Pine Computer Desk -Completed

[syntec4]

Just a quick one this weekend. I needed a smallish desk for a computer to go in the lounge at home.

Knocked this out

Not that happy with the finish. Its a bit 'streaky'. I have Wet 'n' dry papered it since it dried, which has helped. But still, It'll do for now. One day I would like to build my 'ultimate desk'. But I'll have to save up for some proper wood for that

More pictures on my website http://homepage.ntlworld.com/lee_harrison944/Computer Desk/index.htm

This was project #8. If I do one a week, will I beat Phillys record :wink:
Thanks for looking.

 

[Anonymous]

One weekend?????

HOW? :shock:

Looks pretty nice Lee, as you say, shame about the streaking but this is often a problem with pine in my experience

 

[Woodmagnet]

No guard on the pillar drill! :shock:

 

[mudman]

No guard on the pillar drill! :shock:

I removed the guard from mine, right nuisance I found. Finally got ripped off after cutting my nose on it once too often. :evil:

 

[dedee]

Same people just make me sick :lol:

Words such as "knocked this up" and "this weekend" make me go green - with envy of course.

Nice work

Andy

 

[Matt1245]

This was project #8. If I do one a week, will I beat Phillys record

I think your in with a chance :lol:

Looking good Lee.

Matt.

 

[Gill]

Are those panels pine?

Whatever, the desk looks fine and constructing it over a weekend is pretty good going.

Gill (who's got in trouble before an 'Murrican forums when using the phrase 'knocked up'. Oh oh... did I just say I'd got myself in trouble? Here we go again :roll: )

 

[syntec4]

Are those panels pine?

Yes, the sides are made up from the same 12" x1" Boards.

Lee.

 

[syntec4]

No guard on the pillar drill! :shock:

Do you need a guard? How would you fit one if you wanted one?

I don't have a guard on the cordless, is it not the same?

Lee.

 

[engineer one]

interesting thought lee, nice desk, but about the drill

cordless do not need guards because they have hand tightened
chucks, whilst drill presses as a pillar drill is properly called
have chuck keys, and thus are supposed to be supplied with a
plastic shield which mounts on the top support of the pillar, and
stops the shaft rotating with a chuck key in it.

even my cheap and nasty ex-B&Q has one.

paul :wink:

 

[Matt1245]

cordless do not need guards because they have hand tightened
chucks, whilst drill presses as a pillar drill is properly called
have chuck keys, and thus are supposed to be supplied with a
plastic shield which mounts on the top support of the pillar, and
stops the shaft rotating with a chuck key in it.

Wouldn't help much with mains drills, or older cordless with standard 3 jaw chucks tho. Mind you, when using a pillar drill the bit is being used closer to your face and eyes.

Matt.

 

[engineer one]

matt
remember that in principal a corded drill of the older type was likely to be held horizontally, and therefore there is a likelihood of the key dropping out, whilst with the pillar drill the key was horizontal not the chuck.

anyway having seen some of the early photos in safety lectures
during my apprenticeship, i don't want my hair attached to the shaft
thanks.

paul :wink:

 

[Alf]

cordless do not need guards because they have hand tightened
chucks, whilst drill presses as a pillar drill is properly called
have chuck keys, and thus are supposed to be supplied with a
plastic shield which mounts on the top support of the pillar, and
stops the shaft rotating with a chuck key in it.

It's a theory. But why does my Axminster keyless chuck drill press have one then? And why does it have a second part that slides down?

Cheers, Alf

 

[devonwoody]

That the picture of your lounge :wink:

 

[engineer one]

ah alf
dare i say it, i guess it is the dreaded health and safety :twisted: :twisted:

paul :wink:

 

[tim]

I took the guard off my pillar drill pretty much immediately. I found that light reflected off it in such a way that I realised I was craning my head round and underneath to see close up! Totally pointless IMO - much better to be wearing tap, tap, tap safety glasses.

Cheers

Tim

 

[engineer one]

interesting perspective tim, i think it is how you learnt to use
one, i was trained in an engineering shop, so the guards
became second nature, but i can understand that to those
new to a pillar drill it is frustrating and a pain in the a**e.

in the old days, one of my mates had one of those "fly presses"
which you may have seen in vintage films :lol:
and was told that it was too dangerous for his employees to use,
but he was free to use it since he was the director :?

so i guess until and unless someone has an inspection, it is up to you,
but in your case tim i would guess that safety has become even
more important since the famous router.

i think the thing is that common sense has gone out the window
in many places cause the kids are all taught that it will
ALWAYS be someone else's fault and they can sue, even if they
have been bloody stupid. :twisted: :twisted:

as long as you understand it is a machine which you tend to get your
head near to the revolving shaft, and take care then just continue to
work safely

drill in good health

paul :wink:

 

[Scrit]

I thought the reason why a fixed drill has to have a guard was to prevent you from getting fingers, noses, spectacles, hair, etc enmeshed in the chuck/drill - much more likely on a drill press as there is a natural tendency to put one's head near to the centre line of the drill or the workpiece to see more clearly what is going on. The stance you take with the right hand on the lever also tends to pull you further towards the machine, unlike a wood boring machine (no longer made) where the rise and fall could be controlled by a floor pedal leaving both hands free to support the work and resulting in an operator's head and body naturally further away from the drill bit. This stance thing may be why the better quality floor drills have the option of a foot-operated eStop, yet the PUWER 98 regs don't call for brakes to be fitted to drill presses...... Guards have been a requirement for training establishments for something like 40 years, as have secondary stop buttons, and they became mainstream industrial requirements years back.

Personally I don't think the chuck key argument holds water as the guards need to be adjustable to accommodate nasty dangerous things like tank or fly cutters, although there are one or two companies making drill presses which won't start unless the chuck key is inserted in a special recepticle.

I do recall an accident years ago where someone with long hair (I did say it was long ago) and not wearing a mop cap to hold the hair back had got his hair caught in the spinning chuck of a metalworking drill press and had nearly removed a strip of scalp several inches wide from one ear to the other :shock: . I used to have one of those mop caps at school (they were actually sold for girls in bakeries) - not wearing it when drilling on a lathe meant a detention

Scrit

 

[mudman]

I don't know about more expensive machines, but on the budget ones, I think that the guards are more dangerous than the unguarded machine.
I find that they quickly become opaque and obscure visibility to the extent that you are often bending forwards to see where the point of the drill is going. Giving you an awkward body stance and bringing you closer than you need to be to the machine.
So, to position everything before switching on, you need to leave it up. This then means that to see what you are doing, you bend over and inadvertently bash the bridge of your nose on the edge of the upraised guard. It cuts and hurts thus resulting in the removal of mine.
Don't get me wrong, I can see that a guard is always a desirable thing, but when it is badly designed it can be more dangerous than having no guard and a healthy respect for the machine.

 

[engineer one]

scrit in the most part you are right, maybe that was the same guy
in the photos i used to see in our safety lectures.

the thing is it is easy to forget that this thing is wizzing round so
near to your face, and at least the guard reminds you.

losing fingers just proves you are a woodworker, or in the
old days, a butcher who put his hand in the mincer

but losing eyes or your hair because of stupidity just
reinforces the power of H&S.

paul :wink: