15 Foot built in desk surface help

[Luke Cobrae]

http://i1129.photobucket.com/albums/m503/flocktothewall/Woodworking/Desk-Construction.jpg

I attached a picture of a buit in desk that I am about to make. I had thought about doing a laminate countertop, but after thinking about it I think I'd like to do a Maple top, with white painted cabinets and drawers. Being this is a buit in and not a "furniture" item I'd rather not use solid wood.


The desk surface is 15' long by 28" deep. Do you think 3/4" Maple Ply with a strip in the middle and on the sides perpendicular to the long grain of the plywood would work well? Edge banded of course with solid maple.


Something like this for the top:
http://i1129.photobucket.com/albums/m503/flocktothewall/Woodworking/Desk-Surface.jpg



Do you think using plywood as the strips ( like rails and stiles) to break up the seams would be wise or should I use a solid peice of wood the same thickness of the plywood?


Should I do this with a thinner ply say 1/2" and attach it to a substrate like MDF?


Veneer sheets are pricy where I am at $90+, and I have a few sheets of 1/2" Maple left over from another project thus my thought using left overs. As well as I've never veneered anything bigger than a picture frame and I don't think I have the tools or skill to make it look good.


Any guidance would be appreciated.

[John R Hoppe]

At 15' X 28" I assume you plan to build it in place. If so, you could put the seams over the center cabinet to stay clear of the desk work surfaces. Another idea would be to build it out of solid surface material and it would be one continuous snooth work surface.

[Prashun Patel]

I would use 3/4" ply with a second layer or an mdf layer underneath. I think your design will work; assuming you don't mind the seam. Maple ply will be hard to 'sand flush' so you might have to live with any slight inconsistency at the seams.

I'm not sure yr saving much $$ vs an edge-glued up solid top, though. If 16' sticks are too pricey, then you can stagger the joints (think bowling alley). That's a lot of work though. I made a 12' bartop like that. It works well, but is time consuming.

If you use ply, make sure the top veneer is nice and thick and can withstand moderate sanding to bring it flush with it's adjacent mates.

[johnny means]

I just finished a 60 ft long radiused countertop in maple. I did pretty much exactly what you have in mind. Worked and looked great. I would advise you to leave the solid edging just a hair proud in order to protect the plywood edges.

[joe milana]

Just finished one here too. Not 60' though!!!:eek: Mine was painted, but I constructed it exactly as you describe. I used two layers of 3/4" ply & staggered the joints. Two pieces on the top, three pieces on the bottom. Banded the middle, ends, and front edge, just as in your drawing. As johnny mentioned, I left the hardwood proud, and carefully planed & scraped flush. I made a template so I could fabricate & finish off site. Fit like a glove. :cool:
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[Luke Cobrae]

Perfect guys thanks! I had considered trying to use a maple laminate with solid wood edging and I may just see what the local cabinet maker would charge to do that. I am intimidated by Laminate, don't know why. Yes, it is a built in, not taking this with me when the house sells :)

Thanks for the tip on leaving the edge a bit proud! Brilliant!

[Kevin Bourque]

Why not use maple T&G flooring for the top? ( Not the prefinished stuff) You could use a contasting wood for the front and sides.

[joe milana]

I just finished a 60 ft long radiused countertop in maple. I did pretty much exactly what you have in mind. Worked and looked great. I would advise you to leave the solid edging just a hair proud in order to protect the plywood edges.

Now that's cool. Looks just like the new school just built in our neighborhood. Cape cod houses & all. How'd you get all the angles right?

[johnny means]

Now that's cool. Looks just like the new school just built in our neighborhood. Cape cod houses & all. How'd you get all the angles right?

The job was templated on site. Then the segments were built a little long then seamed on site with a tracksaw.

It actually is a new school that's opening next month.

[Jamie Buxton]

I just finished a 60 ft long radiused countertop in maple. I did pretty much exactly what you have in mind. Worked and looked great. I would advise you to leave the solid edging just a hair proud in order to protect the plywood edges.

How did you do that?

The black columns look structural to me -- that is, they were installed long before the cabinets. Yet the wood seems to surround the pole without any seams.

And how do you get the edging exactly flush with the veneered panel -- accurate to a few thousandths?

[Bruce Page]

Beautiful work Johnny, it looks like quite an undertaking. I am also curious about the how you did the cabinets with the black support column.

[Sam Murdoch]

If I were doing this I would use 3/4" maple ply for the entire top set on 3/4" x 3" +/- rips on the underside. The middle bands would be plywood too. The front edge would be solid wood 3/4" to 7/8" thick x 1-1/2" to 1-3/4" tall. My joinery for all connections - even the front edge - would be biscuits or dominos. I would NOT leave the joints proud but I would slightly ease or radius all the edges, ever so slightly - 1/16" radius is very nearly too big. This easing of the edges will allow for slight irregularities in the ply thickness. This is a detail I use very very often - were I flush face frames to plywood sides, or attach solid shelf edges to plywood shelves, or solid wood to c-tops just as you are doing here. It creates a detail or a paint break, and becomes unnoticeable by the user of the surfaces. You can still sand the joint after glue up in order to get flush, but with ply I usually just leave the joint as is with the domino or biscuit alignment. Clean the glue ease out with a wet cloth and square putty knife. Yes, I would not hesitate to use prefinished plywood.

Here are a couple of examples of this eased "flush joint". In this case the joint is solid wood to solid wood and done around window trim. Here too - the easing is a bit more than I would use on a shelf edge or counter top but I think it is a decent illustrations. Sorry I don't have a clear cabinet photo.


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[Peter Quinn]

I'd be inclined to use soft maple, do the top in solid, and make it in three sections. I pay nearly $75/sheet for 3/4" maple ply, that top would take two sheets, at just over $3/bf the soft maple is cheaper for me, and way way stronger for a desk top. My wife has a plywood desk top with solid edging in her office (I didn't make it) and it delaminated beneath where her lap top sits, it looks terrible just a few years into it. I suppose it depends on how you will use it ultimately, but commercial plywood is pretty much non repairable and can't take too many hits.

If you look at Johnny's pics, notice how the cabinets that surround the columns bump forward just a bit? We do this sort of thing a lot where I work, around farm sinks, for long runs of counter, stoves, etc. A break front provides a perfect visual and construction break to eliminate having to fabricate 16' counters and its quite pleasing to the eye. You could make two maybe 6' counters for the ends where the desks will be and use an edge banded plywood top for the center section, or do all three as solids. You can jack miter the edge trim to rap the bump out, connect the three sections with plywood splines for alignment and counter top bolts to hold it all together. We usually include scribes where top meets wall to make installation easier and more seamless. Where the bump out occurs you could dress up the FF a bit to make it look like columns with plinths beneath them, possibly fluted or half sections of a turned column (can buy those pre made). Gives it a real rich look with just a little extra planing and effort.

If you go with solids it might be easier to contact the local cabinet maker you mentioned and see if he will run the counters throughout the wide belt sander, makes short work of preparing a counter top. You mentioned you have reservations about edge gluing solids, this would be a great opportunity to over come those! Its really a very simple process if you have a jointer and a decent TS.

[johnny means]

Peter, the ops top would only require a single sheet of ply ripped in half, if he used 2" edging.

The panels around the columns are actually made in two pieces. The rear half of the plywood panel slides out from between the side pieces on spline. Kind of looked like a stockade when disassembled. If you look closely you can see the joint coming from the side of the column.

[scott vroom]

We shop-built a 12.5' desktop from glued up 5/4 rift and quartered white oak last year. Personally I'd avoid plywood on a worktop due to the hyper-thin veneer and the difficulty to repair dings/deep scratches. 5/4 maple runs around $3.75/bf in my area.....cheaper than plywood and would look nicer IMO.

[Bruce Page]

Peter, the ops top would only require a single sheet of ply ripped in half, if he used 2" edging.

The panels around the columns are actually made in two pieces. The rear half of the plywood panel slides out from between the side pieces on spline. Kind of looked like a stockade when disassembled. If you look closely you can see the joint coming from the side of the column.

Ahh, I see it now. Boy, you have to look closely to see it.

[Peter Quinn]

Peter, the ops top would only require a single sheet of ply ripped in half, if he used 2" edging.

The panels around the columns are actually made in two pieces. The rear half of the plywood panel slides out from between the side pieces on spline. Kind of looked like a stockade when disassembled. If you look closely you can see the joint coming from the side of the column.


Johnny, how do you figure? He wants to finish at 28" counter depth, split a sheet for 24", add 2" edging, I only see 26". I suppose you are adding 2" at the back too? I'd probably add it all to the front personally if going that route, I don't like the visual interruption at the wall on a built in.

[Luke Cobrae]

Scott that is a gorgeous built in! Pretty much exactly what I would like to do, white cabinets with a natural top. I had a guy that I have in the past bought soft maple from for $2 b/f who gets maple from an Amish connection he has in the mid west and has his brother (Who is a trucker) haul it for him when he is in the area. My reservations from solid tops would be the lack of tools needed and shops in my area with the ability to sand smooth/flush a large counter top.

Say I was to take Scott's look of solid wood, and apply Johnny's protrusion to make something like this:
http://i1129.photobucket.com/albums/m503/flocktothewall/Woodworking/WorkDeskLoftv3.jpg

With the idea of eventually (call it Phase 2) putting a bookshelf in the middle for a flat TV and some nicknacks.

You guys are totally inspiring me! Again thanks so much!

Would you still recommend a solid top?