Thread: Advice on Desk/Table build

HI Orcsoul,

Welcome to the forum. I've re-read your post a few times but i'm not clear on how the tabletop(s) will be supported from beneath. I understand you are creating two lengths and then joining them to make a single long table top however i'm not clear on what sort of legs the table will have....or do you intend to fix this against a wall with a ledge that the table sits on? A drawing may help, even if it is freehand drawn.

In terms of your joinery options it will really depend on how the top is supported and where along the length it is supported. The screws should be enough to hold it in place but I don't think they will be very useful for holding any sort of weight. If the top was only supported from each end then it would be likely that the screws would probably bend or break with the stress of the table top alone. I would suggest using some decent length finger joints and a good glue. If you aren't sure what finger joints look like just google it. Glue can form a very sturdy joint if it is applied along the wood grain (as opposed to end grain). The longer you make the fingers the stronger the joint.

Of course that is ignoring the practical problems you will have trying to move a 10ft section of timber around once you have glued it. Not sure if that's a lot of help to you but good luck with the build and do post some pictures if you can.

Cheers
mat

I'll attach a scan of the rough original idea shortly. But the idea was to have two freestanding table surfaces measuring 5' x 2'6" x 2" supported by either 4 legs each or a set of 3 square/rectangular "frame" legs each table on the sides and "rear" of the table where all of the weight will be.

I think I've moved away from the idea of using 2"x10"s for the surface construction and am going to look into some A grade one-side-finished plywood. I think the flatter surface afforded by a lack of seams between boards would better suit my needs.

If I go the plywood route I'd definitely be adhering two pieces on top of each other to further add some sense of 3 dimensional depth and thickness to the surface.