- The Wood Whisperer is sponsored by Powermatic,
and Titebond.
You know, in the ideal world I would spend everyday
in the shop, but the reality is, I spend about half
of my time in the office, editing video, answering e-mails,
stuff like that.
And unfortunately I tend to be kind of messy,
and my old desk didn't really give me much room
to store the things that I use all the time,
like external drives, all of my SD cards, or equipment.
So this year I finally had a chance to build myself
a big ol' desk, so I can sit my big ol' butt in this chair
and work.
But it's got a lot of technological features
and details that I think you're really gonna like,
let's check it out.
We'll get this party started, with the legs.
The legs will get their final shape later, but for now,
we need to get them cut to size.
Next we can work on the rails.
The lower front rail has a long continuous curve
that gets interrupted by the legs,
so I'll take care to cut those from a single board,
accounting for the width of each leg.
Thoughtful grain selection is something
that will help set your work apart from the rest.
The remaining rails are then cut to size,
and the bottom rails all receive a curve.
For the panels, we'll use three quarter inch,
cherry plywood.
I want my panels to contrast with the rest of the desk,
but I don't wanna use something as drastic as maple,
so I'm trying something new to me, wood bleach.
The bleach should help prevent some of the
natural color change that occurs in cherry,
leaving the panels slightly lighter in color.
We'll see how it pans out over time,
but I think it's gonna look super sweet.
The panels of the desk, are essentially,
faux, frame, and panel, so the rails are just face glued
in place.
To accommodate a wire gutter, we need cutouts
in the two inside panels.
The right pedestal, receives a back and bottom.
The back creates an open space for cables and power,
and the bottom panel is spaced about an inch
from the back panel, to allow for additional airflow.
The bottom panel is then attached to the bottom rail.
Now we can cut a few holes, for power,
wire grommets, and a ventilation fan.
Using a jig, I can drill holes for adjustable shelves.
To join the lengths to the panel, I'll use dominos.
Ya know, I've made a lot of mortise and tenon joints
in my life, and sometimes it's just nice to do
woodworking on easy mode.
Here's the right pedestal, dry assembled, no glue yet.
We can also cut mortises and assemble the left pedestal,
which features three drawers.
So now let's fancy up our legs.
With a series of cuts at the table-saw, the bulk is removed,
and the rest of the work is done by hand, at the bench.
Because this thing would be ridiculous to move as one piece,
I'll use knocked down hardware to connect the center panel.
I've been wanting to try the Festool connectors,
so this seemed like a great project for it.
These are incredibly pricey, but if you already
have a domino, and you need knocked down hardware,
it's a really sturdy option.
A much cheaper alternative is the standard
cam-lock hardware that we've all seen
in store bought furniture.
So let's make some drawers.
Dove tails, and box joints are great,
but sometimes it's nice to utilize a simple
reinforced rabbit.
The drawer bottom grove is cut into all the parts,
and the frame is then glued up.
The bottom drawer is actually a file drawer,
so before gluing it together, I'll cut a few notches,
for file hanger rails.
Now we can drive the screws, for extra reinforcement.
The drawer bottom stock is then cut to size,
and installed in each drawer.
The drawer sides I'm using are, soft close undermount style.
The instructions are pretty complicated,
but once you wade through it all,
the installation is actually pretty easy.
On the drawer, we'll use a little jig to help pre-drill
for the locking mechanisms.
And now, for a quick test.
Haza.
The drawer fronts, can now be cut to size
and attached to the drawer boxes.
The oversized hole I drilled, allows for slight adjustment
of the drawer front, after installation.
Just for funzies, I decided to integrate
some sculpted pulls.
The bulk is hollowed out with a core box bit,
for the finger area, and then the front is roughly shaped,
at the bandsaw.
The final shape is refined at the workbench.
The idea here is to create an illusion that the pull
was carved out of the drawer front, itself.
So I'll remove a strip of material from
the top of the drawer front.
And now the pull can be glued into place.
What's a big giant desk, without a hidden drawer?
Nothing, so we'll make one.
I'll install a wide drawer under the left pedestal.
The key to the illusion is using the bottom inside rail,
as a false front, when it's closed,
it's completely concealed.
Now let's work on a door.
The parts are cut to size, and then I can do a traditional
loose mortise and tenon joint.
I could use the domino again, but in the guild
I like to show multiple ways to get things done.
This simple shop-made jig, makes it easy
to cut the mortises.
The great thing about loose mortise and tenons
is that it's pretty easy to make perfect fitting tenons.
Before gluing up the frame, we can cut the rabbit
for the glass.
Now I'll install a grid work of muntins,
which is perhaps my favorite word in woodworking.
I'll measure and cut the muntins,
so that they crossover with half lives.
Then I can drop the muntins in the frame,
and mark the shoulders for rabbits on the ends.
Next I scribe the muntins, into the frame's rabbit,
so that we can make some little notches
to accept the muntins.
The muntin grid is then glued into place.
Muntin, muntin, muntin.
To install the knife hinges, I'll actually use some
CA glue to hold the hinge in place,
while I scribe around the perimeter.
Next I'll route the bulk, and cleanup the mortise
with a chisel.
Finally we can glue the right pedestal together.
Now that everything is assembled,
we can test the fit of the door.
The door needs a handle, so I think a modified version
of the drawer pull should look nice.
To prevent the door from swinging in too far,
we can install a stop.
A magnet helps keep the door closed.
The desk panels will receive decorative styles,
with slight tapers.
These are just glued and pinned in place.
The front of the desk gets two unique styles
that make good use of sapwood.
The wire gutter is pretty simple to make,
and connects between the two pedestals.
Now for the top, I'm actually going to intentionally
put sapwood into two of my joints.
There are two types of people in this world,
those who enjoy the look of sapwood,
and those who are wrong in the head.
The top is then shaped with an alcove on the user's side,
and a gentle curve on the front.
(lighthearted guitar music)
To allow wires to pass through the desktop,
I'll route a little access hole.
The lid, is cut to fit, and features a little gap
for the wires, with a shape that mimics the top.
I also bleached this piece so that it matches up
with the sapwood.
Whenever designing furniture, try to find tasteful ways
to echo shapes and color elements throughout the project,
to make the piece more cohesive.
Now I'll locate and route the recess
for my wireless charger.
Installing it like this, allows it to be
completely hidden, while also allowing
easy replacement when the time comes.
The top will be attached to the base using shop-made clips.
The domino does a great job of making these mortises,
but a biscuit joiner or router would work as well.
At the back of the top drawer,
I'll cut a hole for a power outlet.
This one features USB, as well as standard receptacles.
The door requires a glass pane, so I'll cut it to size,
and use my fancy glass cutting mittens to break it.
To hold the glass in place, I'll construct a little
rabbited frame, that'll be screwed to the back of the door.
For the finish, I'll make my own oil, wax blend.
My mix is three cups of polymerized Linseed oil,
one tablespoon of beeswax, two tablespoons of carnauba wax,
and a bucket load of spag love.
You can add more or less wax, depending on the results
you're after, but the more wax you add,
the harder it's gonna be to apply the material
to the surface.
The mixture is slowly heated, and then added
to a squeeze bottle for easy application.
I'll apply the finish using a buffing pad,
on my random orbit sander.
This allows me to spread the finish quickly,
while also driving a thin layer of oil and wax
into the grain.
I can then, wipe off the excess.
I'll use the buffing pad anywhere I can,
and then go manual for the tight spots.
Just so you know, this is by no means,
an incredibly durable finish, it's an all natural,
old school finish that will likely require
maintenance in the future.
But on the plus side, there are no harmful fumes,
it's incredibly easy to apply,
and spot repairs can be done in the future.
Though, as the cherry darkens, a spot repair
can become an eye sore, but this is no time for logic,
let's just enjoy the cherry, coming to life.
I applied a total of three coats, with at least 24 hours
between each one; oil takes a long time to cure.
Now I can install my electronics.
And cut my file hanger bars, and then move this beast
into the office.
Now if you want more details on this build,
you should definitely checkout the Wood Whisperer Guild.
I've got over 20 videos on this project alone,
showing you every detail from top to bottom,
as well as a full set of plans, and a sketch up model,
and of course I'm there to help you along the way
if you have trouble.
And this year we've actually added a bunch
of new instructors to the guild,
and I think you're gonna be interested in the things
that they're building, and the stuff that they can bring
to the table as well.
So be sure to check that out, in the meantime,
I've got very important things to do today.
(bouncy electronic music)