Hickory Roll Top Desk

Very impressive work Jeff very nice most outstanding.

-- Jim from Heirloom Woodshop, custom furniture ,maker, woodworking school, heirloomwoodshop.com

It’s beautiful. Wish I had the room to do projects like that. Bravo Zulu.

-- Dudley Young USN Ret.

very nice- I really like Hickory as well, very nice grain structure and color.

-- When in doubt - There is no doubt - Go the safer route.

Jeff, this is a nice desk. Roll top desks are timeless pieces that are always in style and demand. You did a nice job with the construction. I am sure the novelty wore off making the raised panels after completing the first few but they add a distinctive look to the desk and are well worth the effort. Nice choice of wood as well.

-- With God's help all things are possible- even woodworking. Woodworking is not just a hobby, it is an (expletive deleted) expensive hobby.

what a beautiful job…i love hickory too…i do have a question though, the drawer fronts seem to be very light ..seems to be missing the variation of color as the rest of the piece, or is it just the lighting…but a very stunning piece…..im sure she loves it…...

-- The Grizzone

Beautiful, down right beautiful!

-- Never board, always knotty, lots of growth rings

Jeff, you did a beautiful job on the desk.

-- CJIII Future cabinetmaker

Hey Jeff very nice build, bet the wife loved it!

-- Les, Wichita, Ks. (I'd rather be covered in saw dust!)

Great job, love the wood.

Thanks to everyone for the kind comments. It took three months but I had a great time and you’re right she does love it.
To answer a few questions:
the drawers do look light in the photos. But they are hickory. They may look slightly different becasue I saved the best and clearest wood for the drawer fronts.
you can obtain small quantities of many types of wood at Steve Wall Lumber (www.walllumber.com). It isn’t where I bought my hickory but I’ve bought lumber there before.

looks great, has a really great feel to it, hard to explain but no to big not to small, hickory is good.

-- Randy, Fla http://www.kelleyscabinetsupply.com

nice job!!

What a nice addition, I bet the wife loves it. It looks like a million bucks.

Gorgeous desk. I can only imagine the amount of work that went into it.

-- The smell of wood, coffee in the cup, the wife let's me do my thing, the lake is peaceful. http://web.me.com/deceiver6/Deceiver/Craftsman_on_the_lake/Craftsman_on_the_lake.html

Wow, I’m impressed. Love that hickory too. Great desk.

-- Darell, Norman, Ok.

Hey Jeff, Great job on the desk. I’m sure it got you a lot of goody points with the wife. I see you buy some of your lumber from Steve Wall Lumber, have you ever dealt with The Hardwood Store in Gibsonville?

-- John @ Myrtle Beach

That’s where my hickory is from. Great guys, great choice and they helped me fit it in my truck.

Thanks for the info Jeff.

-- Dudley Young USN Ret.

Well done! I personally like the ‘sweet’ smell from hickory when you work it.

-- "That Government is Best that Governs The Least."-Jefferson

nice job.roll top is on my bucket list

-- Bill in Mich

That’s beautiful!! I bet that sucker is HEAVY!!

-- Matt, Houston Texas

Very impressive work. i love roll tops, this is a really nice execution. The wood choice is perfect..I love hickory also…

-- David, South Windsor, CT "I love the smell of sawdust in the morning"

Jeff,

That’s a fabulous looking piece of furniture. It should be in the center of the room so everyone can admire it from all angles.

If you get started now, you should be able to have one ready for my birthday!

-- "But godliness with contentment is great gain." 1 Timothy 6:6

Let me add to the chorus. Wow, what a desk!!

My grandfather has a desk just like this (different wood) in his house. He claims that it was his fathers’ desk when he was a dean of engineering at the University of Texas in Austin. The desk is a hierloom that has been around my family for over 100 years. When my skills improve, I would love to attemp a re-creation of that desk.

Your work is great, and I hope that your roll top stays around like the one in my family. Kudos on your great work.

Did you use plans of any sort, or was this design done in your head?

-- Derrek L.

Again, thanks for all the nice comments. I used the basic dimensions from a plan at furnitureplans.com. I changed the side and back panels to be raised solid wood panels. I changed the number of drawers. Most significantly I didn’t use a fabric backing for the tambour top. I used a bit set from Rockler to form the slats and wired them together. It’s a lot more work but looks and feels better.

Jeff,

Very nice. You should be as proud as your wife is happy.

I really like the happy birthday pencil box, nice touch ;)

Did you use plans? if so did you make any modificatons?

How did you do the rolltop? from pic#1 it looks like you did not use the glue&canvas method…
I’ve been eyeing those rolltop router sets, did you use one of these sets?

Hey just noticed that you answered my questions as I was typing this… thanks

-- Dane, Fairview Pk, OH. The large print giveth and the small print taketh away...

Very nice indeed.

-- If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail!

Really great job! I have a personal goal of building one of these some day. I hope mine turns out half as nice as yours.

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

Jeff, one word, GORGEOUS. Wel done mate. We don’t have access to hickory without paying a fortune for it. We do have other very fine woods though that would work well. Would love to know your setout. No I’m not a pro, encountered one recently who steals designs etc and sells what he makes by using inferior joinery etc.

-- I cut the damned thing twice and its still too short

Hey Jeff, noticed it took 3 months. Don’t brag about your speed, takes me that long to make a coffee table sometimes. Time is always an issue when you only want to do it right.

-- I cut the damned thing twice and its still too short

Beautiful looking desk. You did a great job on this piece. Thanks for posting.

God Bless
tom

-- Mc Bridge Cabinets, Iowa

Jeff this is gorgeous. I’m sure your wife is happy with it. Did you have any kind of plans? If so could you tell me where you got them from. Thanks for posting…..

-- Eric Connecticut