Curved desk in pieces?

[vivavilla86]

Hi guys

I'm planning on building a custom designed desk to sit in the corner of a study. The basic premise is a curved L-shape desk that rests on a set of drawers either side.

My problem is I can't cut the desk top from a single sheet, the dimensions don't play ball. So I was thinking about cutting it in several pieces and joining it together. I have attached an image of a mock-up I drew using SketchUp. As you can see, the desk top would be comprised of two rectangular pieces joined to a square piece in the middle, from which I would cut the curve.

My question is how practical is this idea? And if it is workable, what considerations do I need to give to supporting the desk top from a load-bearing point of view?

Many thanks

 

[custard]

If the top of your desk is made from sheet goods then it'll droop in the unsupported centres. It'll droop more with MDF than plywood, but it'll still droop more than I'd be comfortable with. So in any event you'll have to have some supporting solid timber rails underneath. And because of these supporting rails your plan of joining the top is viable. Just beef up the rails a bit, ensure the entire surface is dead flat in a single plane, and you'll be fine.

Looking at your plan I'd also be inclined to enlarge that corner pillar unit. It doesn't need to come right to the front, but by making it a bit bigger it provides more support out to the front edge (where you rest your elbows and apply most weight) and also brings it within reach of the user thereby adding practical storage space.

 

[vivavilla86]

Thanks custard, good advice.

In regards to the rails, would you place them at the back along the wall and would you recommend a minimum thickness? The entire desk is roughly 1.5m x 1.7m.

 

[custard]

Two rails, as wide apart as the width of the corner pillar unit allows.

Rail dimensions? Do some calculations on this, ignore the sheet goods top and assume the rails are the only support,
https://www.woodbin.com/calcs/sagulator/

Personal choice but I wouldn't tolerate more than 1mm of sag even if the calculator says 3mm is okay.