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Slant Top Desk

Project by GaryK posted 528 days ago 715 views 1 time favorited 27 comments Add to Favorites
Slant Top Desk Slant Top Desk Slant Top Desk Click the pictures to enlarge them

I built this in two stages, First the bottom half. It is solid mahogany with the sides being 21 inch wide boards which I was lucky to find. The drawer faces are solid 8/4 cut and finished to the shape in the pictures. Since the odd shapes prevented me from using a router, I ended up grinding a bead detail into a piece of steep and used that to scrape the bead around the drawers by hand. All the small drawers and door are all hand carved.

The top half was made about a year later. It’s also solid mahogany. The doors were made following an article in a Fine Woodworking magazine. I cut each piece of glass by hand which turned out to be a lot easier than I thought it would be. The top molding is off the shelf.

-- Gary, East TX -- The longest journey begins with a single step.


27 comments so far

View Damian Penney's profile (online now)

Damian Penney

733 posts in 531 days


posted 528 days ago

Wow, impressive Gary, how many hours went into it? Love the drawer fronts.

-- I am always doing that which I can not do, in order that I may learn how to do it. - Pablo Picasso

View GaryK's profile

GaryK

8567 posts in 528 days


posted 528 days ago

Thanks. I would say that I spent about 6 months of evenings and weekends.

-- Gary, East TX -- The longest journey begins with a single step.

View Bob Babcock's profile

Bob Babcock

1807 posts in 626 days


posted 528 days ago

Beautiful Gary. We have an antique that looks almost identical to this. My wife’s uncle left it to her. A classic that is very functional. She actually uses it to display and store china.

-- Bob, Carver Massachusetts, Sawdust Maker http://www.capecodbaychallenge.org

View GaryK's profile

GaryK

8567 posts in 528 days


posted 528 days ago

Thanks Bob. I based it on a Governor Winthorp Secetary in the book “Hierloom Furniture by Franklin Gottshall copyright 1957”.

The book had ball claw feet, but I started but didn’t have the time to finish them.

-- Gary, East TX -- The longest journey begins with a single step.

View mb_BeachBum's profile

mb_BeachBum

18 posts in 592 days


posted 528 days ago

Beautiful work, impressive!

-- Don, on California's Central Coast

View Don's profile

Don

2586 posts in 717 days


posted 528 days ago

Gary, your standard of craftsmanship is very high. This is such a beautiful piece.

I just checked out your profile to see if I could learn any more about your woodworking background. It didn’t tell me much. Have you taken any formal training or serve a cabinet making apprenticeship?

Gary, since I don’t want to miss anything you post, I’ve added you to my Buddies list.

Thanks for sharing these pieces.

-- CanuckDon "I just love small wooden boxes!" http://www.canterburybaptist.org/

View Karson's profile

Karson

14323 posts in 940 days


posted 528 days ago

Another great piece of furniture.

-- Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †

View TomFran's profile

TomFran

2371 posts in 534 days


posted 528 days ago

Gary, You are good! Wow ;^D

-- Tom, Surfside Beach, SC - Romans 8:28

View CharlieM1958's profile

CharlieM1958

4593 posts in 758 days


posted 528 days ago

This is “master craftsman” stuff you’re posting here.

-- Charlie M. "Woodworking - patience = firewood"

View GaryK's profile

GaryK

8567 posts in 528 days


posted 528 days ago

Thanks for all the comments.

Don – No formal training, self taught starting about 10 years ago. Every project I have posted so far was made in my 2 car garage in California before I moved to Texas. Being an engineer by trade probably didn’t hurt.
That Highboy dresser was the first peice of furniture I ever made. Just made small nick nacks before that.

-- Gary, East TX -- The longest journey begins with a single step.

View Napaman's profile

Napaman

2106 posts in 617 days


posted 527 days ago

wow…even more impressive (all your work) considering you are self taught!!! I love the inventiveness and craftmanship…

-- Matt, Napa, CA...119 days to sanity...

View mot's profile

mot

4863 posts in 576 days


posted 527 days ago

Jeez, Gary. That’s a terrific piece. I love to work with mahogany.

-- You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. (Plato)

View jockmike2's profile

jockmike2

4506 posts in 787 days


posted 527 days ago

for being self taught I’d say you are very intelligent and intuitive to be able to make art like this. jockmike

-- Mike. Profisher50@yahoo.com

View Jeff's profile

Jeff

970 posts in 634 days


posted 526 days ago

Everybody has pretty much covered my thoughts, Gary. Perhaps I could add ‘ingenious’ with regard to your technique and troubleshooting (to overcome not using a router). Thanks for your contributions to this community.

-- Jeff, St. Paul, MN

View schroeder's profile

schroeder

479 posts in 665 days


posted 525 days ago

Beautiful! Just a work of art! I admire your craftsmanship!

-- The Gnarly Wood Shoppe

View rentman's profile

rentman

231 posts in 634 days


posted 522 days ago

nice work how thick was the wood foor the drawers.

-- Phil, Chattanooga,TN

View GaryK's profile

GaryK

8567 posts in 528 days


posted 485 days ago

The wood for the drawer fronts was 8/4 stock.

-- Gary, East TX -- The longest journey begins with a single step.

View Dorje's profile

Dorje

1749 posts in 537 days


posted 485 days ago

Not quite sure how you do it! But – it’s pretty amazing!

-- Dorje (pronounced "door-jay"), Seattle, WA

View David's profile

David

1833 posts in 679 days


posted 370 days ago

Gary -

Thank goodness for the shuffle feature! Great chance to re-visit the awesome project. Outstanding work!

Would you comment on the shell carving?

I admire your craftsmanship!

Thanks!

David

-- http://foldingrule.blogspot.com

View GaryK's profile

GaryK

8567 posts in 528 days


posted 369 days ago

David – Thanks for the comments.

The carving are the same as I did on the Highboy dresser I made. That came from a Fine Woodworking article on building the highboy.

I just used a compass to draw an arc, and then used a penny to draw a lot of little circles along the arc.
Then just carved it out.

Gary

-- Gary, East TX -- The longest journey begins with a single step.

View ND2ELK's profile

ND2ELK

2564 posts in 314 days


posted 313 days ago

Outstanding piece and craftsmenship. Is this your own design or is there a set of plans available some where?

-- Mc Bridge Cabinets, Iowa

View GaryK's profile

GaryK

8567 posts in 528 days


posted 313 days ago

ND2ELK

Thanks. It’s a combination of borrowed designs. There are no plans for this. The base came partially from one
book, the top, another, and the glass doors idea from a Fine Woodworking magazine.

If you are looking to make one I can help.

-- Gary, East TX -- The longest journey begins with a single step.

View ND2ELK's profile

ND2ELK

2564 posts in 314 days


posted 313 days ago

Gary K

My brother wanted some type of desk similar to this. I need to have the 220 service put in and the shop wired yet. Then theres some painting to do but that isnt going to happen till it gets warmer. It was 9 degrees below zero the other night! Thanks for the offer and I will keep it in mind. I used to combine different designs when building dorm furniture for the Universities. They liked different aspects of the different manufactures and I would combined them together. Thanks! Have a great day.

-- Mc Bridge Cabinets, Iowa

View DaveH's profile

DaveH

275 posts in 318 days


posted 284 days ago

Excellent! Great workmanship!

-- Dave Herron, Boise, ID -- “That which does not crash the browser, makes it stronger”

View Charles Mullins's profile

Charles Mullins

67 posts in 252 days


posted 246 days ago

Gary,

I am speechless—-druling all over my keyboard though!

Absolutely beautiful.

Charles Mullins

-- God makes the wood beautiful--I simply rearrange it to make it more useful, hopefully.

View Beginningwoodworker's profile

Beginningwoodworker

817 posts in 213 days


posted 201 days ago

That is a real nice desk.

-- CJIII Future cabinetmaker

View darryl's profile

darryl

990 posts in 866 days


posted 201 days ago

great work Gary, it’s beautiful!
I really like the color of the mahogany.

-- ~ www.darrylmasterson.com ~ www.woodworkingdungeon.blogspot.com ~

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