Computer Desk

ALL PHOTOS BY RAY BALHEIM EXCEPT AS NOTED

BY BERT JOHANSEN

After using an old dining table for a desk for 40 years, it was time for a new one. The old table had no drawers, of course, and the veneered top was peeling off after I left the window open by mistake one rainy night. Also, the small nook I now call an office was way too cramped for that behemoth. So I began to think about a new one that would also address my new needs; specifically, how to house my computer keyboard, mouse, printers (I had a color inkjet and black-and-white laser at the time) plus my scanner and monitor—all within a relatively modest footprint.

     My design criteria were straightforward. It had to fit into a 60″ bay formed by a pair of windows, with a depth of about 26″. And my legs had to fit under the keyboard comfortably. I also elected to hide the keyboard and mouse in a center drawer when I wasn't working at the computer.

     My first sketch had a drawer that extended the full width of the front apron. I scrapped that almost immediately as wasting too much valuable space. The next sketch had a center drawer that allowed the keyboard and mouse to rest side-by-side. This design didn't leave enough room for useful drawers at either side of the center drawer. To my way of thinking, a drawer isn't worth its salt if it won't hold a sheet of paper. So that became my final criteria. Two drawers—one on either side of a center fold-down drawer—that were at least 9″ wide inside the drawer. Adding enough space for aprons to house the side drawers meant the center drawer couldn't house the keyboard and mouse side-by-side. That's when I conceived a small mouse pad that rotates out from under a slide-out keyboard drawer.

CONSTRUCTING THE BASE

     Mill the leg blanks to final dimension, then lay out and cut mortises for the aprons. The legs are tapered only on the inside faces (the same faces on which the mortises were cut), beginning 6″ below the top of the legs. I used my tablesaw and a tapering jig for this operation. I oriented the legs so that after the first taper cut I could rotate the leg one-quarter turn and still have a flat face riding on the surface of the tablesaw as I cut the second taper.

     The aprons were made by ripping the stock into three strips, cutting out sections of the central strip, and re-gluing the pieces together, creating spaces for the panels (or drawers) that will be inserted later. To begin this process, mill the apron stock slightly oversized and with some extra width. Rip lengths from the top and bottom of each apron, then joint and rip these to final width, exactly 1″. Rip and joint the middle section to its final width of 3″. Keep the pieces of each apron aligned as they were before ripping them—they will be glued back together shortly.

     With the apron pieces re-aligned, carefully mark where the panels will be inserted and cut the middle section spacers accordingly. Mark each spacer for grain matching during glue-up. Note that each apron will have a 2″ spacer at each end. The rear apron was laid out as follows: 2″ spacer—panel—4″ spacer—panel—4″ spacer—panel—2″ spacer. For the front apron spacers, add half a saw-kerf to the width of the two inside spacers, as the apron will be cut into three pieces after glue-up. This will leave just enough clearance for the center keyboard drop-down drawer front.

     Carefully glue up all the aprons. After the glue has cured, mill and sand the aprons to final thickness (3/4″); the glue-line should all but disappear. Crosscut the front apron in two places to create three separate sections into which the drawers will be mounted. I used my miter saw with a zero-clearance insert and a good blade to achieve splinter-free cuts.

     For the panels I chose figured maple veneer glued to MDF. I resawed the maple to 3/16″, glued it to 5/8″ MDF, and then thicknessed it to match my aprons. I cut the panels to final size, then dadoed a 1/8″ x 1/4″ rabbet around their perimeter. I milled mahogany strips to frame all the panels and drawer fronts, then cut and glued the strips to fit. A final sanding levelled the aprons. I used a similar process for the central front drawer, but substituted a solid figured maple piece for the maple veneer/MDF composite.

     I then mortised the aprons as well, since I was using loose tenons for my joinery. In addition to the back and side aprons, I also mortised the two short end pieces that were originally part of the front apron.

     I milled loose tenons for all the joints. Where these tenons meet inside the leg mortises, I mitered them. I then sanded and pre-finished my legs and side aprons and glued them up as two sub-assemblies.

     After the glue cured, I dry-fit the front and rear aprons and legs, temporarily clamping the front “mini-aprons” and central drawer front to complete the dry-fit. The front “mini-aprons” and the center keyboard drawer are supported by a pair of web rails, joined to the front with half-blind box joints and to the rear apron with sliding dovetails. I routed the half-blind box joints with a Jointech jig, and I used a 5/8″ 14° dovetail bit to rout a 3/8″ deep groove in the rear apron. I measured the distance from the rear apron to the inside of the “mini-apron,” then added the depth of the box joint as well as the depth of the sliding dovetail groove (approximately 3/4″ total). I cut the web rails to this length.

The frame-and-panel construction used on the aprons gives a pleasing appearance and nice symmetry to the desk so that it could be placed anywhere in a room.

     I mounted the same dovetail bit in my router table and adjusted the depth of cut to match that of the groove, then aligned the router fence to make appropriate cuts on one end of each rail. This is a trial-and-error process. For test purposes, I used spare stock with the identical thickness as the rails. When I was satisfied with my fit, I routed the dovetail joints in the rails.

     Before removing the clamps from the lower frame, I also sized the long stretcher that spans the width of the desk. It is joined to the side aprons with dovetails. I determined the shoulder to shoulder length for the stretcher, added the dimensions for the dovetails and cut to size. I then cut the dovetails at each end.

PLANS AND PATTERNS

COMPUTER DESK

     Now, with the stretcher resting on top of the side aprons and accurately aligned, I laid out the dovetail keys in the side aprons. I also marked the top of the web rails on both sides of the stretcher. This locates notches that must be cut into the web rails to accommodate the stretcher. Finally, I measured the exact width of the center drawer space and kept this for later reference.

     I could then remove the clamps and disassemble the pieces. I cut the dovetail key slots in the side aprons to house the ends of the stretcher. Although the top will not be prone to movement because it is veneered MDF, I chose to secure the top with table top fasteners. I slotted the aprons and rails to accept the table top fasteners using a slot-cutting bit in a plunge router. Clamping a piece of stock level with the top of the aprons prior to routing helped keep the router from tipping.

MAKING THE DRAWERS AND TRAYS

     I made mahogany trim pieces to fit into the center drawer front, then cut a solid piece of figured maple to fit snugly into this frame and glued it in place. I sanded and applied finish to the front.

     For the two small drawer fronts, I milled pieces of solid figured maple to 3/4″ thick and 5/16″ less than the inside dimensions of the mini-apron frames. Again I cut and glued 1/8″ mahogany trim pieces to surround the maple drawer fronts. I fit these inside the mini-apron frames with 1/32″ clearance all around. I used 1/2″ clear fir for the sides and backs, but any secondary wood will work. The bottoms are 1/4″ maple plywood.

     I chose to mount the drawers side-hung. After the drawers were assembled, I routed 1/2″ wide by 1/4″ deep grooves into the outside of the drawer sides, with the grooves centered between top and bottom; I stopped the grooves 1″ short of the drawer fronts. To ensure consistency, keep the bottom of each drawer against the router fence when routing the grooves. Where the grooves exit the rear of the drawer sides, I notched 45° relief cuts to ease the installation of the drawers into their supporting runners.

     The keyboard tray was made from 3/4″ maple plywood trimmed with 3/4″ x 3/4″ strips of lyptus. Just for grins, I created an inlay for the mouse tray. I first milled the tray to final dimensions, sanded it, and applied a single coat of shellac. I chose a spider graphic for my design and taped a full-size image directly to the mouse tray. Using a series of chisels of different widths, I tapped through the graphic to define the shape. A punch located the center of three circles that form the body of the spider. I drilled three circles to a depth of 1/16″ with a 1/2″ Forstner bit to form the head and body, and extended the body between the circles with hand chisel work. A small “vee” carving chisel filled out the thickness of the legs. I applied black Inlace [a resin inlay material that comes in a variety of colors; it is available from Woodcraft and other mail-order sources], let it cure for two days, and hand-planed it flush.

     I then used a punch to define the eyes and dots, drilled 1/8″ holes, and applied green Inlace. After it cured, I planed the surface again and finished the mouse tray with shellac and wipe-on poly.

FINISHING

     Finishing would normally be the last topic discussed, but for this project I wanted to experiment with a variety of stains and dyes for the various components. So I colored and pre-finished parts before assembly. Here is a summary of the finishes I used on the project:

• Mahogany legs-2 coats of clear shellac and 4 coats of Minwax satin wipe-on polyurethane
• Lyptus aprons and frames-Transfast Early American Maple aniline dye, 2 coats of clear shellac, and 4 coats of Minwax satin wipe-on polyurethane
• Maple panels and top-Transfast Early American Maple aniline dye, a coat of boiled linseed oil, 2 coats of clear shellac, and 4 coats of Minwax satin wipe-on polyurethane
• Inside of drawers-2 coats of shellac.

     I sanded lightly with 220-grit between coats.

PHOTO BY BERT JOHANSEN

PHOTO BY BERT JOHANSEN

In addition to the specialty hardware used to build the pull-out keyboard tray, the author designed a swivel-out mouse pad that he then ornamented using Inlace. A power strip mounted on the rear apron keeps wires manageable.

ASSEMBLING THE BASE, DRAWERS, AND TRAYS

     After all the parts were pre-finished, I assembled the base sections in this order:

• Web frame rails to rear apron (sliding dovetails)
• Web frame rails to front mini-aprons (half-blind finger joints)
• Side leg/apron assemblies to front and rear aprons (mortises and loose tenons)
• Horizontal stretcher.

     Check and re-check for square as you proceed.

     After the glue-up had set, I added the drawer guides to the web frame. These were made from 3/4″ × 2-1/2″ poplar with a 3/4″ groove centered horizontally. For the runners, I milled scrap oak to 1/2″ × 1/2″ and cut these to fit into the runner grooves in the drawer guides, less about 1-1/2″ at the front of the guides. Before gluing these in place, I checked the fit with the drawers, sanded the runners until they slid smoothly in the drawer grooves, then glued the runners into the drawer guide grooves. For good measure, I added a coat of wax after the glue had dried. I dry-fit the drawer guides in place, adjusted them for a perfect fit with the drawers, attached glue blocks to the aprons—front and back—and then pin-nailed the guides to the glue blocks.

     I installed stop blocks to the drawer guides (located so that when closed the drawers are flush with the aprons) and hidden cam stops mounted to the stretcher to prevent the drawers from being opened too far. Special extension slide hardware was used for the keyboard drawer. This hardware has hinged brackets designed for a drop-down drawer. Before installing the slides, the hinged brackets had to be modified by filing the “hook” off both hinges.

     The last step in completing the base was installing the mouse tray. I drilled a 1/4″ hole into the corner of the completed tray. I then drilled a 27/32″ hole to a depth of 1/2″ in the underside front corner of the keyboard tray and installed a 1/4-20 threaded insert. The mouse tray was then attached using a 1/4″-20 bolt and nut, along with appropriate washers.

MAKING THE TOP

     The top consists of a single large panel of figured maple veneer glued to a 5/8″ MDF substrate, surrounded by a lyptus frame. I made the frame first and sized the panel to fit into the frame.

     I milled the lyptus stock to 1-1/4″ × 2-1/2″ and cut pieces to approximate length for the top frame. I cut one additional piece for a middle support rail. The outside frame pieces received rabbets on their inside edge 1/2″ wide and to a depth just a hair (~1/64″) greater than the thickness of the panel. The center support rail was then thicknessed so that its top surface would lie flush with the bottom of this rabbet. This center rail was let into 1/2″ deep notches cut into the two long frame pieces. After making the notches, I cut the support rail to length, routed mortises in the support rail ends and in the frame pieces, and milled loose tenons to fit. The outside edge of the frame pieces was profiled with a large ogee router bit (MLCS #8663). And last, I eased the outside bottom edge with a 1/8″ round-over bit.

The top is also frame-and-panel construction, with solid lyptus framing a veneered MDF panel. The top is attached to a web frame using table-top fasteners to further control seasonal movement. The frame was then profiled for a stylish overhang.

     I mitered the frame pieces to final dimensions. Then, with a 1/8″ straight bit mounted in my router table, I routed 1/2″ deep stopped grooves (for splines) into the mitered corners using a shop-built jig to hold the parts at 45°. I stopped the grooves 1″ short of the tip of each mitered corner. The splines were milled from scrap hardwood stock and cut to appropriate length.

     With all the parts prepared, I assembled the frame. While the glue was drying, I cut the top panel to final size. I also prepared a number of 1-1/2″ wide cleats from poplar milled to the same thickness as the center rail.

     With the top upside-down on a padded flat surface, I centered the base (also upside down) and noted the location of the slots in the aprons. I glued the poplar cleats to the underside of the MDF at these locations to accommodate the table top fasteners.

     I sanded and finished the frame and panel. When all was ready, I dropped the panel into place in the frame and attached the top to the base with the fasteners to complete the assembly. In addition, I added another fastener where the center support rail meets the rear apron.

     I also added a power strip to the inside of the rear apron to keep power cords off the floor and out of sight. All that remained was to set up my computer and enjoy!

PHOTOS THIS PAGE BY BERT JOHANSEN

Bert Johansen has been an amateur woodworker since 2000. He designs and makes contemporary furniture in his shop in Wimberley, Texas. Previously he was an engineer with NASA, a security analyst on Wall Street, and most recently founded several broadband Internet companies.

Tags: apron, desk, table

This entry was posted on Monday, October 20th, 2008 at 12:29 pm and is filed under October 08 Issue, Woodwork Online. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.