Show HN: Recycled a piano into a work desk

#1

Post by stephenapple » Tue, Jul 31, 2012, 8:01 PM UTC

With a little paint and 2-3 days I recycled this 1910s piano into a work desk. Cost: paint and manual labor to pick up the piano from craigslist.I'm here to answer questions incase you are interested in doing the same.

Show HN: Recycled a piano into a work desk
mrsamberapple.com

Re: Show HN: Recycled a piano into a work desk

#2

Post by dev1n » Tue, Jul 31, 2012, 8:25 PM UTC

Someone should send this article to the guys who make a business out of taking old pianos and, when no one wants their donation, doing this and selling them.

edit: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4317242

Re: Show HN: Recycled a piano into a work desk

#3

Post by stephenapple » Tue, Jul 31, 2012, 8:31 PM UTC

dev1n wrote: post #2

Someone should send this article to the guys who make a business out of taking old pianos and, when no one wants their donation, doing this and selling them. edit: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4317242

Saw the article on the front page! Thought about the business potential this morning. Trouble would be the cost of shipping, it's about 350lbs!

edit: That is the stripped weight! It was originally ≈400lbs (guessing). Evidently most of the weight is in the metal frame.

Re: Show HN: Recycled a piano into a work desk

#4

Post by beernutz » Tue, Jul 31, 2012, 8:31 PM UTC

I think this looks AWESOME, but I wonder if there are ergonomic issues with the height of the monitor. It LOOKS like it would be a bit too high up.

Re: Show HN: Recycled a piano into a work desk

#5

Post by leeskye » Tue, Jul 31, 2012, 8:32 PM UTC

That is pretty freaking cool. I love how people reuse items and turn them into functional pieces rather than discarding them into landfills.

Re: Show HN: Recycled a piano into a work desk

#6

Post by stephenapple » Tue, Jul 31, 2012, 8:42 PM UTC

beernutz wrote: post #4

I think this looks AWESOME, but I wonder if there are ergonomic issues with the height of the monitor. It LOOKS like it would be a bit too high up.

Haha... I knew an astute fellow hacker would pickup on that. :) Yes, the monitor cutout was originally the spot for the music stand. I had to router out about 1/4 an inch to fit in the stripped down apple 23inch display. Currently I have my MBP hooked up on the desk in the center to get some more screen space. Moving between the two screens helps with the height issue.

Re: Show HN: Recycled a piano into a work desk

#7

Post by MartinCron » Tue, Jul 31, 2012, 8:43 PM UTC

stephenapple wrote: post #3

dev1n wrote: post #2

Someone should send this article to the guys who make a business out of taking old pianos and, when no one wants their donation, doing this and selling them. edit: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4317242

Saw the article on the front page! Thought about the business potential this morning. Trouble would be the cost of shipping, it's about 350lbs! edit: That is the stripped weight! It was originally ≈400lbs (guessing). Evidently most of the weight is in the metal frame.

If you remove the working parts, do they get much lighter? I don't know much about the internals of pianos.

Re: Show HN: Recycled a piano into a work desk

#8

Post by fuzzythinker » Tue, Jul 31, 2012, 8:52 PM UTC

Really nice. If he wants to spend more time on this, additional hacks would be:

- hook up the foot pedal to a KVM or some kind of software switch to switch desktops/environments

- put some speakers behind the 2 grills if it isn't done already

- make one or both of the grills openable and attach a power strip in them so the power wires can be hooked up hidden inside instead of outside

- cut out the flat part of keyboard cover and use it to extend the desktop for more desktop space and more leg room

Re: Show HN: Recycled a piano into a work desk

#9

Post by arjn » Tue, Jul 31, 2012, 8:55 PM UTC

Well done, not bad at all. The only change I would make is to cut away a portion of the back-board under the desk so I could stretch my legs out a bit.

Re: Show HN: Recycled a piano into a work desk

#10

Post by stephenapple » Tue, Jul 31, 2012, 9:06 PM UTC

arjn wrote: post #9

Well done, not bad at all. The only change I would make is to cut away a portion of the back-board under the desk so I could stretch my legs out a bit.

Ah! That's removable... and currently removed. You're right, it started to get a little cramped. There's a little ledge at the bottom now which makes a nice foot rest.