Michael Q
11th July 2007, 04:25 PM
I am preparing to make the Office Desk as shown in the Popular Mechanics issue January 2001.
The first hurdle is that the measurements are not metric which I think I can overcome by doing a conversion on all sizes.
My other hurdle is that I intend making it out of 19x150mm boards that I intend cutting from a slab of Marri instead of the suggested plywood.
Has anyone made this item and if so what was your experience?
What advice would you give a novice?
Michael
wheelinround
11th July 2007, 07:37 PM
I am preparing to make the Office Desk as shown in the Popular Mechanics issue January 2001.
The first hurdle is that the measurements are not metric which I think I can overcome by doing a conversion on all sizes.
My other hurdle is that I intend making it out of 19x150mm boards that I intend cutting from a slab of Marri instead of the suggested plywood.
Has anyone made this item and if so what was your experience?
What advice would you give a novice?
Michael
You mean this one
http://www.popularmechanics.com/home_journal/woodworking/1273256.html
Buy a tape n rule with imperial measurements:D sorry USA measurements
rrich
12th July 2007, 08:27 AM
Michael,
Use the measurement system that you are most comfortable with. However take liberties with the conversions. e.g. 3/4" is 19.05mm. Round that to 19mm. Use the same process on all the other measurements. When you get to the drawers, build the desk first. Then build the drawers to fit the openings with clearances for the drawer slides available in OZ. You really don't want to mess around with imperial drawer slides that have a drawer width tolerance of +/- 0.39688mm. (The number doesn't make sense to me either.)
Michael Q
13th July 2007, 08:32 AM
Thanks wheelinround and Rich. I appreciate the feedback.
Michael
Scissors
13th July 2007, 10:42 AM
If you are changing the plywood to solid wood you must be aware of wood movement issues. Plywood is dimensionally stable; for all intents and purposes it does not expand and contract with changes in humidity. Solid wood however, expands and contracts across the grain. Therefore, methods of joining plywood in the plans may not be suitable for joining solid wood.
Personally, I would find plans for a solid wood desk; as a novice I wouldn't want to have to adjust the plans on the fly to account for movement.