The Ultimate Computer Desk - 2 Built-In Computers

[SinnerG]

Well I got off my butt this past weekend and went and bought a piece of plywood to resurface the stupid desk I have at home. It was just 2 pieces of melamine with a fat 19" CRT sitting on them for the past few years. Needless to say the stuff had sagged and with my new U2711 in place things were really looking rubbish.

I however opted for some shutter ply because it's harder wood it seems. The top ply is kinda ok, but after attempting some staining I found the grain comes through pretty bad. I'm using a test piece to see how filler will work out, but seems I have a ton of sanding ahead of me.

How are you going to seal the plywood? Just varnish? I might try Plascon Glatex 8 2-part epoxy coating once I've stained it all.

To top it off the hardware botched the cut. The idiot at the counter heard me say 1.2m x 0.80m and promptly had them cut 1.1m length. The result was them rushing me out of the hardware before I could complain. They just dumped the entire sheet of shutter ply cuts in the trolley. At least one of the offcuts wound up being 1.3m or so, so I have to cut it down to size. Lotsa spare wood though all for less than $20.

I still want to do a complete desk setup or my "study". I suspect getting all that wood home would not do so well in my VW Mk1 Golf.

Apart from that, having the right tools to do all the jobs is a definite plus. The shop you're working in looks like a fantastic playground. I'm stuck with a jigsaw, drill, sander and a 30-year old hammer. I can't fathom how much all that equipment would cost.

 

[ultimatedesk]

Well I got off my butt this past weekend and went and bought a piece of plywood to resurface the stupid desk I have at home. It was just 2 pieces of melamine with a fat 19" CRT sitting on them for the past few years. Needless to say the stuff had sagged and with my new U2711 in place things were really looking rubbish.

I however opted for some shutter ply because it's harder wood it seems. The top ply is kinda ok, but after attempting some staining I found the grain comes through pretty bad. I'm using a test piece to see how filler will work out, but seems I have a ton of sanding ahead of me.

How are you going to seal the plywood? Just varnish? I might try Plascon Glatex 8 2-part epoxy coating once I've stained it all.

To top it off the hardware botched the cut. The idiot at the counter heard me say 1.2m x 0.80m and promptly had them cut 1.1m length. The result was them rushing me out of the hardware before I could complain. They just dumped the entire sheet of shutter ply cuts in the trolley. At least one of the offcuts wound up being 1.3m or so, so I have to cut it down to size. Lotsa spare wood though all for less than $20.

I still want to do a complete desk setup or my "study". I suspect getting all that wood home would not do so well in my VW Mk1 Golf.

Apart from that, having the right tools to do all the jobs is a definite plus. The shop you're working in looks like a fantastic playground. I'm stuck with a jigsaw, drill, sander and a 30-year old hammer. I can't fathom how much all that equipment would cost.

After staining the desk, I'm going to put on several coats of gloss polyurethane.

I feel your pain with regards to the hardware not cutting your stuff right - right up until this project, I have always had to get the shop to cut my wood, since sheets and beams would never fit quite right in the Subaru Impreza - I don't think they have EVER cut it exactly right. I don't understand either - there is a nice panel saw in the back, and I don't understand how it could be so inaccurate, or the employees could be so lazy as to not put the saw stop in the right place.

You're right about the tools - it has been an absolute joy to work there. You'll see later in this log that I eventually take all the separate pieces home for assembly. My basement is usually where I do my work, and I only have some basic tools like a circular saw, drill, dremel, router, and that's about it besides some other basic hand tools.

You can get it done, but everything takes longer and you need to accommodate for such a larger margin of error - instead of measuring twice, you have to measure five times, and you always need to clamp down straight-edges. So annoying

The last time I left off, I had just finished flushing the sides of the table in preparation to add some trim. I found a nice piece of long maple that was just a little over 8 feet long, a little wider than 1.5 inches, and thick enough to cut some 1/4 inch strips from.

I layed it out, setup the table saw and cut myself a test piece.

Looks good!

Here's a pic of the cutting process. I'm afraid I had some difficulty with this. Actually, let me rephrase - the saw had some difficulty with this. I was still using the same blade I've been using the whole project - which needs replacement pretty badly. Asking it to cut through 1.5 inches of maple, for a length of 8 feet was asking a lot of it.

I made it through eventually, but the whole process left quite a few burn marks on the wood.

I glued and nailed the trim around the perimeter of the desk, which was a pretty straightforward process.

And then took out a hand plane to get rid of most of the excess material and bring the trim down flush with the desk surface. Some neat pictures here.

After some sanding with some 60-grit on the random orbit sander to get everything smooth, I went nuts with the wood filler.

At that point I stood the surface up in the back of the shop and called it a night.

Next update in the loop, I setup some dado blades in the table saw, mmm mmmm, that was fun!

Have a good weekend everyone!

 

[Mohonri]

I built my own computer desk, and used a high-gloss varnish. I wish now that I had opted for something less glossy. It's hard to get a perfect finish, and it shows fingerprints and dirt like nothing else. Just my 2 cents

 

[rjolin01]

I have a suggestion for you. I work at Home Depot and we sell Rigid saw blades. They have lifetime warranty. At our store you can return it no mater what happens. Including going dull. If the blade goes dull you can exchange for a new one. Never pay for a new blade again. But thats at the stores in my area. Double check with yours. There actually is lifetime warranty on just about everything Rigid. Like if you have 18v cordless Rigid the batteries are even warranty. As long as you register them. And no I dont work for Rigid. Just letting you know about it. Anywho interesting project. Subscribed.

 

[SinnerG]

After staining the desk, I'm going to put on several coats of gloss polyurethane.

I tried to smooth of that plywood a bit this weekend, trying to get rid of the deep grain on the top pine. Put filler on, let dry and smooth it off, but as soon as the strain goes on it just seems the filler sinks and the grain is back.

Thinking of getting sanding sealer as a grain filler, but since I'm dead set on an epoxy top coat (Plascon Glatex-8 2-part in matter clear) I just can't figure out of the two are compatible. Somewhere it said epoxy won't stick to sanding sealer, but sanding sealer will go over epoxy.

Seems your shop owner might know a thing about that... maybe. Any chance of asking him advice on mixing those 2?

Should I just lightly sand that top pine layer, stain it and then start building all up with the epoxy with a black tint mixed in?

I feel your pain with regards to the hardware not cutting your stuff right - right up until this project, I have always had to get the shop to cut my wood, since sheets and beams would never fit quite right in the Subaru Impreza - I don't think they have EVER cut it exactly right. I don't understand either - there is a nice panel saw in the back, and I don't understand how it could be so inaccurate, or the employees could be so lazy as to not put the saw stop in the right place.

Or... the dude taking the measurement details is thicker than a block of wood. I just knew there'd be an issue when it took several attempts to get him to write down 1.2 meters instead of 1.2 centimeters.

You're right about the tools - it has been an absolute joy to work there. You'll see later in this log that I eventually take all the separate pieces home for assembly. My basement is usually where I do my work, and I only have some basic tools like a circular saw, drill, dremel, router, and that's about it besides some other basic hand tools.

You can get it done, but everything takes longer and you need to accommodate for such a larger margin of error - instead of measuring twice, you have to measure five times, and you always need to clamp down straight-edges. So annoying

A basement!! I want one. If I ever get to design my own house it'll have a quad garage (1 car length = average length of a Maybach) and a massive underground basement/bunker.

About 2 years ago I installed some pine cross beams in the garage to made storage "shelves" between the roof beams. Yeah, I measured twice and then cut the pine. When I put them up there I found out the beams were closer to each other at the front of the garage than at the back by a whopping 5cm. Real shoddy house build. My bad for assuming they build straight houses over here.

 

[computergeek485]

this will be interesting when its done

 

[ultimatedesk]

I built my own computer desk, and used a high-gloss varnish. I wish now that I had opted for something less glossy. It's hard to get a perfect finish, and it shows fingerprints and dirt like nothing else. Just my 2 cents

Thanks, that's a good point. I do like the way my stain samples turned out with the high gloss, however, I do wonder how they'll put up to abuse from the cats as well in terms of scratch marks, etc... The good thing about going with a high gloss is that you can easily turn it into a semi or satin, whereas, with satin or semi, you can't turn it into high gloss.

I have a suggestion for you. I work at Home Depot and we sell Rigid saw blades. They have lifetime warranty. At our store you can return it no mater what happens. Including going dull. If the blade goes dull you can exchange for a new one. Never pay for a new blade again. But thats at the stores in my area. Double check with yours. There actually is lifetime warranty on just about everything Rigid. Like if you have 18v cordless Rigid the batteries are even warranty. As long as you register them. And no I dont work for Rigid. Just letting you know about it. Anywho interesting project. Subscribed.

That's a pretty good deal, I'll have to inquire about that at my local Home Depot. I don't own any Rigid stuff, but their blades look like pretty good quality stuff.

I tried to smooth of that plywood a bit this weekend, trying to get rid of the deep grain on the top pine. Put filler on, let dry and smooth it off, but as soon as the strain goes on it just seems the filler sinks and the grain is back.

Thinking of getting sanding sealer as a grain filler, but since I'm dead set on an epoxy top coat (Plascon Glatex-8 2-part in matter clear) I just can't figure out of the two are compatible. Somewhere it said epoxy won't stick to sanding sealer, but sanding sealer will go over epoxy.

Seems your shop owner might know a thing about that... maybe. Any chance of asking him advice on mixing those 2?

Should I just lightly sand that top pine layer, stain it and then start building all up with the epoxy with a black tint mixed in?

Or... the dude taking the measurement details is thicker than a block of wood. I just knew there'd be an issue when it took several attempts to get him to write down 1.2 meters instead of 1.2 centimeters.

A basement!! I want one. If I ever get to design my own house it'll have a quad garage (1 car length = average length of a Maybach) and a massive underground basement/bunker.

About 2 years ago I installed some pine cross beams in the garage to made storage "shelves" between the roof beams. Yeah, I measured twice and then cut the pine. When I put them up there I found out the beams were closer to each other at the front of the garage than at the back by a whopping 5cm. Real shoddy house build. My bad for assuming they build straight houses over here.

Something to give a shot: wet down the surface of the wood with a spray bottle and water - this will raise the grain forcibly, and then do your sanding. When you go to put on your stain, there should be less grain rise.

The basement at my current apartment is less than ideal - the house was built over a hundred years ago, and the ceiling is really low - I've bonked my head multiple times on the joists. The main joist is a 12x12 solid piece of wood running the entire length of the house!! You can't get those anymore!!

this will be interesting when its done

Thanks computergeek485 - there's plenty more to come

Sorry there hasn't been an update in some time - I've been on vacation for the past several days, and though I've taken a bit of that time to work on the desk, I haven't spent that much time in front of the actual computer!

 

[Mohonri]

Thanks, that's a good point. I do like the way my stain samples turned out with the high gloss, however, I do wonder how they'll put up to abuse from the cats as well in terms of scratch marks, etc... The good thing about going with a high gloss is that you can easily turn it into a semi or satin, whereas, with satin or semi, you can't turn it into high gloss.

Meh, if I wanted to change the finish after varnishing it, I'd just slap a coat of varnish on, with the right type of finish.

 

[SinnerG]

Something to give a shot: wet down the surface of the wood with a spray bottle and water - this will raise the grain forcibly, and then do your sanding. When you go to put on your stain, there should be less grain rise.

Will give it a try once I get back into the garage. Will probably get another hour this weekend. I have made progress on my DIY power multi-plug. Just a strip of conduit with 10 IEC female sockets and 5 2-pin Euro sockets. Need to get some thicker wire tomorrow and solder it all together.

How's the progress coming with the desk?

 

[ultimatedesk]

Meh, if I wanted to change the finish after varnishing it, I'd just slap a coat of varnish on, with the right type of finish.

Exactly - from what I understand, if you use a varathane, for example, you actually put the first 4-5 coats on using high gloss, because it's very clear, and only for the last coat do you put satin or semi-gloss. Otherwise, it'll give a bit of a muddied appearance.

Will give it a try once I get back into the garage. Will probably get another hour this weekend. I have made progress on my DIY power multi-plug. Just a strip of conduit with 10 IEC female sockets and 5 2-pin Euro sockets. Need to get some thicker wire tomorrow and solder it all together.

How's the progress coming with the desk?

Cool, sounds like some fun projects you're working on too, SinnerG. Progress on the desk has actually been progressing very well - I just haven't had too much time to actually post the stuff.

It's been a while since the last update, but basically, I got around to installing the dado blade on the table saw to make some important cuts for the two cabinets, and was able to do a bit of test fitting.

For those of you not really in the know, a dado blade has two regular saw blades (One for the left, one for the right) and some irregular shaped blades of varying thickness that you put in between, until you get the right width. I'll let the pictures do the talking.

The beauty of using dado blades in the table saw (At least I think) is that you can set it up at the right height and width, and then set the fence to the proper width and do all 3 of your supporting boards one after another so they will be lined up perfectly when it comes time for assembly.

I put 3 cuts in each of the 3 supporting walls of the left-hand cabinet. There was a bit of chipping, I should have probably put down some masking tape, but it's nothing major and will be on the inside anyways.

I threw on a bit of wood filler to patch up the chipped parts, and then let these 3 dry while I worked on the right-hand cabinet cuts.

I then had some time to put together a quick test fitting! Not bad! Some of the wood was just a bit crooked, so I'll have to spend some time with the sander to loosen up some of the dado joints.

This pretty much completes the first phase of the project - I won't have any use for any of the big, messy tools anymore.

All that's really left are a few small detail cuts, some holes need to be cut out, the whole thing needs to be sanded to pre-stain state, and then assembly and staining!

I'll be bringing all of the materials back to my place where I'll be doing just that.

 

[ultimatedesk]

And, through the miracle of internet technology, I'm bringing you the next update right away!

There wasn't much work done in this update - just thought I'd show everyone where the progress is going to be taking place from now on. The spooky basement in my building!

It's a really old house, at least over a hundred years old, in fact, there's a 12" x 12" solid beam of wood running as the main support member along the entire length of the house, it must be at least 30 feet long. Can't get those any more!!!

My main complaint with the basement is that I am constantly bashing my head on the low ceiling beams, and it's quite cold! Getting motivated to go work down there is not nearly as easy as working in the nice, heated wood shop.

Time to let the pictures do the talking:

I purchased a new shop vac at Canadian Tire along with a bunch of other stuff during the Boxing Week sales after Christmas. Sweet.

I also setup a plastic wall to help prevent sawdust from going all over the basement, as well as to help keep any breezes contained when it comes time to stain.

Some of my personal tools:

And there we have it! Until next time, have a good weekend!

 

[SinnerG]

More cool tools ... my envy grows.

I'll take an solid old house over a newly built one any day. Don't make them like they use to.

Those ceiling beams look real low though. You should make a cut-out on each in the outline of your head then just remember to walk the same path every time.

 

[ultimatedesk]

More cool tools ... my envy grows.

I'll take an solid old house over a newly built one any day. Don't make them like they use to.

Those ceiling beams look real low though. You should make a cut-out on each in the outline of your head then just remember to walk the same path every time.

lmao, that is a seriously hilarious idea, you got me cracked up about it. I would love to see the expression on my landlords face when he goes down there the next time and sees an outline of my head through the beams!

They ARE really low, a few inches lower than 6', and I'm about 6'1, so it makes for a lot of accidental head banging. I can only stand up in between the joists lol

So, I did a bit of work in the basement the other night, and since the next part of the project is going to be assembly, I decided to give it another shot at test fitting, since the last time I tried it was just loosely put together.

Time to get out the sander with some 80 grit. The hose on my shop vac is a little over 2", and I didn't have an adapter to attach it to the DeWalt ROB Sander unfortunately, so a little tape had to do the job.

I took each piece one by one and sanded down the edges where they slide into the dado cuts. I had to do a surprising amount of sanding, as the fit was incredibly tight.

I also took the time to label each piece (Top, Middle, Bottom, and which side faces the front) so that it could be easily repeatable when it comes time for final assembly.

Almost there. So tight! I needed a rubber mallet to set some of them, and then remove them afterwards.

This shelf was just ~slightly~ warped, and needed a lot of sanding so that one end was nice and snug, and this end actually a bit of free space (Hello wood filler!)

A couple more progress shots:

And, all tightly assembled. I could probably jump on this box...

I spent about an hour and a half doing that, and honestly, it was freezing cold down there and that's about all I could stand for that evening. Until next time!

 

[SinnerG]

lmao, that is a seriously hilarious idea, you got me cracked up about it. I would love to see the expression on my landlords face when he goes down there the next time and sees an outline of my head through the beams!

They ARE really low, a few inches lower than 6', and I'm about 6'1, so it makes for a lot of accidental head banging. I can only stand up in between the joists lol

Option #2 for beam avoidance

This shelf was just ~slightly~ warped, and needed a lot of sanding so that one end was nice and snug, and this end actually a bit of free space (Hello wood filler!)

Doesn't one need to put a shim in when this happens? Or would filler be strong enough?

 

[ultimatedesk]

Option #2 for beam avoidance

Doesn't one need to put a shim in when this happens? Or would filler be strong enough?

lmao, that would be a pretty awesome setup in the basement. I'll set it up so I can swoop from piece to piece

As far as using a shim, I don't think it'll be necessary, as there is no weight applied to that area, it's just that the board is slightly warped, so it's pressing against the opposite side on its own.

So - it's been some time since my last update (What has it been.. 2 weeks? Geez!) but I haven't been idle at home, it's just that I was really busy (There are kittens running around now!) and I've been working with some staining techniques, which has been a long, learning process.

I did a bit of research and came across a good video over here: Link and I opted to give it a shot, because there apparently, is a tendency for maple to come out a little blotchy due to the tight grain, or something or other like that.

So I picked up some supplies:

Made up a test board - some wood filler, some real maple trim, and one side sanded to 120 and the other sanded to 220:

And, apparently, I was supposed to cut the shellac with some denatured alcohol. Something I was not able to find, and subsequently, I found out that it is actually quite difficult to obtain here in Ottawa. I did not realize at the time, that I could have cut it with methyl hydrate, which is something quite commonly available at the local Canadian Tire.

And, this is where things start to go wrong. Here is the shellac applied:

Ok, not bad. Full strength. Ended up closing the grain structure completely, most likely. Here is the gel stain I chose:

And, onto the wood:

Wait 5 minutes, wipe off...

Gross. Seriously? This is why you test on samples first. Look at that colour - it's practically pink!

How about a second coat.

And why the heck not, we'll stain the back as well, where it hasn't been shellac'd.

Huh...

Now really. That was not quite what I was expecting. Time to get a new sample piece - no shellac, but sanded properly to 120.

What's going on here? This is not really the expected "richness" of a dark gel stain like this, is it? Hmm..

Doh! Looks like keeping the gel stain in the basement, where it is freezing, separated the contents. There is a visible layer of clear liquid on top of the stain - that shouldn't be there.

Staining attempt number 1? Failure.

1. If you're using shellac to seal, to avoid streaking and blotching - you MUST cut it
2. If you're going to use a gel stain, don't keep it in a cold environment before you're about to use it.

Well, time to put the stain upstairs for a little while, and maybe another trip to the hardware store... And just an fyi, this took me about a week just to do the 2 samples, since it's so cold, I can only do 1 coat per day, as it takes a long time to dry.

And here's a little something else:

Cute, no? A litter of 5 - the first one was stillborn, so we've got 4 kittens, pretty exciting stuff.

 

[Hostile]

I just found this thread - subscribed!

That desk looks like it's going to be H-E-A-V-Y!

 

[Flyinfinni]

Very nice looking thread. I've been thinking about doing a mod for a while now and just decided to go the desk route somewhat similar to this. I've been working with Sketchup for a couple of weeks and now I see this thread. Looks AWESOME. Its inspiring me to really get started with my own!

Only problem now is I won't feel nearly as original :-p

 

[mannyman]

lol cute kittens for sure, the desk looks like its going to be awesome and solid im going to have to make a desk similar, but without the computer being build in, i have a sweet case i need to show off

 

[pwrusr]

NICE JOB so far!

subscribed for future updates

 

[Mohonri]

That desk looks like it's going to be H-E-A-V-Y!

Having built several pieces of furniture out of 3/4" ply (including a desk with a built-in computer), I concur. I can hardly move my kids' dresser (42"W x 24"D x 54"H), and I haven't even made half the drawers yet. But that thing will last through the apocalypse.

 

[rive22]

Oh this is gonna be good

 

[ultimatedesk]

I just found this thread - subscribed!

That desk looks like it's going to be H-E-A-V-Y!

Heh, roger that, it'll weigh at least 200 pounds, if I'm not mistaken!

Very nice looking thread. I've been thinking about doing a mod for a while now and just decided to go the desk route somewhat similar to this. I've been working with Sketchup for a couple of weeks and now I see this thread. Looks AWESOME. Its inspiring me to really get started with my own!

Only problem now is I won't feel nearly as original :-p

Hey cool, be sure to post us up a build log! I was surprised during my searching how few custom computer desks there are on the market. Bring your ideas into fruition!

lol cute kittens for sure, the desk looks like its going to be awesome and solid im going to have to make a desk similar, but without the computer being build in, i have a sweet case i need to show off

Heh, thanks, the kittens are starting to become a real handful!

NICE JOB so far!

subscribed for future updates

Thanks pwrusr!

Having built several pieces of furniture out of 3/4" ply (including a desk with a built-in computer), I concur. I can hardly move my kids' dresser (42"W x 24"D x 54"H), and I haven't even made half the drawers yet. But that thing will last through the apocalypse.

That's so awesome to hear, because I was thinking that I'll use the desk as an apocalypse shelter in times of need

Oh this is gonna be good

Hehe, thanks rive22!


Some of you may have wondered - "You stained 2 small pieces of wood in the past 2 weeks?! That's all you have to show for progress on THE ULTIMATE DESK?!"

Well, not quite... Really - I did more, I swear.

As you all know, the first staining attempt went really poorly, so I immediately went out and started on a second staining attempt. This time, I purchased some pre-stain wood conditioner, as well as a traditional oil-based stain. I also set out to do this the right way. If I'm going to spend a week staining small samples, I might as well have something to show for it. I cut 8 small blocks of wood, and sanded them all to 120 grit, just like before, and tacked them all off.

I had a plan this time - I was going to see what kind of colour combinations I could get with just 2 stains, and 1 wood conditioner (The gel stain, for what it's worth, had been mixed several times, and had been kept upstairs for a few days). Here is the wood conditioner I used. You can see in the background that it tints the wood just slightly.

Here is the oil-based stain I picked up. It's a Minwax product, Red Mahogany.

And of course, the Varathane Gel Stain that you've already seen, also, Red Mahogany.

In this picture you can see a bit how the oil stain reacts to the wood conditioner. The wood conditioner seemed to have hardly any effect on the gel stain, most likely because gel stains don't really penetrate the wood the same as an oil stain.

And in this picture you can see the whopping difference between the oil stain and gel stain, which are, strangely enough, supposed to be the same colour. The one on the left is the Minwax, and the one in the middle is the Varathane. Neither the first or second piece have wood conditioner on them. The piece on the right is wood conditioner + the Minwax oil stain.

Here's the production line, the stain is still wet, I haven't wiped off the excess yet.

And here is the result of 2 days of staining. (First day sanding, tacking, wood conditioner, first coat of stain, second day some of them got a second coat).

From left to right, here is what I did to get the different results (Some of them obvious, some of them pretty darn subtle).

1. Minwax Red Mahogany Oil Stain
2. Varathane Red Mahogany Gel Stain
3. Wood Conditioner + Minwax Red Mahogany Oil Stain
4. Wood Conditioner + Varathane Red Mahogany Gel Stain
5. Wood Conditioner + Minwax Red Mahogany Oil Stain + Varathane Red Mahogany Gel Stain
6. Wood Conditioner + Varathane Red Mahogany Gel Stain + Minwax Red Mahogany Oil Stain
7. Wood Conditioner + Minwax Red Mahogany Oil Stain x 2 Coats
8. Wood Conditioner + Varathane Red Mahogany Gel Stain x 2 Coats

Wow! It's pretty amazing the different shades you can get when using just 3 pretty simple substances.

I then set about the next 4 or 5 days applying one coat of high gloss polyurethane each day (That was a long and boring process). Basically, get home from work, go downstairs for a whole 5 minutes, do a quick sanding, tacking, and another light coat of poly, done for the day, wait for the next day.

Here's the final result of Staining Attempt Number Two. Please keep in mind, they are not in the same order that I mentioned above.

There's no doubt that I will use this method again in the future. I also now have a great set of staining samples for maple plywood that I will surely fine handy in the future (They are all marked on the back what the process / stain used was).

Guess what though. None of them really came out the way I wanted. I'm still in search for that rich, deep, red mahogany / cherry look, and these just won't cut it (Though I admit, I do like #5 and #6, but maybe only because of their really spectacular grain pattern).

See you next time for Staining Attempt Number Three! *sigh*



Oh - and here's another snap of the kittens - they are 20 days old when this picture was taken, and they had just opened their eyes only a couple days beforehand.

I won't be posting another update until next week, as I've decided to take a trip to the East Coast to celebrate St.Patricks day! I'll be in Halifax if anyone wants to go for a few pints! Have a great weekend everyone!

 

[Flyinfinni]

Hey cool, be sure to post us up a build log! I was surprised during my searching how few custom computer desks there are on the market. Bring your ideas into fruition!

I will man- once I get a design complete (working in sketchup still) then I'll be posting a log and getting started. Thanks for the encouragement

Nice work on the staining- I may have some questions for ya once I get to that point (I've got a while before I'll be starting that though :-p)

 

[Mohonri]

You can try applying the oil-based stain a second time to get more of the color into the wood. That's what I did with my desk (Minwax cherry color, though).

 

[ultimatedesk]

I will man- once I get a design complete (working in sketchup still) then I'll be posting a log and getting started. Thanks for the encouragement

Nice work on the staining- I may have some questions for ya once I get to that point (I've got a while before I'll be starting that though :-p)

Thanks Flyinfinni, be sure to ask away, I've learned a lot on this particular project - not everything - but a lot!

You can try applying the oil-based stain a second time to get more of the color into the wood. That's what I did with my desk (Minwax cherry color, though).

Thank Mohonri, I tried that with a few of the samples in the previous test, but I don't think the richness was the problem, it was more of it just being the wrong colour.

For those of you interested in seeing how the kittens are doing, I've been keeping a bit of a video log on them - ie. I have been taking quick video clips of them every few days, since day 0. You can check them out here:
http://www.youtube.com/user/MrAderome#p/u

Also, here is a bit of a sneak peak, as far as actual computer hardware is concerned - I've been slowly acquiring bits and pieces, since I'm still not entirely sure what will end up in this Ultimate Computer Desk.

Kingston has decided to sponsor me, and has sent me this really fantastic SSD drive. I am PSYCHED!

As you are all aware, my first 2 staining attempts were successful in the sense that I learned a lot, however, I was still not achieving the result I originally wanted.

I decided to try something other than the tried-and-true local Home Depot, and I hit up a custom furniture store - Randalls. Let me tell you - it was a truly great experience, and I will be returning there many more times in the future due to the incredible service I received there.

I walked in with my backpack full of my 2nd attempt samples, and immediately a salesperson started talking with me about what I was there for. I explained to her the stains I tried, along with the techniques, and she asked to see my samples.

I pointed out the ones I liked, and why, and why I didn't like them, and she came back in a few minutes with a couple stains that might interest me. She then asked if she could do some sample stains on the back of the pieces I brought in. She took the pieces behind the counter, sanded them down, stained them, and came back in a few minutes with actual, real - this is what they're going to look like - samples.

How cool is that? I could have just gone there in the first place and spent the whole extra 2 dollars, but would have walked out with 1 product - the right one - the first time. Amazing - I'm really happy I discovered that place.

I can't imagine Home Depot opening up any of their products for a test piece.. I've never asked though, so who knows. Randall's is my goto place for stains now, however!

Once again, I decided to see what variety of colours I could get with what I had on hand, so I setup 8 samples once more:

1. Old Masters
2. Wood Conditioner + Old Masters
3. Wood Conditioner + Minwax + Old Masters
4. Wood Conditioner + Old Masters + Minwax
5. Wood Conditioner + Old Masters x 2 Coats
6. Old Masters x 2 Coats
7. Wood Conditioner + Varathane + Old Masters
8. Wood Conditioner + Old Masters + Varathane

I worked on the samples for about a week (1 coat per day, did 5 or 6 coats of poly on top, light sanding between poly coats)

Here are a couple close up shots while staining was in progress

And a comparison with the previous samples, once everything was nicely glossed up

Look at the difference in colour! Now that's more what I was looking for. There's no question that the gel stain has "muted" the grain a little bit, however, the colour is unquestionably closer to what I was looking for originally.

Here is a shot of my previously favorite samples from the 2nd round, against the new samples

And a closeup of the 2 samples I think I like the best. The differences between this batch are quite subtle, as the Old Masters gel stain has a very strong dye which mutes out the effects of conditioner, or any other stain applied before or after.

Now that's what I call progress! I think I can call it quits for testing stain now. Time to move on to the dreaded motherboard tray / I/O Slot stuff...

Until next time!

 

[Wahoomcdaniel]

I'm not defending Home Depot's customer service, because after a grand opening honeymoon period, their attention to customers drops off significantly. At least that has been my experience.

However, they do have a sample case of stains in their paint department and they will stain samples to show you stain colors before you make a purchase.

But the service you got at Randalls, and two colors that match your target color, speaks for itself. Looking forward to your updates.

 

[ultimatedesk]

I'm not defending Home Depot's customer service, because after a grand opening honeymoon period, their attention to customers drops off significantly. At least that has been my experience.

However, they do have a sample case of stains in their paint department and they will stain samples to show you stain colors before you make a purchase.

But the service you got at Randalls, and two colors that match your target color, speaks for itself. Looking forward to your updates.

As far as those type of stores go, I've always had a good experience with Home Depot - they provide their staff with pretty good training from what I hear, but you still just can't beat a small shop for actual experience and depth of knowledge. I'll inquire next time I'm there about their samples, but I also noticed that in the Minwax section, they actually sell little $0.99 "ketchup packets" of stain samples, but man, what a waste of an extra trip!

Sorry about the lack of updates everyone, it's not that I haven't been working on the desk much, but it's more that I've been using the camera a lot (You know.. kittens) and I haven't had time to sit down and sort through all the photos, re-size, crop, etc for some real proper updates.

I've had this update sitting on the back burner for a little while now and I've been meaning to squeeze in it somewhere. I had been talking with some folks at Danger Den because I was looking at their motherboard trays and I/O panels, and they've decided to sponsor me!

Big thanks go out to Danger Den, as these are critical components required for a professional end result - you've all seen the mangled results of the cases I tore up earlier in the project.

http://www.dangerden.com

Everything came very nicely packed - not much loose play, and plenty of foam to absorb any shipping issues.

I had these PSU support brackets custom made:

I sent them a higher resolution image of this, that I threw together in Sketchup:

Also included in this little shipment were some momentary switches for power and reset. (These are really popular these days, aren't they?)

And some real nifty motherboard trays:

All the acrylic is 1/2" clear - I will leave them wrapped up until the project is close to completion. With these parts -finally- settled, I can cut some holes in the cabinets and actually put them together -for real- !!

Stay tuned, I'll sit down this weekend and sort through the next round of updates

 

[Nickbaldwin86]

Nice job.

And nice job on the deal with Danger Den, great guys over there @ DD, I have seen the work they do @ there shop and have owned a lot of there blocks. great products and top notch quality in everything they do.

Keep it up.

 

[fullvietFX]

Baby Jesus just cried.

 

[mannyman]

yeah danger den is very high quallity stuff, i just noticed my all black cat is about to pop and give me some kittens.

 

[Flyinfinni]

Nice man! Awesome of Danger Den to step up and sponsor. Those are some sweet looking trays

 

[ultimatedesk]

Nice job.

And nice job on the deal with Danger Den, great guys over there @ DD, I have seen the work they do @ there shop and have owned a lot of there blocks. great products and top notch quality in everything they do.

Keep it up.

Thanks, the other Baldwin, I can't wait to strip off the paper and see what they ~actually~ look like

Baby Jesus just cried.

lol, dunno about that, but thanks anyways!

yeah danger den is very high quallity stuff, i just noticed my all black cat is about to pop and give me some kittens.

Heh, make sure you're around when she pops, it's a once in a lifetime experience!

Nice man! Awesome of Danger Den to step up and sponsor. Those are some sweet looking trays

Yup, I'm super psyched about that, I can't wait to install everything!


So - it's been sometime since I've posted an update - apologies, things have been very busy lately.

With the parts from Danger Den having arrived, I could now move on to some more specific details with both of the cabinets that will contain the computers.

Once again, I started with a test fitting, this time, it was a very accurate fitting, requiring quite a bit of sanding and fiddling around to get as close to the final product as possible.

I then placed some test parts for fitting, and traced some outlines on the wood. The motherboard tray was placed on some thin strips of packing foam that I cut up, to help isolate any vibration from the CPU Heatsink.

Installed some new blades on the jigsaw, put my biggest drill bit in the drill, and went to town!

Part 2 coming right up!

 

[ultimatedesk]

After doing the rough cut with the jigsaw, I took out the router and free-handed with a straight bit to smooth out the edges.

The semi-finished air intake for the left-hand cabinet:

The power supply rough cut:

I decided that the PSU bolts will need a little more clearance around the screw holes.

The I/O Shield cut out was a bit tricky to measure, but I think I did a pretty decent job:

And a final shot from above and below:

Next update, I'll have pics of actual assembly of the left hand cabinet, and then more cutting, and biscuit joining on the right-hand cabinet.

 

[Flyinfinni]

Looking awesome man! where did you get the IO-backplate you used? I've been struggling with how to make one, so I might just need to buy one, but I haven't found them around yet. I did get my mobo tray made- not as pretty as the ones DD made for you, but it turned out ok

http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1599208

 

[computergeek485]

Absolutely amazing so far.

Fly, they have it at frozen cpu

 

[mannyman]

Well it's coming along nicely, My cat ended up having her third litter 3 kittens this time... her first litter was only 1 cat and 2nd... Well you can guess that. but i cant wait to see the computer/desk when its done.

 

[ultimatedesk]

Looking awesome man! where did you get the IO-backplate you used? I've been struggling with how to make one, so I might just need to buy one, but I haven't found them around yet. I did get my mobo tray made- not as pretty as the ones DD made for you, but it turned out ok

http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1599208

Hey, nice project start you've got there - I fantasized about making my own motherboard tray, but I fear the level of accuracy required to do so. I got the I/O Plates from Danger Den, but as mentioned by Computergeek485, they're also available at Frozen CPU.

Absolutely amazing so far.

Fly, they have it at frozen cpu

Thanks computergeek485

Well it's coming along nicely, My cat ended up having her third litter 3 kittens this time... her first litter was only 1 cat and 2nd... Well you can guess that. but i cant wait to see the computer/desk when its done.

Thanks mannyman, I appreciate the encouragement The kittens are 10 weeks old now fyi, they are a huge ball of fun and energy!


It's been a while, but I can assure you, progress is still moving forward with the Ultimate Computer Desk!

I finally got around to assembling the left-hand cabinet - here it is, all glued and clamped together. It's a really solid unit - the dado cuts lined up really well, and the structure is rock solid.

Here I am doing a mock-up of the right-hand cabinet. This one was a little trickier to put together. There is a pretty specific order of assembly, otherwise, you're left with a piece that just doesn't want to fit properly.

Some outlines for the motherboard I/O and power supply

I remember mentioning that I free-handed the holes with the router for the left-hand cabinet. I decided to play a safer route for the right-hand cabinet.

I took a piece of wood, lined it up with my straight edge, and ran my router on top of the wood with a straight bit - this game me a perfect "stencil". What I can do then, is take the stencil, line up the edge with a line that I've drawn on the target piece, place a straight edge behind the stencil, clamp down the straight edge, remove the stencil, and run my router across the straight edge for a straight, accurate line.

Wow, that was a mouthful.

And the end product:

And then I made a pretty huge mistake...

Here is the suspect:

Bam. Can you guess why this was a bad idea?

 

[cnealjr]

Did it splinter the hell out of the exit side?

 

[FrEaKy]

Mmmmmmm, paddle bit massacre!!!!!

Looks burnt and blow out!

 

[ultimatedesk]

Did it splinter the hell out of the exit side?

Mmmmmmm, paddle bit massacre!!!!!

Looks burnt and blow out!

Hehe, both of you are on the right track and wrong track! You'll have to wait until next update to find the real reason lol

I've been terribly sick lately, sorry for the no show on the updates. Here are some kittens to keep you content until I get some more work done

These are pictures from when they were 3 weeks to 8 weeks old.

Hopefully I'll have something interesting for you on Monday