diy desk build ideas

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o0akoni0o

[H]ard|Gawd
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while searching the net for diy desk ideas i came across this, http://www.motherearthnews.com/library/2005_June_July/diy_desk/ it seems simple enough for a beginner like me to do, plus my parents have an old door stored away that i could use. anyways, the finish on the door isn't all that great and i was thinking of giving it a glossy, smooth black finish. having said that what is the best way to achieve this? plus the site wasn't clear on how to attach the top to the frame, so yea any ideas on that?
http://www.motherearthnews.com/library/2005_June_July/diy_desk/
 
SarverSystems said:
I would build it with the mouse on the right, and a keyboard that isn't backwards. ;)
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hahaha, i can't believe i didn't catch that considering how many times i looked at it.
 
The top isn't attached to the frame. Instead, you screw pieces of scrap wood onto the bottom of the desktop to form a perimeter around the frame assembly. Then you set the desktop onto the frame assembly and it won't slide around because the scrap wood will hold it in place. It will still lift up cleanly, but there won't be any lateral movement.
 
Well the space bar is in the right place, thats like a southpaws wet dream.

The cheapest (before NY put in place those moronic deposit prices) would be 2 kegs with ply wood on top. My old room mate did this and it also doubles as a beruit table.
 
If you want to be real cheap, but have a good finish. Go to Home Depot and back in the cabinets section they should have prefinished laminate countertops like what alot of house kitchens have. It basically particle board about 24" deep that has a backsplash lip about 4" tall. They usually have around 4-6 different finishes available. Then just have them cut it to whatever length you want. example pic

Then just pick up some cinder blocks for legs.

The weight of the countertop will keep it in place. Hoboish, but sturdy. :D
 
westrock2000 said:
If you want to be real cheap, but have a good finish. Go to Home Depot and back in the cabinets section they should have prefinished laminate countertops like what alot of house kitchens have. It basically particle board about 24" deep that has a backsplash lip about 4" tall. They usually have around 4-6 different finishes available. Then just have them cut it to whatever length you want. example pic

Then just pick up some cinder blocks for legs.

The weight of the countertop will keep it in place. Hoboish, but sturdy. :D
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thanks for the idea, but i'm trying to stay away from using cinder blocks. i have some that i used in my dorm room and although the idea was tempting i'm aiming for a more aesthetic look. anyways, i'll look into using the countertop idea, but i'm being cheap and am really intent on using this old door i got a hold of. but ya, i hoping to get something close to that laminate finish on the door/desktop.
 
why is it that all DIY desks are ugly as balls? any why in gods name do they always leave the natural wood exposed without ANY paint? You know how nice a DIY desk would be with a few coats of paint and some gloss :eek: I've yet to be really impressed by a diy :(
 
I have some carpentry experience but I'm not a professional. Home Depot has turned table legs premade. Four of them and you have a cheap desk that looks good too. I used 5 for my corner dsk setup and stained them green with a butcher block style top. If I could find my Dimage X I'd post a couple pics. I'm thinking of disassembling it and just going with a long rectangular setup. I really like the Ikea Jerker. I have one at work and love it. It's IMO the perfect desk.
 
Techx said:
why is it that all DIY desks are ugly as balls? any why in gods name do they always leave the natural wood exposed without ANY paint? You know how nice a DIY desk would be with a few coats of paint and some gloss :eek: I've yet to be really impressed by a diy :(
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The problem with paint is that not many poeple know or care enough to use it properly. It takes a good amount of preperation and you have to be carefull about high wear areas. Just look at the fools that paint the interior of their cars and its falling apart within 6 months.
 
Take the Home Depot countertop, get a corner section if you want (I just happen to prefer the sitting position, they also come in diferent depths so if you want a deep desk you have a choice) and get 4-6 precut lengths of steel 1-2 inch pipe. They will already have threads and then you can get in the same department the pipe ends that will have screw holes for attaching to a flat surface, turning those 3-4 foot sections of pipe into legs for your desk. Simple and when you are done it will look good and work good, as well as be pretty easy to tear down if needed. I suggest sanding and painting the legs but the whole process should take minutes to assemble, minus any painting of course.
 
The setup i'd like to see is the computer in the desk like the MCP in TRON (tm)....Has to be a few of them out there homebuilt i'd think....Nice desk tho from what i see on the site.

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