# Art desk - WIP



## NickM (27 Mar 2020)

I'm thinking about moving on from workbench, stool, assorted dovetail boxes to something a bit more ambitious - an art desk/painting table for my daughter.

She's 12 and quite into her painting at the moment and I think she's rather good. I had intended to make some kind of box for her to store her paints etc. in, but on a recent trip to Hobbycraft, she took a bit of a shine to an art desk. It was a bit like an architect's desk with a top which could be lifted up to slope. The problem was that the thing was pretty ghastly so I wondered if I could make something with similar functionality but out of solid wood (oak in this case because that's what I have).

Here is my first drawing:







My first question relates to the top. The plan is that the central part will lift up with the two sides remaining flat for water, paints, palette etc. to sit on. As it will be effectively unsupported (only attached to the undercarriage at the front edge with some sort of hinge), I think breadboard ends are a sensible way to go. My question is whether the side pieces will be OK as they are or whether there is a risk of them cupping?

I have other questions, but I'll break this up into separate posts.

Thanks


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## MikeG. (27 Mar 2020)

That looks really nice. It should be an excellent project.

If the grain of the little side pieces is running right/ left across your drawing then yes, they'll need support. The choice of whether to put something underneath or to have a breadboard end -type arrangement is entirely aesthetic.


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## NickM (27 Mar 2020)

MikeG.":1a1l2fx3 said:


> If the grain of the little side pieces is running right/ left across your drawing then yes, they'll need support. The choice of whether to put something underneath or to have a breadboard end -type arrangement is entirely aesthetic.



Thanks Mike. I will greatly appreciate your advice on this.

It's almost certainly too ambitious for me but I'm hoping if I take it slowly I won't get too frustrated and, as they say, nothing ventured nothing gained!

I was indeed thinking of running the grain from right to left. The plan was to make a single panel which I would then cut into 3 pieces, adding the breadboard ends to the centre piece. That way I will have some continuity of grain across the whole top, broken only by the breadboard ends.

Aesthetically, I think the side tables will be too narrow for breadboard ends (they will be around 250/300mm). What kind of support would I be looking at underneath? I'd intended to use buttons on three sides, but I suppose I could come up with a way of adding buttons on the side in the middle of the table. Would that be enough?

In fact, that's going to interact with my second question because I'm thinking that I might be better off with a three drawer design and perhaps I could have drawer dividers running front to back which could be used to attach buttons to hold the side tables down.

I'll put another post up on that later on if I get a chance.

Thanks again


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## MikeG. (27 Mar 2020)

NickM":3bp07kps said:


> ......It's almost certainly too ambitious for me



No, you'll be fine. Drawing it has focused you mind on the issues. That's half the battle. And you've got access to plenty of idle woodworkers sitting around with not a lot to do other than offer their advice.



> Aesthetically, I think the side tables will be too narrow for breadboard ends (they will be around 250/300mm). What kind of support would I be looking at underneath?........



As they're being held nicely only a few inches away, I reckon a piece of 20x20 underneath would be more than enough.


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## NickM (27 Mar 2020)

MikeG.":3hrwer3t said:


> As they're being held nicely only a few inches away, I reckon a piece of 20x20 underneath would be more than enough.



I'm trying to picture this Mike. Would the 20x20 strip be only under the "unsupported" side of the end tables (e.g under the right hand side of the left table), with buttons on the other three sides? Would that be screwed (not glued) to the top from underneath with elongated holes to allow for movement of the top?

This drawing (3 drawer version) is not finished or fully thought through, but I've shown the 20x20 strip and button arrangement for the left side table. If you click on the photo you should get a bigger, clearer version.






(I realised that moving to a 3-drawer version does not provide another place to put buttons for the side tables unless either (a) the side two outer drawers were very narrow which I don't think would look good, or (b) the side tables are wider, which would leave the centre part of the top too narrow. What it would do, is give me somewhere solid to attach the rails for supporting the top when it's raised, but I'll get to that in another post.)


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## MikeG. (27 Mar 2020)

NickM":18xw7mk6 said:


> ......I'm trying to picture this Mike. Would the 20x20 strip be only under the "unsupported" side of the end tables (e.g under the right hand side of the left table), with buttons on the other three sides? Would that be screwed (not glued) to the top from underneath with elongated holes to allow for movement of the top?........



That would be fine.


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## NickM (27 Mar 2020)

Here's my next question. Sorry it's a bit rambling, but hopefully it explains the issue. Grateful for any views or other ideas.

*Background*

The "mechanism" for holding up the centre panel is going to be a bit like a deckchair! There would be some notched rails running front to back attached to the upper edge of the inside of the drawer dividers. The centre panel will have a folding arms joined by a cross piece the ends of which will engage in the notches.

This mechanism will of course take up some depth (though I haven't worked out how much yet). Added to that, I would also like to have a thin panel (I'm thinking a piece of 1/4" ply for ease and stability) so that the contents of the middle drawer will not be seen when the top is in its raised position.

*Options/questions*

Option 1 would be to make the top piece of the front apron (marked as "X" on the picture below) tall enough to accommodate all of the above.

The advantages would be: (a) easier to do some of the joinery to accommodate, in particular, the thin panel covering the middle drawer; and (b) easier to make all of the drawers the same size. The main disadvantage is that the boards I have in stock are quite narrow so I think I would struggle to have aprons which are more than 130mm tall unless I join some boards which might look odd on the aprons? At 130, I wonder if I might be left with drawers that are too shallow (I'm more worried about the aesthetic really)? The other disadvantages are that this option affects the depth of all three drawers, and that the apron above the drawer would be taller than the apron below which might look wrong.

Option 2 would be to have full depth outer drawers but with the middle drawer having the same size front, but with shallower sides to accommodate all the gubbins above. It solves the disadvantages of Option 1, but has a couple of problems. Firstly, would it be a problem to have a drawer front which is taller than the sides (I can see a small lip wouldn't have any impact, but what about 10/15/20 mm)? Secondly, I can see some issues in how to attach the thin "vanity" panel so there isn't a gap when looking through the drawer opening at the front but perhaps that can be solved by having a piece which extends down from the inside (a bit like a drawer slip).


Once I have made some decisions on some of these overall design issues, I'm going to have LOTS of questions about the joinery...


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## MusicMan (27 Mar 2020)

+1 for MikeG's comments. But I would also consider making the side flats with grain running front to back. This would match with the breadboard ends of the centre, and then the sides would not need further support. You could edge-strip the end grain on the front and back. 

Deckchair mechanism would be good. 

One further thing though, is to consult with your daughter about the desk height and angles of the painting board that she wants, and any other features she would like built in, for example lips/trays/recesses for brushes/pencils. And measure carefully for comfortable working sizes allowing a bit for growth. I made a big video production desk for my (adult) son who has back/neck issues. We measured carefully and it has worked very well for him for several years. For a period he also worked for a local university using similar computers and monitors. The heights of the desk and monitor were only about 1 cm different from his home office, but the setup at the uni caused him considerable back pain.


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## MusicMan (27 Mar 2020)

Oh - and if you have room, you could ask her if this is what she would like, or would she prefer a conventional desk plus a regular artist's easel? The advantage of the latter is that is is portable, so she could take it on trips (when we are allowed to).

Be warned though, once you involve her in the planning she will expect it quickly!


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## Benchwayze (27 Mar 2020)

Nick.

Oak should be fine, but don't forget; if your daughter uses watercolour you could see some staining in the timber over time. 

I'll have a look at my 'sources' and seek some ideas for studio accessories. 

https://www.painters-online.co.uk/searc ... ohn+walker

Cheers

John (hammer)


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## woodbloke66 (28 Mar 2020)

MikeG.":1mbwu5bh said:


> NickM":1mbwu5bh said:
> 
> 
> > ......It's almost certainly too ambitious for me
> ...


Lots of excellent advice here and yes, once you've started to *really* think about the project, you're a goodly way along the build. It won't be too difficult either if you stop and consider the pros and cons of each stage - Rob


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## NickM (31 Mar 2020)

Thanks for the thoughts so far. I thought I would start some of the work as I think that will help me visualise things as I go forward. I thought I would start with some of the simpler joinery - the legs and side aprons.

I made the tapered legs with a tapering jig I cobbled together for my the table saw and cleaned them up with a hand plane. I had to remake one because the oak had a very nasty split. I could see it was there but thought I would avoid it with the taper, but sadly not.











I then planed the side aprons and started mortising the legs.











This is one side done (unless I decide to change it... See next post!)


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## NickM (31 Mar 2020)

I've been having second (and third) thoughts about the size of the top.

Second thought was that I had designed the top to be too deep so I decided to shorten the side aprons accordingly.

I'm now worried I've overdone it, but in the course of mulling that over I decided to get a second opinion from my wise wife. Her answer was that it would be fine because I should have the top overlapping more than I had originally planned. I'd planned minimal overlap of only 5-10mm, whereas she thinks it should be more like 50mm for a more elegant look and to get me back to a deeper table top.

I agree with her that it would look better, but I then realised that if I have too much overlap at the front I will lose a bit of useful drawer space and much more importantly I will have a problem with the front edge of the tilting top fouling the drawers when it's tilted - i.e. you wouldn't be able to open the drawers if the top is raised, which is clearly a non-starter.

Should I:

1. go back to having minimal (10mm max) overlap all round, remaking the side aprons if I want a deeper top (no big deal);

2. have a minimal (10mm max) overlap at the front, but a larger (50mm) overlap at the sides and back; or

3. have a larger (50mm) overlap all round and try to find hinges which will bring the pivot point forward (see sketch below)? This is my preferred option, but I'm worried whether it would put too much leverage on the hinge where it attaches to the apron.






All thoughts welcome.


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## AndyT (31 Mar 2020)

Just to add to the options... how about leaving 75 mm or so of horizontal tabletop at the front. This would stay flat, fixed to the apron. You could then use piano hinge along the back edge of the flat bit. Ordinary hinge, stronger construction, even overhang all round.

This would slightly reduce the size of the sloping top - but the flat space in front might be useful, to rest a hand or a pencil.

You'd need to decide what to do to support the artwork in progress. To cope with floppy paper or stiff boards you might need clips at the top, a lip sticking up along the front edge of the flap, holes for removable pegs or adjustable wires as on a piano. Or something else you have planned already!


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## NickM (31 Mar 2020)

Thanks Andy. That's another good option to consider.

To support the work, my plan was to put a couple of brass threaded inserts in the front edge so that a lip could be attached with some brass thumb screws. When not in use, the lip could be removed and stored under the tilting section, or in one of the drawers.

If I adopted your idea, I could use the same arrangement, but with the inserts in the top of the table rather than the front edge.


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## MusicMan (31 Mar 2020)

I'd go with AndyT. In my experience, piano hinges are the easiest to do well, especially for the inexperienced. Also the flat could be useful, even scalloped for pencils etc. But consult the user! She may prefer a slope all the way down, but you could still do a pivot (flap hinge) at the fixed edge, without the cantilever that you sketched.

I'm with your wife on the overlap. Useful things they are, for accessories such as a pencil sharpener that really works, maybe a small vice for craft work, a movable lamp with a clamp ...


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## NickM (31 Mar 2020)

Thanks. I'm definitely coming round to Andy's idea as well. I think it's a neat way of having a larger overlap which will certainly look much better.

I'll now complete making the other side and if that goes well I will do the rear apron as well. That will use the same M&T joints.

When I get to that point I will be back with more questions about the front apron construction, drawer runners etc...


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## AJB Temple (31 Mar 2020)

If you can, try to consider an option where the table top can be propped up near to vertically (like an easel). There will be times when she wishes to reach the top (back) without leaning over wet paint. This could be very simple, such as some hinged stop sticks.


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## Richard_C (31 Mar 2020)

The usual way to fix paper to board is drawing board clips, a quick web search will find many.
www.amazon.co.uk/Helix-Drawing-Board-Cl ... B006K0OGMW
With your design this will be easy as you have 3 edges they will slide over.

This is probably blindingly obvious, but have you checked standard art paper sizes? It would be hugely frustrating if your top was 20mm smaller than one of the sizes, c.20mm bigger is ideal as the clips will reach. Making to this quality means it will last so think A level ....


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## sammy.se (1 Apr 2020)

thought you might like to see one of Hockney's art desks: 

https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-52109901


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## rafezetter (1 Apr 2020)

well well - I was commissioned to make one of these a couple of years back but she pulled the plug about halfway through (annoying) so it wasn't completed. My design, ideas were instead of having drawers at the front it was going to be a sliding drawer from the side - davenport style, which comes out fully then hinges 90 deg to be beside the tabletop so you could still access the pens and whatnot - I had also thought about having the drawer itself have a slide out lid for putting the paint so it was right beside you while you worked.

Obvs none of that happened - so I'll be watching this with interest.


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## NickM (5 Apr 2020)

I've made a bit more progress over the last week.

I finished the mortise and tenons on the second side and also on the rear apron which got me to here:







I then decided to tackle the front apron. I've changed the design so that there will now be a single, central drawer. I started by flattening a board. The blades in my cheapo planer are a bit dull (new ones on order) so I decided to do it by hand. I flattened one side, resaved off most of the wast on the band saw and then flattened the second side.






I decided to make the apron by ripping it into three parts, cross-cutting the drawer and then gluing the top, bottom and side pieces back together.
















I then cut tenons on the end and mortised the legs:






Putting that lot together brings me to here:






Now that it's taking shape, I'm pretty pleased with the overall look of it. There are a few gaps in the joints which I may be able to fettle a bit, but overall I'm pretty happy with it.


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## NickM (5 Apr 2020)

I think the next task is to put in cross-pieces between the front and back aprons. They will be the full height of the apron as I want to put drawer runners at the bottom and the "deckchair" supports for the tilting top at the top along with buttons to hold the side parts of the table top. The left hand piece is marked in red here:






I'm trying to decide what joints to use.

I think the best choice might be a tapered sliding dovetail but I think that's too ambitious for me at the moment.

Second option is a stopped sliding/housing dovetail. I've had a got at one practice and it wasn't very good to be honest. I'll do some more practice and read about/watch videos on the technique but I'm a bit reluctant to try it really.

Third option would be a stopped dado housing which I should be able to handle. I thought I might need some kind of dovetail to hold the front and rear aprons together, but I think I'm worrying about nothing (especially when the top is fixed). I suppose I could try the stopped sliding dovetail and revert to a dado if I can't pull it off (the worst case should be that I have to make new cross pieces.

Option 4 is pocket holes... (hammer) 

Any thoughts?


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## NickM (13 Apr 2020)

I've been making some progress on this, so it's time for an update. (The photo quality is better if you click on them.)

As noted in the previous post, I wanted some pieces running from the front to rear aprons. These would incorporate the drawer runners and, in due course, the mechanism ("deckchair notches") for holding the lifting section of the top as well as buttons for the fixed side parts of the table top.

I decided to do these pieces with stopped housing dados which worked well.











After a bit of thinking about how the drawer runners and deckchair notches would work, I decided that there was nothing sopping me from gluing everything up, so I took a couple of brave pills and went at it. It was a bit hairy at times but overall it went pretty well. I think one of the legs is slightly out of line with one of the other legs in one direction but I can live with that.






I decided to do the drawer next.

I made and fitted the runners first. They're made out a single piece. I cut a wide dado with a dado blade on my table saw and then ripped that down the middle to leave each drawer runner. I then planed the side and bottom to fit each one before screwing them on.






On to the drawer itself. Half blind dovetails at the front and through dovetails at the back with a plywood bottom running in grooves in the side and front. I had wondered about doing a solid wood bottom and drawer slips, but I decided to play it safe. I was also going to go for slightly fancier dovetails (e.g. narrow pins) and even started trying to cut the tails. I got as far as realising that my smallest chisel was too big and abandoned that pretty quickly. As a complete novice, I also struggle a bit being accurate enough in oak so decided to go with something I've done before.

After cleaning up the dovetails and making the sides and front/back flush I fitted the drawer. The drawer front needed a bit of work to get it flush with the apron (having fitted some stops at the back of the drawer runners) but I was pretty chuffed with the outcome.


























After that, I tidied up the tops of the legs and aprons to get them flush.

Next I need to turn my attention to making the top. The first step there is to take a long look at the boards I have left to work out if I have enough(!) and, assuming I do, how best to orientate them.


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## AndyT (13 Apr 2020)

That's looking great! I think you are on track for a really satisfying project there.


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## MikeG. (13 Apr 2020)

Fantastic stuff, Nick. Well done so far.


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## John15 (13 Apr 2020)

As said above Nick. A very nice design and excellant workmanship. 

John


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## MusicMan (13 Apr 2020)

Looking very good. Lovely grain continuity across the front - at first I couldn't see the drawer! I think you are well past the novice stage now .


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## NickM (13 Apr 2020)

Thanks for the nice comments. They're much appreciated.

Buoyed with my achievements so far, I decided to start having a look at the boards for the top. I carefully calculated the lengths I needed, taking into account the fact that there will be a couple of bread board ends taking up some of the overall length. What I didn't take into account was the tenons for the bread boards!

Fortunately I'll get away with it by having a whisker less overhang and slightly wider breadboards.

Definitely still a novice!


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## AJB Temple (13 Apr 2020)

Not novice work though. Excellent job.


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## thetyreman (13 Apr 2020)

this is going to be nice! great job so far nick =D>


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## NickM (27 Apr 2020)

Another update on this.

I dimensioned the boards for the main part of the top (combination of P/T, bandsaw and table saw) and jointed them by hand before gluing up and flattening.











I then crosscut it into 3 parts and jointed the outer parts to a single board which runs across the front. The centre part will make the lifting middle section of the desk. So far so good.






The next job was to make the breadboard ends for the centre section. To be honest, I'm not all that happy with them. Fortunately the top side is not too bad and I think I can tidy it up a bit more. The underside is a bit a shocker but won't really be seen all that much. Anyway, here are a couple of pictures (no close ups!). This is before the pegs went in. I made the pegs using the method Mike showed on his staircase build and it works really well. It's really satisfying as the dowel emerges from the outfield hole!











The next job was to attach the main part of the top with buttons.






I could then take measurements to fit the central part and then join it with a piano hinge which brings it up to date. The next task is to finalise the design for the mechanism to support to the top, and build it. I'm really tight on space so it's going to a challenge but it should be doable.


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## MikeG. (27 Apr 2020)

Excellent Nick. That looks great.


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## thetyreman (27 Apr 2020)

that's great, it would be equally useful for doing technical drawings as well as art.

how did you cut out the drawer front so neatly? I like the way the grain matches.


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## NickM (27 Apr 2020)

thetyreman":2hsrry3k said:


> how did you cut out the drawer front so neatly? I like the way the grain matches.



Thanks. 

I ripped the front apron into 3 sections. The middle section was crosscut to take out the drawer and then the apron was glued back together again. I did the cuts on a table saw and the wife kerf means the grain doesn’t match quite as well as it could, but it came out OK. Before gluing it back together, I did shoot the drawer ends and matching sides in the apron to make sure they were square.


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## MusicMan (27 Apr 2020)

Nice job!


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## rafezetter (27 Apr 2020)

Excuse my ignorance, but what it the advantage of a haunched tenon over a standard one for the aprons and sides?

Otherwise very nicely done.


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## MikeG. (27 Apr 2020)

The haunch stops the board cupping or twisting. It's generally used when otherwise the mortice would go too near to the end of a board or leg.


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## Chris152 (27 Apr 2020)

It's looks a lovely piece of furniture Nick. I'd brought my old easel into the house recently but it takes up too much space, now looking to make a crude table-top version that allows the same function - I'd not thought of that til I saw your piece. Nice wip too.


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## AJB Temple (27 Apr 2020)

I think you are rather hard on yourself. That work looks very professional. I would be proud of it. Adrian


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## NickM (28 Apr 2020)

AJB Temple":1idemod5 said:


> I think you are rather hard on yourself. That work looks very professional. I would be proud of it. Adrian



You're right to some extent. Overall I'm really chuffed with it as I've never attempted anything like this before. However, I want to recognise the imperfections so I can improve. The main bit I'm disappointed with is the breadboard ends.

The main issues were as follows:


I hand flattened the table top and it ended up fractionally thicker at the front than the back, and I didn't realise.


I cut the tenon for the breadboard end using a dado blade on a table saw (this project is a mix of hand tools and machines) and because of the thickness issue I ended up with a tight tenon at one end a slightly loose one at the other.


When fitting the breadboard end, it was very tight at one end and in removing if I ham fistedly knocked a corner off. That annoyed me, but I repaired it and most of it was removed anyway when I planed everything to size.


I made another heavy handed mistake when I put the dowels in the breadboard ends. I draw bored them, but overdid it on a couple of holes. I whacked the dowels in(buoyed with confidence from the previous ones) and they went in at a slight angle and caused a bit of blow out on the back. Fortunately the top is alright. I will just fill/patch up the damage on the back.


They are a bit gappy. Actually, they looked better before I put the draw bores in!

On the final point, one issue I have (and I have a similar issue with mortise and tenon joints) is fine tuning the shoulders of the tenon. If there's a gap, it usually looks as though it's caused by a shoulder being tight in one place (usually on one side) and there being a gap elsewhere. I guess the problem is either slightly inaccurate marking or cutting, but presumably the only answer once you're at that stage is to relieve the tight shoulder slightly to even things up? I don't have a shoulder plane and have always tried paring it back with a chisel but the results are never very satisfactory (mainly because I don't end up with a flat shoulder. Do I "need" a shoulder plane?! We're only talking about micro adjustments here (it would be a couple of fine shavings along the shoulder) so I find it hard to do with a chisel. Is there another technique I'm missing?


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## MikeG. (28 Apr 2020)

I don't have a shoulder plane either. If there is one tool left on my mental list, I guess it's that one. However, I manage perfectly well without. Adjusting shoulders with a chisel is mainly a question of taking extreme care with setting out a new knife line, sometimes clamping a steel straight-edge in place and working to that. In general, shoulders are the most visible parts of your joinery, and so setting these out perfectly in the first place is the primary focus.

The reason knocking draw bore pegs home is so satisfying is that it is high stakes stuff. Sometimes, they just refuse to go in past the tenon. Sometimes they break off. Sometimes they don't pull the joint together enough. But when they're right.......it's such a lovely feeling to hear the note get higher and to see them emerge cleanly on the other side with a nice tight joint showing.

No piece of woodwork is perfect, and I hope you take much pride in this job, as well as learning the little lessons. I think it's great, with proper joinery. Right up my street......


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## AndyT (28 Apr 2020)

Nick, it's perfectly normal that you are bothered by the little bits that went wrong. I think we all feel that way about the things we make and it's part of how we learn.

But the person using the desk won't even be aware of those things. They will be pleased to have a piece of furniture which fills the role it was meant for and enables them to enjoy their art.

That's what matters most, I reckon.


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## NickM (28 Apr 2020)

Thanks Mike

Marking a new knife line hadn't occurred to me! I've basically been trying to do it by guesswork - taking a bit off, checking the result and repeating but it hasn't worked all that well. A new line or a hard edge to work to would solve that. I wish I'd asked sooner!

I will certainly be proud of it when it's finished. Just a bit more thinking to be done about how the support mechanism for the top will work, but the nice thing about that is that I don't really need to commit to anything until I know it works, so I can see a few prototypes being made and binned!

If all else fails I'll just stick in a couple of gas struts from a car boot...


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## NickM (10 May 2020)

I've been slammed with work over the past couple of weeks, but things calmed down just in time for me to be able to get stuck in properly over the long weekend. Unfortunately, in my enthusiasm I didn't take any pictures as I went along.

The last major task I had to do was to make the mechanism to support the top in its raised position. I knew roughly what I was aiming for, but was fully prepared to have to go through some prototypes.

This is the end result, with a bit more explanation below.












First I made the frame which would be attached to the underside of the top and which would hinge down. The bottom of the frame would engage in "deckchair" grooves to support the top at different heights. The frame was made with simple halving joints.

Sticking with traditional methods, I 3D printed some temporary brackets and stuck them to the underside of the top with double sided tape. Just how chippendale would have done it!

Having made the frame I could use that to work out the angle of each groove. I stuck a piece of tape to the inside of the desk and traced the outline at each position. I removed the tape and stuck it on the side of the piece of wood I used to make the deckchair supports.

I marked it all out and then roughly cut the grooves on the bandsaw before paring them with a chisel. I did all this in a single, wider piece and then ripped it to make each side.

I took the top off the desk and cut those support pieces to length. I then made front and back pieces which run across the width and used half lap joints to fit it all together. I taped it all in position and did a dry run to make sure everything worked and that there was still room for the drawer. It was all fine so I glued the supports into position.

One issue I encountered was that I was struggling to fit the frame between the side supports - I had to trim the frame a bit on the bandsaw to check it all worked. I therefore remade the frame so that there was a bit more space. I also screwed my temporary plastic brackets into position.

I'm pleased to say that it all works well.


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## NickM (10 May 2020)

Having got it all built, I have since been sanding it to get it ready for some kind of finish (probably hard wax oil).






The only other things which remain are:

1. getting some brass brackets made to replace the 3D printed plastic ones. The plan is for my dad to make those (silver soldering them). I can send him plastic ones so he has a template to follow. This is the design:






2. Fitting a sheet of thin ply above the drawer. The deckchair supports and cross pieces have rebates for that. I need to get some 3mm birch ply for that. I have some 3mm ply from Travis Perkins but it's a nasty red colour.

3. Finishing.


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## NickM (10 May 2020)

I thought I'd make a separate post about a potential flaw in the construction which struck me when I woke up this morning.

The issue relates to the central panel which has breadboard ends. As with a "normal" breadboard end, I have a tight fitting and glued middle tenon and loose outer tenons. This will allow the panel to move in both directions.

The problem is that one end of the panel has a hing screwed to it so I'm worried that excessive movement could pop the screws out of the hinge.

There's absolutely nothing I can do about it now (short of hermetically sealing my 220 year old house and installing full temperature and humidity control systems), but, in hindsight, I should have glued the tenon nearest the hinge end and "forced" any movement to go in one direction.

Time will tell if I get away with it. If the worst comes to the worst, I could remake the centre panel. I wasn't completely happy with it anyway, so it wouldn't be the end of the world.


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## NickM (15 May 2020)

Here are a few pictures of the finished desk (apart from the brass brackets for the supports to replace the 3D printed versions!).

I'm really pleased with how it has turned out.


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## Blackswanwood (15 May 2020)

Great work Nick.


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## AndyT (15 May 2020)

I'm impressed by the desk but also by the completely clear and tidy room - is that really where someone paints, or is it a special space, reserved just for photographing your woodwork?


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## MikeG. (15 May 2020)

That's really excellent, Nick. A proper project and a lovely piece of furniture. Well done. =D> =D> =D>


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## NickM (15 May 2020)

AndyT":2oae8oeb said:


> I'm impressed by the desk but also by the completely clear and tidy room - is that really where someone paints, or is it a special space, reserved just for photographing your woodwork?



Ha! It’s a front hall which normally has very little in it so it seemed a good place for a few photos.


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## NickM (18 May 2020)

As an interesting postscript to this project, my wife sent a picture of the desk to her mother (a keen artist herself) and it reminded her of an art desk which her great aunt used to use. Her brother now owns that desk and sent the following photos. There are some similarities in some aspects of the design.


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## MusicMan (27 May 2020)

Nice project, well executed. And what does the client think of it?

Keith


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## The Gent (17 Jun 2020)

Very well done


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