Scratch Build: The Ultimate Computer Desk

Shane

Super Moderator
Staff member
Simply amazing,Wish i could build something like that...looks like you have a great workshop too.
 

ultimatedesk

New Member
if you go over them again, and maybe a 3rd time and get them filled really well and sand them down you wont notice them all that much... but you will notice if you look at it. thing is the holes are a perfect circle and perfect circles dont exactly exist in wood so they eye is going to naturally pick it up :/
Thanks SslagleZ28 - I'm wondering if there are any techniques to break up the circle pattern, maybe a bit of.. brown crayon smudged strategically or something.. I dunno, we'll see.

amazing build log--CF needs more of these!

On the fan locations--you might want to try and keep the fans off the front to reduce the sound levels--maybe you can use some sort of director to make sure the airflow goes over the components where it needs to, and then you can have intake in the side near the front, and exhaust on the side near the back. Just a thought.

Keep it up!
Thanks for the encouragement, Jet! Just an fyi, none of the fans will be exposed, or even be considered "in front". Maybe it's just not presented very well in my diagrams, but you'll see once I start putting together the cabinets ;) The idea of using directors is a very good idea - I'd like to implement something like that, maybe when I'm working on the cable management.

Simply amazing,Wish i could build something like that...looks like you have a great workshop too.
Thanks Nevakonaza - the workshop is a dream to work in, total coincidence that it became available just as I was finishing the plans for the desk!!

I love following things like this. Keep the pictures coming! :good::)
Thanks Rocko, glad you have you on board :)

No real update today, but there'll be one in the next couple days - work has been keeping me busy, so I've not got the energy to go through my photos and write nice descriptions ;) ;)
 

ultimatedesk

New Member
New Sponsor - Crucial!

Received a nice package in the mail a couple weeks ago that I've been meaning to show off...

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What could it be?

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Woohoo!!!

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That's:
4 x 2 GB of 1600Mhz CL7 Ballistix RAM from Crucial and
2 x 2 GB of 1333Mhz ECC, Registered RDIMM RAM from Crucial!

So it looks like for the main system I will have some options. Currently I'm thinking either a socket 1156 Core i5/i7 or a newer Sandy Bridge socket 1155. The only issue that may occur with the Sandy Bridge is that those Crucial Ballistix are rated for 1.65 Volts, which I understand is a bit over the recommended voltage for RAM for the 1155 boards. There is a possibility of looking at an AMD AM3 system as well with a Phenom x4 or x6 - I have not made up my mind entirely yet.

For the server system, I am almost definetely going with a Xeon processor - which motherboard is still in the air.

Aren't they so nice? ;)

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Can't wait to open them up and test them out! It'll have to wait for now, however.

So here's a distraction - my cat! She's going to have some kittens soon!

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Big thanks go out to Crucial, who are officially the first sponsor for The Ultimate Computer Desk



Stay tuned, lots of updates in the pipeline!
 

ultimatedesk

New Member
Trimming the Desk Surface

DUDE!!!! They freakin sponsor you!?!?!?
Hehe, that was my reaction too! How cool is that? Props to Crucial lol

you are awesome
good luck:good:
Haha, thanks nathan32111 :)

Last time I left off, with regards to the table surface, I had just finished gluing and screwing it together. I put it on the backburner for about a week to dry while I worked on the drawers, and now I'm going to take it down in preparation for putting the outer trim on it.

Here it is:

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All 4 sides were a bit off, with regards to the flushness. This was expected, as the initial sizing cuts were pretty rough, and it's better to have extra material than not enough.

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Took out a straight-cut flush bit for the router, and some 60-grit sandpaper for the random orbital sander, and got to work. I did two passes with the router, because since the bit is not 1 1/2" tall, I couldn't trim the whole side of the table with just one pass.

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And, after a bit of work, the final result:

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The next step is to take a long strip of maple and turn it into trim for the table surface.
 

richt79

New Member
very nice design, in all honesty though you should have 4 monitors. Not sure how anyone can work off just 3 monitors nowadays. :)
 

Benny Boy

Active Member
has anyone used darker wood filler than the natural wood, when staining dark with good effect?
TONS of it. :D
Any wood filler(or wood dough)brand, and any color name within those brands, need to be sampled to see how well it stains to the desierd color. The only way to do that is to have the stain and the wood and the filler. Put the filler colors you think might be close on the wood, sand it and stain it. Make sure everything is sanded with the same grit sandpaper because diff grits will produce diff colors using the same stain.
Not very often will a filler color be found that will match perfectly because of the types of wood and types of stains. All three.-wood/filler/stain- together, will determine what the filler will look like when stained, not the filler color name. Getting a few and sampling each is the only way, really, way to go. The undesireables can be returned.
I'm wondering if there are any techniques to break up the circle pattern, maybe a bit of.. brown crayon smudged strategically or something.. I dunno, we'll see.
Finding a filler that matches good enough by sample can be non existent and almost always is. So it's almost always winds up being - pick the filler that stains close to-but a little lighter than - the desired color. It seems to be lighter in this case. This makes it easy to darken the areas with the same stain or anything you can find,other stain-paint-tints that have the desired basic color in them, and an artist brush. As long as the base(water/solvent) is the same you can intermix to get the color close. Use dilution to get the desired transparency.
If it's raw stain(no sealer on it yet), stay inside the lines w/ your brush. If it's raw but you're Dr'ing where the glue/sawdust is, it won't soak in so put a bit of clear in the material so the next brushed clear won't move the color around.
If the spots are too dark, it can be very involved to fix. That's why the samples and making sure it's at least lighter is very important. Lightening when its darker takes some experimentation. If this is the case using yellow paint or tint,-the stain-other tint colors-or even any paint/other stain you may have around that has the basic needed color in it<--or some combo of those, will help. It's the yellow that will lighten using this simpler method.

If the surface has been sealed, hand sand everything first, and again use a small amount of the clear in your touch-up material to keep the the color from moving around when you brush on the next coat.

I know by looking at the shallow hole in the pic above that the filler was sanded before it was all the way dry. ;) As Z28 said will flush it up. :good:
 
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ultimatedesk

New Member
Thanks!

very nice design, in all honesty though you should have 4 monitors. Not sure how anyone can work off just 3 monitors nowadays. :)
Hehe, seriously, what was I thinking. You know what? Scrap this whole project. Sorry folks, gotta start over ;) ;)

TONS of it. :D
Any wood filler(or wood dough)brand, and any color name within those brands, need to be sampled to see how well it stains to the desierd color. The only way to do that is to have the stain and the wood and the filler. Put the filler colors you think might be close on the wood, sand it and stain it. Make sure everything is sanded with the same grit sandpaper because diff grits will produce diff colors using the same stain.
Not very often will a filler color be found that will match perfectly because of the types of wood and types of stains. All three.-wood/filler/stain- together, will determine what the filler will look like when stained, not the filler color name. Getting a few and sampling each is the only way, really, way to go. The undesireables can be returned.

Finding a filler that matches good enough by sample can be non existent and almost always is. So it's almost always winds up being - pick the filler that stains close to-but a little lighter than - the desired color. It seems to be lighter in this case. This makes it easy to darken the areas with the same stain or anything you can find,other stain-paint-tints that have the desired basic color in them, and an artist brush. As long as the base(water/solvent) is the same you can intermix to get the color close. Use dilution to get the desired transparency.
If it's raw stain(no sealer on it yet), stay inside the lines w/ your brush. If it's raw but you're Dr'ing where the glue/sawdust is, it won't soak in so put a bit of clear in the material so the next brushed clear won't move the color around.
If the spots are too dark, it can be very involved to fix. That's why the samples and making sure it's at least lighter is very important. Lightening when its darker takes some experimentation. If this is the case using yellow paint or tint,-the stain-other tint colors-or even any paint/other stain you may have around that has the basic needed color in it<--or some combo of those, will help. It's the yellow that will lighten using this simpler method.

If the surface has been sealed, hand sand everything first, and again use a small amount of the clear in your touch-up material to keep the the color from moving around when you brush on the next coat.

I know by looking at the shallow hole in the pic above that the filler was sanded before it was all the way dry. ;) As Z28 said will flush it up. :good:
Wow, thanks for all the information Benny Boy - sounds like I have my work cut out for me. Thankfully, the only place I really need to mess around with screw holes are the drawers. I do still have to concern myself with how the wood filler turns out on the desk surface, since I've used some to fill in the small cracks between the desk and trim...

I'm definitely going to go with biscuits when doing the joinery for the upper shelf. No way I'm messing with screw holes again!!!



I'll have an actual update in a few days - work's been keeping me a lot busier than usual, and it's crazy cold out, so it's been a bit discouraging for working on the desk :p
 

Thanatos

Active Member
I'm currently building a Loft bed with a desk underneath. It's pretty awesome, And it clears up tons of space.
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voyagerfan99

Master of Turning Things Off and Back On Again
Staff member
^I feel I should go that route, as my desk isn't big enough.

Old pic, but basically the same desk space.
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kobaj

VIP Member
I'm currently building a Loft bed with a desk underneath. It's pretty awesome, And it clears up tons of space.

*snip*

I built my own loft bed too! They're great on saving space but they're such a pain to move and the constant up and down every night was getting burdensome. Do enjoy (but the novelty wears off quickly, as I'm just using a regular bed now).
 

wolfeking

banned
....sigh.... all the carpenters here.
I'll be moving soon, so.. I hope the new place will have a barn to work in so I can make my own desk....
 

ultimatedesk

New Member
Adding Trim to the Desk Surface

I'm currently building a Loft bed with a desk underneath. It's pretty awesome, And it clears up tons of space.
That is super cool Green dog252, it looks like a real nice and sturdy piece. That's an awesome outdoor bedroom too!! ;) ;) ;)

^I feel I should go that route, as my desk isn't big enough.

Old pic, but basically the same desk space.
Well - start planning! Snap some pics and keep us in the loop!

I built my own loft bed too! They're great on saving space but they're such a pain to move and the constant up and down every night was getting burdensome. Do enjoy (but the novelty wears off quickly, as I'm just using a regular bed now).
Oh I could see that - maybe you could build in an escalator or something lol

....sigh.... all the carpenters here.
I'll be moving soon, so.. I hope the new place will have a barn to work in so I can make my own desk....
That would be so freaking awesome to have a barn to do woodworking in. I know what you mean though - I actually live in an apartment pretty much, and it takes me around an hour to get to the wood shop, so as much as it is really awesome to be able to use it, it's nowhere close to convenient.

The last time I left off, I had just finished flushing the sides of the table in preparation to add some trim. I found a nice piece of long maple that was just a little over 8 feet long, a little wider than 1.5 inches, and thick enough to cut some 1/4 inch strips from.

I layed it out, setup the table saw and cut myself a test piece.

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Looks good!

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Here's a pic of the cutting process. I'm afraid I had some difficulty with this. Actually, let me rephrase - the saw had some difficulty with this. I was still using the same blade I've been using the whole project - which needs replacement pretty badly. Asking it to cut through 1.5 inches of maple, for a length of 8 feet was asking a lot of it.

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I made it through eventually, but the whole process left quite a few burn marks on the wood.

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I glued and nailed the trim around the perimeter of the desk, which was a pretty straightforward process.

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And then took out a hand plane to get rid of most of the excess material and bring the trim down flush with the desk surface. Some neat pictures here.

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After some sanding with some 60-grit on the random orbit sander to get everything smooth, I went nuts with the wood filler.

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At that point I stood the surface up in the back of the shop and called it a night.

Next update in the loop, I setup some dado blades in the table saw, mmm mmmm, that was fun!

Have a good weekend everyone!
 

ultimatedesk

New Member
Dado Cutting

It's been a while since the last update, but basically, I got around to installing the dado blade on the table saw to make some important cuts for the two cabinets, and was able to do a bit of test fitting.

For those of you not really in the know, a dado blade has two regular saw blades (One for the left, one for the right) and some irregular shaped blades of varying thickness that you put in between, until you get the right width. I'll let the pictures do the talking.

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The beauty of using dado blades in the table saw (At least I think) is that you can set it up at the right height and width, and then set the fence to the proper width and do all 3 of your supporting boards one after another so they will be lined up perfectly when it comes time for assembly.

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I put 3 cuts in each of the 3 supporting walls of the left-hand cabinet. There was a bit of chipping, I should have probably put down some masking tape, but it's nothing major and will be on the inside anyways.

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I threw on a bit of wood filler to patch up the chipped parts, and then let these 3 dry while I worked on the right-hand cabinet cuts.

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I then had some time to put together a quick test fitting! Not bad! Some of the wood was just a bit crooked, so I'll have to spend some time with the sander to loosen up some of the dado joints.

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This pretty much completes the first phase of the project - I won't have any use for any of the big, messy tools anymore.

All that's really left are a few small detail cuts, some holes need to be cut out, the whole thing needs to be sanded to pre-stain state, and then assembly and staining!

I'll be bringing all of the materials back to my place where I'll be doing just that.
 

ultimatedesk

New Member
Basement Move

And, through the miracle of internet technology, I'm bringing you the next update right away!

There wasn't much work done in this update - just thought I'd show everyone where the progress is going to be taking place from now on. The spooky basement in my building!

It's a really old house, at least over a hundred years old, in fact, there's a 12" x 12" solid beam of wood running as the main support member along the entire length of the house, it must be at least 30 feet long. Can't get those any more!!!

My main complaint with the basement is that I am constantly bashing my head on the low ceiling beams, and it's quite cold! Getting motivated to go work down there is not nearly as easy as working in the nice, heated wood shop.

Time to let the pictures do the talking:

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I purchased a new shop vac at Canadian Tire along with a bunch of other stuff during the Boxing Week sales after Christmas. Sweet.

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I also setup a plastic wall to help prevent sawdust from going all over the basement, as well as to help keep any breezes contained when it comes time to stain.

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Some of my personal tools:

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And there we have it! Until next time, have a good weekend!
 

ultimatedesk

New Member
Quick Test Fitting

So, I did a bit of work in the basement the other night, and since the next part of the project is going to be assembly, I decided to give it another shot at test fitting, since the last time I tried it was just loosely put together.

Time to get out the sander with some 80 grit. The hose on my shop vac is a little over 2", and I didn't have an adapter to attach it to the DeWalt ROB Sander unfortunately, so a little tape had to do the job.

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I took each piece one by one and sanded down the edges where they slide into the dado cuts. I had to do a surprising amount of sanding, as the fit was incredibly tight.

I also took the time to label each piece (Top, Middle, Bottom, and which side faces the front) so that it could be easily repeatable when it comes time for final assembly.

Almost there. So tight! I needed a rubber mallet to set some of them, and then remove them afterwards.

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This shelf was just ~slightly~ warped, and needed a lot of sanding so that one end was nice and snug, and this end actually a bit of free space (Hello wood filler!)

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A couple more progress shots:

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And, all tightly assembled. I could probably jump on this box...

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I spent about an hour and a half doing that, and honestly, it was freezing cold down there and that's about all I could stand for that evening. Until next time!
 
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