a hobby as well.
- el_benhameen 13y agoAs a fellow woodworking enthusiast, don't fool yourself into thinking it's a cheap hobby! It's all fun and games until you realize you want a jointer ... and then a bigger jointer.
- Jack000 13y agoNice build quality I went through a similar process of looking for a sit-stand desk, scoffing at the price and deciding to build my own. Though my end result is a bit different: http://i.imgur.com/M2ZlkaM.jpg http://i.imgur.com/M2ZlkaM.jpg
- antidaily 13y agoToo much work. Cinder blocks and a wood door.
- gonzo 13y ago2 draw file cabinets and a wood door.
- toomuchtodo 13y agoWood door mounted to studs in the wall.
- networked 13y agoWell, it sure worked for Amazon [1][2]. [1] http://glinden.blogspot.com/2006/01/early-amazon-door-desks.html http://glinden.blogspot.com/2006/01/early-amazon-door-desks.... [2] http://glog.glennf.com/blog/2011/10/16/the_true_story_of_the_amazon_door-desk http://glog.glennf.com/blog/2011/10/16/the_true_story_of_the...
- baldfat 13y agoSo next time buy a used dinning room table and refinish it????
- Romoku 13y agoI have several 8 foot folding tables that I tetris together. I never saw the value in spending an excessive amount of time or money on something fancy.
- qwerta 13y agoI guess I live in some alternative dimension. I have kitchen table twice the size (and probably more solid) for $60.
- ryanthejuggler 13y agoCould you elaborate? Materials, sources, designs, etc? I'm interested in making a desk on the cheap.
- qwerta 13y agoTrick is to bypass 'making' stage, I just bought it second hand. I DIYD only things which are impossible to find (ultralight telescope, hexa-copters), tables are on every corner.
- stefap2 13y agoI have learned that this is the best way. And getting the furniture cheap makes me less afraid to modify it to my needs. If I destroy $10 table in the process I just get another one.
- changdizzle 13y agoThis is so awesome and inspiring - I had somewhat of an epiphany a few weeks ago (essentially I felt like I wasn't handy AT ALL) and decided to take a basic woodworking class at TechShop SF this past weekend (http://www.techshop.ws/take_classes.html?storeId=4&categoryId=25#240 http://www.techshop.ws/take_classes.html?storeId=4&categoryI...) I was a bit overwhelmed when we dived right in as I had absolutely ZERO experience before, but it was easier than I thought, especially when I got over the fear of losing limbs and whatnot. I ended up building a basic shelf but am really proud of it - this inspires me to go back in and try to actually plan something to build - I know there's a bunch of resources out there but anyone you guys would specifically recommend?
- calebrichardson 13y agoI build solid wood furniture at Tech Shop SF occasionally. It can be tough in a shared space, and their wood shop is really lacking in some ways, but I think that it is worth it. Check out thewoodwhisperer.com. This guy's videos are invaluable and great for beginners. Also, don't buy cheap tools. Just about everyone has to learn this the hard way (myself included), but there is a reason this advice is parroted so often.
- dfc 13y agoThere is something about the wood whisperer videos that has a tendency to annoy/irritate me, but they are definitely informative. For another option try askwoodman: https://www.youtube.com/user/askwoodman https://www.youtube.com/user/askwoodman
- nolanbrown23 13y agoI built my own desk last year because of the expense of a new desk and the fact that all the desks I looked at weren't quite the right size for what I wanted. I've been using it every day for over a year and the desk has withstood a barrage of abuse much better then previous desks I've owned. If you have the space to build one, I highly recommend building one to match your exact specifications. Here a blog post about how I built it: http://nolanbrown.com/howto/2012/12/19/desk-build/ http://nolanbrown.com/howto/2012/12/19/desk-build/
- ladybro 13y agoVery enjoyable blog post, thanks for sharing.
- jlongster 13y agoWow, beautiful desk! I really like how the stained butcher block turned out. I tried to build a desk with a butcher block top and metal base but my metal construction sucked and it was wobbly. I'll keep your post in mind if I build another desk.
- alexgaribay 13y agoI've seen other people use that counter top as a desk. I actually intend to do the same. I like what you did for legs there. Props.
- stevenwei 13y agoGood call on the NUMERAR countertop! I ended up pairing a NUMERAR countertop (73" x 25") with an adjustable height base (like this http://www.thehumansolution.com/uplift-900-electric-sit-stand-desk-base-black.html http://www.thehumansolution.com/uplift-900-electric-sit-stan...) and am very happy with the combination.
- jseliger 13y agoI built my own desk last year because of the expense of a new desk and the fact that all the desks I looked at weren't quite the right size for what I wanted. I'm now using a sit-stand desk: http://jseliger.wordpress.com/2012/09/23/the-geekdesk-writing-space-post/ http://jseliger.wordpress.com/2012/09/23/the-geekdesk-writin... , which was pretty expensive, but I would find it hard to go back to sitting exclusively, or forward to standing all the time.
- fsckin 13y agoFor me, a used IKEA Jerker for $50 of CL with task light has been perfect. People worship[0] this desk. Now I see why. Lots more photos[1] available, including standing desks, treadmill desks, etc. It's got adjustable height from slouching to standing (painful to adjust, but possible in 1.5" increments). The shelf I have up top has room for 1 full sized PC, 1 printer, and 2 NAS servers. I use another shelf on the bottom to rest my feet (also adjustable height). Adding an IKEA SIGNUM cable trough behind the tabletop makes it clean as possible. [0] http://adam.pra.to/content/jerker/ http://adam.pra.to/content/jerker/ [1] https://www.google.com/search?newwindow=1&safe=&tbm=isch&q=ikea+jerker https://www.google.com/search?newwindow=1&safe=&tbm=isch&q=i...
- ohazi 13y agoIKEA Galant for me. Super configurable, high quality finish, and relatively inexpensive. http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/categories/departments/workspaces/18962/ http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/categories/departments/wor...
- Fomite 13y agoI picked up an Ikea Gerton tabletop that's going to be made into a desk this weekend hopefully. It's got kind of a butcher block look, and I'm really looking forward to it.
- pmorici 13y agoThis is cool if your goal is to learn how to do this stuff yourself but I don't think saving money is among the reasons to go this route. You can get a really nice solid wood desk in the $300 - $400 range on Etsy. Ad a piece of Paduit Wiring duct to the bottom for an inexpensive cable hide. You can also build your own desk a lot cheaper if you buy a pre made unfinished pine panel ($25-$50) for the top and use threaded steel pipe for the legs. The great thing about threaded steel pipe is that you can tighten or loosen the pipes slightly to eliminate any wobble. And all you need to build it is a drill and a brush to finish it.
- dredmorbius 13y agoIt's more about customization and getting just what you want. You can also have furniture built by a cabinetmaker or furnituremaker, though prices will vary. And the DIY cost (if you have access to tools) will almost certainly be less, though depending on your woodworking skills and the complexity of the design you use, results may or may not meet your expectations. And the price of a _well-made_ desk is typically fairly high -- $800 - $1200 before you go too crazy with designs, and you can easily spend more. I'm kind of partial to this one myself: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5OxVgH-T1I https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5OxVgH-T1I
- roderick3427 13y agoIf you don't mind could you tell us a little bit about your setup, hardware and software?
- jlongster 13y agoHeh, here's a quick overview: Macbook Pro 15", Dell monitor (not sure what model, got it through work), old Microsoft mouse, Apple keyboard for hardware. Software: Mostly just Firefox and Emacs.
- roderick3427 13y agoSo what do you use to dual screen with your Macbook Pro?
- jlongster 13y agoI just use the native support in OS X. What do you mean? I plug it in and it works!
- guynamedloren 13y agoWoodworking is a fantastic outlet for creativity, and seriously underrated/underappreciated. Great way to take a break from coding. Extremely rewarding, and not very difficult to learn the basics, either. Since we're sharing, here's a couple things I've made around the house: https://scontent-b-lax.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/302582_2063477263663_3056647_n.jpg https://scontent-b-lax.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/302582_2063... https://scontent-a-lax.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/309672_10150408756461760_1859029841_n.jpg https://scontent-a-lax.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/309672_1015...
- jlongster 13y agoNice looking pieces! Totally agree about creative outlet. I think it would be cool to have a place where all of us engineers could talk about woodworking, interested in joining an freenode IRC channel about it? #woodworking
- jsnrkd 13y agoTotally agree. Check out my pieces too! http://jsndev.net/portfolio/table/ http://jsndev.net/portfolio/table/ http://jsndev.net/portfolio/coffee_table/ http://jsndev.net/portfolio/coffee_table/
- guynamedloren 13y agoLooks good! Are those designs, by chance, from ana-white.com? My brother's made some similar pieces. Really nice.
- diziet 13y agoCan the armrests of your chair slide under the desk easily while keeping the top surface of the arms rests almost parallel with the desk surface? The cross section bar right below the actual desk surface could prevent this.
- jlongster 13y agoI actually don't have armrests. I don't know why, I just never used them so I took them off. You could have armrests if they are 3" lower than the desk top, but that doesn't seem very comfortable either. You'll have this problem with any solid desk with aprons or a drawer. If you like it that way, you'll need something like a metal base so that you don't need aprons.
- diziet 13y agoI've found that when I have a chair with armrests I am able to slide it closer under the desk and sit straighter than if I was just sitting on a chair with no arm rests.
- madoublet 13y agoThis turned out really good. I had a similar journey a few years back where I took a class and built a custom headboard. It was a lot of fun. The two "hacks" that I got out of the experience were to (1) use biscuit joints (in replace of dowels). And, (2) to buy a Kreg jig. These two things made putting together just about anything a lot easier.
- blah32497 13y agoThe table top should have been done with plywood. There is this persistent myth that plywood == cheap which is absolutely wrong. You can get very nice expensive plywood that will be stronger, prettier, cheaper, and longer lasting than a solid piece of wood.
- p_eter_p 13y agoIt could have been done with plywood, but then he would have had to learn veneer edge banding to hide the end grain. Both approaches work fine.
- snake_plissken 13y agoBuilding your own furniture is the best! The only thing that you can't do (easily) are chairs and couches. Also, is that polyurethane varnish for the second coat?
- applecore 13y agoHere's Bezos at one of his famous door-desks (joined with flat corner braces) in 1999: http://images.bwbx.io/cms/2013-10-09/feat_Bezo42__08__630.jpg http://images.bwbx.io/cms/2013-10-09/feat_Bezo42__08__630.jp...
- pbhjpbhj 13y agoThose braces aren't flat they wrap around the angle.
- cfinke 13y agoAs long as we're sharing pictures of our homemade desks, here's mine: http://i.imgur.com/vFAThh.jpg http://i.imgur.com/vFAThh.jpg Oak, oak, oak, and more oak. I love oak. And here's a full build album, including pictures of my wife's desk on the other side of the room: http://imgur.com/a/HTxXk http://imgur.com/a/HTxXk Everything was done by hand except for the cabinet boxes above the corner desk and the cabinet doors, which I had made by a local cabinetry shop, since I don't have the proper tools and router bits. This was one of my first major woodworking projects, and I can confirm what jlongster is now learning: you don't know how much you don't know about something until you try and do it yourself.
- davidw 13y agoThat's absolutely amazing. No, not the desk, which looks good, but the fact that a small child apparently inhabits that house, but it's spotless.
- cfinke 13y agoHaha, it probably hasn't been that clean since the picture was taken three years ago.
- sivetic 13y agoI generally prefer the curlier kinds of maple, or walnut/cherry, but I have to commend you for an excellent execution of a project!
- streeter 13y agoI recently built my own desk too. I live in an old victorian with a curved window. The only way to fit a desk there was to create my own. I went with a walnut top, and then got some legs from Ikea so I could adjust the height to where I'd like. I think next time, I'd make my own legs for even great stability. Besides doing the finish, the process is super easy. Just lots of sanding. I posted some photos to Instagram, which then synced to Flickr here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/chrisstreeter/sets/72157636666211835 http://www.flickr.com/photos/chrisstreeter/sets/721576366662... One note is that these photos are pre-27" monitor, so the desk looks a bit more complete now.
- spc476 13y agoI didn't build my own desk, but I did modify it with a home made cable management system for less than U.S. $12: http://boston.conman.org/2011/07/11.1 http://boston.conman.org/2011/07/11.1
- mentos 13y agoI made a two person desk with my co-founder by buying a 8ft long counter top at ikea and 5 metal legs. Looks pretty slick and has held up for a year now. Ikea countertops (i believe we have numerar) : http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/categories/departments/kitchen/10472/ http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/categories/departments/kit... Legs (we chose the Vika Byske which were on sale half off): http://www.ikea.com/us/en/search/?query=leg http://www.ikea.com/us/en/search/?query=leg We sanded the surface and used mineral oil to finish it. We'd recommend it to anyone looking for a good yet cheap desk!
- dancecodes 13y agoVery nice and great job. Im always thinking that desk for computer must be wide and glassy wood. Thanks for posting.
- adnans 13y agoI really like Jacob Bijani's (ex-Tumblr) new desk. Looks simple but it's very spacious. http://jacobbijani.com/post/63757715317/me-and-tidas-desk-built-by-stephen-and-daniel http://jacobbijani.com/post/63757715317/me-and-tidas-desk-bu...
- mcginleyr1 13y agoAm I the only one who still watches This Old House and New Yankee Workshop?
- dfc 13y agothere's no replacement for a joiner and planer Yes there is. They are affectionately known as the #4 and #7 (or #8) and Stanley made a fortune selling them since the late 1800s.
- sivetic 13y agoBoth are hand planes, with #7 being a "jointing" plane. Smartass remark aside, I've successfully jointed with a table saw and a router, and planed with a drum sander.
- dfc 13y agoIt was not a smart ass remark. There are a lot of people that enjoy using hand tools. Its not just a nostalgia thing. The reduction in dust and danger is a giant draw for many people. The one power tool I really want is a band saw. How difficult was using the drun sander?
- sivetic 13y agoI was actually referring to the first part of my comment as a smart-ass remark. There is definitely something to be said about the process of using hand tools. I own a #4 and a #5, along with a rabbeting plane, but I never managed to put in enough effort to learn how to properly use either one. I could get a half-decent result, but never a result that would rival my planer. Using a drum sander to plane was easy - no different than a planer, though far slower (and safer if you ever decide to feed end-grain through it .. tip: do not attempt to feed end grain through a planer, as it may lead to disastrous results). A band saw would be a nice addition depending on the type of work you're interested in. It's probably one of the harder power tools to replace with a hand-tool equivalent, though I've seen some very nice results with hand saws. None by myself of course :p
- jlongster 13y agoTo keep my post short, I actually skipped over the long period of time where I tried using hand planes. Problem is I couldn't invest in getting several of them, so I don't have a proper joiner one. Even then, using the planes on a hard wood like oak was really hard. I love hand planing, but it'll be a while before I'm good at it, it's still an investment money-wise, and it's much harder than running the boards across a joiner.
- mtdewcmu 13y agoI think maybe part of the long difficulty in getting satisfaction was thinking desk when you wanted table. It could be that modern work habits have all but obsoleted the desk, but our consciousness hasn't quite caught up.
- Sam121 13y agoThis is called "Out of the box" job. We always cry and blame that we are not in this company, not in this field, not in that area if i be there i make some changes.But the truth is we only know how to talk. You prove yourself with your work. Nothing is small and nothing is Big. Matter is how we done our job, passion and work with awesomeness. I am 100% sure if we give this work to any other he will definitely say "i can't do such type silly and small work for this i ll hire workers and carpenters " the main reason is, that person feeling guilt and think it's a small job. we can't change others mind but must have to learn from that type of work. Thanks sir to give me a positive hope. Respect from heart
- seniorsassycat 13y agoWhat are our options when it comes to desktop ergonomics. I'm familiar with where my elbows should line up with the desktop, and where my eyes should line up with the monitor, and I'm familiar with the discussions about sitting and standing, but what about monitor angle? I've wondered about embedding the monitor in the desktop, angling the monitor back around 30 degrees like drafting table.
- paines 13y agoYou had me at the ledge. I hate my cable chaos under my desk. I will copy this idea. Thanks!
- GotAnyMegadeth 13y agoQuite a good deskription of how he made it