home office desk

[eric71m]

Looking for some input about a home office desk.

Material is hard maple, (legs, and solid 8/4 top)

sides and front/back 1/2" maple plywood.

If you look at my design plans, I plan to make the end panels and an assembled unit dado-ed into the legs.

My intent is to make the desk to assemble in place and disassemble when we move. (it will not fit through the room door assembled)

I am looking for ideas about connecting the back/front to maintain strength and assembly and dis-assembly property's.

Thanks in advance for your input.

Eric

desk leg details (1).pdf

desk desk (1).pdf

[tombuhl]

Hey Eric, Can you make a PDF with more extensive labeling? I assume the "front" is actually just inset from the rear panel a bit. And the working front is open for chair, legs (human type) and access. Yes?

Without much engineering testing/experience to call upon, I'd really like the side panels to be 3/4 ply. That is a long desktop to hold. Thicker stock also give you more material to play with when deciding on method of connecting top and backs to the sides.

Seems that the front and back would be ok as 1/2 ply, but personally I'd use 3/4 for the front as well.

Lots of seems here, sorry. Seems that is a long span to have floating on the four legs. Think I'd want another leg in the back center for some more structural support.

Are those little blue things biscuits? Or?

good luck with your project.

[tombuhl]

You mentioned dado front & back to leg, but PDF shows dovetail. Can you clarify?

If dovetails, will it be sliding dovetail or mostly primarily dado with top portion a dovetail connection?

[eric71m]

You mentioned dado front & back to leg, but PDF shows dovetail. Can you clarify?

If dovetails, will it be sliding dovetail or mostly primarily dado with top portion a dovetail connection?

When drawing the cad file I actually was thinking dove tail at first... but after rethinking things, I am pretty sure that a dado would suffice?

But that part is an easy change.

[eric71m]

I have redone the attachments with a lil bit more detail.

desk leg details (revised).pdf

desk desk (revised).pdf

[eric71m]

Hey Eric, Can you make a PDF with more extensive labeling? I assume the "front" is actually just inset from the rear panel a bit. And the working front is open for chair, legs (human type) and access. Yes? Yes!!!

Without much engineering testing/experience to call upon, I'd really like the side panels to be 3/4 ply. I was wondering the same, but... thought 1/2" should be strong enough for the sides, with out trying to attach the front/back to the sides... maybe if I increase the front legs to like 2" x 1-1/2" then I could have more materiel to mount the front too? That is a long desktop to hold. Thicker stock also give you more material to play with when deciding on method of connecting top and backs to the sides.

Seems that the front and back would be ok as 1/2 ply, but personally I'd use 3/4 for the front as well.

Lots of seems here, sorry. Seems that is a long span to have floating on the four legs. Think I'd want another leg in the back center for some more structural support.

Are those little blue things biscuits? Or? pocket screw holes

good luck with your project.

Please remember this needs to break down to get it in and out of the room I am putting it in. I don't plan in living in this house for ever... LOL

[Godet]

I would think about bed bolt hardware...which is designed for what you're talking about--breaking down large sturdy furniture. I can't tell from your drawing (I'm no good with drawings) whether you are going to build a frame for the ply panel or insert it directly into the leg groove/dado. I would think a frame/panel would be the way to go anyway, and then you could utilize bed bolts to connect the front/back to the sides.

Good luck

[sawdustislife]

For the pocket holes that will be on the sides you'll want to make sure and expand all the holes after the first hole to make room for expansion and contraction. An easy way is to drill all your pocket holes like normal and then follow up with a bit that is about double the diameter of the pilot portion of the pocket hole bit (can't remember that diameter right off). I would make the room for expansion/contraction towards the back of the desk by leaving the first pocket hole on the front side of the desk the normal size and just resize the ones that follow. Alternatively, you could use z-clips or figure 8 clips which would take care of making room for the expansion/contraction (http://www.woodcraft...-Fasteners.aspx or http://www.woodcraft...s-Desk-Top.aspx). Z clips are really easy for take down in my opinion. That's what I used on my computer desk. They're not quite as solid as pocket screws would be but they are pretty easy install/uninstall.

[JeffBranch]

In my work, I have to assemble retail store fixtures. Some of these are massive and weigh a ton. Virtually all of the joinery is via these connectors:

http://www.hafele.com/us/products/Minifix_Connecting_Bolt_Cam_Hafele.asp

This was simply the first page that showed up in Google, so I am not recommending this company. This is a knock down type connector and may be easier to use than bed hardware.

Also, I can't tell from your design if these would even be practical since you don't want the minifix head to show to the outside of your project.

Good luck,

Jeff

[CessnaPilotBarry]

The computer desks I built for myself are actually (2) "hall tables", one with a flip-down center drawer to hold a keyboard, the other with two wide drawers, and a nightstand-like corner table. The desks are narrow enough to fit through any stairwell or hallway without disassembly.

Nowadays, all monitors are flat, so you really don't need much depth. The center drawer could also hold a typical laptop.

[dogwoodtales]

Hey Eric,

This will be a handsome desk.

I would second the notion for 3/4" panels and for some additional center support. Even 8/4 can sag over time.

You could have a center leg in the back and a bracket system of some sort to provide additional support to that 8ft long top.

Additionally a center leg in the back offers a place to break up the long back - allowing for smaller pieces for transportation when that day comes.

I would make it so that the L/R sides are individual units that don't break down. Perhaps that's what you intend and I missed that point.

An 8/4 top would be massive at this size. My concern is that while the support structure will hold it up what is to prevent the front legs from racking L/R should there ever be sufficient pressure from the side?

I would replace the pocket hole system at the top of the side/back panels with wooden cleats. Drive screws into the inside of the panel and underside of the top.

Break down hardware for the back panel would be nice, but not necessary imho. How many times do you expect to move this thing?

I think you can screw the back panel to the back legs without adding to the width of the leg. Just screw in at an angle if necessary. Either way don't forget to pre-drill!

If a screw hole ever gets stripped out just re-position the screw.

Just my .02.

I hope all this makes sense and that you find it helpful.

[eric71m]

Thank you all for your wonderful input, I will keep you all posted on the progress!

[jHop]

Alright, I have a little input on this subject, although the desk in question was not solid wood.

I purchased a small "student"-style desk from a store that was closing in the mall near one job I had. I walked it through the mall and to the elevator, where I brought it up to my work desk, and borrowed a screw driver from the IT guru to disassemble it. I brought it home on the bus in pieces (several trips, and some odd looks), and have moved it three times now, and am contemplating moving it a fourth. This does not include the first trip home.

It's made of metal and Particle Board, so it's not an exact match. But here goes.

The top needs to be one solid piece. Either dowels, pocket holes, biscuits, super glue, magic, whatever. If you put in holes or access ports for cables, that's fine. Just make the top one solid piece. If you want to put "attachment blocks" on the bottom that everything will get attached to, that's fine.

The legs on mine are four individual pieces, that do not screw into the bottom of the desk. The only things that get screwed in are the back (which wraps around one side, and is "reversible," meaning it can be flipped to wrap around left or right) and the filing cabinet / drawer unit. If you are planning on basic legs, which it appears you are, I'd suggest a face frame construction using pocket holes with the side panels in loose dadoes. Your other option is to make the two sides solid panels, and just have them sit into mortises via loose tenons or dowel / peg / bullets. (there's another thread on the site regarding a bench top that covers this, but I don't know where right now.)

The back I would actually leave open, instead of a panel. This can just be a stretcher of some sort, and maybe a place to rest your power strip this could actually just be wedged and pinned, rather than fastened using pocket screws.

If you want to put in a shelf for the CPU and maybe some supplies, this would be a miniature cabinet with two, maybe three drawers (max) that usually goes along one leg. This cabinet should be a stand-alone structure that would then get attached to the support units of the legs and back, and attached separately to the top.

It's an amalgamation of styles, a whole lot of fun, and easier to transport in pieces parts than one whole unit. The hardest part for me has been the 'L' shaped piece of sheet metal, since everything else has been taped to the underside of the desk on more than one instance. Yours has the benefit of being hand made, and won't have that awkward sheet metal bend to worry about.

One last thing: what type of leg leveler have you planned on? Since you're planning on moving this again, I'd factor those in right up front.

[jHop]

Your other option is to make the two sides solid panels,

Sorry, some clarification here: I mean that the legs should be two support units, not four individual legs for this option. So it would be a "left panel assembly" and a "right panel assembly" that would get attached to the bottom of the desk top.

Also, if you go with a solid back, it does need to be an entire panel assembly that would get attached to the leg structures. I'd second any knock-down mechanical fasteners, or bed rail fasteners, or bed bolt fasteners for this, as using pocket screws will eventually give out if you have to drive and back out the screws multiple times.

[eric71m]

So I thought I would show a progress update...

I know its pretty rough still, but it is the underside, and I was playing around with the settings on my newly inherited antique German roughing plane from my wife's Great Grandfather... I think the next one, will go much better.

[dwacker]

When I do workstations I make the two sides solid with the legs attached. The back and back apron I use cross dowels. The Front apron gets cross dowels. The top get set on aprons with dowels in the aprons and attached only at the legs with Lamello Invis connectors. Assembly only takes a few minutes.

Don