marble desk of doom....well looks like marble anyway....

dogmir

Weaksauce
Joined
Jan 16, 2003
Messages
79
well i saw a desk i liked at staples during the president's week sale but needless to say i was there at about 30 min to close on the last day of the sale.....well of course they were out of stock....so i was upset...but i got to thinking about it and i wanted something bigger than that desk anyway....so fast forward a few weeks....sunday i went to my local menards and picked up some 2 x 4s and some 3/4" particle board...and hit the ground running....dropped off the lumber at home and hit home depot for some vinyl tiles with the self adhesive backing...and returned home to get to work...and away we go...
PICT0601.JPG

this is the begining of the frame for one of the wings
PICT0602.JPG

here is the first wing frame assembled
PICT0603.JPG

here it is with the particle board screwed into place...you might ask why that 1x4 is on the back...simply put i bought 2x4 sheets of particle board because i couldnt tranport a whole sheet in my galant and dont have a table saw only a compound miter saw....but i still wanted some additional width so presto a few more inches and you wont see it when i am done anyway....
PICT0604.JPG

here you can see the addtion i made to the frame to support the 1x4
PICT0605.JPG

both wings complete
PICT0606.JPG

here is the begining of the middle area for moniter, keyboard, etc....but again i only have a compound miter saw so it was cut one side flip it and cut the other way and use my handy flush cutting saw to finish the rest....
PICT0607.JPG

complete and then wash rinse repeat
PICT0609.JPG

both sides complete
PICT0608.JPG

here is the leftover piece which i will reuse on the back end to finsih my 45 degree design
PICT0610.JPG

here i tested everything to see the overall size and it very big which made me happy cause i plan on having two to three systems on it plus bookshelf for toys and what not
PICT0612.JPG

here is a better pic of the middle still need to attach the back pieces
PICT0620.JPG

here you can see the framing for the middle i added some more to it to support the triangle pieces i used in the corners that i pictured eariler but i forgot to take a pic of that...then today i went to farm and fleet afterwork and got a bunch of carriage bolts and bolted the wings to the middle i used several on each sides...i forgot to take a pic of that too as i was hard at work sorry i will snap a pic underneath and update it later....then i cut legs out of 2x4s and made them about the height of my current desk .....again i will update with pics of them bolted to the framing....and then voila
PICT0621.JPG

a pic of it standing upright and a shout out to my best friend reid standing there in that pic i had him come over to help me with assembly because i knew i wouldnt be able to flip the monster when i got the legs on it....
PICT0622.JPG

another standing up pic and it is starting to come together quite nicely
PICT0625.JPG

started layout of the vinyl squares...i went with these instead of laminent for like a kitchen counter because in the long run it was cheaper and i like the slightly textured surface more and this still will easily wipe clean and i like the look of it more....
PICT0626.JPG

i threw a keyboard up there for size reference
PICT0627.JPG

started laying down the tiles you can see the seem in the picture but not hardly visible when actually looking at it plus i used a scrap 1x4 to smooth it out more and help the tiles stick better
PICT0630.JPG

here is most of the top covered...
PICT0631.JPG

another shot of the other side....still have more to do like cut tiles to cover the 1x4 on the back of the wings and cut tiles to fill in the gaps on the middle section...then i am going to paint the legs...i am thinking i will paint them a khaki color to match tones in the tiles and the shelving i am going to be using...then i am going to use thin aspen boards that i will poly to trim the front and hide the 2x4 framing...other than that i have to holesaw a few place for cables and put a angled board on the front to fill the gap i left there so my wrists didnt have to sit on a 90 degree angle..... the finished dimensions are 4' x 27 3/4" for the wings and the middle is 25 1/2" in the front and just about 6' in the back....a varitable behemoth......so for now that is it...let me know what you think...and sorry about spelling and grammer i am an artist not a english major....lol
 
Very nice craftsmanship.

Very very very nice work. I'm impressed.

You gonna have it so you can unscrew the pieces in thirds in case you move or something?
 
Yeah, good idea. But, honestly, it's looking beautiful! Keep it goin' and dont hold back! :)
 
That looks really good, dude! I hope you're building it in the room it will end up in, 'cause that thing looks like it will/would be a b*tch to move! :eek:
 
basicly when i thought this up i bolted the legs and the sections on that so they can come apart and move it in three pieces they are about 50 - 70 pounds a piece if not more...lol...but i wanted something sturdy as a mac truck cause my current desk is bowing after many years of service...so i wanted something that would last....but the way i framed it the particle board has no chance of bending over time.....you can literaly stand on it and jump up and down and she is solid as a rock....as my friend reid put it if there is ever an earthquake in wisconsin and you are at your computer you will be the safest person in the state...lol...some might say overkill, i think that its just [H]ard enough...lol....thanks for the positive feedback everybody
 
That looks really good. Wish you could find desks like that. Guess I am going to have to resort to building my own as well.

Also is that madular?? If not it looks like more than a pain in the arse to move.
 
on the cost front i am still just shy of $100 and still have lots of material to use....
 
That's nice!

When I built my own desk, I went to Home Depot and bought a large piece of cedar, had them cut it to 72" by 26", then used metal table legs off of an old office table and screwed them on - instant desk. Then I got depressed using it so I bought a brown metal desk. If I had your skills I wouldn't have needed to buy one :cool:
 
Nice job man :) I really like the tile idea.. I might have to go and steal this idea too.. soo many ideas.. soo little time :D
 

...and yet another example of an [H]er modding without shoes on. Does no one ever wear shoes?!? :D


All kidding aside, that's looking really good so far.

 
uzor said:
...and yet another example of an [H]er modding without shoes on. Does no one ever wear shoes?!? :D

I never wear shoes at home and had to laugh when I read this. When I was soldering my new water block, I kept stepping in the hot lead that had fallen on the floor and the sticky flux that was laying down there with it, but I still didnt put on my shoes!

When I was a kid, I had a huge soldering iron. I was putting together some random electrical project, sitting on the ground. When I stood up, I smelt something burning, then I realized it was the bottom of my foot. Hot stuff. Maybe I will try shoes for my next mod....na.

On topic, nice looking desk. Great idea to use the tile like that. Seen it many times for counter tops and tables, this will be my first look at a desk with it.
 
well i finshed the tiles today...a couple of spots are uneven which upsets me but the 1 x 4s i got from home depot werent exactly striaght as a board...lol.....which caused the problems but what are you gonnna do i can still pull the tiles up if i am careful and wood putty under them which i think is what i am going to do...then sand that flat and reapply those tiles...anyway on to the pics
PICT0632.JPG

here you can see what i am talking about on the back portion the other wing was alot better
PICT0633.JPG

where this wing connects to the middle section it is the same story you can see the white line where it is a little uneven...
PICT0635.JPG

a shot of the middle section one spot needs putty as well toward the back
PICT0636.JPG

a pic of the other wing
PICT0637.JPG

a better shot of the other wing
PICT0639.JPG

i got around to crawling underneath and took some pics of the bolts
PICT0640.JPG

more bolts
PICT0641.JPG

even more bolts yeah....i feel like i am making you guys look at a some cheesy vaction slides...lol...and on the left next to the grand canyon you will see my carraige bolts i used for assembly...lol....
PICT0642.JPG

a pic under one of the wings...i alternated the placement of the legs ie one is north south one is east west...so that i would have a better footing....
PICT0644.JPG

here you can see the gap i left on the front that i talked about in the first post....i will add a custom angled board here to make it easier on my wrists...cause i hate desk with a sharp 90 degree cut there...and why not be comfortable i will be at this thing alot....
and there you have it for today....tonite after work i am gonna finish my moniter stand i have the legs cut but not assembled so i will have those pics around midnight....hope you enjoyed this part....and again thanks for the positive comments i come here everyday to lurk for the last two years just never really post....and in my opionon the [H]ard commuinity is the best....keep up the good work.....
 
Add a foot rest underneath, and a small beer tap in the corner and this will be the ulimate computer desk.

You could add a surge suppressor and on the back off them, they have the knock out holes were you could slide it down onto screws, make your wiring in the back easier to keep clean.

Maybe drill a 1" hole saw port so you can run cables in/out of it? like power cords and PS2, usb cords.

Looking good. This is awesome. This could be my next project.
 
to answer your post gclg2000 i am gonna make a cupholder in the front and the beer fridge will be underneath the right wing ;) the desk will be outfitted with two surge protectors on the back of one of the legs using the same method you suggested...i hadnt thought of the foot rest though...i usually use my sub box....but maybe i should rethink that ....and i should pad the foot rest so my dogs dont get sore...hmmm....very good idea indeed....i thank you.....and i havent got around to the cable management holes yet but i will soon i am either going to use a 1" speed bore bit or i have 3 sets of holesaw i dont know how the viynl with like the holesaw so i am gonna test it first on some scrap material.....and actually i forgot to mention i am thinking about wiring the desk with a few cat 5 boxes like you would put in a wall so that when i am testing and building systems i can just plug in with a short patch cable....i plan on making a enclosure for my case that will have a 19" moniter on top to run with my tv tuner...that enclosure will have some small halogen lamps to illuminate my case....which is almost done aswell....(that will be another thread very soon) then in my shelving unit i made a while back will have some more halogen lamps that will illuminate toys and whatnot...and last am going to put another halogen lamp underneath....so i can see when changing my wiring and whatnot underneath......sick of trying to find a flashlight all the time...thanks for the ideas
 
Don't know if you've mentioned this, but what are you doing with the edges of the desk? Are they going to stay plain wood, are you going to stain it.. ?
 
i am going to poly aspen boards and use them as trim...so it will hide the 2 x 4s completly
 
Good, because I wondering the same thing! Glad it's happening. Great job so far, man! :eek:
 
dogmir said:
here you can see the gap i left on the front that i talked about in the first post....i will add a custom angled board here to make it easier on my wrists...cause i hate desk with a sharp 90 degree cut there...and why not be comfortable i will be at this thing alot....
Looks like it might be possible to use quarter-rounds there too depending on the size of that "step". Just a thought.



<------ Thanks xENo!!
 
got the legs for the moniter stand done last night but i was to tired to post them....so will do so tonite....just need to figure out what i am using for the material to conect them....probly more 3/4 particle board....well anyway i will put more picks up tonite...
 
here is a tiny update....
PICT0650.JPG

this is one side of the moniter stand legs system layed out....
PICT0651.JPG

another angle
PICT0653.JPG

both screwed together
PICT0654.JPG

here is mock up with a board....but you get the idea...i am going to probly use similar boards just wider for the finshed product...i bought that at menards dirt cheap a while ago for some shelves i made.....in response to the hutch idea i made a unit for the left side awhile back...i got to shelving units and added right angle brackets on the outside when i put them together...and i will use two of those boards you saw in the mock up.....i actually have one i cut in two in the unit right now.....but when the desk is done the middle pieces will be like 2 feet long.....
PICT0656.JPG

it will be for toys, books and misc modding stuff like paint and whatnot.....well thats it for now i am off....should have more done tommorow night i am planning on buying some wood putty after work and fixing the top and maybe do the trim...
 
Beautiful work, I'm not totally sold on the marble, but i would like the see the finished product befor saying anything more.

The desk frame, and the wood work is fantastic though. Keep up the good work
 
dogmir said:
i usually use my sub box....
isn't that what it's there for? that's all i really use mine for... i keep the sub turned down so as not to bother other people.

very nice looking desk. makes me wish i had the space/money to do something like that...

i'd recommend putting some holes in it to run wires through. it is neater to do that than to just run them over the back of the desk.

 
dogmir said:
here is a tiny update....
PICT065.JPG

this is one side of the moniter stand legs system layed out....
PICT051.JPG

another angle
picsPICT0653.JPG

both screwed together
PIC0654.JPG

here is mock up with a board....but you get the idea...i am going to probly use similar boards just wider for the finshed product...i bought that at menards dirt cheap a while ago for some shelves i made.....in response to the hutch idea i made a unit for the left side awhile back...i got to shelving units and added right angle brackets on the outside when i put them together...and i will use two of those boards you saw in the mock up.....i actually have one i cut in two in the unit right now.....but when the desk is done the middle pieces will be like 2 feet long.....
PCT0656.JPG

it will be for toys, books and misc modding stuff like paint and whatnot.....well thats it for now i am off....should have more done tommorow night i am planning on buying some wood putty after work and fixing the top and maybe do the trim...
Looks good :cool:
 
it is going in my basement which is like my space....the woman is allowed the rest of the the place but i get the basement which is my my office, workshop, etc....it is a big basement so it wont take up to much......
 
well i have a big update...so here goes
PICT0661.JPG

here is the the shelf i am building to go in the space in the corner behind the desk....it is like a foot taller thand the actual desk
PICT0663.JPG

here it is test fitted behind the desk....
PICT0664.JPG

the bottom of it
PICT0672.JPG

with the foot rest attached.....it is good
PICT0669.JPG

with the pc set up that 19" moniter is what i run my hauppage card on so it is a tv basicly
PICT0670.JPG

the right side set up i put the hutch here cause it got in the way of my tool pegboard hanging over the other side....
PICT0668.JPG

here is the left side...you can see some of the stuff hanging down there...so i just put some of my modding stuff there....

PICT0667.JPG

hard to get a good shot with the lighting but thats it the bulk of it...i still have to paint the legs and put on the trim but i will probly do that this weekend....so for now it is functional and sturdy as a rock which is good....and plenty of space which is better....hope you like it...thanks for all the love
 
Back
Top