Last weeks project

[PowerTool]

Hi - last weekend,made this computer desk for my dad :-

In my house when finished

And in his house when installed (no,I don't know why he needs three pairs of glasses there either)

Took me most of the day,but he had been looking desks in a catalogue,saw one he liked for £130,like a fool I said "I could make one for you cheaper than that,and make it to fit the space you've got.."

And the rest,as they say,is history

 

[Bean]

Looks good

What did you make it from??


Bean

 

[PowerTool]

Thanks - top is beech effect furniture panel (laminated chipboard),the rest is MDF finished with Ronseal beech brushing wax.
First time I've used brushing wax,but pleased with the way it makes the MDF look like it has a grain pattern to it. (I don't actually like MDF as much as wood - it's easy to work with,and quite stable,but just doesn't look as nice )

 

[Gill]

It's a nifty little project which certainly doesn't look as if it's mostly made out of MDF. Brushing wax, you say? I could be tempted...


Gill

 

[woodshavings]

Beech brushing wax - I'd never heard of that. It certainly appears to give the mdf a good finish. Did you "grain it" with a texturing comb?
I bet your dad's pleased with his desk, a really good project!
John

 

[DaveL]

PT,

Good looking desk, that brushing wax is quite interesting in its own right as as Gill says, it don't look like MDF. :shock:

I can understand the three pairs of glasses, I use two, eyes have gone down hill in the last three years. Some of the other chaps at work have glasses that are between distance and reading for working on screen.

 

[PowerTool]

Yes,my dad wears bifocals normally,and the computer is somewhere in the middle..so he's trying all of them to see which is best (an old pair of single-vision reading glasses being current favourites)
And the wax hasn't been grained/textured - I just brushed it on,left it to dry,polished it, and it seems to have dried with a woodgrain-type finish - perhaps I did something wrong
Also managed to blag a chair from work to go with the desk,so yes,he is quite pleased with it (had the computer on a set of drawers before - wrong height,wrong shape.. )

Andrew

 

[Philly]

Nice one Andrew!
Looks great,
Philly

 

[Newbie_Neil]

Hi Andrew

Well done. I really like the finish.

Cheers
Neil

 

[WoodPecker]

Certainly doesn't look like MDF, the finish is great. Who manufactures the brushing wax?

 

[dedee]

Please tell us the whole story :lol: How was it put together? Biscuits, Pocket Hole, Dowel, 'ammer 'n nails?

I might need to put something like this together soon and have been reading with interest those projects that have used either pocket hole or biscuits for this type of work. And would welcome any further comments re ease of use etc.

I too like the finish to by the way - well done.

Andy

 

[PowerTool]

Assembly was mostly dowels and glue,trying to leave no (or very few) visible fixings.
The uprights are dowels and glue,with screws through from underneath as well.
Although you can't see it on the pictures,it is sat on a plinth base (about 50mm inset on all sides) shaped to have about 80mm of each end of each of the four lengths sat on the ground,making an "L" shaped foot at each corner,which I then pinned a 6mm ply triangle onto,to make a bigger surface area and didn't like the idea of the MDF "end-grain" being sat at the bottom.
The plinth was not waxed,as it says on the tin that it may rub off if used on areas like seats;my parents had just got a new carpet,and I didn't want to risk ruining that :shock:

 

[ydb1md]

Nice work Andrew!
The finish looks good.

I'm sure your dad really appreciated your effort.

 

[dedee]

Andrew,
thanks. I have made a few pieces of furniture using dowels both through dowels which add an element of design and hidden.
How did you centre the dowel holes? I have only ever used dowel points which become harder to align properly the more that are used at a time.

Andy

 

[Anonymous]

"Most of the day" to buld a project :shock: Nicely done and nice finish too

 

[PowerTool]

Andrew,
How did you centre the dowel holes? I have only ever used dowel points which become harder to align properly the more that are used at a time.

Andy

Used the dowel points that came with the dowel set,and adjusted them where necessary by measurement (marked a centre line for where each lot of dowels were to go,then used the pins)