# An Office for the House -- Complete With Woodworking Projects



## RobH (Apr 25, 2007)

*In The Beginning*

A couple of weeks ago, my wife decided she wanted to make the guest bedroom into an office. We only use the guest bedroom a couple of time a year, I need a place to work on my non-woodworking projects, and our boys need a little more room to play. The solution is to get rid of the guest bedroom and make it into an office. I am so glad she decided to do this. I have been needing a place to work when I telework, and the boys are running out of space for all of the toys.

So, we started planning. There are three main projects that I am going to get to do for setting up this office:

(1) We need a desk. The current computer desk is simply not functional for the work I am involved with. I need something larger. More on the desk either tonight or tomorrow, so far it has been an up and down project.

(2) I am going to build some storage for the kids toys. We went to IKEA yesterday and looked at their TROFAST system. Wanting their system, but not the sized they were providing, we decided to buy the plastic bins there, and then I am going to build the frames.

(3) A cabinet to put CDs, DVDs, paper, and all the trappings of the office life into. This will put things in the office as well as getting the stuff out of another cabinet that we have in the dining room. This will, of course, open up some more storage in the cabinet of the dining room.

I need to get all of these project done as quickly as possible. I am hoping that I can have it all drawn up by the end of the week. I am planning on doing all of this using home center pine. It is cheap, and I can get it good enough to make it work. Not only that, but the desk and the cabinet are going to be Shaker style and the pine will just enhance the look.

I will update as I get things done. I hope everyone enjoys.


----------



## FatherHooligan (Mar 27, 2008)

RobH said:


> *In The Beginning*
> 
> A couple of weeks ago, my wife decided she wanted to make the guest bedroom into an office. We only use the guest bedroom a couple of time a year, I need a place to work on my non-woodworking projects, and our boys need a little more room to play. The solution is to get rid of the guest bedroom and make it into an office. I am so glad she decided to do this. I have been needing a place to work when I telework, and the boys are running out of space for all of the toys.
> 
> ...


Looking forward to following your progress. Wishing you success on your timeline.


----------



## matt1970 (Mar 28, 2007)

RobH said:


> *In The Beginning*
> 
> A couple of weeks ago, my wife decided she wanted to make the guest bedroom into an office. We only use the guest bedroom a couple of time a year, I need a place to work on my non-woodworking projects, and our boys need a little more room to play. The solution is to get rid of the guest bedroom and make it into an office. I am so glad she decided to do this. I have been needing a place to work when I telework, and the boys are running out of space for all of the toys.
> 
> ...


Great….and important project…


----------



## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

RobH said:


> *In The Beginning*
> 
> A couple of weeks ago, my wife decided she wanted to make the guest bedroom into an office. We only use the guest bedroom a couple of time a year, I need a place to work on my non-woodworking projects, and our boys need a little more room to play. The solution is to get rid of the guest bedroom and make it into an office. I am so glad she decided to do this. I have been needing a place to work when I telework, and the boys are running out of space for all of the toys.
> 
> ...


If MA MA ain't happy…


----------



## lew (Feb 13, 2008)

RobH said:


> *In The Beginning*
> 
> A couple of weeks ago, my wife decided she wanted to make the guest bedroom into an office. We only use the guest bedroom a couple of time a year, I need a place to work on my non-woodworking projects, and our boys need a little more room to play. The solution is to get rid of the guest bedroom and make it into an office. I am so glad she decided to do this. I have been needing a place to work when I telework, and the boys are running out of space for all of the toys.
> 
> ...


Rob,

Sounds like a busy couple of weeks ahead! Getting extra space without having to build another room is always a good thing!

Looking forward to the pictures!


----------



## huff (May 28, 2009)

RobH said:


> *In The Beginning*
> 
> A couple of weeks ago, my wife decided she wanted to make the guest bedroom into an office. We only use the guest bedroom a couple of time a year, I need a place to work on my non-woodworking projects, and our boys need a little more room to play. The solution is to get rid of the guest bedroom and make it into an office. I am so glad she decided to do this. I have been needing a place to work when I telework, and the boys are running out of space for all of the toys.
> 
> ...


Sounds like a great project. looking forward to pictures of your progress. keep us posted.


----------



## sandhill (Aug 28, 2007)

RobH said:


> *In The Beginning*
> 
> A couple of weeks ago, my wife decided she wanted to make the guest bedroom into an office. We only use the guest bedroom a couple of time a year, I need a place to work on my non-woodworking projects, and our boys need a little more room to play. The solution is to get rid of the guest bedroom and make it into an office. I am so glad she decided to do this. I have been needing a place to work when I telework, and the boys are running out of space for all of the toys.
> 
> ...


You can do it!


----------



## RobH (Apr 25, 2007)

*The Desk Is Born*

I finally got the drawings for the new office desk done tonight. The journey of coming to this solution is an interesting one. When we first talked about setting up the office, I sat down and drew up a corner desk made out of melamine. I was not sure my wife would like it, but she assured me that everything would be ok. Whether she liked it or not, I did not. There is not another piece of furniture in the house made out of melamine. I was going to build it, but I probably never would accept it. Well, this past weekend I got fed up with trying to figure out all of the little details and decided to just go buy one. That did not work out because the store closed early to clean the floors. So, on the way home I decided to go back to building it, but I would keep it simple and keep it wood. When I got home I started looking through all of my plans and came upon a Shaker trestle table from Glen Huey in Popular Woodworking. All I needed to do was some slight modifications to account for the size that I wanted my table to be. Here are a couple of shots of my Sketchup model.



















The overall size is 66" long, 30" deep, and 30" tall. The top will be made out of southern yellow pine from the home store. The feet and the posts are going to be made from fir 4×4s that I got from the home store. The stretcher will be made from southern yellow pine. In order to hide the fact that I am using two different woods, I am going to paint the base a very deep blue color. My wife mentioned black, but I just did not like the idea of black. I wanted blue originally, but a lighter blue color. Well, we finally chose, and it is blue but it is a very dark blue. I am happy with that. The top will be left natural and finished with water based polyurethane.

Well, now I just have to build it. I have not spent a full day in the shop now for several months. Every time I go out there I get frustrated trying to find things and end up quitting. Well, this Saturday I am doing a big purge of the garage, and it should help with my motivation. Hopefully by the end of the weekend I will have the wood planed and ready to use. I plan on getting the base of the unit built next week and then the following week I hope to get the top done. My parents are visiting at the end of the month and I am going to use the time I will have at home then to hopefully get the finishing done. This will put the desk ready to use when they leave. Right on schedule.

Next on the list is to get the storage bins designed and drawn. Look for more once I have made some progress.


----------



## toddc (Mar 6, 2007)

RobH said:


> *The Desk Is Born*
> 
> I finally got the drawings for the new office desk done tonight. The journey of coming to this solution is an interesting one. When we first talked about setting up the office, I sat down and drew up a corner desk made out of melamine. I was not sure my wife would like it, but she assured me that everything would be ok. Whether she liked it or not, I did not. There is not another piece of furniture in the house made out of melamine. I was going to build it, but I probably never would accept it. Well, this past weekend I got fed up with trying to figure out all of the little details and decided to just go buy one. That did not work out because the store closed early to clean the floors. So, on the way home I decided to go back to building it, but I would keep it simple and keep it wood. When I got home I started looking through all of my plans and came upon a Shaker trestle table from Glen Huey in Popular Woodworking. All I needed to do was some slight modifications to account for the size that I wanted my table to be. Here are a couple of shots of my Sketchup model.
> 
> ...


OK, so we see the drawings - let see some action!


----------



## woodisit (Jul 11, 2009)

RobH said:


> *The Desk Is Born*
> 
> I finally got the drawings for the new office desk done tonight. The journey of coming to this solution is an interesting one. When we first talked about setting up the office, I sat down and drew up a corner desk made out of melamine. I was not sure my wife would like it, but she assured me that everything would be ok. Whether she liked it or not, I did not. There is not another piece of furniture in the house made out of melamine. I was going to build it, but I probably never would accept it. Well, this past weekend I got fed up with trying to figure out all of the little details and decided to just go buy one. That did not work out because the store closed early to clean the floors. So, on the way home I decided to go back to building it, but I would keep it simple and keep it wood. When I got home I started looking through all of my plans and came upon a Shaker trestle table from Glen Huey in Popular Woodworking. All I needed to do was some slight modifications to account for the size that I wanted my table to be. Here are a couple of shots of my Sketchup model.
> 
> ...


Drawings look good, if you have the melamine why not use it for the top and act sent the edges and ends with wood


----------



## RobH (Apr 25, 2007)

RobH said:


> *The Desk Is Born*
> 
> I finally got the drawings for the new office desk done tonight. The journey of coming to this solution is an interesting one. When we first talked about setting up the office, I sat down and drew up a corner desk made out of melamine. I was not sure my wife would like it, but she assured me that everything would be ok. Whether she liked it or not, I did not. There is not another piece of furniture in the house made out of melamine. I was going to build it, but I probably never would accept it. Well, this past weekend I got fed up with trying to figure out all of the little details and decided to just go buy one. That did not work out because the store closed early to clean the floors. So, on the way home I decided to go back to building it, but I would keep it simple and keep it wood. When I got home I started looking through all of my plans and came upon a Shaker trestle table from Glen Huey in Popular Woodworking. All I needed to do was some slight modifications to account for the size that I wanted my table to be. Here are a couple of shots of my Sketchup model.
> 
> ...


Woodisit,

I do have a small piece of melamine, but not enough for this project. Then, there is the fact that it would match nothing else that is going to be in the room, or the house for that matter. Plus, melamine to me is so cold and unfriendly. Practical, yes, but not warm and inviting like I really want my office to be.

Todd,

Work will start no later than this weekend. I need to de-clutter the shop and get rid of the junk that is clouding my mind when I try to work out there. There will probably be some more plans pictures before there are progress pictures, but I promise, there will be progress pictures. Maybe even a video at one point about a technique that I am going to try on the breadboard ends. I am not sure that I am brave enough to try the video yet, but we will see.

Rob


----------



## sandhill (Aug 28, 2007)

RobH said:


> *The Desk Is Born*
> 
> I finally got the drawings for the new office desk done tonight. The journey of coming to this solution is an interesting one. When we first talked about setting up the office, I sat down and drew up a corner desk made out of melamine. I was not sure my wife would like it, but she assured me that everything would be ok. Whether she liked it or not, I did not. There is not another piece of furniture in the house made out of melamine. I was going to build it, but I probably never would accept it. Well, this past weekend I got fed up with trying to figure out all of the little details and decided to just go buy one. That did not work out because the store closed early to clean the floors. So, on the way home I decided to go back to building it, but I would keep it simple and keep it wood. When I got home I started looking through all of my plans and came upon a Shaker trestle table from Glen Huey in Popular Woodworking. All I needed to do was some slight modifications to account for the size that I wanted my table to be. Here are a couple of shots of my Sketchup model.
> 
> ...


I like the one in WoodSmith #181 I think. I saw the wife looking at it, drooling would be a better word. Wounder what my next project will be? Like I need another one, I start a pair of night stands in the fall.


----------



## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

RobH said:


> *The Desk Is Born*
> 
> I finally got the drawings for the new office desk done tonight. The journey of coming to this solution is an interesting one. When we first talked about setting up the office, I sat down and drew up a corner desk made out of melamine. I was not sure my wife would like it, but she assured me that everything would be ok. Whether she liked it or not, I did not. There is not another piece of furniture in the house made out of melamine. I was going to build it, but I probably never would accept it. Well, this past weekend I got fed up with trying to figure out all of the little details and decided to just go buy one. That did not work out because the store closed early to clean the floors. So, on the way home I decided to go back to building it, but I would keep it simple and keep it wood. When I got home I started looking through all of my plans and came upon a Shaker trestle table from Glen Huey in Popular Woodworking. All I needed to do was some slight modifications to account for the size that I wanted my table to be. Here are a couple of shots of my Sketchup model.
> 
> ...


On your mark get ready BUILD


----------



## RobH (Apr 25, 2007)

*Toy Storage System*

Hey all,

Well, the shop got cleaned up today and I can now work out there. I will be starting tomorrow working on the feet of the table. I will keep posting on table progress as significant progress happens.

I have completed the drawings for another piece of furniture that is going in the room. This time, it is a storage unit for some of the kids' toys. Since the toys are overtaking our small house, my wife wanted this to help out. We bought some plastic bins, and this is what I came up with. Well, here is what the unit looks like both with and without the bins in it:



















The units are around 53" tall, 37" wide and 17" deep. I will be making them out of pine and finishing with water-based polyurethane. Hopefully this will be a fairly quick build.

Now, the only design I have left to do is a shaker-style cabinet (something like a jelly cupboard) to store my CDs, DVDs, backup drives, paper, and all of that messy looking stuff in.

Thanks for looking. I welcome any questions.


----------



## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

RobH said:


> *Toy Storage System*
> 
> Hey all,
> 
> ...


Just a suggestion but I would add a complete back for more strength


----------



## RobH (Apr 25, 2007)

RobH said:


> *Toy Storage System*
> 
> Hey all,
> 
> ...


Yes, I agree. I totally overlooked the strength of the full back. We were looking at pictures of similar system and we made a couple of modifications and came up with this. I never even thought to add the full back. It is an excellent idea. I am quite sure that it would not be long until my boys would have all the bins out and trying to climb the grooves in the sides like they were ladders.

I will have to go back and put the back in. Thanks for the reminder.


----------



## sandhill (Aug 28, 2007)

RobH said:


> *Toy Storage System*
> 
> Hey all,
> 
> ...


Would Plywood be stronger? I saw 3/4" Maple for $65.00 at Home Depot a few weeks ago.


----------



## RobH (Apr 25, 2007)

RobH said:


> *Toy Storage System*
> 
> Hey all,
> 
> ...


Sandhill,

With all of the grooves, I do not want to use plywood. Plus, I need the practice on the jointer.

Jim,

I considered your suggestion and the wife and I decided to do a solid back. It will be MDF and we will paint it some color, but it will be a solid back.

Thanks all for the comments.


----------



## RobH (Apr 25, 2007)

*Desk Update - Weekend 1*

Hey all,

I was hoping to have pictures to post, but I was simply wiped out afer working in the heat and humidity all weekend. I am worn out, but I made a lot of progress on the desk. The feet are done and look awesome. The posts are done, and the top supports are done, for the most part. The only thing I have left to do is notch the center support to fit into the stretcher. The top panel is glued up and the breadboard ends are made and ready to apply to the top.

This week looks too busy to get anything done in the shop, but I will be taking Friday off. I will at least get a lot done in the morning. Friday I am hoping to finish up the stretcher and wrap thing up on the base of the table. Then next Sunday I am hoping to get the breadboard ends put on the top. Then, hopefully the rest of my mini-vacation from work a week from tomorrow and Tuesday I can get things ready to finish.

Overall I am day or two behind because I did not get to work much on anything this past week because of the day job and family obligations. As I said earlier, this week is not looking great for evening work on the desk.

Oh well, here's to a very productive weekend this week, and hopefully a productive enough weekend and mini-vacation next week.

As always, thanks for reading,


----------



## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

RobH said:


> *Desk Update - Weekend 1*
> 
> Hey all,
> 
> ...


Good progress


----------



## lew (Feb 13, 2008)

RobH said:


> *Desk Update - Weekend 1*
> 
> Hey all,
> 
> ...


Rob,

Remember, slow and steady wins the race. I always find that the little breaks from the projects give me a chance to rethink and recheck- maybe not always a good thing ;^) - anyway, the "day job" provides the pause that builds the excitement for the fun part!

Looking forward to the pictures!!


----------



## RobH (Apr 25, 2007)

*Desk Update - Weekend 2*

Hey all,

Once again, no pictures but a lot of progress. This was a long weekend for me since my parents have been visiting. I made the best of it in the shop too. From Friday until today, I finished up building the base pieces and sanding them. I applied two coats of shellac yesterday to seal up the pine, and today I got the first coat of polyurethane on the base pieces.

With another long weekend coming up, I hope to get a lot more done. I am hoping to get the second and final coat of polyurethane on the base pieces before the end of the week. Then this weekend I hope to get the base glued/put together, and the top put together and at least sanded.

I hope this project does not go longer than three complete weekends. I really need to get the office set up so I can start doing a little work at home when I need to.

Once again, sorry there are no pictures, but they are on the way.


----------



## lew (Feb 13, 2008)

RobH said:


> *Desk Update - Weekend 2*
> 
> Hey all,
> 
> ...


Rob,

Sounds like you are in the home stretch!!


----------



## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

RobH said:


> *Desk Update - Weekend 2*
> 
> Hey all,
> 
> ...


keep on keeping on


----------



## RobH (Apr 25, 2007)

*Desk Update - Progress Worth Showing*

I decided Friday to take off from work for a half-day and came home and got to working on the table. I had to finish the final coat of polyurethane on the base pieces and then get the base together. Well, Friday and yesterday I finally got the base together. Here are the pictures.

First, an overall shot of the base:










Now, a close-up of the end support:










Another close-up. This time it is the stretcher detail:










The center support:










Finally, the foot detail shot:










Good progress for the weekend so far. Especially considering I changed out the brake pads on the front of the truck Saturday morning before I ever really got started on this.

Just as a reminder, the wood is southern yellow pine from Home Depot. The finishing started with sanding the wood to 220 grit paper. Then I applied two coats of Zinsser SealCoat, sanding between coats and after the final coat with 220 grit paper. Then I applied two coats of Minwax Polycrylic sanding between the two coats with 220 grit paper. The finish was rubbed out with Johnson's Paste Wax and 0000 steel wool, buffing it off with a cotton rag.

Tomorrow will be a concentrated effort on the top. I am hoping to get the top built and sanded, but I am not really expecting that to happen. That just might be too much work for one day. We will see.


----------



## Beginningwoodworker (May 5, 2008)

RobH said:


> *Desk Update - Progress Worth Showing*
> 
> I decided Friday to take off from work for a half-day and came home and got to working on the table. I had to finish the final coat of polyurethane on the base pieces and then get the base together. Well, Friday and yesterday I finally got the base together. Here are the pictures.
> 
> ...


Looks nice.


----------



## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

RobH said:


> *Desk Update - Progress Worth Showing*
> 
> I decided Friday to take off from work for a half-day and came home and got to working on the table. I had to finish the final coat of polyurethane on the base pieces and then get the base together. Well, Friday and yesterday I finally got the base together. Here are the pictures.
> 
> ...


good design and getting close looks good


----------



## cabinetmaster (Aug 28, 2008)

RobH said:


> *Desk Update - Progress Worth Showing*
> 
> I decided Friday to take off from work for a half-day and came home and got to working on the table. I had to finish the final coat of polyurethane on the base pieces and then get the base together. Well, Friday and yesterday I finally got the base together. Here are the pictures.
> 
> ...


Looks fantastic. Can't wait to see the final results.


----------



## lew (Feb 13, 2008)

RobH said:


> *Desk Update - Progress Worth Showing*
> 
> I decided Friday to take off from work for a half-day and came home and got to working on the table. I had to finish the final coat of polyurethane on the base pieces and then get the base together. Well, Friday and yesterday I finally got the base together. Here are the pictures.
> 
> ...


Rob,

The yellow pine really has some beautiful grain. I'll bet is smelled just like Christmas when you were cutting it!

I really like the three support design for the top.


----------



## matt1970 (Mar 28, 2007)

RobH said:


> *Desk Update - Progress Worth Showing*
> 
> I decided Friday to take off from work for a half-day and came home and got to working on the table. I had to finish the final coat of polyurethane on the base pieces and then get the base together. Well, Friday and yesterday I finally got the base together. Here are the pictures.
> 
> ...


this is looking really fantastic…


----------



## RobH (Apr 25, 2007)

*Getting Close to Done With the Desk--- and a quick question...*

Hey all,

I am making really good progress on the desk. I am currently putting the finish on the top. I got the two coats of shellac on it late last week, and today I got the first coat of water based polyurethane on. It is looking really good.

Now, for the quick question. The polyurethane is water based satin polyurethane. The question: Is it really necessary to sand between coats. I always have because I have always heard you needed to, but this finish is looking so good that I really do not want to sand between the first and second coat. So, give me your opinion on the sanding.

Hope everyone has had a good weekend,


----------



## FirehouseWoodworking (Jun 9, 2009)

RobH said:


> *Getting Close to Done With the Desk--- and a quick question...*
> 
> Hey all,
> 
> ...


Rob,

Like you, I have always been told - and never failed to heed this sage advice - that you need to sand between coats. I use 220 grit, sand lightly, and use a tack cloth to ensure all the dust is removed.

Without the sanding, the first coat has no "tooth" onto which to adhere. It is more critical with water-based finishes since the second coat cannot "re-emulsify" any of the carrier (solvent) in the first coat, and cannot therefor attach the two coats.

Least ways, that's how I've been taught. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it!

I'd be interested in everyone else's opinions and experiences, since I'm yet to stop learning!

Good luck!


----------



## jlsmith5963 (Mar 26, 2009)

RobH said:


> *Getting Close to Done With the Desk--- and a quick question...*
> 
> Hey all,
> 
> ...


Sanding between coats is not about the look but about the feel. Unless you are doing your finishing in a 'clean' room there are dust particles in the air that settle on to the finish while it drys. Your hands (or fingertips) are quite capable of feeling these little nibs that become embedded in the finish. Sanding knocks these nibs down. The other reason for sanding between coats (particularly with finishes that don't melt into each other) is that it creates a mechanical 'tooth' that provides for better adhesion between layers of finish.


----------



## sbryan55 (Dec 8, 2007)

RobH said:


> *Getting Close to Done With the Desk--- and a quick question...*
> 
> Hey all,
> 
> ...


I agree with the sanding between coats advice. Poly binds to previous layer by establishing mechanical bonds much like velcro. So sanding between coats is needed to "roughen" the previously applied layer. This is not a vigorous sanding as you would do to the raw wood but simply a very light hand sanding with 320 grit to produce nearly invisible scratches in the surface of the finish for the next layer to latch onto.


----------



## Durnik150 (Apr 22, 2009)

RobH said:


> *Getting Close to Done With the Desk--- and a quick question...*
> 
> Hey all,
> 
> ...


Wow, those first three pretty much say it all and very clearly. I'll keep it simple and say that sanding is necessary and you should do it.

Best of luck!!


----------

