/diy/ - Do It Yourself

[Anonymous No.1219492]

On a scale of 1-10, how difficult do you think it would be for a total woodworking noob to build a usable desk?

My current desk is a shit composite/particleboard from Amazon and can't accommodate my 3 monitor stand.

My GF is an architect and will design my schematics. I plan to use oak for the entire desk, sourced from Lowes or HD. I know it's expensive, but it's solid and usually already jointed/planed.

Am I going about this okay? I have all the tools I need.

[Anonymous No.1219513]

>1-10
>usable
If it just needs to be usable its 1/10, but you sound like you want something pretty.
Make sure you have enough for screw ups. If something goes wrong, and that's likely you need to be prepared for that. Also there is nothing wrong in using pine, spruce or fir for your first project. I take a nice spruce over oak any day because I like the colour and the smell.

[Anonymous No.1219533]

>>1219513
My concern with pine is how soft it is. I was checking out lumber and just my fingernail was enough to leave a significant scratch. Is there a coating I should be using after sanding, to avoid dents/scratches?

I'm not really after pretty. I prefer sturdy and functional. My monitor cluster is 100+ lbs so the desk needs to support that amount of weight, and more, without flexing too much.

[Anonymous No.1219544]

>>1219492
what specifically are you asking?

the only advice I can think of, is if you use a coat of polyurethane, make sure to put a shot of black in it....it will really help to hide scratches

[Anonymous No.1219552]

>>1219544
I've been on DIY for all of a few hours and already get the meme's history. So thanks for the contribution.

I suppose I'm just asking if I'm going into an assache. Am I going to waste hours trying to joint oak boards together without a planter/jointer? Or is lumber from Lowes/HD good enough?

[Anonymous No.1219553]

>>1219544
>put a shot of black in it....it will really help to hide scratches

this sounds crazy, but if the paint store guy is cool and will do it, it works.

[Anonymous No.1219557]

>>1219553
>>1219544
Yes yes, I'll be sure to put a shot of black in all my oak boards so the paint expert cult appreciates my professional artisan skills there and on this Chinese meme board.

[Anonymous No.1219563]

>>1219552
Get the pine "project planks. They are laminated board and th m sell them anywhere from 24x24 all the way up to 24x72. I make them into tv stands. Pic related has held up fine for the past 8 months

[Anonymous No.1219565]

>>1219533
Three to five coats of water based PU will do for pine. My desk is made out of OSB, sanded the shit out of it and put some flooring varnish on. Holds good no splinters and it doesn't smell.
For oak I would use Tung oil or something similar and wax. Well it depends on the oak.

>I prefer sturdy and functional
Then go with spruce, its much cheaper than oak and only slightly less sturdy which is still more than enough for a desk. Or, if you can get maple on the cheap go with maple. Its really expensive here so I never build with maple.

[Anonymous No.1219566]

>>1219552
>assache
pretty sure that's a compound word

where are your plans?

[Anonymous No.1219569]

>>1219565
Forgot to add pic. My desk, cheap but I like it.

[Anonymous No.1219579]

>>1219563
is that a.. triple xbox?

good job on the project tho, looks good

[Anonymous No.1219587]

>>1219579
Thanks man, and yeah all 3 gens of Xbox. The original was the Xbox my father gave me when they first came out and it's still trucking

[Anonymous No.1219592]

What do people use for the desk legs?

Adjustable is nice

[Anonymous No.1219621]

>>1219563
Not him but do you know where I can find 24x72 walnut project panels?

[Anonymous No.1219631]

>>1219621
Home Depot sells them next to the pine 2x4s

[Anonymous No.1219638]

>>1219631
Never seen em tho

[Anonymous No.1219647]

>>1219563

>cant take the time to rotate the goddamn pic properly or use your shitty phone n the proper orientation

[Anonymous No.1219659]

>>1219492
It's easy man, I built mine out of brackets and good wood, only problem I've had is some chipping along the edge where I use it but it's to be expected with how I''m using it.

[Anonymous No.1219667]

>>1219647
If it triggers you this hard feel free to leave and never return. I get a feeling you won't be missed.

[Anonymous No.1219675]

>>1219492

1/10 if you find some easy plans online. My first project was putting together a tall, sturdy work table and all it used was butt joints screwed together. Penis.

[Anonymous No.1219696]

>>1219647
Thanks for the contribution, now why don't you /DIY/ and rotate it yourself.
>>1219638
I checked online and they only have the circle ones now, but I found them online
http://www.allwoodoutlet.com/EDGE-GLUED-KNOTTY-PANELS/%200.71-in-x-24-in-x-72-in-Knotty-Pine-Panel%20?limit=100
Never used the site, but it's actually have the price that I was paying At home depot.
>inb4 why don't you have a planer and jointer I'm a welder not a woofer worker and blue machines make me broke

[Anonymous No.1220089]

Just go to craigslist, the habitat restore or some other bargain home improvement place and get a door. Lay it across some base cabinets that you got in a similar manner. Boom, the most solid desk that you'll ever have, with built in storage.

[Anonymous No.1220187]

>>1219667

you will miss me. you will miss my throbbing cock up your ass

[Anonymous No.1220188]

>>1219696

how bout I rotate my nuts in your mouth

[Anonymous No.1220259]

>>1219696
>I checked online and they only have the circle ones now, but I found them online
>http://www.allwoodoutlet.com/EDGE-GLUED-KNOTTY-PANELS/%200.71-in-x-24-in-x-72-in-Knotty-Pine-Panel%20?limit=100
>Never used the site, but it's actually have the price that I was paying At home depot.
>>inb4 why don't you have a planer and jointer I'm a welder not a woofer worker and blue machines make me broke
I was asking if they had walnut panels

[Anonymous No.1220972]

Not to hijack this thread but,
How hard would it be to make this desk?
I only do wood turning and haven't made any furniture.
I wanted to use Purple heart as it's my favorite.

[Anonymous No.1220973]

>>1220972
>How hard would it be to make this desk?

Extremely simple. All you'd really need is a saw and plane. plus the usual fastening hardware/glue as necessary.

You don't even need the plane if you don't care about it being super flat.

[Anonymous No.1220974]

>>1220973
I have access to a table saw and a smaller planer.
Never used either one
Would be $300 in purple heart alone though.

[Anonymous No.1220995]

If you are willing to cheat a bit you can buy a butcher block top. 8 foot by 25 in for 180. Build out some legs and boom.
http://www.lumberliquidators.com/ll/srch/Butcher+block?keyword=Butcher+block&hawkproductcountry=US&hawkoutput=json&pg=3

[Anonymous No.1221372]

>>1219638
my local HD doesn't sell walnut but the one in the next town does. They definitely don't have 24" wide boards though, I believe the widest go to 12" and they are located in the "hobby wood" section were you can normally find other hardwoods

[Anonymous No.1221384]

>>1220972
>>1220973
if you dont have a planer or if it's not wide enough but you have a router you can make a planing jig out of some straight boards. I made one ~18" wide to plane end grain cutting boards, but you can make it as wide as you need. Just be sure that your jig is leveled out. Plenty of vids on youtube on how to make one but you can check out the concept in link below

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Obi8Vym7VGc

[Anonymous No.1221405]

>>1220259
Oh missed that part sorry, I do not know

[Anonymous No.1221435]

>>1219492
It's dark here right now and I'm tired. I'll show my desk/ table to you tomorrow.

[Anonymous No.1222280]

>>1219557
I dont understand this meme. Can someone explain poly to me?

[Anonymous No.1222294]

>>1219492
Made this desk out of table countertops from ikea 4 4x8 sheets of 3/4" mdf mending plates and shelf supports holds plenty without bowing as far as i can tell and quite stable can break it down more if needed id say this setup was probaly 3/10 difficulty hardest part is cutting the wood thats it's about 103"x78"x34"

[Anonymous No.1222307]

>>1222294
What's the table top mad of?

[Anonymous No.1222311]

>>1221372
Can glue hold 12" two boards side by side? Though I guess dowel pins would help. But in any case I haven't even seen 12" wide boards.

[Anonymous No.1222312]

>>1222307
They are kitchen countertops i bought from ikea for 69.99 ea. website descripes material as this: Particleboard, High-pressure melamine laminate, Laminate (melamine foil). you could splurge a little bit and buy something nicer. but i liked the look of these and they were cheap and large which fit the bill for me

[Anonymous No.1222313]

>>1222312
its an inch and a half thick so its not your weak amazon quality particle board shit you normally get ive broken a fair share of those this one i havent had any issues after about 8 months

[Anonymous No.1222314]

>>1222312
Doesnt look bad m8, I might make a desk someday. Im new to woodworking and buy all my materials at home depot.

[Anonymous No.1222317]

>>1222314
thanks it definately is a ton of room and i designed it to be easy to dissameble for moving purposes. Everything that i used was bought from home depot besides the countertops i drove to my closest ikea (about 2 hours) for those.

[Anonymous No.1222318]

>>1222317
can you take a pic of the corner by any chance?

[Anonymous No.1222321]

>>1222318
what corner and what angle?

[Anonymous No.1223072]

>>1219492
It isn't difficult. I just built a 14' wall-desk with built-in shelves above it reaching to the ceiling.
4/10

[Anonymous No.1223502]

>>1222311
Glue edge-to-edge is actually the strongest kind of wood connection.

The wood will fail before the glue does (unless you subject the glue to conditions that would destroy it, eg submerge in boiling water and then dry, freezing air).

If it's end-to-end, then you need to use dovetails or finger joints (you can use pocket screws or nails but those are usually shit-tier).

If it's end-to-face/edge, you want to use mortise & tenon or dowel. Depends on the sizes/proportions involved, and the types of wood (usually -- softwood use dowels, hardwood use tenons. and end-to-face tenons are better than end-to-edge tenons)

[Anonymous No.1223505]

OP: you'll probably need a hand plane (buy a used one, new ones unless they're from a vendor like WindRiver, Lee Valley, or Lie Nelson, or the more expensive stanley sweethearts, are probably shit)

Buy some shitty aluminium clamps from harbor freight / equivalent, the kind that have colourful jaws.

Lay glue on the edges of the boards, clamp them together, use a 2x4 on its edge and clamp that perpendicular (to make a caul).

Use the hand plane to scrape the surface to smooth it back out. You could use a sander desu, but it won't be as smooth/easy.

These are great table plans, and he has more advanced table examples (inlcuding how to make C-shaped legs)

http://woodgears.ca/table/simple_plans/index.html

You can use pine, ikea's solid wood furniture is usually pine. it'll be fine. just don't expect it to stay dent-free. I find that adds character. If you use pine, just don't be a dirty hipster and put a dark stain on it -- keep it the original colour, or paint it / use a glaze paint / use milk paint / use chalk paint. You can spot pine a mile away.

And if anyone disses pine, shrug them off and remind them pine built this country (whatever country you're in -- other than acacias, spruces/pines/firs are some of the most common trees and the most useful for construction by far).

Buying those 24" project panels will save you a ton of trouble, and you can learn at a slower pace -- less time swearing and panicking and buying tools.

[Anonymous No.1223925]

>>1222311
You can glue two side by side. I pretty much always use dowels when I glue boards like this. It's mainly to keep the boards aligned in the glue up because they always seem to wander as soon as I put any clamping pressure on them.

[Anonymous No.1223935]

>>1223505
>You can spot pine a mile away.

Yeah, key thing with clear coating pine is to not attempt to make it look like something it isn't. Never works out.

[Anonymous No.1223936]

>>1223935

Yeah. And I mean, pine can be really pretty. I like the small knots, and I also kind of like when it has that blueish hue.

You can give it a nice glaze, but giving it like the Minwax Dark Walnut undiluted, and it's got like huge knots and voids and that weird pithing, is just fugly.

[Anonymous No.1223940]

I just got one of those cheap foldable 5' tables from walmart and a $30 80" hollow-core door from lowes and drilled and screwed them together. $50, some wood screws and a drill

[Anonymous No.1224006]

>>1220972
Be prepared to write off a saw blade for cutting that much Purple Heart... also pretty pricey for that size... otherwise not to hard looking to make with appropriate tools.

[Anonymous No.1225061]

>>1219552
a little late to the party, but you can try using an endcap to keep the boards in line. if you have a router, make a mortise and tennon style joint that runs the length of the edge of your table, and use it to dry fit all the edges straight while gluing

[Anonymous No.1225064]

>>1225061
my mistake... the joint is more properly a tongue and groove, not a mortise and tenon.

Pic related, except one of the joint's sides would be all of the end boards. I've used this method to build cutting boards and it holds great, I would imagine the concept could apply to a desk all the same.

[Anonymous No.1225076]

>>1219492
so a few thoughts:
particle board is shit, but plywood can be decent. especially hardwood plywood. Build a pine frame and put a plywood top on it.

bartop epoxy will turn pine into a solid material that you can write on. Same way they treat wood tables at restaurants to make them indestructable.

>>1225064
If you do this, I would suggest doing a floating tenon, it's a lot easier to match up because you cut all the grooves at the same time/height, you just need the wood strip the right width/thickness.
You can also index the boards to keep them lined up with a jig and some dowel. Shiplap/halflap can also work well.

[Anonymous No.1225371]

Recently made this desk with some acacia butcher block on sale at lumber liquidators and some pipe for legs. Was about $300 and I have very little experience with anything diy. Was my first project for my first apartment.
Just one good cut using guides and tons of sanding and oiling.

[Anonymous No.1225974]

>>1225371
Shit, just bought the same countertop to do basically the same thing. Looks good Anon, what did kind of oil did you use?

Also, my first time finishing something. The only real place I can do it without inconveniencing people is my dusty ass basement, which I've read can be a problem. I've seen some people finish shit outside, but that seems like it could have some of the same potential problems. Was planning on using either an oil or polyurethane. I've seen some places say to use lacquer as well. If anyone has any advice, would be appreciated.

[Anonymous No.1226053]

>>1225974
Polyurethane will be the strongest finish since it's like a plastic. Lacquer is fairly tough and will probably go on thinner.

Don't know about oil but it probably won't be a coating or 2nd layer like the polyurethane or lacquer

[Anonymous No.1226081]

>>1226053
yeah, I'll probably use Polyurethane as that's what 90% of the shit I see seems to be suggesting. I would have to brush the lacquer too and as I understand it that can be a problem on something the size I'm working with since it dries really quick.

Thanks Anon.

[Anonymous No.1226195]

>>1225974
I just rubbed in mineral oil until the wood stopped absorbing it. My dad has done some carpentry and he recommended it if you still want the finish to feel like wood. He recommended I reapply oil every couple years and it'll always be good. I'm happy with the outcome for sure, this desk might outlive me if I treat it well.
I did all my work outside at either a neighbor's place or my parents place. If you go poly I'd recommend a garage or yard if you have one available.

[Anonymous No.1226237]

>>1226195
Cool stuff, I found out I can use my parents garage for it, so poly it is. I've never finished anything before and I'm extremely worried about fucking up, but it's good to see someone else with little experience got such a good result.

[Anonymous No.1226284]

>>1222294
>holds plenty without bowing as far as i can tell
Clearly bowed under the tool chest
Practice your straight-line detection more.

[Anonymous No.1226528]

>>1219492
easy as fuck

this cost me about $150usd and about 4 hours

[Anonymous No.1226546]

>>1226195
Oil retains that wood feel.
Poly feels like resin.

Once a day for a week, once a week for a month, once a month for a year, once a year forever.
Thats the schedule I use for oiling.

[Anonymous No.1227980]

I want to go deeper into woodworking. All I currently have is a mitre saw. What would you /diy/ers recommend for my next step?

[Anonymous No.1227990]

>>1227980
Electric tools?
Table saw, orbital sander, router, drill, jointer, thickness planer, bandsaw(with adequate resaw capabilities), drill press. Some files rasps, planes, spokeshaves and chisels are good to have too.

And about 6 dozen squares, measuring tools, and clamps. You can make just about anything then. Scroll saw and a trim router if you want to get into inlaying.

But, you should just decide on a project and see what tools you specifically need for that. Acquire tools over time.

[Anonymous No.1228007]

>>1227990
Would a table saw or a band saw be a better choice for future projects?

Looking at making a bed frame similar to pic related.

[Anonymous No.1228023]

Related, i want to do an inlay on a desk for the hunting lodge i manage, either from bone or antler
My question being what would the best method be? Square/flatten both sides and shape them then inlay how id like it to look, or flatten one and then inlay it so rhe texture (or the appearance of it rather) remains, and if the 2nd how can i do this without screwing up the woods appearance with obvious filler on the gaps?

[Anonymous No.1228045]

>>1228007
Table saw is a LOT more versatile than a band saw

[Anonymous No.1228152]

>>1222280
I'm building my own tv stand soon, how did you connect the inner horizontal boards? I'm thinking of using dowels and the screws on the inner vertical boards.

[Anonymous No.1228162]

1/10 even for a pretty nice looking desk.

Hardware stores sell wooden countertops that they can cut to size for you, then just get some cheap steel legs or other material of your choice and bolt them on.

Stain it a color of your choice if it's not already treated and then voila. If you want you can find a set of drawers and then make your desk to the perfect height for the drawers to fit snugly underneath, bonus points if you stain them the same color as the desk

[Anonymous No.1228215]

>>1228162
How do you bolt the legs on?

[Anonymous No.1228227]

>>1219492
0-10/10, depending on how you want the desk to look, how much you're wiling to spend on materials and what tools you have. Without knowing the style you're trying to build and the tools available, it's impossible to estimate difficulty.
Something like in your pic would be 1-4/10, depending on the quality of the wood and the tools avaible: 1 with straight grain, planed wood, a circular saw and a drill press, 2 with planed wood, a hacksaw and a regular drill and 4 with cheap, unevenly grained wood, a manual saw and drillbits smaller then the holes you need.
The moment ou modify it (like breaking the edges, or using a thinner plate and reinforcements underneath) it becomes more difficult.

The desks I built so far mostly were simple wooden plates from the hardware store bolted to pre-manufactured steel legs (or in one case, parts from an IKEA-shelf). As long as you can handle a screwdriver you can do it, which is why I'd rate it 0/10.

On the other hand, if you want to build a desk similiar to those found british 19th century mansions, with delicate carving, inlays of different woods, hidden compartements etc. You'd need to master several different crafts, so I'd rate it 10/10.

[Anonymous No.1228234]

>>1228152
I used a spade bit to do pic related and filled it with wood filler.

[Anonymous No.1228235]

>>1228234
How it looks after fill and stain.

[Anonymous No.1228271]

>>1219533

Soft is not the same thing as weak, and softwood/hardwood has little to do with strength. You can dig your fingernail into most hardwoods if you want (including Oak).

Most wood products are finished with a protective finish such as polyurethane to provide wear resistance. Most damage is confined to the finish layer without impacting the wood underneath, and if it gets bad you can later strip/and and reapply the finish.

[Anonymous No.1228272]

>>1219565

Water based PU is horrible to work with and takes forever to dry. Only use it if you require low/no VOC.

[Anonymous No.1228280]

>>1228007

If you get a table saw then at times you'll end up wishing you had a band saw. If you get a band saw you'll end up wishing you had a table saw.

I would say that a table saw is going to be better if you plan on doing large projects, while a band saw is better if you plan on doing mostly small projects.

A table saw is definitely better for cutting sheet goods or ripping long boards down to a dimension. This makes it great for things like cabinets, benches, and tables.

A band saw is better when you want to cut out curved templates and the like. This makes it better for chairs (rocking chairs esp.) and decorative objects.

A major benefit to a table saw, especially if you don't have a router, is the ability to mount a dado blade. If you're buying new make sure to look into whether or not the saw you're buying will accommodate one. Many "jobsite saws" do not have a large enough arbor to fit a dado stack.

[Anonymous No.1228282]

>>1219533
>I'm not really after pretty. I prefer sturdy and functional. My monitor cluster is 100+ lbs so the desk needs to support that amount of weight, and more, without flexing too much.

If you just need sturdy and functional then you could 1/2" plywood with a layer of floor underlayment on top. The underlayment tends to be flat and smooth, and looks "hard-wood-ish". I'm not sure what it's made out of, but the table top is going to run you $30-$50 for both sheets.

[Anonymous No.1228291]

>>1228234
>>1228235
Did you use a regular bit for the screw hole? How do you know what sizes to use? Did you make any holes on the inner boards or just screw straight into them?

[Anonymous No.1228310]

>>1228291
Honestly m8 im new as hell to the trade. All I have is a mitre saw, kreg jig, and a drill set from black and decker.

You can see the pocket holes from the kreg in >>1222280.

The spade bit I used was 1/2inch.

[Anonymous No.1228311]

>>1228310
Ill also note that the bit was just simply the smaller of the two I own.

[Anonymous No.1228313]

>>1219533
Made toyboxes for my kids out of pine. I just varnished and then sealed them with a top coat (can not remember the specific type as it was 20+ years ago). They made it through many moves (military) and now my grand kids use them. Very little damage.

[Anonymous No.1228359]

>>1228310
>>1228311
But after the spade but, did you drill a smaller hole for the screw?

[Anonymous No.1228396]

I found some wood on the street and made a lamp. When the glue dries I'll post pics. It is literally the first time I touched wood in my life. I used
>hand saws
>a g press
>a old very good borsch drill
The base is made from a very hard, heavy unknown wood. The arms are made from Cambara (Erisma uncinatum) which is very coarse even when sanded. The next project is a vise press to use on my desk made from the spare wood and threaded rod. After that I'll buy some real wood and make a small work bench because I live in a tiny apartment and made this in my normal desk.

[Anonymous No.1228453]

>>1228359

when you make hidden screw holes like that the screw hole is usually drilled with a countersink bit so the screw sits flush with the wood so when its filled the filler fills the entire hole, this is critical especially if you use hole plugs instead of wood filler cause the hole plug has to sit even

[Anonymous No.1228456]

>>1219513
>using brittle screws

just use nails

[Anonymous No.1228464]

>>1228456
>just use nails

[Anonymous No.1228645]

i made a desk for my computer and seeing all the desks in this thread now i feel ashamed of me

[Anonymous No.1228646]

>>1228645
i made it using stuff i found in my house, the top used to be a door. any suggestion how to improve?

[Anonymous No.1228652]

>any suggestion how to improve?

cant improve on perfection.

[Anonymous No.1228656]

>>1228646

Improve what? I love it just the way it is.

[Anonymous No.1228661]

>>1228464
>he never heard of screw nails

[Anonymous No.1228694]

>>1228456
I admit using 'screw ups' was not the best idea. It's too ambiguous on this board.

[Anonymous No.1229277]

Planning on making a desk soon. Planning on 60x30 for the top, with a 3/4 pipe frame. debating on using 2x10 pine or 1x10 oak boards. Anybody used or decided on similar?

[Anonymous No.1229299]

>>1219492
Are you sure you want a wooden desk?

Why not look into something more industrial, like stainless sheet-steel construction or aluminum.

[Anonymous No.1229300]

>>1225371
those pipe endcaps probably don't have a flat surface on the end of the cap, you should machine them flat if possible.

Then you can screw them up/down to level your desk too.

That has the potential to be a quality desk, though the wooden top might be a bit problematic.

[Anonymous No.1229465]

Excuse the mess, but this is a simple desk I built, two cabinets and a peice of countertop and a drawer slide for the keyboard.

[Anonymous No.1229509]

>>1219592
they sell premade legs in every Ikea-like store here.

[Anonymous No.1229536]

>>1226284
holds plenty of weight*
corrected for you.
im going to go with that there is absolutely no support in that particular spot and the tops weight enough to cause that nothing a leg couldnt fix.

[Anonymous No.1230404]

>>1228645
>simple
>durable
>look good just as good as "domestic using good"

I really like it.

[Anonymous No.1230412]

>>1219696
>>1219667

fuck you people, don't defend asshats who post improperly oriented pics. you're part of the problem