The Story of My Desk • Hacker News Board

Re: The Story of My Desk

#21

Post by jlongster » Thu, Oct 17, 2013, 6:43 PM UTC

nolanbrown23 wrote: post #16

I built my own desk last year because of the expense of a new desk and the fact that all the desks I looked at weren't quite the right size for what I wanted. I've been using it every day for over a year and the desk has withstood a barrage of abuse much better then previous desks I've owned. If you have the space to build one, I highly recommend building one to match your exact specifications. Here a blog post about…

Wow, beautiful desk! I really like how the stained butcher block turned out.

I tried to build a desk with a butcher block top and metal base but my metal construction sucked and it was wobbly. I'll keep your post in mind if I build another desk.

Re: The Story of My Desk

#22

Post by alexgaribay » Thu, Oct 17, 2013, 7:03 PM UTC

nolanbrown23 wrote: post #16

I built my own desk last year because of the expense of a new desk and the fact that all the desks I looked at weren't quite the right size for what I wanted. I've been using it every day for over a year and the desk has withstood a barrage of abuse much better then previous desks I've owned. If you have the space to build one, I highly recommend building one to match your exact specifications. Here a blog post about…

I've seen other people use that counter top as a desk. I actually intend to do the same. I like what you did for legs there. Props.

Re: The Story of My Desk

#23

Post by roderick3427 » Thu, Oct 17, 2013, 7:03 PM UTC

If you don't mind could you tell us a little bit about your setup, hardware and software?

Re: The Story of My Desk

#24

Post by qwerta » Thu, Oct 17, 2013, 7:06 PM UTC

ryanthejuggler wrote: post #17

qwerta wrote: post #14

I guess I live in some alternative dimension. I have kitchen table twice the size (and probably more solid) for $60.

Could you elaborate? Materials, sources, designs, etc? I'm interested in making a desk on the cheap.

Trick is to bypass 'making' stage, I just bought it second hand. I DIYD only things which are impossible to find (ultralight telescope, hexa-copters), tables are on every corner.

Re: The Story of My Desk

#25

Post by guynamedloren » Thu, Oct 17, 2013, 7:06 PM UTC

Woodworking is a fantastic outlet for creativity, and seriously underrated/underappreciated. Great way to take a break from coding. Extremely rewarding, and not very difficult to learn the basics, either.

Since we're sharing, here's a couple things I've made around the house:

https://scontent-b-lax.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/302582_2063...

https://scontent-a-lax.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/309672_1015...

Re: The Story of My Desk

#26

Post by stevenwei » Thu, Oct 17, 2013, 7:07 PM UTC

nolanbrown23 wrote: post #16

I built my own desk last year because of the expense of a new desk and the fact that all the desks I looked at weren't quite the right size for what I wanted. I've been using it every day for over a year and the desk has withstood a barrage of abuse much better then previous desks I've owned. If you have the space to build one, I highly recommend building one to match your exact specifications. Here a blog post about…

Good call on the NUMERAR countertop!

I ended up pairing a NUMERAR countertop (73" x 25") with an adjustable height base (like this http://www.thehumansolution.com/uplift-900-electric-sit-stan...) and am very happy with the combination.

Re: The Story of My Desk

#27

Post by diziet » Thu, Oct 17, 2013, 7:09 PM UTC

Can the armrests of your chair slide under the desk easily while keeping the top surface of the arms rests almost parallel with the desk surface? The cross section bar right below the actual desk surface could prevent this.

Re: The Story of My Desk

#28

Post by madoublet » Thu, Oct 17, 2013, 7:10 PM UTC

This turned out really good. I had a similar journey a few years back where I took a class and built a custom headboard. It was a lot of fun. The two "hacks" that I got out of the experience were to (1) use biscuit joints (in replace of dowels). And, (2) to buy a Kreg jig. These two things made putting together just about anything a lot easier.

Re: The Story of My Desk

#29

Post by blah32497 » Thu, Oct 17, 2013, 7:10 PM UTC

The table top should have been done with plywood.

There is this persistent myth that plywood == cheap which is absolutely wrong.

You can get very nice expensive plywood that will be stronger, prettier, cheaper, and longer lasting than a solid piece of wood.

Re: The Story of My Desk

#30

Post by el_benhameen » Thu, Oct 17, 2013, 7:13 PM UTC

jlongster wrote: post #13

kh_hk wrote: post #7

My favorite setup (for the ones that move regularly) is a pair of trestles and a wood table from the nearest Brico Depot. Not as sturdy as the OP, but enough for at least a year. The total cost should go around 30USD + one hour to sand both the table and the trestles for a safe and good looking end result.

I love dirt-cheap solutions too! I got interested in woodworking so it just became a hobby as well.

As a fellow woodworking enthusiast, don't fool yourself into thinking it's a cheap hobby! It's all fun and games until you realize you want a jointer ... and then a bigger jointer.