Desks are a lot like cars- very personal and built for very specific needs. The desk I've built is not meant to hold anything other than what I am doing at any given time. I have no interest in pencil holders and staplers and other stuff being in my field of view while I work… the internet is distracting enough. See the continuation from last time after the jump.
So after cutting this table out at home, I needed to get it to the office- no easy task. I put the seat down in the back of my Ferrari and slid it in. On my way downtown I stopped at a local Military surplus store that I knew had some casters and picked up four. When I arrived, I screwed the wheels into the huge slab and used it like a dolly to get all my supplies inside- the parking spot is almost a quarter mile from the office… ugh.
I had some filing to do to get the two parts to fit together but eventually they did. I glued everything up and practically ruined a few clamps tightening it all together. Tick tock and all was dry.
I really loved the look of the dovetails sticking out (you may have seen that last time.) and felt it would make a nice detail for the room, but in the end I really wanted to have a laser sharp assemblage of planes with the dovetails being a reward for close inspection.
I pulled out my Japanese dovetail saw and went back to work. A few passes with wood filler to take care of some minor gaps and hand sanding brought everything flush.
Now I was faced with my next dilemma. I had originally thought I wanted a black desk but seeing the natural wood in all its glory was very compelling. I think what made me go ahead and stain it was the fact that all of those pieces of wood that make up the butcher block were just a little busy. Not too bad, but enough to tip the scale.
I left a little IKEA logo on the underside of the desk to confuse people, but otherwise, the whole thing is stained and looks great. I am super happy with this project- it is rare that I feel good after completing something like this but I feel fantastic.
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looks nice! a neat trick for jointery gaps: iron a moist rag (old tee-shirt works well) over the seams after the glue is dry(24hrs at least), the steam will expand the wood and close up most small gaps without using filler. it doesn't always close up enough but it beats trying to color-match putty while staining.
view briandolny's profile
It looks great! Thanks for sharing.
view Neuski's profile
I like the ironing tip- gotta try that... I wonder why it never occurred to me as I have been doing a lot of wood ironing lately- mostly to get rid of dents and scratches.
I appreciate the appreciation..:)
Thanks
view Peter_Unplggd's profile
Did you poly finish over the stain? I really love a danish oil finish. I've used Watco Danish Oil (natural) before with great results.
view wightman's profile
Beautiful piece, and leaving the Ikea logo is a grand finishing touch. Could I ask the name of the specific countertop you used?
view rosenatti's profile
Very nice. What product(s) did you use for the finish?
view slantedview's profile
Love the desk, but I really want to know what type of floor you have. I looked for 'planks' to use in my kitchen and never found anything. Hope you can help, thanks!
view wormy's profile
Watco! Of course. The stain is some kind of powdered stain you mix with alcohol (mineral spirits?) and tail of newt- I don't have the name in front of me. I also have been rubbin' it with Howard Feed-N-Wax Beeswax and Orange Oil. I can't say the Howard is very waxy like the name would imply, but otherwise it's a great and revitalizing product that gives that feeling of just having washed your car. Smells citrusish...
The wood floor is an engineered wood that has also been stained. The floors were already installed when I moved in so I don't know offhand who manufactures them.
view Peter_Unplggd's profile
Thanks Peter, good to know what they are!
view wormy's profile
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view cocoyu113's profile