Gonna Build a desk :)

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lazyboizsal

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Ok im planning on building my own desk and will customize it to fit me best. Im kind of getting ideas from other desks that i like and will just apply them to my custom desk. does anyone know how to get a nice cool effect like this? desk pic ?

I like the blueish purple outline on the top of the table.

could it be a different matterial molded around the wood or is it maybe just painted that color?

Anyone have any tips to go about this? also are there any specific tools i could by (machines/drills) that could rouund the edges of my wooden table.

Any suggestions on nice laquer or some sort of Finish?

And what kind of wood is recomended. ( i would prefer this light colored wood. not sure what kind it is.


I just want something nice sturdy and not too expensive. My budget is around 500$, maybe more (for the desk materials and equipment is no prob since i can rent it at home depot or go to my pops.

thx sal :)
 
lazyboizsal said:
Ok im planning on building my own desk and will customize it to fit me best. Im kind of getting ideas from other desks that i like and will just apply them to my custom desk. does anyone know how to get a nice cool effect like this? desk pic ?

I like the blueish purple outline on the top of the table.

could it be a different matterial molded around the wood or is it maybe just painted that color?

Anyone have any tips to go about this? also are there any specific tools i could by (machines/drills) that could rouund the edges of my wooden table.

Any suggestions on nice laquer or some sort of Finish?

And what kind of wood is recomended. ( i would prefer this light colored wood. not sure what kind it is.


I just want something nice sturdy and not too expensive. My budget is around 500$, maybe more (for the desk materials and equipment is no prob since i can rent it at home depot or go to my pops.

thx sal :)
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Its fancy T-Molding. I met with salespeople from a German company called Rehau who made this kind of stuff:

http://www.rehau-na.com/rehau.company/products.html

Not sure how ready avaliable that kind of stuff is for low volume applications. The people I met with while working in the furniture industry were custom developing that kind of stuff for big names like Herman Miller and Steelcase.

Getting organic shapes like that is going to be a lot of work. The company you linked to is probably using computer controlled router tables for those shapes.
 
hmm well ok. what about getting nice rounded edges for a desk like that? and what type of would would you recommend?
 
Anyone have any tips to go about this?
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Yes. Prepare for a reality check. Or Learn Autocad, draw a file, up load it to a CNC and machine the materials of choice. Or learn basic PRO machining, lamination and finish techniques


also are there any specific tools i could by (machines/drills) that could rouund the edges of my wooden table.
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Well, a router to start with, and a carbide 1/2 roundover bit. However, that depends on what type of material and FINISH you are doing on the edges. If you ROUNDOVER plywood....well....ahem....it looks like shit. If you roundover MDF, then you need to Lacquer it. But what about the rest of the table surface...are you going to mask off for TWO different colors? Do you understand the implications of LACQUER spraying? Have you ever done it?

As to the actual SHAPE, if you draw a pattern by hand on a sheet of MDF, cut the pattern with a jigsaw and smooth the edges, you would now have a template to route as many pieces of the same shape as you wish. This would take a 1/2" shank, 1-2" long 1/2" downspiral carbide flush cutter with bearing. They run about $100. Plus router. You could PRE LAM each piece of MDF with laminate before routing with a template. Laminate runs around $3-$4 a square foot and comes in a zillion colors, textures, sheens, patterns and manufacturers. Or you could lacquer them ...that is if you know how and have a compressor and spray equipment. As to the edges, there are a few different things you can do. The fact is, edges as shown in your link are specially manufactured by contract I would think, and finding a retail source for them would be very difficult if not impossible. ThatTYPE stuff is usually manufactured specifically for another manufacturer by the product vendor. Typical edge materials that would be readily available through cabinet shops etc are various T-mouldings, but they won't look like those in the link. The only other ways are to template route different laminates, or custom tapeoff to spray different color lacquers. Even then, it is NOT easy, even for professionals. They make it LOOK easy, but it takes LOTS of work, time and professional tools and experience.
If you arn't familiar with these processes, I think you might alter your expectations for a finished product. Frankly, I AM a fabrication professional, and those "tables" would be challange to make look like those in the link for sure. Even with a good shop, tools, experience AND budget, which $500 would probably barely cover these sort of materials. Even a 4'x8' sheet of industrial MDF runs appox $35 per. I see at least three sheets. Add laminates or lacquers and it would easily eat your budget. And thats not mentioning the hardware and other elements, such as the monitor racks, and support mechanism and stands. Hell, one of those simple table stands are about $25 or MORE.

And what kind of wood is recomended. ( i would prefer this light colored wood. not sure what kind it is.
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Wood? That tells me you know nothing about this stuff. SHEET GOODS such as used in these type products are NOT wood. They ARE made from wood products, but are not wood in the sense of a species like you mention as a "light colored wood". By the way, where would you find a "solid" piece of maple that big? :eek: You could get a "wood" veneered MDF, or ply, or veneer it yourself like you would laminate, but that still leaves the edges to deal with. You could edgeband it, paint it, laminate it or use a "T-molding"...that is if you have a slot cutting router bit to accomodate the serated "insert tab" on the moulding...and that is if your CURVED cuts were perfectly perpendicular to the faces and SMOOTH...which a jigsaw will NOT do.. BTW, the product in the link is NO DOUBT a MELAMINE product. Which is mdf with a pre-lam'ed surface/ that is bonded to BOTH surfaces at the factory. Its these sort of things that only experience will teach you. I'm not trying to be a naysayer here.. but this is NOT a project for a beginner.....at least if you want it to turn out as nice as the ones in the link. Curves such as those MUST be template router cut or machined by a CNC machine to turn out as shown. But then you need a CNC language file. Or one that is easily translated. Like an Autocad file. Hence the "hand drawn" /template suggestion.
Well, hope this helps illuminate the difficulty with this level of fabrication and machining/finishing. It isn't a entry level DIY project by ANY means.
fitZ
 
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Cable management is my thing. From the pic I'm not seeing how cables are run or supported between the rack pods. I'm a neat freek so I would be sure to include some sort of cable managment capability in the design. I would make have no less than three troughs...one for audio, one for AC and one for "what ever". I had three troughs recessed into the walls...I argued with the builder but he told me that I would be suprised by the unexpected variables. Sure enough, this is an area where I feel that more's better.
 
RICK FITZPATRICK said:
Do you understand the implications of LACQUER spraying? Have you ever done it?
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I have a question for you, I have done ALOT of lacquer spraying in my time (new homes, railings, doors, door frames, some furniture) How is the reaction w/ lacquer and MDF? Does it swell? I've never done it before, just wondering what to expect.
 
At the risk of hijacking this thread (not my intent), I would like to know about it as well.

And if anyone has ever poured a heavy epoxy as well? I'm not sure if epoxy is the correct material I'm thinking of or not but, I've seen examples of this on bar/counter tops...a yellowish/clear thick hard plastic like surface aparently poured on. What is that stuff and is it hard to work with? I was thinking of building a table-top of wood with CD's in the middle section with this heavy poured clear plastic like stuff on top.

Please answer Lomky's question first though.
 
punkin said:
And if anyone has ever poured a heavy epoxy as well? I'm not sure if epoxy is the correct material I'm thinking of or not but, I've seen examples of this on bar/counter tops...a yellowish/clear thick hard plastic like surface aparently poured on.

Please answer Lomky's question first though.
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You might be thinking of urethane. My father and I applied a urethane product on our hardwood floor. Leaves a really nice finish IMO.

Also, sorry for the hijack
 
Does it swell? I've never done it before, just wondering what to expect.
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No, unless the edges get wet. The best advice I can give you is to spray 2 coats of lacquer sanding sealer, lightly sanding between coats with 220 grit. Then a light coat of finish lacquer, again sanding with 220. Then one or more coats, sanding with progressively finer grit, depending on what type of finish you are looking for. Fine tables can take 8 or 9 coats, as do instruments also. For work surfaces use a satin, for cabinetry, semigloss, and gloss for places where large flat reflections are minimal, like furniture, art, signage, cars, instruments etc. Lacquer can be tinted in unlimited color spectrums. For colored lacquers, use white undercoat sealers. Two coats. Great to work with, fast drying...easy sanding....what more can I say? :D I even mix my own colors as I bought 10 oz. of industrial solvent based tints. I mix my own for lots of crafts and studio related projects. I also keep basic black, white and silver in spray cans for quick things.

fitZ
 
It was a dumb joke.. urethane....thane2000... like the new and improved "urethane"...like I said........ DUMB :rolleyes: sorry. No offence intended thane.
fitZ :)
 
RICK FITZPATRICK said:
It was a dumb joke.. urethane....thane2000... like the new and improved "urethane"...like I said........ DUMB :rolleyes: sorry. No offence intended thane.
fitZ :)
Click to expand...

Understood....plus I don't get easily offended. :) Truth be told; I've done Google Image Searches for "thane" and I got many a polyurethane advertisement. ;)

PS Thane is my middle name, as well as DJ name. (little trivia for ya)
 
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