Custom Wood Desk
In May of 2020 with the world shut down over the Covid-19 pandemic, I took a few weeks of unexpected free time to create a beautiful piece of furniture to go in my college apartment. The desk sits at a standard 30 inches high, with a large 3' x 5' Douglass Fir top created using spline joints. The legs are made from leftover Sapele with a custom design and assembled with traditional mortise and tenon joints. The legs and drawer are easily detachable to allow for easy transport.
CAD Model
This is an exploded view of the first iteration of the desk. Notice how it shows the major elements of the desk framework, but doesn't replicate small details. Many of these details and changes were made on the shop floor with the CAD model updated afterward, contrary to common engineering practice. This particular version is just when the overall design was finished, but before it was determined exactly how necessary joining features might work out.
Gluing the Top
Left:
The wood used was originally in long triangles and needed to be glued together. Care was taken to ensure the grain looked nice on the 'show' side. Splines were cut and pieces assembled into rectangular boards more suited for processing.
Right:
After planing to near finished thickness and cutting the excess ends off, more splines are cut and the desk surface is glued together. Doing this first allows the now large flat surface to be used as a table for the remainder of the project. The two Sapele boards on top will become the front and back section of the underneath cabinet.
Hand Chiseling Joinery
These are the blocks that connect the legs to the desk top. Butt joints aren't terribly appealing, so the joint is hidden inside this pocket. Most of the material was removed with a handheld router, but the square corners and the angled edge for the leg to sit right required fine-tuning with a well sharpened chisel. The mortise and tenon leg joinery was also created this way.
Staying organized is key throughout the process. Parts are mirrored across the desk and only fit together one way. Note the two boards on top- the front one got cut with the middle third becoming the drawer. Doing this makes the wood grain line up across the front.
A mockup of the drawer and a chance to practice taking aesthetically pleasing pictures. Corners have rabbet joints, while the bottom is held in place with dado slots.
Another mockup, but of the whole assembly and upside down. Very exciting to finally see the desk take shape!
Assembly
Using the handheld router, a fillet was put on all applicable edges. Holes were drilled and pegs inserted and glued in to hold the legs together. Everything is sanded and good to go.
At this point the only tasks left were small things, not enough to remember to take pictures. The legs were attached to the leg blocks with countersunk bolts and other holes drilled to attach it to the top. A bevel was cut along the entire under edge of the desk top, making the top appear considerably thinner and more refined despite still being 1" thick.
Finishing Touches
After putting a few coats of finish on the desk, it was time to finish it up. One quick trip to the hardware store for brackets and a large number of pilot holes later, the desk was fully assembled. The last thing to do is flip it over, take some photos, and then disassemble it again to get it home!
I'm very proud of this desk and its many blemishes. It still sits in my apartment and gets used every single day. The legs make great foot rests and the extra large top has plenty of space to hold quick access items. Certainly there's things I would do differently next time, but for now it's does the job beautifully.