Bulding a desk

[Fred W. Hargis Jr]

I had mentioned in another post I was building a desk. This isn't anything really challenging but I want to prove I'm doing something. I need 2 of these, one for a basement area I use and another for our main floor "office". I was planning on doing both in an A&C style, but I now think the second one will be more contemporary. The reason why is that both are computer desks, and I want/need a drop down drawer front for a keyboard tray. The A&C style with inset drawers just doesn't lend itself to that convention. In the pics below you can see the drawer opening...since I don't have a way to hinge the front down (with hidden hinges, and it stay level when opened) I'm thinking it will just be removable, held in place with spring clips. Then the keyboard tray will just pull out.  Anyway, I mentioned a week or so ago I had these wide oak boards I would be using. They were supposed to be white oak, turns out all but the one on the left is red oak. I don't like red oak, and never use it...much preferring the white species. But I have what I have, so I went and bought some more red oak to complete the desk, and you can see the dry fitted frame. Nothing remarkable here, but I did do every joint with loose tenons and that worked out OK.

[Larry Buskirk]

Fred,

A bit late but, if you backset the lower brace below the drawer opening you can do the inset drawer with a drop front. 

[lew]

Do you think this might work for the hinge?

 

https://www.hafele.com/us/en/product/desk-pivot-hinge-90-opening-angle/000000000001459300010023/

 

Nice build!

Edited October 12, 2019 by lew

[Fred W. Hargis Jr]

Lew, I think that one would work...it is really way too long. It's 5 7/8", and my drawer front is only 2 1/2". Still, I'll bet I could cut it down and make it work...I may try a set.

 

Larry it's not too late, I can make a new front rail easily.

Edited October 12, 2019 by Fred W. Hargis Jr

[BillyJack]

Did you cut the flip down out of the same piece as the front?

[Larry Buskirk]

4 minutes ago, Fred W. Hargis Jr said:

Larry it's not too late, I can make a new front easily.

You could also just cut out the lower brace at the sides, and backset a longer piece behind the front.

 

[Fred W. Hargis Jr]

Jack, that's what I did, the front rail was ripped into 3 pieces, then the center piece had the drawer front removed; then I glued everything back together.

Edited October 12, 2019 by Fred W. Hargis Jr

[BillyJack]

5 minutes ago, Fred W. Hargis Jr said:

Jack, that's what I did, the front rail was ripped into 3 pieces, then the center piece had the drawer front removed; then I glued everything back together.

Perfect...........

[Fred W. Hargis Jr]

OK, I was chasing those hinges Lew linked above and came up with something else. It's this one

and the installation could be made to work and do exactly what I want. It's a little deep to install into a 3/4" rail, but I can glue some extra wood to the back of the rail to accommodate it.

 

[BillyJack]

Solid white oak top? Break board?

[Fred W. Hargis Jr]

No, the tops will be 2 of the wide red oak boards in the pic above. I just finished planing them, they dressed at 7/8" thick and they actually have a good color and grain match. I bought those boards a long time ago, need to use them up.

[lew]

38 minutes ago, Fred W. Hargis Jr said:

OK, I was chasing those hinges Lew linked above and came up with something else. It's this one

and the installation could be made to work and do exactly what I want. It's a little deep to install into a 3/4" rail, but I can glue some extra wood to the back of the rail to accommodate it.

 

I like these better. No mods necessary.

[Fred W. Hargis Jr]

Well, I went ahead and got the boards for the top ready. These are from those ones in the first pic, adn are big enough for the top on this desk (60"x28"). Jointing these things was an adventure, I should have had Newman show me how to joint a board with a hand plane...would have been easier. This desk is going to be 2-dog ugly (I hate red oak, especially flat sawn) but I'm the only one who will see it (and it replaces a Sauder RTA desk!)

[lew]

1 minute ago, Fred W. Hargis Jr said:

I hate red oak, especially flat sawn

Around here, every church you go into is predominantly flat sawn red oak. I guess we just get used to it.

[Gerald]

4 minutes ago, lew said:

Around here, every church you go into is predominantly flat sawn red oak. I guess we just get used to it.

Funny you say that . When our church was remodeled two years ago they did the same thing and stained it a dark stain which makes the grain stand out and I hate it. Plus they did the pulpit in it instead of using quartersawn I just do not like it and like Fred I do not like red oak and especially do not like to turn it.

 

   I got part of the scheme changed by using pecan for offering plates but then they wanted it stained , just can't win.

[BillyJack]

36 minutes ago, Fred W. Hargis Jr said:

Well, I went ahead and got the boards for the top ready. These are from those ones in the first pic, adn are big enough for the top on this desk (60"x28"). Jointing these things was an adventure, I should have had Newman show me how to joint a board with a hand plane...would have been easier. This desk is going to be 2-dog ugly (I hate red oak, especially flat sawn) but I'm the only one who will see it (and it replaces a Sauder RTA desk!)

Sometimes it pays to mill the boards down to about 4" or so. Wide boards don't generally do to well..

[Fred W. Hargis Jr]

Yeah, it's a good point, especially with flat sawn stock. I may well wind up regretting not ripping them and glue back together.

[BillyJack]

Sometimes it's fine. Just depends on how you set up for it...

[Larry Buskirk]

Well Fred, I'm sure it will look better than the "Sauder" press board with paper wood grain it replaces.

[DuckSoup]

 That's one hefty looking desk Fred.