desk mod ideas

[jamestime88]

i am in need of a new desk so i decided to build my own. i am also getting tired of my computer case. so my idea is this............ build the computer right into the desk. has anyone thought of this idea before? if anyone has done this, please send pictures to give me ideas.

anyways i had a couple questions about the desk.
1. i want to get the desk really smooth. how would i use to do this? i was thinking i would buy some plywood to build the desk out of than sand it really nice with a 400 grit paper, than i would use some type of spackling to finish smoothing it out.
2. i want to give it a nice paint job. what kind of paints should i use and how should i paint it? i want it to be really glossy, but not metallic. i was thinking use a coat of an acryllic primer, than 3 coats of a semi gloss black paint, than 4 coats of clear coat.

if you have any comments or ideas please post your thoughts. thanks.

 

[d03boy]

If you make it reflective shiny, make sure you dont intend to use a female mouse without a pad

 

[tinstaafl]

Originally posted by jamestime88

anyways i had a couple questions about the desk.
1. i want to get the desk really smooth. how would i use to do this? i was thinking i would buy some plywood to build the desk out of than sand it really nice with a 400 grit paper, than i would use some type of spackling to finish smoothing it out.
2. i want to give it a nice paint job. what kind of paints should i use and how should i paint it? i want it to be really glossy, but not metallic. i was thinking use a coat of an acryllic primer, than 3 coats of a semi gloss black paint, than 4 coats of clear coat.

if you have any comments or ideas please post your thoughts. thanks.

Sounds like a cool project. I don't have any examples, but I'm sure someone has some ideas.

As for the actual desk however. To get it really smooth I would use either ply or MDF. If you use ply get some cabinet grade plywood(you can get birch from HD for like $35 for a 4x8x3/4 sheet) and just sand it down to about 400 grit. Don't sand to hard however as the top layer of ply tends to be very thin and you don't want to expose the cheap wood beneath. Also by using cabinet grade ply you don't have knots and such to deal with. MDF would also be really nice as it takes pain very well and is smooth to start with. The only problem with MDF is that the edges soak up paint like a sponge.

I'm not a painting expert but I think spray paint would probably be a good choice here as it won't leave brush marks. However someone is bound to have better advice.

 

[Pagan Wizard]

I came across this desk that someone made and posted here a while ago. It even had a 3D drawing of the desk on the site.


EDIT........this is only a 3D drawing of a desk with animations so you can really get a good idea what you could build........this thing would be awesome.

 

[Ruffian]

Check out the rig of the month in the march issue of Maximum PC.

He's got some great ideas, hollowed out leg for wiring and a plexi top to see the computer.

As far as making it smooth, you can use plywood but then put a hardwood veneer(sp?) on top. That way you can use stain and clear coat to protect it.

 

[jamestime88]

Originally posted by Ruffian
Check out the rig of the month in the march issue of Maximum PC.

He's got some great ideas, hollowed out leg for wiring and a plexi top to see the computer.

As far as making it smooth, you can use plywood but then put a hardwood veneer(sp?) on top. That way you can use stain and clear coat to protect it.

i would use a plexi panel to see the computer components, but i really dont want to do all the wire management and that kind of stuff, and im sure the inside is going to look like crap. i am using a window case right now and it tires me having to clean out the dust and move the wires and the likes of which.

the hardwood veneer would look nice, i will probebly do that instead of painting. anyone have any types of veneer they would suggest?

hollowed out leg sounds kind of hard, i think im just going to build a little U shaped drop panel along the back side of the desk. i will look for the issue of maximum pc.

please keep the ideas coming.

 

[bleed3r]

Good plywood essentialy is veneer on top. I don't know how you could buy a huge slab of veneer, I only know of the kind for edges of plywood that irons on.

For my desk, I selected the nicest looking sheet of maple plywood to use.

I measured and stapled strips of mdf, to what would be the backside, as a template to rout the wood and to leave it as reinforcement anyways and a thick edge after. Its a corner desk like an L, but the corner in the middle is chopped off a bit the way I designed it.

After routing it out, the inside corner was done with a chisel to make it square. Then I cut up nice long strips of sharp looking maple a bit darker than the stuff on the plywood and stapled them to the sides all around. The mdf was left around the edges to make them extra thick and it looks great. After filling holes from the pin sized staples on edges, sanding and finishing it all with varathane and then some more sanding I bought some cool looking triangular type metal legs from ikea.

Very sturdy and sharp looking desk, heres a sketch of the layout:

Oh yeah, I cut the huge slabs off with a jigsaw first before routing
Scale might be a bit off, but thats the main idea.

I've been thinking now about making some hanging shelfs underneath the table top now to clear up space and keep stereo/computer in them etc.