A proper desk to go with my FP's

[Yanks27]

I'm a bit late on the pictures, but I'm going to post the pictures from last week and the next set, which I my first coats of tung oil on. It's looking real sweet now.

Here's the desk with all epoxy work complete.

 

[Yanks27]

Here's where some patience and diligence are going to make the difference between a great looking desk and being a professional desk.

1. There were some micro scratches and stains from the excess epoxy. I asked my father if they would come out. He wet the wood and it was better, but still amateurish. I decided that I've spent so much time on this already, it's time to go back to the sanding, even though I already finished it with a 220 grit sanding. I went back to a 100 grit sandpaper on the orbital sander. I did this for almost 3 hours and got all the micro scratches and discolorations out. My arms were still vibrating from that machine, but it's better than doing that by hand. One more round with the 220 grit and this desk really popped.

2. The finish that I found would be ideal, through my research, uses Tung oil. One round of 50/50 tung oil and turpentine, followed by 75/25 tung oil/turp and then finally 100% tung oil. The use of turpentine is to allow the tung oil to deeply soak into the wood. I found a small company on line that sells 100% pure tung oil and recommends using citrus oil instead of the turpentine. Almost anything you'll see in the hardware store will have all kinds of petroleum additives.

I got two coats on the top side of the desk and one on the bottom (as someone else had pointed out, if the bottom is not coated, all the moisture will come out of that side and will crack). Here's some pictures of the desk after the two coats:

 

[legrandfromage]

This is a link to a web site showing furniture by George Nakishma, who was probably the first to become famous working with this type of wood/slab: http://nakashimawoodworker.com/furniture/10/14 If you dig around a bit and look through his body of work, you might get some ideas for legs and/or bases. Look at both tables and desks.

 

[Yanks27]

Nakishima does great work. The wooden legs on the desk I the website are exquisite, but probably beyond our capabilities. My father does some black smithing, as a hobby. He's going to ask a friend, who does it as a profession, for ideas.

 

[legrandfromage]

That slab/top is really beautiful. I recently saw a picture of a large, rustic farm type table that had a trestle base made out of black, structural metal (might have been I beams. The combination of the wood and the black metal was terrific and a departure from the typical setup. Something like that might be worth a sketch or two.

In a different vein, here is a link to someone that does wood legs in many different styles: http://www.tablelegs.com/ Might be useful for ideas and/or if you find something and don't want to do the work yourself. Keep osting pictures.

 

[Yanks27]

I went to a couple of antique flea markets in Pennsylvania, over the weekend, expecting to find pens and maybe even The Eames chair I want, but found these legs:



They're from a company that used to make Sewing machine speed controllers, with patents from the 30's. Looks like it was made for the desktop.

 

[otto76]

I went to a couple of antique flea markets in Pennsylvania, over the weekend, expecting to find pens and maybe even The Eames chair I want, but found these legs:

View attachment 259915View attachment 259916

They're from a company that used to make Sewing machine speed controllers, with patents from the 30's. Looks like it was made for the desktop.

Those will look great!

 

[Yanks27]

Those will look great!

Take a guess what they cost?

 

[otto76]

Take a guess what they cost?

It's hard to say, if there were two of them maybe $75? If it's just one maybe $40-50?

 

[Argonaut]

Here's where some patience and diligence are going to make the difference between a great looking desk and being a professional desk.

1. There were some micro scratches and stains from the excess epoxy. I asked my father if they would come out. He wet the wood and it was better, but still amateurish. I decided that I've spent so much time on this already, it's time to go back to the sanding, even though I already finished it with a 220 grit sanding. I went back to a 100 grit sandpaper on the orbital sander. I did this for almost 3 hours and got all the micro scratches and discolorations out. My arms were still vibrating from that machine, but it's better than doing that by hand. One more round with the 220 grit and this desk really popped.

2. The finish that I found would be ideal, through my research, uses Tung oil. One round of 50/50 tung oil and turpentine, followed by 75/25 tung oil/turp and then finally 100% tung oil. The use of turpentine is to allow the tung oil to deeply soak into the wood. I found a small company on line that sells 100% pure tung oil and recommends using citrus oil instead of the turpentine. Almost anything you'll see in the hardware store will have all kinds of petroleum additives.

I got two coats on the top side of the desk and one on the bottom (as someone else had pointed out, if the bottom is not coated, all the moisture will come out of that side and will crack). Here's some pictures of the desk after the two coats:

View attachment 258002View attachment 258003View attachment 258004View attachment 258005

Fine! I'm the only one who'll admit there is something eerily familiar in those pictures, just saying.

 

[Doc4]

Take a guess what they cost?

You probably got the steal of the weekend and nabbed them for $5 or something.

 

[syngent]

You probably got the steal of the weekend and nabbed them for $5 or something.

i was thinking 20 bucks or something just cause the question was asked, they look like a great fit for the table top, this is going to be one gorgeous desk that i would love to spend some time sitting at if i made it myself

 

[Bk124tt]

No experience but what a beautiful slab of wood! I look forward to tracking your progress!

 

[Yanks27]

The two matching legs will cost $45. I need make another trip to Pennsylvania to pick them up, as these were not beingSohnen by the vendor, but a result of a conversation. They were back in his warehouse.

 

[otto76]

The two matching legs will cost $45. I need make another trip to Pennsylvania to pick them up, as these were not beingSohnen by the vendor, but a result of a conversation. They were back in his warehouse.

Wow, that doesn't seem bad at all, those will really look great on that table.

 

[oc_in_fw]

The two matching legs will cost $45. I need make another trip to Pennsylvania to pick them up, as these were not beingSohnen by the vendor, but a result of a conversation. They were back in his warehouse.

Great deal- I think they are perfect.

 

[syngent]

by the time your done, you may need a proper fountain pen to go with your desk !, it is going to look great on those legs

 

[duotone]

The legs look great but don't look like they are adjustable, are they right height to allow you to put a chair under them and use the desk comfortably?

 

[syngent]

The legs look great but don't look like they are adjustable, are they right height to allow you to put a chair under them and use the desk comfortably?

If you look at the door in the background of pic you can just see the handle starting to show, since most all doors have handles at the same height i would say it looks to be bang on where a table should be, plus sewing tables are at same height as regular desks i believe

 

[oc_in_fw]

by the time your done, you may need a proper fountain pen to go with your desk !, it is going to look great on those legs

and a proper desktop lamp, desk chair, new flooring, maybe panel the office (not the cheap crap at Home Despot, but solid wood paneling) and convert the closet into a humidor. This place gets expensive.