Best way to do multiboard desk surface?

[Brendan Plavis]

Heres the issue: The sheet Of melomine I got, is now not fitting correctly, at all. It refuses to sit correctly. I spent over an hour banging away at it with a rubber mallet. I happened to have a scrap board sitting next to me that I tried in the hole. It fits perfectly. Now my question is, how would I go about making a desk surface out of this. I have a couple of these boards, all either 8 or 10ft. My guess is that they will fit. But, I am concerned how to make a decent surface out of this. It has had a drying time of 8-10 years on it, and in addition, it was most likely kiln dried(it was from the owner of our house, who seems to have left them(I just found them, 8 years after moving in.)

Now before it is suggested, I really dont want to be troubled with plywood, since its about $50 a decent sheet, and I am still feeling the wallet sting of that bandsaw.

I have a friend who is the shop teacher at the middle school, who offered his assistance to me, since he has access to a bunch of nice tools(jointer, lathe, BS, nice cabinet saw, planer, sander, et cetera.) So I rekkon that I could edge joint them, tounge and grove them, then plane them, but I was hoping for your take on it...


Thanks

-Brendan

[Lee Schierer]

If the boards are flat use them. Bear in mind that pine may be too soft to write on. Oak will have open grain areas so you may want to use a desk blotter to cover the surface when it is being written on. No need for tongue and groove if you can edge joint them, glue and clamp them flat. Arrange the boards for the best looking surface alternating growth rings if you can, but the appearance of the surface you will see comes first. Use regular wood glue for the glue up. Make sure your surfaces are aligned as you clamp up the boards so you don't have to do a lot of surface planing or sanding after the clamps are removed. Some folks like to use biscuits or dowels in edge joints, but they don't add much if any strength although they may help aligning the boards.

[Brendan Plavis]

Opps... perhaps I should have specified... its not a writing desk, but rather a computer desk. I got tired of the Tiwanese pressboard.

[Robert Reece]

I'm sorry Brendan, I can't understand what you are trying to do. Some piece of melamine you found in the attic won't sit flat and won't go in the hole?

[Leo Devera]

I'm guessing this friend also has a Biscuit Joiner. Put a few to keep the boards aligned during glue up and you'll have a flat top with a tiny bit of sanding.

[ken gibbs]

I made my computer desk console out of walnut and hard maple I milled myself. I used biscuits and took my time to sand and finish it right. Just make sure you design a floating top with breadboard ends so the top can float.

[John Coloccia]

Why doesn't the melomine fit? Why were you hitting it with a mallet? If you cut the melomine just a little too big, it seems like trimming to fit is the way to go.

[Brendan Plavis]

I found some tounge and groove that I think I will try to do. And the melomine wasnt found, I bought it when I started doing the desk, but, its a hair to high. When I was putting in the cut offs to hold it up, I had laid it upside down, then put it in, to ensure that it was flat.... But now its too high up... not to mention its one heavy bugger....

But my issue is, that I stripped a couple of the screws going in, so I cannot really get the piece out, so rather than drilling them out, I would rather just use something that fits... I may bring the whole top in, and see if we cant drill it out(they have an industrial drill press...) And then plane down the frame boards(the rounded edge is whats causing it..) Then use the melomine.... Hey.. I might have solved my own problem.. lol

[Jason Rutkowski]

Can you post some pics? I'm having a really hard time trying to understand whats going on here. Maybe someone else can explain this to me?