Desk Design ?

[Scoony]

Been quite a while since I have been on Woodnet and the shop has been collecting dust too long.

I have a friend that wants a desk for the home office. She supplied the turned legs she purchased online.  The top will be 30” deep x 72” long/wide.  She would like a drawer at either side but minimize the apron in the center.  

Usually this would be a simple build except for minimizing the apron at the front. 

Rear and side aprons will be straight forward. I am thinking that I will need to construct frame work that will provide sides for the drawer slides with a piece further inside acting as a cross member between them. I haven’t got these details on paper yet and wanted to check here for ideas. 

Imagine a desk with the normal aprons except for the front with two small drawers at the front corner.  I will post a picture later.

[iclark]

Assuming that the top is thick enough to not sag, then the front apron is not really needed.

Seems like the online calculator for that was named something like "sagulator" but I have lost the link.

I would calculate the sag based on your friend (or significant other) sitting on the front edge of the desk.

If you really need the mid-depth support (to prevent sag), then I might suggest putting one that is not vertical: putting the bottom of the brace further away from the front of the desk than the top (against the underside of the desktop). That makes it nicer when the user of the desk bumps it with their knee.

Will the rear apron be deep/tall enough to provide a privacy screen?

[Don_M]

I tend to agree with the above reply. If the top is thick enough (1 inch or so) I would not worry about the sag.  I built a dining table (larger than what you are looking at) out of 1-1/4” thick Jarrah (no apron) and believe me it does not nor will not sag.

However, the small writing desk I built some time ago with the two small side drawers is one way to “stiffen” the front of the desk. The inner side rails of the outer drawers add quite a bit of support to the top. You could eliminate the front drawer (or even the outer drawers for that matter) and replace them with a partial front apron. But I think a desk needs drawers.


[attachment=47217]

[Scoony]

This is the basic design of what she wants. This will be for a home office so no worries about a rear apron providing privacy. She says she likes to sit with her legs pulled up, hence the no apron at the front. 

[attachment=47218]

The legs are pine and I think if I use ash for the top and aprons, I will be able to get a half decent match. It will be stained a dark brown so I will probably do a dye first followed by a stain. I will have plenty of scrap to test the finish schedule on. 

Oh and she wants it about 2" taller than the legs. I plan on getting 5/4 lumber and milling to 1" for the top. I may need to add 1" to the top of the legs and may try to make it decorative.

[Don_M]

I don't think you will have any problem with the top "sagging".

The two side drawer pocket framing should add some rigidity to the overall support for the top.

[Gary G™]

It’s not your design or fault but Dang, that’s ugly.
Seems someone else here was using similar pre-made legs and rejected them because the quality sucked.

Good luck.

Here’s the other Ugly Legs post:
https://forums.woodnet.net/showthread.php?tid=7371493

[Scoony]

It’s not your design or fault but Dang, that’s ugly.
Seems someone else here was using similar pre-made legs and rejected them because the quality sucked.

Good luck.

Here’s the other Ugly Legs post:
https://forums.woodnet.net/showthread.php?tid=7371493

Ha Ha.  Same legs.  They would not be my choice, but I am not making this desk for me.

[rwe2156]

I have to disagree, I think you will have to think about sagging. There is literally nothing except for a rear apron, I assume?

I would install a center stretcher, but that’s me, what do I know……

Yet another example of design with no regard for materials.

[®smpr_fi_mac®]

Can't help with the design, but unless the customer has the legs already, be prepared for them to be terrible and not ready for stain if they came from JJ Bases.  I ordered from them and had to go through ETSY to get my money back. 

To those that hate on it:  Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.  Please stop judging others that don't fit your limited world view.   It's unbecoming, unwanted, and unnecessary.

[Scoony]

Can't help with the design, but unless the customer has the legs already, be prepared for them to be terrible and not ready for stain if they came from JJ Bases.  I ordered from them and had to go through ETSY to get my money back. 

To those that hate on it:  Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.  Please stop judging others that don't fit your limited world view.   It's unbecoming, unwanted, and unnecessary.

Thanks, she dropped off the legs already. They actually look good. I will have to ask her where she got ordered them from. She said a dark stain is fine and not picky. I am thinking I will need to use a water based dye first, then maybe a stain. I plan on visiting my lumber supplier this weekend to see what they have on hand that would be the closest match.

As for the leg design, these seem to be trending as I am seeing them everywhere online. I actually think they are pretty cool. I remember John Fry posting a really cool (and complicated) chair many years ago. He took a lot of hate for something that 99% of Woodnet didn’t have the skill to build.