Last February I decided to build myself some office furniture and I wanted to make it my own design. I started out wanting it to be all veneer but but I came across some Bubinga planks that fall into that once in a lifetime wood purchase category and they followed me home! As it turns out the planks will also be used to build a coffee table and a couple of end tales so I will not have much left over when I am done. I will use veneer for the base of the desk and remaining furniture for the office.
As you can tell I do not spend much time in the shop and I tend to take it real slow when I am in the shop so all I have accomplished to date is finishing the top for the desk. Since the desk top came into the house yesterday I thought I would post some pictures. You can also look at a blog I am keeping that is a chronicle of my efforts. This is the link to the blog:
http://homepage.mac.com/wpappas/Office Furniture Web Journal/
One note - the blog is hosted on my mac account and I am not sure what happens when it gets a bunch of hits so if you can not get to it try it again at some other time.
Here are a few pictures showing the desk top that are posted in NCWW photo gallery:
As you can see I have proof that the bubinga planks followed me home - the plank just jumped into the truck!
Chalk outline of the potential victim - the Desktop.
I made a pattern because I just did not trust myself cutting in to this plank without a good pattern to guide me..
Desktop cutout and ready for flattening - I sanded it flat because it was not bad to start with - It took a good bit of sandpaper to flatten this thing because it is very hard wood and kills the sandpaper.
Picture of how I mounted the keyboard tray mounts. It looks like serious overkill and it is but the keyboard tray mounts can also be used to carry the top and it weighs about 150lbs so I was no taking any chances.
Finished top still on bench in shop - I sanded through 220 and used Seal-A-Cell and Arm-R-Seal (Semi-Gloss) for the finish. The black lines you see toward the top of the picture were cracks that I filled with epoxy to stabilize them.
Finished top in shop with keyboard tray installed. The keyboard tray is quilted maple trimmed with scraps from the plank.
Desktop in my home office, sitting on Husky X-Workhorses. At some point I will find time to build the base of the desk, in the interim these will work out just fine.
Desktop starting to collect some clutter - I hate covering up this wood!
Thanks for looking!
Bill
As you can tell I do not spend much time in the shop and I tend to take it real slow when I am in the shop so all I have accomplished to date is finishing the top for the desk. Since the desk top came into the house yesterday I thought I would post some pictures. You can also look at a blog I am keeping that is a chronicle of my efforts. This is the link to the blog:
http://homepage.mac.com/wpappas/Office Furniture Web Journal/
One note - the blog is hosted on my mac account and I am not sure what happens when it gets a bunch of hits so if you can not get to it try it again at some other time.
Here are a few pictures showing the desk top that are posted in NCWW photo gallery:
As you can see I have proof that the bubinga planks followed me home - the plank just jumped into the truck!
Chalk outline of the potential victim - the Desktop.
I made a pattern because I just did not trust myself cutting in to this plank without a good pattern to guide me..
Desktop cutout and ready for flattening - I sanded it flat because it was not bad to start with - It took a good bit of sandpaper to flatten this thing because it is very hard wood and kills the sandpaper.
Picture of how I mounted the keyboard tray mounts. It looks like serious overkill and it is but the keyboard tray mounts can also be used to carry the top and it weighs about 150lbs so I was no taking any chances.
Finished top still on bench in shop - I sanded through 220 and used Seal-A-Cell and Arm-R-Seal (Semi-Gloss) for the finish. The black lines you see toward the top of the picture were cracks that I filled with epoxy to stabilize them.
Finished top in shop with keyboard tray installed. The keyboard tray is quilted maple trimmed with scraps from the plank.
Desktop in my home office, sitting on Husky X-Workhorses. At some point I will find time to build the base of the desk, in the interim these will work out just fine.
Desktop starting to collect some clutter - I hate covering up this wood!
Thanks for looking!
Bill