
The Story of My Desk - jlongster
http://jlongster.com/The-Story-of-My-Desk
======
tjic
It's always great to see people jump into doing something new with their
hands.

That said, I predict cracks and early failure for the top. The author created
something called "breadboard ends" (the left and the right side of the top
writing surface have boards that run 90 degrees to the main boards of the
top). Breadboard ends are a great technique - they keep the natural tendency
of the left-to-right boards to cup (curl up in the short dimension) in check.

That said, there is one issue with breadboard ends: the long boards will
shrink and grow in width with humidity changes over the seasons by 1/4" or
more. Lumber only changes in width, not in length. So the breadboard ends will
not accomodate the seasonal change...and something will give. Likely cracks
will open up.

There are techniques to avoid this. Perhaps the author used some of them (only
gluing the breadboard ends in the center, etc.), but if so I missed it.

Moral of the story:

* learning new things is great

* diving in is awesome

* sometimes trades do have semi-secret techniques evolved from dealing with the same damned issues over and over and over again.

~~~
jlongster
Yeah, I didn't think about that. There was so much research to do and
eventually I just built the thing knowing I probably made mistakes.

Thanks for the feedback; I didn't know it was called breadboard ends, and now
I can research how to properly do that. If this ends up cracking in a few
years, I'll just build another one!

~~~
p_eter_p
The Woodwright's Shop is one of my favorite shows for learning techniques like
this. He uses all hand tools, so you get a better understanding of the theory
without getting too wrapped up in what tool to use. This project has a lot of
breadboard ends:
[http://video.pbs.org/video/2365004559/](http://video.pbs.org/video/2365004559/)

~~~
Gormo
New Yankee Workshop is also a great show for learning woodworking with power
tools.

~~~
noir_lord
I absolutely adore this show.

My grandfather was a master shipwright then carpenter and while I inherited
none of his skills there is something uniquely relaxing about watching a
craftsman work.

------
guynamedloren
Woodworking is a fantastic outlet for creativity, and seriously
underrated/underappreciated. Great way to take a break from coding. Extremely
rewarding, and not very difficult to learn the basics, either.

Since we're sharing, here's a couple things I've made around the house:

[https://scontent-b-lax.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-
prn1/302582_2063...](https://scontent-b-lax.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-
prn1/302582_2063477263663_3056647_n.jpg)

[https://scontent-a-lax.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-
ash4/309672_1015...](https://scontent-a-lax.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-
ash4/309672_10150408756461760_1859029841_n.jpg)

~~~
jsnrkd
Totally agree. Check out my pieces too!
[http://jsndev.net/portfolio/table/](http://jsndev.net/portfolio/table/)
[http://jsndev.net/portfolio/coffee_table/](http://jsndev.net/portfolio/coffee_table/)

~~~
guynamedloren
Looks good! Are those designs, by chance, from ana-white.com? My brother's
made some similar pieces. Really nice.

------
nolanbrown23
I built my own desk last year because of the expense of a new desk and the
fact that all the desks I looked at weren't quite the right size for what I
wanted.

I've been using it every day for over a year and the desk has withstood a
barrage of abuse much better then previous desks I've owned. If you have the
space to build one, I highly recommend building one to match your exact
specifications.

Here a blog post about how I built it:
[http://nolanbrown.com/howto/2012/12/19/desk-
build/](http://nolanbrown.com/howto/2012/12/19/desk-build/)

~~~
jseliger
_I built my own desk last year because of the expense of a new desk and the
fact that all the desks I looked at weren 't quite the right size for what I
wanted._

I'm now using a sit-stand desk: [http://jseliger.wordpress.com/2012/09/23/the-
geekdesk-writin...](http://jseliger.wordpress.com/2012/09/23/the-geekdesk-
writing-space-post/) , which was pretty expensive, but I would find it hard to
go back to sitting exclusively, or forward to standing all the time.

------
pmorici
This is cool if your goal is to learn how to do this stuff yourself but I
don't think saving money is among the reasons to go this route.

You can get a really nice solid wood desk in the $300 - $400 range on Etsy. Ad
a piece of Paduit Wiring duct to the bottom for an inexpensive cable hide.

You can also build your own desk a lot cheaper if you buy a pre made
unfinished pine panel ($25-$50) for the top and use threaded steel pipe for
the legs. The great thing about threaded steel pipe is that you can tighten or
loosen the pipes slightly to eliminate any wobble. And all you need to build
it is a drill and a brush to finish it.

~~~
dredmorbius
It's more about customization and getting just what you want.

You can also have furniture built by a cabinetmaker or furnituremaker, though
prices will vary. And the DIY cost (if you have access to tools) will almost
certainly be less, though depending on your woodworking skills and the
complexity of the design you use, results may or may not meet your
expectations.

And the price of a _well-made_ desk is typically fairly high -- $800 - $1200
before you go too crazy with designs, and you can easily spend more.

I'm kind of partial to this one myself:

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5OxVgH-T1I](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5OxVgH-T1I)

------
cfinke
As long as we're sharing pictures of our homemade desks, here's mine:

[http://i.imgur.com/vFAThh.jpg](http://i.imgur.com/vFAThh.jpg)

Oak, oak, oak, and more oak. I love oak.

And here's a full build album, including pictures of my wife's desk on the
other side of the room:

[http://imgur.com/a/HTxXk](http://imgur.com/a/HTxXk)

Everything was done by hand except for the cabinet boxes above the corner desk
and the cabinet doors, which I had made by a local cabinetry shop, since I
don't have the proper tools and router bits.

This was one of my first major woodworking projects, and I can confirm what
jlongster is now learning: you don't know how much you don't know about
something until you try and do it yourself.

~~~
davidw
That's absolutely amazing.

No, not the desk, which looks good, but the fact that a small child apparently
inhabits that house, but it's _spotless_.

~~~
cfinke
Haha, it probably hasn't been that clean since the picture was taken three
years ago.

------
applecore
Here's Bezos at one of his famous door-desks (joined with flat corner braces)
in 1999:

[http://images.bwbx.io/cms/2013-10-09/feat_Bezo42__08__630.jp...](http://images.bwbx.io/cms/2013-10-09/feat_Bezo42__08__630.jpg)

~~~
pbhjpbhj
Those braces aren't flat they wrap around the angle.

------
changdizzle
This is so awesome and inspiring - I had somewhat of an epiphany a few weeks
ago (essentially I felt like I wasn't handy AT ALL) and decided to take a
basic woodworking class at TechShop SF this past weekend
([http://www.techshop.ws/take_classes.html?storeId=4&categoryI...](http://www.techshop.ws/take_classes.html?storeId=4&categoryId=25#240))

I was a bit overwhelmed when we dived right in as I had absolutely ZERO
experience before, but it was easier than I thought, especially when I got
over the fear of losing limbs and whatnot.

I ended up building a basic shelf but am really proud of it - this inspires me
to go back in and try to actually plan something to build - I know there's a
bunch of resources out there but anyone you guys would specifically recommend?

~~~
calebrichardson
I build solid wood furniture at Tech Shop SF occasionally. It can be tough in
a shared space, and their wood shop is really lacking in some ways, but I
think that it is worth it.

Check out thewoodwhisperer.com. This guy's videos are invaluable and great for
beginners.

Also, don't buy cheap tools. Just about everyone has to learn this the hard
way (myself included), but there is a reason this advice is parroted so often.

~~~
dfc
There is something about the wood whisperer videos that has a tendency to
annoy/irritate me, but they are definitely informative. For another option try
askwoodman:

[https://www.youtube.com/user/askwoodman](https://www.youtube.com/user/askwoodman)

------
streeter
I recently built my own desk too. I live in an old victorian with a curved
window. The only way to fit a desk there was to create my own.

I went with a walnut top, and then got some legs from Ikea so I could adjust
the height to where I'd like. I think next time, I'd make my own legs for even
great stability.

Besides doing the finish, the process is super easy. Just lots of sanding. I
posted some photos to Instagram, which then synced to Flickr here:
[http://www.flickr.com/photos/chrisstreeter/sets/721576366662...](http://www.flickr.com/photos/chrisstreeter/sets/72157636666211835)
One note is that these photos are pre-27" monitor, so the desk looks a bit
more complete now.

------
madoublet
This turned out really good. I had a similar journey a few years back where I
took a class and built a custom headboard. It was a lot of fun. The two
"hacks" that I got out of the experience were to (1) use biscuit joints (in
replace of dowels). And, (2) to buy a Kreg jig. These two things made putting
together just about anything a lot easier.

~~~
dugmartin
I also recommend the Kreg jig. I just built two desks for my office with doors
for the tops and the legs and rails joined with a Kreg jig. They went together
very quickly and the Kreg joints are very solid.

~~~
madoublet
Very cool.

------
fsckin
For me, a used IKEA Jerker for $50 of CL with task light has been perfect.
People worship[0] this desk. Now I see why. Lots more photos[1] available,
including standing desks, treadmill desks, etc.

It's got adjustable height from slouching to standing (painful to adjust, but
possible in 1.5" increments). The shelf I have up top has room for 1 full
sized PC, 1 printer, and 2 NAS servers. I use another shelf on the bottom to
rest my feet (also adjustable height). Adding an IKEA SIGNUM cable trough
behind the tabletop makes it clean as possible.

[0] [http://adam.pra.to/content/jerker/](http://adam.pra.to/content/jerker/)
[1]
[https://www.google.com/search?newwindow=1&safe=&tbm=isch&q=i...](https://www.google.com/search?newwindow=1&safe=&tbm=isch&q=ikea+jerker)

~~~
ohazi
IKEA Galant for me. Super configurable, high quality finish, and relatively
inexpensive.

[http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/categories/departments/wor...](http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/categories/departments/workspaces/18962/)

------
kh_hk
My favorite setup (for the ones that move regularly) is a pair of trestles and
a wood table from the nearest Brico Depot. Not as sturdy as the OP, but enough
for at least a year.

The total cost should go around 30USD + one hour to sand both the table and
the trestles for a safe and good looking end result.

~~~
jlongster
I love dirt-cheap solutions too! I got interested in woodworking so it just
became a hobby as well.

~~~
el_benhameen
As a fellow woodworking enthusiast, don't fool yourself into thinking it's a
cheap hobby! It's all fun and games until you realize you want a jointer ...
and then a bigger jointer.

------
mentos
I made a two person desk with my co-founder by buying a 8ft long counter top
at ikea and 5 metal legs. Looks pretty slick and has held up for a year now.

Ikea countertops (i believe we have numerar) :
[http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/categories/departments/kit...](http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/categories/departments/kitchen/10472/)

Legs (we chose the Vika Byske which were on sale half off):
[http://www.ikea.com/us/en/search/?query=leg](http://www.ikea.com/us/en/search/?query=leg)

We sanded the surface and used mineral oil to finish it.

We'd recommend it to anyone looking for a good yet cheap desk!

------
dfc
_there 's no replacement for a joiner and planer_

Yes there is. They are affectionately known as the #4 and #7 (or #8) and
Stanley made a fortune selling them since the late 1800s.

~~~
sivetic
Both are hand planes, with #7 being a "jointing" plane.

Smartass remark aside, I've successfully jointed with a table saw and a
router, and planed with a drum sander.

~~~
dfc
It was not a smart ass remark. There are a lot of people that enjoy using hand
tools. Its not just a nostalgia thing. The reduction in dust and danger is a
giant draw for many people. The one power tool I really want is a band saw.

How difficult was using the drun sander?

~~~
sivetic
I was actually referring to the first part of my comment as a smart-ass
remark. There is definitely something to be said about the process of using
hand tools. I own a #4 and a #5, along with a rabbeting plane, but I never
managed to put in enough effort to learn how to properly use either one. I
could get a half-decent result, but never a result that would rival my planer.

Using a drum sander to plane was easy - no different than a planer, though far
slower (and safer if you ever decide to feed end-grain through it .. tip: do
not attempt to feed end grain through a planer, as it may lead to disastrous
results).

A band saw would be a nice addition depending on the type of work you're
interested in. It's probably one of the harder power tools to replace with a
hand-tool equivalent, though I've seen some very nice results with hand saws.
None by myself of course :p

------
Sam121
This is called "Out of the box" job. We always cry and blame that we are not
in this company, not in this field, not in that area if i be there i make some
changes.But the truth is we only know how to talk. You prove yourself with
your work. Nothing is small and nothing is Big. Matter is how we done our job,
passion and work with awesomeness. I am 100% sure if we give this work to any
other he will definitely say "i can't do such type silly and small work for
this i ll hire workers and carpenters " the main reason is, that person
feeling guilt and think it's a small job. we can't change others mind but must
have to learn from that type of work. Thanks sir to give me a positive hope.
Respect from heart

------
Jack000
Nice build quality

I went through a similar process of looking for a sit-stand desk, scoffing at
the price and deciding to build my own. Though my end result is a bit
different: [http://i.imgur.com/M2ZlkaM.jpg](http://i.imgur.com/M2ZlkaM.jpg)

------
roderick3427
If you don't mind could you tell us a little bit about your setup, hardware
and software?

~~~
jlongster
Heh, here's a quick overview: Macbook Pro 15", Dell monitor (not sure what
model, got it through work), old Microsoft mouse, Apple keyboard for hardware.
Software: Mostly just Firefox and Emacs.

~~~
roderick3427
So what do you use to dual screen with your Macbook Pro?

~~~
jlongster
I just use the native support in OS X. What do you mean? I plug it in and it
works!

------
diziet
Can the armrests of your chair slide under the desk easily while keeping the
top surface of the arms rests almost parallel with the desk surface? The cross
section bar right below the actual desk surface could prevent this.

~~~
jlongster
I actually don't have armrests. I don't know why, I just never used them so I
took them off. You could have armrests if they are 3" lower than the desk top,
but that doesn't seem very comfortable either.

You'll have this problem with any solid desk with aprons or a drawer. If you
like it that way, you'll need something like a metal base so that you don't
need aprons.

~~~
diziet
I've found that when I have a chair with armrests I am able to slide it closer
under the desk and sit straighter than if I was just sitting on a chair with
no arm rests.

------
blah32497
The table top should have been done with plywood.

There is this persistent myth that plywood == cheap which is absolutely wrong.

You can get very nice expensive plywood that will be stronger, prettier,
cheaper, and longer lasting than a solid piece of wood.

~~~
p_eter_p
It could have been done with plywood, but then he would have had to learn
veneer edge banding to hide the end grain. Both approaches work fine.

------
Romoku
I have several 8 foot folding tables that I tetris together. I never saw the
value in spending an excessive amount of time or money on something fancy.

------
snake_plissken
Building your own furniture is the best! The only thing that you can't do
(easily) are chairs and couches.

Also, is that polyurethane varnish for the second coat?

~~~
jlongster
Nope, it's all Waterlox. 4 coats of it. I want to use poly for the next
project just for experience. Waterlox does have a nice finish, but it takes
forever to dry and takes several coats.

~~~
shoover
And expensive?! I've heard good things, but man.

------
seniorsassycat
What are our options when it comes to desktop ergonomics. I'm familiar with
where my elbows should line up with the desktop, and where my eyes should line
up with the monitor, and I'm familiar with the discussions about sitting and
standing, but what about monitor angle?

I've wondered about embedding the monitor in the desktop, angling the monitor
back around 30 degrees like drafting table.

------
swah
What about dimensions? This table seems very tall.

~~~
jlongster
Good point. I updated the post with this:

It's 5' long, 25" deep, and 32" tall. It came out a little taller than
expected because I put feet screws in the bottom of the legs so that I could
make the table even. Those screws added almost an inch. I just have to raise
my chair a little bit though.

~~~
swah
I'm 6"2 or something, and calculated that my ideal table would be around
26-27"! Mine is 29" now and integrated into the wall... and I suffer with the
pronation. (Of course the chair is always maxed out)

------
adnans
I really like Jacob Bijani's (ex-Tumblr) new desk. Looks simple but it's very
spacious.

[http://jacobbijani.com/post/63757715317/me-and-tidas-desk-
bu...](http://jacobbijani.com/post/63757715317/me-and-tidas-desk-built-by-
stephen-and-daniel)

------
spc476
I didn't build my own desk, but I did modify it with a home made cable
management system for less than U.S. $12:
[http://boston.conman.org/2011/07/11.1](http://boston.conman.org/2011/07/11.1)

------
mtdewcmu
I think maybe part of the long difficulty in getting satisfaction was thinking
desk when you wanted table. It could be that modern work habits have all but
obsoleted the desk, but our consciousness hasn't quite caught up.

------
mcginleyr1
Am I the only one who still watches This Old House and New Yankee Workshop?

------
baldfat
So next time buy a used dinning room table and refinish it????

------
antidaily
Too much work. Cinder blocks and a wood door.

~~~
gonzo
2 draw file cabinets and a wood door.

~~~
toomuchtodo
Wood door mounted to studs in the wall.

------
qwerta
I guess I live in some alternative dimension. I have kitchen table twice the
size (and probably more solid) for $60.

~~~
ryanthejuggler
Could you elaborate? Materials, sources, designs, etc? I'm interested in
making a desk on the cheap.

~~~
qwerta
Trick is to bypass 'making' stage, I just bought it second hand. I DIYD only
things which are impossible to find (ultralight telescope, hexa-copters),
tables are on every corner.

~~~
stefap2
I have learned that this is the best way. And getting the furniture cheap
makes me less afraid to modify it to my needs. If I destroy $10 table in the
process I just get another one.

------
dancecodes
Very nice and great job. Im always thinking that desk for computer must be
wide and glassy wood.

Thanks for posting.

------
paines
You had me at the ledge. I hate my cable chaos under my desk. I will copy this
idea. Thanks!

------
GotAnyMegadeth
Quite a good deskription of how he made it

