Project Desk

[19ninety]

Hi,
I'm looking to make a desk and have a idea for a simple design:

It will be approx 120cm long and 80cm wide and around 76cm high. The top will be around 6cm thick (planning to fix reclaimed parquet bloacks to a rigid base) and I think will weigh around 20kg plus objects on the desk; heavy monitors on the rear, a lamp, books etc.
For the base I was planning to use reclaimed 12cm x 12cm hardwood beams joined using mortise and tenon. now would a 12x12 joined this way be a strong enough joint to support all that weight even if glued?
I'm thinking about getting a chippy to make the joints so they are tight as mine wouldnt be that great.

Or would it be better to do something similar to the below but maybe using a slightly smaller beam, say 8cm?

Like this I would probably have a go at the joints (after a little practice) myself as they wont be so critical.

 

[Chems]

Yes M&T is perfect for this. Also I think you'll find that this video series - 3 parts - is a table almost identical to your picture:

http://www.thewoodwhisperer.com/videos/ ... able-pt-1/

It uses a mortise and tenon but they are machine cut. M&T was the first joint I ever did, its very easy and even a messy hole and tenon should be hidden in the end. For extra strength you can peg the joint as well. Then even in decades time if the glue fails it will still stay strong.

Heres a video on pegging/drawboring your joints:

http://www.thewoodwhisperer.com/videos/ ... ise-tenon/

And a video on tenons, the mortise is just a hole, not much to say about that:

http://www.thewoodwhisperer.com/videos/ ... nyone-pt1/

http://www.thewoodwhisperer.com/videos/ ... nyone-pt2/

Have a go yourself, or next time you'll just be in the same position. You won't learn anything by having someone do it for you.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Please use millimetres or metres.
Centimetres are the work of the devil, and should be banned by law.

 

[DTR]

Please use feet and inches.
The metric system is the work of the devil, and should be banned by law.

Post fixed

In all seriousness though I agree. I've never seen centimeters used anywhere outside of a school or Argos catalogue. Meters and millimeters on the other hand fit in with the engineering notation system that has widespread use.

 

[lincs1963]

Please use millimetres or metres.
Centimetres are the work of the devil, and should be banned by law.

metres, centimetres, millimetres, inches, quarters, eighths, sixteenths etc. Whats the problem? They are all just simple measurements
I must admit I prefer mm and inches but am not upset at the use of other types.
Neil

 

[JakeS]

In all seriousness though I agree. I've never seen centimeters used anywhere outside of a school or Argos catalogue. Meters and millimeters on the other hand fit in with the engineering notation system that has widespread use.

You've probably never seen them 'cause you're a fan of Imperial measurements, so you don't use them yourself!

The reason you see them in the Argos catalogue is that for those of us who grew up with the metric system, centimetres are the 'commonly useful for everyday tasks' measurement for measuring all the things that you Imperial people use inches for. Metres are for measuring big things, millimetres are for precision. (In my experience people tend to talk about measurements to the nearest 5cm (~2") when describing most household objects.)

I've never really understood insistence on using millimetres instead of centimetres. I understand it on plans, since consistent units are important and being consistent from one plan to the next is also important, and as such it's a good habit to get into, of course. But it's only because millimetres happen to be the accepted standard; 12cm is exactly the same measurement as 120mm, equally easily expressed, and for casual discussion exactly as good... could it be a mindset thing from people who are used to fractional divisions rather than decimal, perhaps? Or am I missing something?

 

[Chems]

 

[matthewwh]

Outstanding!!!

 

[Jacob]

Hi,
I'm looking to make a desk and have a idea for a simple design:

.........

I'd stop there if I was you.
The first thing to do if you want to design and make a desk is to have a look at several. Real ones that is, not notional projects on woodwork websites.

 

[DTR]

You've probably never seen them 'cause you're a fan of Imperial measurements, so you don't use them yourself!

The reason you see them in the Argos catalogue is that for those of us who grew up with the metric system, centimetres are the 'commonly useful for everyday tasks' measurement

I did grow up with the metric system, I'm only 27 . I can happily work in either system though. I think my preference for mm over cm is because of my engineering background.

(apologies for the thread drift)

 

[Sawyer]

Please use feet and inches.
The metric system is the work of the devil, and should be banned by law.

Post fixed

In all seriousness though I agree. I've never seen centimeters used anywhere outside of a school or Argos catalogue. Meters and millimeters on the other hand fit in with the engineering notation system that has widespread use.

Centimetres? The French love 'em!
To my iirritation, in woodworking here, mm and cm are constantly mixed, even in the same drawing, sentence or timber purchase. To me, for the purposes of woodworking, the cm is a pointless complication.

I blame Napoleon!

Oh yes, the original post! M&T are ideal and will be nice simple ones. Very strong in an application like that.

 

[19ninety]

Hmm I give up, tried to reply twice yesterday (a nice long reply too) and it hasn’t posted... annoying!
Chems thanks for the info, I'll have a look later when I get a chance and ditto on the thread direction, and my un-posted reply was along the lines of "Thread train derailed". ha ha.

I was going to mention pegging the joints from the inside for extra strength. Also the reason I was going to look at getting a carpenter to make the joints is if it was a single joint each side it would be crucial for it to be well fitting. I'm leaning more towards the idea of two verticals on each side slightly off set to the rear (similar in design to my current flat pack desk). In this case I'd certainly have a go at the joint myself after a bit of practice as if they aren’t 100% it won’t be too much of an issue.
Also in true form to my previous projects I am thinking of making the top removable, located on dowels possibly as the weight will make it very sturdy, as it’s going to be pretty heavy and won’t fit through the door frames otherwise.

cm, I only used them as it was the rough conversion I did in my head between inches at the time when looking at various things. I use mm and m often, though and more partial to inches and feet and this is the measurement I use verbally (to describe things) and mostly for work. Anything under 1/4 in I use mm, I'm not too fond of 8th's, 16th's etc. The fun of being raised in an age of multiple units of measurement.

 

[Chems]

I think for your top joint if you want it removable then a mortise and tenon perhaps screwed from the inside face. That way you can unscrew the joint. Its not very traditional but it should do. I've screwed the occasional structural moritse and tenon in the past.

Regarding the whole thing, why not pop down to your local DIY place/ timber yard/builders yard and get a length of 120mm redwood and just practise doing the joint. Before you do anything else. The only tools you need are a chisel, a good set square and a nice tenon saw. A drill can help to remove the waste from the mortise but isn't a must.

 

[TheTiddles]

Centimetres aren't SI, that's why people use mm.

M&T would be fine, even if the joint isn't perfect pegs through it would increase the strength hugely

Aidan

 

[19ninety]

Excellent, now to get the right parquets now, have my eye on some, just waiting to hear back from the chap. Found a few people with some really nice reclaimed stuff but there seems to be a lack of interest in selling a small amount and having to box it ... they seem happy to put 1sqm on a pallet and have a haulier deliver it for a extortionate price but not so happy to box it up (for a fee of course) so I can arrange a courier to pick it up for £15, their loss I guess.
Also need to find some suitable timber for the rest of the job, have a very clear image of what I want now!

Soon as I get a chance I'll practice a few joints with some old 2x4 i have left over from Project Work Bench. Times a bit thin recently with baby and veg patch and researching toy to make for her

 

[19ninety]

Donor desk bought, £10, this is going to be a bit of a budget project as still learning a lot about woodwork. Only using the top of the desk as a base and the draws will be re-used under my work bench

Collected the parquets this evening, £0.99!! Unknown wood type but for 99p they had to be had. Gave a few a clean up and they are a golden colour but quite red ish brown when a coat of beeswax is applied, do you think they are teak, iroko or maybe sapele at a push?
I'm a bit 50/50 about using it though ... would really like some oak if it comes up cheap as that would be more the colour I was after.

Just need to get some mahogany now to make a dark decorative boarder and also maybe some oak to then make the main edge frame around the whole lot.

 

[19ninety]

Thi sis similar to the design I'm going to make, the desk will only have a decorative ring around the outer edge not in the middle.

 

[marcros]

i like the idea of using parquet blocks. How do you clean the bitumin off them?

 

[19ninety]

Going to experiment at the weekend. Tried a regular scraper already with no joy. The edge of chisel seems to be very effective to get the worst off and then I think maybe a quick go with a belt sander to buzz the rest off.... we'll see.

Also need to figure out the best way to fix the blocks to the base...

 

[Phil Pascoe]

My kitchen table top is made from surplus bamboo flooring - the original finish was an absolute bar steward to flatten. Strange how easily it scratches as a floor!