Modern Mission Style Desk (pic heavy)

[John A. Schaefer]

My computer desk project has been keeping my pretty busy since May, when I purchased rough-sawn cherry lumber, until today when we finally moved it from the basement into the office. *The pictures below show the transformation (at least at the points where I remembered to take pictures).:o

The desk surface is roughly 72x36 inches, and is made from four pieces of solid cherry approximately one inch thick. The leg posts are about three and a quarter square, the spreaders are about two by three, and the spindles are all about one inch square. There are two 16 inch square drawers in the front and two wiring grommets in desk surface. Underneath is a cable organizing shelf and heavy-duty metal power strip.

After a lot of debate in my head, I ended up dying the piece to even out the color of the sapwood.:eek: (I know, I know - you shouldn't need artificially color cherry. But the sapwood was too much to ignore, as you can see in the pics.)

Finishing schedule was 3 coats of Charles Neil's Blotch Control, 1 quick application of General Finishes Vintage Cherry Dye, and then topped with High Endurance semi-gloss (3 coats on everything but the desk surface, which got 8 coats).

I call it a Modern Mission style. I personally don't like the grain patterns in oak, so I made my desk from cherry. The wiring grommets and drawer handles are sleek and modern, but I think that they complement the Mission style.

Compared to the craftsmanship that I've seen in many of the other posts on the forums, this is pretty tame. But since it's really only the second big piece I've taken on - and the first one that's not painted - I'm very happy with the results.

(Now I just have to install the baseboard that you can see missing in the pics...):D

Straight from the Mill:
http://www.ignorantutopia.com/mental/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/desk-01.jpg

http://www.ignorantutopia.com/mental/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/desk-03.jpg

http://www.ignorantutopia.com/mental/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/desk-04.jpg

http://www.ignorantutopia.com/mental/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/desk-08.jpg

http://www.ignorantutopia.com/mental/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/desk-09.jpg

http://www.ignorantutopia.com/mental/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/desk-13.jpg

[Brett Robson]

Great job! That top you built looks fantastic! I'm impressed with the success you had with finishing the top to eliminate the sapwood. Your fine craftsmanship is well represented in this piece!

[John A. Schaefer]

Brett-
Thanks for the kind words. There was a lot of research involved - which included reading a lot of posts here on the Creek! I also found Bob Flexner's book Understanding Wood Finishes to be invaluable in getting the top coat to come out like I wanted.

[Mark Valsi]

Very nice !

[Abi Parris]

Wow! A fine piece - both in craftmanship & finishing.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Very, very nice John! I like it even in cherry.

[Jim Becker]

That's truly a beautiful desk!

[Prashun Patel]

Beautiful and solid quality.

I am particularly impressed by your finish. Really nice work.

[Jeff Hamilton Jr.]

Beautiful and solid quality.

I am particularly impressed by your finish. Really nice work.

Couldn't have said it better.

And, piggy-backing on Ken's statement, I especially like it in Cherry!

[brian c miller]

Great looking desk, the finish looks awesome but I am a little confused by the 1980's dell keyboard?

[Don Bullock]

...
After a lot of debate in my head, I ended up dying the piece to even out the color of the sapwood.:eek: (I know, I know - you shouldn't need artificially color cherry. But the sapwood was too much to ignore, as you can see in the pics.)

Finishing schedule was 3 coats of Charles Neil's Blotch Control, 1 quick application of General Finishes Vintage Cherry Dye, and then topped with High Endurance semi-gloss (3 coats on everything but the desk surface, which got 8 coats).

It sure looks like the dye with the blotch control worked well. The top looks great!!!!!


I call it a Modern Mission style. I personally don't like the grain patterns in oak, so I made my desk from cherry. The wiring grommets and drawer handles are sleek and modern, but I think that they complement the Mission style.

The desk looks fine in cherry. Mission style doesn't always have to be done on oak.


Compared to the craftsmanship that I've seen in many of the other posts on the forums, this is pretty tame. But since it's really only the second big piece I've taken on - and the first one that's not painted - I'm very happy with the results.

Don't sell yourself short on your project. For your "second bog piece" and the first not to be painted you've done very well.


(Now I just have to install the baseboard that you can see missing in the pics...):D

I can sure identify with the missing baseboard. After doing a lot of carpentry projects, etc. I'm finally getting back to actually making furniture. Like you, some of the carpentry projects are going to have to wait until I have a few furniture projects done. Today was the first day I can remember when I actually spent most of the day working on a table.:D Sorry -- It's a Macintosh table made out of QSWO.:eek: If all goes well it should be ready to post in a week or so.

[Michael Dromey]

Very nice work John!! Keep up to the good work.

[John A. Schaefer]

Thanks all for the feedback (and encouragement). Now I just have to figure out what to tackle next.

Brian- The old Dell keyboard is a mechanical keyboard - not one of the new quiet scissor-key loaded type. It's very reminiscent of the original IBM PC keyboard - very nice key travel, makes the true "clicky" noises that the new ones just can't do. There's a USB to PS/2 converter tucked under the laptop so that I can actually use it. (If you haven't used a true mechanical keyboard, you don't know what you're missing IMHO. :) The family thought I'd lost my mind because of my exuberant reaction when I finally found this in the moving boxes last year.)

[Eric DeSilva]

There are a couple companies still making real keyboards, just in case your dell gets trashed. I've got both a DAS keyboard and a Deck keyboard and both are real mechanical switches. I still want my DEC VT-100 keyboard back, but these will do.

And, nice job on the desk!

[Mike Allen1010]

great job John! I love the simplicity of the craftsman style design that really shows off the true beauty of the book matched cherry top - IMO you hit the combination of design and would choice right on the nose!


Thanks also for the details on finishing. Keep up the good work and I look forward to seeing more of what you're doing in the future!

Best regards, Mike

[brian c miller]

Call me nuts but I have the imac too and I love the key board. It's tiny, wireless, and the keys fell just right. I never used a typewriter so maybe I'm missing out on the click click click of a mechanical qwerty.