widefault
05-09-2009, 12:54 AM
I moved into an apartment closer to my job last summer and bought an el-cheapo desk from Office Max as a "temporary" desk. This one (http://www.officemax.com/office-furniture/desks-credenzas-workcenters/desks/workcenters/product-prod1840010?history=rmgcggvm|categoryId~10001^cate goryName~Office+Furniture^parentCategoryID~categor y_root^prodPage~25^region~1@e8zpiarb|categoryId~ca t1390010^categoryName~desks-credenzas-workcenters^parentCategoryID~cat_10001^prodPage~25 ^region~1^refine~1@exdl89g7|categoryId~38^category Name~Desks^parentCategoryID~cat_cat1390010^prodPag e~25^region~1^refine~1@oyl1b6e2|prodPage~15^refine ~1^region~1^categoryName~Workcenters^categoryId~18 1^parentCategoryID~cat_38@r0177fet|prodPage~15^sor t~Price+(Low-High)^refine~1^position~1^region~1). It was too shallow, and since I run dual monitors on a single mount, it was also somewhat unstable. Really didn't like it, but the temporary desk ended up being used for 9 months. Then I went to four LCDs, and the little desk felt like it was ready to fall over backwards.
I had been drawing and redrawing a design for a new desk for the last few months, but hadn't gotten around to building it because 1.) I have no way of cutting material where I am, and 2.) even if I did I don't have a vehicle large enough to carry the material. Since I knew I'd be buying everything at the Home Depot that's near my place, I could have had it cut there, but I still had the issue of transporting it back here.
Anyway, a couple weeks back I had a small epiphany and realized I could change a few dimensions and get a better desk than I had originally drawn.
Result is this beast.
http://www.widefault.com/desk/desk01.jpg
A little over 6 feet wide, 3 feet deep, 33" tall on the far end, 30.5" up by the monitors, and the keyboard area is 28". The keyboard and top shelf are both 24"deep, overlapping the keyboard shelf which gave me a good place to stash another keyboard and mouse for my test systems and projects as well as a Dell Mini 9 netbook.
http://www.widefault.com/desk/desk04.jpg
Holes have been drilled for cables, one on the privacy panel and one into the "box" on the far end.
http://www.widefault.com/desk/desk06.jpg
http://www.widefault.com/desk/desk05.jpg
The "Box" is two feet wide and three feet deep. Right now I only have my UPS and a Cosmos in there, but once I get my new longer cables I'll be throwing another UPS and most of my networking gear into it. I've added a set of shelves on top of the box, but don't have any pics of that yet.
http://www.widefault.com/desk/desk02.jpg
http://www.widefault.com/desk/desk07.jpg
Total cost to build was $88.36 with screws. Would have been a bit cheaper if I had started with full 4x8 sheets of MDF. All 3/4" MDF, held together with screws. I have some worry about sagging on the keyboard area, but there's not a lot of weight there so it should be okay. Took about 4 hours to put it all together. It's not painted, and won't be, so it'll look crappy pretty quickly, but this was about function and not style.
Again, I need to take more pics, but I'm waiting for longer cables so I can get everything situated properly.
I had been drawing and redrawing a design for a new desk for the last few months, but hadn't gotten around to building it because 1.) I have no way of cutting material where I am, and 2.) even if I did I don't have a vehicle large enough to carry the material. Since I knew I'd be buying everything at the Home Depot that's near my place, I could have had it cut there, but I still had the issue of transporting it back here.
Anyway, a couple weeks back I had a small epiphany and realized I could change a few dimensions and get a better desk than I had originally drawn.
Result is this beast.
http://www.widefault.com/desk/desk01.jpg
A little over 6 feet wide, 3 feet deep, 33" tall on the far end, 30.5" up by the monitors, and the keyboard area is 28". The keyboard and top shelf are both 24"deep, overlapping the keyboard shelf which gave me a good place to stash another keyboard and mouse for my test systems and projects as well as a Dell Mini 9 netbook.
http://www.widefault.com/desk/desk04.jpg
Holes have been drilled for cables, one on the privacy panel and one into the "box" on the far end.
http://www.widefault.com/desk/desk06.jpg
http://www.widefault.com/desk/desk05.jpg
The "Box" is two feet wide and three feet deep. Right now I only have my UPS and a Cosmos in there, but once I get my new longer cables I'll be throwing another UPS and most of my networking gear into it. I've added a set of shelves on top of the box, but don't have any pics of that yet.
http://www.widefault.com/desk/desk02.jpg
http://www.widefault.com/desk/desk07.jpg
Total cost to build was $88.36 with screws. Would have been a bit cheaper if I had started with full 4x8 sheets of MDF. All 3/4" MDF, held together with screws. I have some worry about sagging on the keyboard area, but there's not a lot of weight there so it should be okay. Took about 4 hours to put it all together. It's not painted, and won't be, so it'll look crappy pretty quickly, but this was about function and not style.
Again, I need to take more pics, but I'm waiting for longer cables so I can get everything situated properly.