Pun not intended - it is a combination drilling / mortising / sharpening station. Seem like a strange combination? Read on...
Firstly, I've needed to get my drill press and mortiser mounted somewhere for a while. Shuffling them around on various benchtops was getting tiresome (I have a small shop). Second, I had an old desk that needed to be removed from one of our rooms upstairs and it was too big for me to move...until I cut it in half :> It was a secretary desk from the 50s or 60s...which means that it has this nifty slide-out-and-up shelf made to hold and stow one of those old 50lb typewriters. Thirdly, now that I have a WorkSharp, I really have no excuse for dull tools, but I still don't pull it out as often as I should - I think because it takes a few minutes for me to get it set up (I have a small shop). Finally, everything in my shop is multi-purpose (did I mention I have a small shop?).
Combine all those factors, put the result on a base of scrap oak and spare casters to get:
The desk obviously is missing the part where you sit. The top was cut down to fit. I used the cutoff to make sliding bases for the drill press and mortiser that allows them to rotate back when not in use. This lets them share the small table without conflict...and leaves some extra space when neither is in use. Here the drill press is pushed back out of the way and the mortiser is slid forward:
My favorite part of this project is the sharpening shelf. Many old secretary desks have these heavy-duty slides for the old 50lb typewriters. The left side of the desk has a single door which opens to reveal a single shelf that slides out, then up and locks in position almost level with the top of the desk. This makes the sharpener ready for use in seconds:
Despite the age, the springs still have plenty of oomph...so I added a drawer under the shelf to hold all my various sharpening accessories. Since it was my first ever drawer, I had to show a picture of that
So, if someone offers you an old desk...look for one of these secretary shelves. It's handy and I'm guessing the hardware would be pretty expensive if you wanted to buy it new. I considered pulling out the hardware and putting into a nicer cabinet but opted for the more expedient path :>
I think I'll practice my new-found drawer-building skills to fill those holes in the stand with some big drawers :>
Enjoy!
Firstly, I've needed to get my drill press and mortiser mounted somewhere for a while. Shuffling them around on various benchtops was getting tiresome (I have a small shop). Second, I had an old desk that needed to be removed from one of our rooms upstairs and it was too big for me to move...until I cut it in half :> It was a secretary desk from the 50s or 60s...which means that it has this nifty slide-out-and-up shelf made to hold and stow one of those old 50lb typewriters. Thirdly, now that I have a WorkSharp, I really have no excuse for dull tools, but I still don't pull it out as often as I should - I think because it takes a few minutes for me to get it set up (I have a small shop). Finally, everything in my shop is multi-purpose (did I mention I have a small shop?).
Combine all those factors, put the result on a base of scrap oak and spare casters to get:
The desk obviously is missing the part where you sit. The top was cut down to fit. I used the cutoff to make sliding bases for the drill press and mortiser that allows them to rotate back when not in use. This lets them share the small table without conflict...and leaves some extra space when neither is in use. Here the drill press is pushed back out of the way and the mortiser is slid forward:
My favorite part of this project is the sharpening shelf. Many old secretary desks have these heavy-duty slides for the old 50lb typewriters. The left side of the desk has a single door which opens to reveal a single shelf that slides out, then up and locks in position almost level with the top of the desk. This makes the sharpener ready for use in seconds:
Despite the age, the springs still have plenty of oomph...so I added a drawer under the shelf to hold all my various sharpening accessories. Since it was my first ever drawer, I had to show a picture of that
So, if someone offers you an old desk...look for one of these secretary shelves. It's handy and I'm guessing the hardware would be pretty expensive if you wanted to buy it new. I considered pulling out the hardware and putting into a nicer cabinet but opted for the more expedient path :>
I think I'll practice my new-found drawer-building skills to fill those holes in the stand with some big drawers :>
Enjoy!
