Desk - Cypress Pine

[flynnsart]

I started making this about a week ago for a neighbor. It is a desk to accommodate two teenagers and their computers. My neighbor supplied the wood which is Cypress Pine (I think seconds). Originally I was just going to joint the top and the panels for her, but her husband passed away and she asked if I would take on the whole job for her.

The desk is 750 high, 2m long, and will have a bookcase at the back on top of the desk, one shelf at 450 and the next at 350 (which will basically be the top). In the middle between where the two kids sit there will be a cupboard which is 450 wide and this will house the two computers. I have now drilled a number of holes in the sides of this cupboard for ventilation. There will be a little cupboard under the first shelf directly above the other cupboard which will house the power boards. Hopefully the only cables that will be seen are the ones coming out the side of the cupboard to the monitor, keyboard ect. I will fit flyscreen on the holes, as this area is pretty bad for mice.

Donna

[mic-d]

Hi Donna

It's looking good. How's the planer thicknesser blades after dealing with those knots? You're lucky you can work with cypress, I like it as a timber and the initial smell, but it seems to stick up my nose like a badly repeating sardine:o And I also think it gives me a rash. I'd like to use more in construction but probably wouldn't know where to scratch first.

Cheers
Michael

[pitbull]

Good start to it Donna. :)

[RufflyRustic]

Hi Donna,

It's looking good, even in this WIP stage. Glad to hear you are covering the holes with flyscreen. Mice and insects can make such a mess inside computers.:(

2metres long - Oh yeah! That should keep the fights to a minimum, hopefully :D

cheers
Wendy

[Harry72]

Looking good Donna

"2metres long - Oh yeah! That should keep the fights to a minimum, hopefully :D"

Fat chance... they are still within arms reach!

[Claw Hama]

Yes great start Donna but Harry is right, although once you put up the barbed wire divider and install the electric fence and cone of silence all will be good for the neighbours. Keep the pictures coming.

[WoodJunky]

:2tsup:great job Donna :2tsup:

it's starting to look really good

will be looking forward to the next set of photos

[Christos]

After the installation of the two computers you need to check on during normal operations to determine if ventilation is ok for the computers.

[flynnsart]

I will be doing that, there is heaps of room for more holes. I think I have put 12x 25mm holes in each side of cupboard.

I have joined the top together, sanded and edged, and given the base and the top their first coat to help stop any splitting and movement. I have jointed and thicknessed and joined panels for the sides and shelves for the bookcase part of it. I am hoping they are still ok by the time I can get back to it next week. (having humid and wet weather here) Have the boards piled on top of each other and weight on top. Plan to have a go at a roller door for the top cupboard and will do a double door on the lower cupboard.

Of course as always happens when you want to get in and finish something I have had to go to work as someone is ill, and probably wont have a day off till next wednesday.

Looked at hinges, and handles at Mitre 10 yesterday, is frustrating that they dont make stuff that matches, hinges are of different finish than handles, the joys of living around a not so huge town.

My thicknessing machine told me that the knots were like eating cheese after it was used to being fed ironbark. I always figure that the groove lines left in the wood were good guides to sanding depth :q

Will try and get some time and energy to post some more pics in next day or two.

I cant walk within 10 feet of the shed before I start to wheeze a bit, boy that stuff has a smell, but probably would tone it down a bit if I took all the sawdust out of the shed, pile behind the thicknesser comes up to the base of it. Housekeeping:doh:

Donna

[flynnsart]

So many interuptions! First work for one sick workmate then another, then I got sick:doh:

Have basically assembled the bookcase part, and have it sitting on the base, but not fixed yet. Am currently working on the little cupboard with the roller door. That is an interesting thing to try and build. I hope it runs smoothly. I have to give the pieces another coat before I can assemble them.

To make them, I thicknessed a board and jointed both edges, rounded over all 4 edges, then ripped off 18mm peice off each side, jointed it again and redid the whole thing till I had enough boards. Cut them to length and then cut a rebate with the tablesaw to fit in the groove. They look pretty nice all lined up together. This little cupboard will sit in the middle on top of the desk, directly under the bottom shelf. I wanted to do something with a little interest to look at because the whole thing is looking a little plain.

I still have a fair bit to do, doors for the bottom cupboard, a floor for it, and a sliding shelf so the computers can be easily brought out to get at the back. Also want to do some sort of mock up crown molding, which will have to be made out of what I have left and minimal router bits.

The finish on it is an all in one stain and varnish. My neighbor has used this on a couple of things she has and likes the colour (new baltic pine). I would have liked a tung oil and wax finish, but this will probably hold up better to lack of maintenance and kids and food and drink. :q

The back will have ply on it, although I am beginning to think that lining boards would look nicer.

I feel like I walk in a cloud of cypress dust.

Donna

[Harry72]

Looks good Donna, the lining/match boards would finish it off nicer. 450mm wide in the computer tower enclosure could be a little squeezy for 2 towers, a lot of modern(especially that appeal to kids)towers have large side fans, most are around 200~245mm in width.

[flynnsart]

Harry, there is heaps of room for the computers they have (I measured them before I designed it), and they arent the kind of kids who get into the big flash computers. They mostly use them for school work, msn, emails and a bit of surfing.

I have got the doors together, and the roller door works well. It is a little on the heavy side, could have used thinner peices, but I like the way it looks. I havent waxed the groove yet, so that may make it runn a bit easier. Next time I make one I will continue the roller groove further down the back, this one is a little short and the door doesnt open right up. In this case it is not a problem as it is only for the mounting of power boards and to hide all the wires. the doors look a little blotchy as I have started sanding them back ready for their next coat.

I ended up buying some pine lining for the back, it will look way nicer than the ply.

I hope by the time I make my next lot of cupboard doors that I have a panel raising bit.:U

[mic-d]

The desk is looking very elegant Donna. You might take a look at this place for your furniture hardware. He has an excellent online catalog.
http://www.goodsandchattels.com.au/

Cheers
Michael

[flynnsart]

Thanks for that link Mic, wow what a catalogue! Took a while to download, but have saved it now to browse at my leisure. Lot of stuff in there! Wendy showed me some great catalogues at the getogether, but I didnt get the addresses for them unfortunately. (get a bit excited with so much going on and all these different people, forget to ask a lot of things:q)



Donna

[RufflyRustic]

:doh: I knew there was something I promised to do for you Donna and that was it!!! Get Donna some catalogues and send them up:doh::B

Love that little roller door - very nice!!!:2tsup:

cheers
Wendy

[flynnsart]

Well, it is looking more like a desk now. It still needs to be sanded back and final coat done, handles, and a back on the lower cupboard.

The cypress pine really has a nice grain, and is very different than Radiata, I never realised until I used the radiata for the lining just how different it is, the cypress is quite a fine grain. The radiata really went furry after I painted it, which the cypress didnt do. If you could get some higher grade stuff it would be well worth using. My neighbor likes all the knots, which is just as well..

I would really like to make one out of ironbark, I reckon it would be stunning..

Donna

[patrickdt10]

Donna, that came out class!

[artme]

Wonderful work Donna!:2tsup::2tsup::2tsup: