Floating Desk

[bkharman]

In the spirt of sharing, I thought I would bring this project back out, blow the dust off of it (all three kinds... saw, regular & proverbial) and share it on here.

I needed to make a desk for my son as he is homeschooled and needed a "nook" to work in.  Before we had a ragtag number of other things and it wasn't working.  I wanted him to have a cool spot.  We sat down and came up with a # of designs and none of them (of course) were to his liking... he is 6, so nothing is to his liking!  We ended up visiting some family in Chicago (Evanston) and they have a very hip loft and he saw this chair that hangs on the wall.  He thought it was the coolest thing ever, so hence the final design...

Here are a few phone pics to show it off, will provide some inline details:

^ used 2 sheets of maple ply.  No banding yet, he is still deciding!

^ incorporated shelving, and a desktop caddy on the bottom, wanted the desk to be as clear as possible.

^ completely made with 6mm Dominoes.  No screws to hold it together, only have 4 screws in the cleat (may double that, see below)

^ I added some puck lights to this.  All wires are hidden in the wood itself, drilled holes for wires to move to rear of desk and routed a channel along the back for transformer/dimmer and the pucks.

^ look mum, no wires

^ some holes weren't drilled perfect, but nobody will ever see them!

^ some of you may remember this was to hang on a brick wall originally, but we had to move it, there were too many distractions in that room for him to contend with.

^ threw his computer in there for some visuals!

^ little sis wants in on this action too!  I swear when she hears the snap of a camera, she comes running.

^ one final shot.

I know it is going to be asked, so here goes...

Festools (and misc) used:
-- TS 55
-- Domino 700xl
-- CXS
-- RO 90
-- ETS 150
-- OF1400
-- about 120 6mm dominos
-- 4 cabinet screws to hold cleat to stud
-- Still have to use Surfix outdoor on it, but that should be the last step

I am really happy the way it turned out, very solid, and more importantly, he loves it.  Cant wait to see the tike use it stating later this month.

Cheers all, hope you enjoy!

Bryan

 

[iamnothim]

What a cool space for little guy!  I'll bet he put all kinds of things on the sides.

 

[bkharman]

So I had a few follow up questions at the end of the day here.  I was going to use Surfix (which I have) to finish this off, but is there a reason to go with a wipe on poly instead?  I want it somewhat durable, but also an easy finish.  I am not going for heirloom quality here, just an everyday item that will get a lot of use.

Also, he said he just wants the edge raw, instead of me putting a hardwood cap on it (have some maple to use).  Is there any reason that this wouldn't be OK?  If he wants it that way, I would sand a bit more, probably round over the corners a bit and finish it with the poly or suffix as well.

Lastly, I feel that the cleat is more than strong enough to hold the cabinet and books and such... my wife on the other hand is a little skeptical.  I made the cleat board long enough to drive 2 screws per stud, but only have one in at the moment.  Any thoughts here?

Thanks in advance for any advice.  Bryan.

 

[iamnothim]

I haven't used those finish products but I'm in love with Gen Finishes PreCat water Urethane

IMO. Raw ply edges don't hold up and are very prone to splinters. Not sure if a round over bit will work on ply.  I'm sure others know better

IMO #2.  Build a ladder now cuz he'll be climbing it within two weeks

 

[Gary in Texas]

I would agree that leaving the edges raw can and will cause splinters.....  Depending on the quality of the plywood, if you do round over the edges, you may discover a void area, don't want that.  Last, with it all made up, you will not be able to route the corners, so, files and chisels will be required.  I would cast my vote to make the edge banding from the maple you have, you can put a nice round over on that, will look good, no splinters, no sharp edges......