A hasty desk for my better half

Graywolf

Board of Directors, President
Richard
Staff member
Corporate Member
I’ve been tasked to build desk for my better half so she can work from home. We have a room that we can use as a small office while we are both at home. I already have a maple countertop that will make the desktop. So I’ll just make a pair of saw horses for the rest. I decided to use the design from Popular Woodworking June 2018. I had the privilege of seeing these at Will Myer’s shop before this was published. They are solid as a rock and when we are done I can just break them down until I need them somewhere else. So today was about stock prep and tomorrow will be joinery and Monday will be finish up. I’m not going put any finish on these, I think they’ll be just fine without.
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so while looking at this picture I realized I forgot to process two pieces. Oops, I’ll have to catch that up tomorrow. I enjoyed processing the yellow pine, it felt good cutting with the planes and it smelled good as well.
 

Graywolf

Board of Directors, President
Richard
Staff member
Corporate Member
I glued up the beams first and set them to the side to dry, sorry I didn’t take any pics of this it’s two board glued together. The real work is the eight legs and to start I cut the tops to 15 degrees. this a perfect handsaw exercise, to layout and cut eight legs to the line square and be able to use this cut without hand plane work.
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so far so good on that exercise. More later.
 

Graywolf

Board of Directors, President
Richard
Staff member
Corporate Member
Now to cut the notches to the legs and try to work it straight off the saw.
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this cut is just a little difficult to get right off the saw. It’s all good block plane will clean it up.
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the result. Not bad.
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and now to layout the stretchers. More later, someone told me dinners ready!
 

Graywolf

Board of Directors, President
Richard
Staff member
Corporate Member
OK, food and beer was right tasty, so a few more pics of the progress. This is going to pic heavy.
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let’s layout the tenons
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now for the saw work
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im running out of saw
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and now for the mortises boring from one side about half way.
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land now clean up the first half with a chisel and then flip it and bore the other half.
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that’s enough for today more later.
 

Graywolf

Board of Directors, President
Richard
Staff member
Corporate Member
And more progress.
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so with the assembly dry fit the plan calls for a #14 four inch screw, this not an easy get so I chose a 1/4” by four inch lag bolt. I thought about using a 3/8” or 1/2” oak dowel and it probably would have worked but the bolts were faster and on hand. I’m trying not to go out unless I have to.
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so I marked out for the bolt location and set up two braces for the hole to be bored.
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an 11/16” for the counter bore.
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and a 5/16” for the through hole
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always drill from both direction.
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and a 3/16” for the other side. Hey it’s still a hand tool. :cool:
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now the leg assemblies dry fit now I’ll do the beams, later:cool:
 

Tim Sherwood

Tim
Corporate Member
I’ve been tasked to build desk for my better half so she can work from home. We have a room that we can use as a small office while we are both at home. I already have a maple countertop that will make the desktop. So I’ll just make a pair of saw horses for the rest. I decided to use the design from Popular Woodworking June 2018. I had the privilege of seeing these at Will Myer’s shop before this was published. They are solid as a rock and when we are done I can just break them down until I need them somewhere else. So today was about stock prep and tomorrow will be joinery and Monday will be finish up. I’m not going put any finish on these, I think they’ll be just fine without.
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so while looking at this picture I realized I forgot to process two pieces. Oops, I’ll have to catch that up tomorrow. I enjoyed processing the yellow pine, it felt good cutting with the planes and it smelled good as well.
Richard this looks like a great response to our surprise problem. Fast doesn't mean you have to be sloppy. Thanks so much for the detailed report.
 

Raymond

Raymond
Staff member
Corporate Member
Great WIP photos, Richard.

I was going to congratulate you on levitating saws until you showed photos of you actually holding them. :D
 

Graywolf

Board of Directors, President
Richard
Staff member
Corporate Member
Great WIP photos, Richard.

I was going to congratulate you on levitating saws until you showed photos of you actually holding them. :D
My Jedi powers aren’t quite that strong. But it’s hard take a picture and saw at the same time. I now have a remote and it’s only a little less awkward. :cool:
 
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Oka

Casey
Corporate Member
I have a Samsung Note Phone and the stylus that is used for writing like a tablet also sets off the camera, just hold it in your hand and push the little button on the stylus and it takes pictures ......... Didn't think much of it until I tried it now I use it all the time. It is good to about 25 feet away .......***(sound like a promo for the Samsung :p)*** it is pretty cool though.
 

Graywolf

Board of Directors, President
Richard
Staff member
Corporate Member
Now let’s glue this up
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and let’s do a little clean up
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and that’s a rap... Hakna Matata my friends thanks for following
 
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McRabbet

Rob
Corporate Member
An excellent photo essay, Richard. Good design and beautifully executed. Only one more photo to show and that's with the maple top in place in her office!
 

Graywolf

Board of Directors, President
Richard
Staff member
Corporate Member
An excellent photo essay, Richard. Good design and beautifully executed. Only one more photo to show and that's with the maple top in place in her office!
That will happen... when the lacquer drys on the slab and I set it in place, it needed freshening up.
 

Graywolf

Board of Directors, President
Richard
Staff member
Corporate Member
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Mona will move in to it this weekend, she’ll be working from home and I’m back at work next week. This took a little longer than planned, but I had several telephone conferences with the folks I work with this week and my father was also hospitalized and I’m his medical power of attorney. More phone conferences with the doctors. They seem to think he’s going to be OK but only time will tell here. He’s 88 and has COPD. But he’s meaner than I am, so he could out live me. Hakuna matata everyone
 

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