Newbie to woodworking and wanting to build new desk

[MattRoberts]

Would anybody be able to tell me if achieving this is an easy task for someone with no experience? I'm guessing not but I could be wrong.

Many thanks!

That's a series of boards joined together, each with a roundover on them. Easy to do with a basic router.

Just bear in mind that each of those gaps is a guaranteed dirt trap though!

 

[Benchwayze]

Not to mention pens and pencils falling through. Unless you cover it with glass or plastic. Which is what I would do.

 

[AndyT]

Just to add another option to the mix...

I wouldn't want to put anyone off making their own stuff, but if you are not well equipped with tools and are on a tight budget, this might help.

I'm typing this sitting at a desk we've had for the last fifteen years or so in what used to be the boys' bedroom. It's a slab table top, from the Ikea mix and match range, with four tubular steel legs screwed onto it. The ranges will have changed, so I can't link to the exact product, but I believe it's similar to the stuff you are doubtful about. It's a beech veneer on top, 1.5m x 0.8m, with a beech effect lipping and a plain cardboard-looking underside. I'm sure it will have a honeycomb paper core.

The thing is, it's very rigid, not too heavy to move and completely suitable for the purpose. It was strong enough back when we had a CRT monitor. (It's strong enough to climb on to reach the high shelves!)

I'm sure we didn't pay a lot for it. This sort of honeycomb internal structure is not some odd idea dreamt up by Ikea. It's well established and is used on millions of ordinary flush doors the world over. I wouldn't recommend it if you need to cut the desktop at all, but a wide range of sizes and finishes are available. If you've only been reading descriptions, try and get a look at the thing in the flesh. You could of course look at door blanks, which might also be good value, especially if you can get a discounted one that has been marked on one side.

Edited to add: Linnmon looks close - though I think ours is actual beech veneer not 'beech effect'. £25.

 

[vanitycat]

I'm a amateur woodworker so not sure if this is any help but could he use tulipwood instead of pine? Would that be a better option? I know it is slightly more stable, not sure about its strength however. It would definitely have to be painted though

 

[davin]

I use Osmo white tint oil on lots of furniture.
Works well on pine, birch ply or beech.
Looks natural, lets grain show and is pretty durable.
Davin

 

[Bullivent]

I'm still looking around for good deals on things like eBay, think I'm definitely looking towards the plank type desk from the image I posted before this though, but from what's been said it's very true that it would be a dirt trap and things would be going in them gaps, and that it would be a wise idea to put a cover over it. I've been looking at glass and I never realised how expensive it was, especially for the size of desk I'm wanting, does anyone know what acrylic is like as an alternative? Is it commonly used for tabletops or not?

About the curving of the edge, you recommend a router, however After looking at videos of how it's done on YouTube I'm not sure if I'm 100% confident, and one big factor putting me off is the cheapest one I can find is £25. Any alternative methods or is it possible to buy it with the edges like this?

Also in reply to Andy about the honeycomb ikea desks, these would have done perfectly however after looking into them, I've found out it's pretty hard to cut into them to make holes for cables from things like keyboards and monitors. I've also heard they can bow quite easily, however it doesn't sound like it in your case if you can actually climb on it.

I have looked into that tulip wood and it would indeed need painting which I am not wanting to do, I'm wanting to keep it natural and be able to see the grain, but still a good suggestion though!

I'm liking the idea of buying pine planks, using kreg jig and wood clue to attach them, I love the look of it, it's just the routing and acrylic I'm not sure on now, any ideas? I'm also looking around loads of areas trying to find cheap wood like what's been mentioned, if I can find some sort of hardwood for a cheap price that would be brilliant, but it takes time.

 

[MattRoberts]

Don't use acrylic - it's way softer than glass, and will scuff and scratch really.

As for the rounded wood, you can buy it that way. Just look at CLS studwork timber from any diy store. It's not designed for furniture, but you can use it just fine if you like the natural pine look.

You can join it by pocketholes or by dowels pretty easily. Take a look at the Wolf craft dowel jig for a low cost dowel solution.

I made a small table for my chop saw in this way - I can show you a pic if you're interested

 

[Benchwayze]

There are two types of pressure treated timber in my local sawmill. There is the green-tinged variety (Tanalised I think it's called) and there is the plain clear treated pine. They each have the rounded edges which look not unattractive for some purposes.

 

[vanitycat]

You could just purchase some pine block board from a timber merchant or online. http://m.builderdepot.co.uk/richard-bur ... Gwod4wEA5Q Which may save you time. Since with pine it has a tendency to cup you will need be very careful selecting your wood pieces. But if you do decide to purchase a few pine boards. Make sure pick them out yourself and don't leave it to the staff otherwise you end up with banana wood. Be wary of the wood packs in wickes, select each piece individually. Also alternate the wood ring direction when joining the boards

 

[John15]

....They each have the rounded edges which look not unattractive for some purposes.

I've seen this also at my local sawmill. It's planed and has the neat rounded edges ( 'easy edge' I think they call it) and at a very reasonable price.

John

 

[Bullivent]

I've been looking at CLS and it seems pretty good, however would I need to go for C16 or C24? Not really sure what these mean. Also what else could I put on top to protect the wood instead of glass or acrylic then? I would love glass but from everywhere I have seen it is so expensive, Especially for my budget.

I've been looking at block boards and it Is something I could take into mind, Would there be a benefit over this? I also see that this is laminated, and earlier in this thread someone said that laminated is small bits of wood put together, Would you be able to see/tell this or would it just look like one large piece of wood?

Another thing I havn't really thought about is what do I do for a base, What's everyones opinion, do I just buy 4 pieces of wood for the legs and use pocket holes to attach them? If so what type of wood would be best for this? Or should I actually build a frame for it to give it more support?

Also Matt, I am interested in seeing a pic of this if you don't mind.

Many thanks!

 

[MattRoberts]

The C rating is a stress / load rating relevant to structural work, so don't worry about it for furniture.

Here's the quick & dirty table I made for my mitre saw stand. I used dowels to edge join the CLS, and then popped some dark oak Danish oil on to give it some protection

 

[ED65]

So far the only options I'm coming up with is going with Pine, although I've seen that it's soft and scratches and dents so so easily

It doesn't really. Yes it's soft by wood standards, but it's nothing like balsa. I'm sitting beside a pine desk my partner bought at least a decade ago, and the writing surface (which has gotten a lot of use over the years) has no real dents or scratches on it. And that's with no finish on it to add protection.

I could also show you the pine shelf I installed between the legs of my cheap folding Workmate clone to improve its stiffness. I've stood on the edge of it numerous times to steady the bench when planing and there's barely a dent to show for it. This is even though it was made from the cheapest pine imaginable, harvested from pallets. If you buy in person you can hand-pick your pine to ensure it's tougher by selecting the pieces with the closest ring spacing (the dark grain lines are much much tougher than the pale wood in between).

the other option is plywood, I've read it can be OK aslong as you get a decent grade or veneer it, what's everyone's opinions on these two woods?

Plywood has numerous advantages, the first being that it's already a flat board surface ready to go. So no joinery needed (or the tools to do this) just cutting to size. It can have a much harder surface. Perhaps best of all you won't need to worry about factoring in wood movement. In many ways it's an ideal desktop material. The only reason it's not used more in cheap furniture is that chipboard is cheaper.

There is good and bad plywood, but even the cheap stuff places like B&Q stock is usable, although you should select your piece rather than just take the sheet on top of the pile because quality varies so much. You won't want to look at the exposed edges on most cheap plywood like this because they're ugly as sin (lots of wavy, irregular plies on show, plus numerous voids) so you'll need to use edgebanding at least.

 

[Bullivent]

It doesn't sound like pine scratches and dents so easy then, Also it's not like I am going to be purposely battering it like I said before, No sharp objects will come into contact with it either. If you could show me the pine shelf it would give me a good idea of its durability. I think I am going to go with pine instead of plywood, Yes plywood would involve less work but I feel as though the pine planks just looks so much better, I'm still looking into them both however.

Also, That table is looking pretty good even if it is only a rough one, I also like how you cut a small section out of the planks in all the corners to make room for the legs, this could be something I could maybe do, How long did it take you to make that?

I still have no idea what to do about the base, the easiest option would be to just get 4 bits of wood and put one in every corner but I don't feel as though this will create the most stable desk, Maybe if I put lengths of wood inbetween each leg will make it more sturdy like whats been mentioned before, What everyones opinions on this? And what would be the best wood to use for it, Or should I stick with pine throughout?

 

[MattRoberts]

I knocked that table together in a couple of hours.

As for the base, I agree that you need a bit more structure to it instead of just slapping for legs in the top. Have you looked on YouTube? Search for things like "making a table from construction lumber" or any videos on making a table or desk

 

[Benchwayze]

Here's another idea for you that shouldn't break the bank.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8DcmUeXrh8

HTH.
John