Mesquite Desk

[alex grams]

I started a few weeks ago on a mesquite desk for a fellow Ag. We went back and forth on deciding on a walnut slab top, but the costs were pretty rediculous to get a slab shipping in, so we ultimately settled on a mesquite desk, given that I could get some nice mesquite from South Texas cheaper than walnut from Idaho, Pennsylvania or Oregon.


First was to find a bookmatch set of boards I could make a 60" x 30" desktop from:


http://i613.photobucket.com/albums/tt220/alexgrams/Mesquite%20Desk/MesquiteDesk017_zps986b78ca.jpg


Then to level each board and thickness them. One was about 1/4" thicker than the other, and I don't have a machine large enough to level them, so I made a few rails with a bridge for a router to move back and forth on. I put an end mill bit on, and went back and forth with the router on the rails removing about 1/16" at a time. I don't think my garage has ever been dustier, but it worked.


Then it was time to epoxy the cracks. Just some two part epoxy with a few drops of a dye to blacken the epoxy.




Glued together:
http://i613.photobucket.com/albums/tt220/alexgrams/Mesquite%20Desk/MesquiteDesk034_zpsacf5d882.jpg


To keep the width at the middle where the boards bowed in, I cut them so they had a gap I could fill with some inlay.


Inlay (I just found some other mesquite that had a similar curve in the grain, bookmatched that, and then inlaid it into the gap.


http://i613.photobucket.com/albums/tt220/alexgrams/Mesquite%20Desk/MesquiteDesk048_zps50499815.jpg


Full slab with gap filled
http://i613.photobucket.com/albums/tt220/alexgrams/Mesquite%20Desk/MesquiteDesk068_zps42755034.jpg


I then inlaid a couple of cocobolo butterfly dovetails across some cracks for accents and stability against the cracks spreading any more:


http://i613.photobucket.com/albums/tt220/alexgrams/Mesquite%20Desk/MesquiteDesk045_zpsb5a0f33d.jpg





Dry fit testing the framing:
http://i613.photobucket.com/albums/tt220/alexgrams/Mesquite%20Desk/MesquiteDesk037_zps369bbd0e.jpg


Raised panels inset for fitting testing:
http://i613.photobucket.com/albums/tt220/alexgrams/Mesquite%20Desk/MesquiteDesk076_zps323dd040.jpg




About all that is left is sanding down the top, making the drawers, and finishing everything. I got the lower cabinet panels oiled, then glued up the lower cabinets.
http://i613.photobucket.com/albums/tt220/alexgrams/Mesquite%20Desk/MesquiteDesk101_zps5e5f3a37.jpg
http://i613.photobucket.com/albums/tt220/alexgrams/Mesquite%20Desk/MesquiteDesk104_zps11e893ed.jpg



Then once glued up, I sanded the new joints from the glue up, the re-oilled everything to match:
http://i613.photobucket.com/albums/tt220/alexgrams/Mesquite%20Desk/MesquiteDesk131_zps5a454eae.jpg
http://i613.photobucket.com/albums/tt220/alexgrams/Mesquite%20Desk/MesquiteDesk136_zpsa4d518e2.jpg




I then cut the hardware for the mid panel. It is bed hardware that I adopted to work on the front panel, two hooks that mount on each side of the mid panel that slide into plates inset in the cabinets.
http://i613.photobucket.com/albums/tt220/alexgrams/Mesquite%20Desk/MesquiteDesk119_zps40c9999f.jpg


The I cut up the runners and spanners on the lower cabinets. The drawers are going to run on waxed runners. There is about 3/32"-1/8" gap between the drawer height and the runners, so it will be pretty tight against the drawer being sloppy.
http://i613.photobucket.com/albums/tt220/alexgrams/Mesquite%20Desk/MesquiteDesk140_zpsa0a814fc.jpg
http://i613.photobucket.com/albums/tt220/alexgrams/Mesquite%20Desk/MesquiteDesk145_zps95680039.jpg
http://i613.photobucket.com/albums/tt220/alexgrams/Mesquite%20Desk/MesquiteDesk149_zpsc9464c93.jpg

The dovetails on the drawers are cut, and I've got the bottoms for the drawers made up. I am going to add some slots in the sidewalls of the top drawers to put in removable dividers parallel to the drawer face. Once I get the drawers done, it will just be lots of sanding to finish the top. The finish schedule is boiled linseed oil and waterlox.

[Mark Valsi]

wow, beauuuuuutiful !!! love that wood !!

[Justin Coon]

What a great looking desk! Your fellow Ag will be proud to showcase that piece in his office. Please post pics once finished. That's a piece to be proud of right there!

[Jim Tobias]

Beautiful desk! I like the design lines you chose and the wood is fantastic! I like walnut fine....but this will turn out to be much more unique and appealing than a big walnut slab.
Your friend will be HAPPY!

Jim

[Sam Murdoch]

Very nice in all respects. Great work mating the two slabs and getting them flat and useful. Yeah, this will be a unique piece!

[Michael Weber]

Pretty doggone speechless. Wow!

[Lori Kleinberg]

That is going to be one great looking desk. Thank you for sharing the process.

[Andrew Hughes]

Looks good Alex, mesquite is not easy to work, it's hard as ebony and heavy too.Cant even imagine how much your desk will weigh? I have worked with it too much because its so expensive out here and not nearly as nice as your stock.But I did find it very stable,and that's nice.
I remember running some thru my planer and thinking I never heard it sound like that before.I was sure it was going to break something.Its so dense.Looking forward to seeing the desk all together thanks for sharing.Andrew

[Clay Bockart]

Beautiful. I'm a fellow Ag also ('94). Will you make me one next and bring it up to Nebraska. Beautiful.

[Jim Becker]

That's one very beautiful project!

[Jeff Monson]

Nice Alex! Don't see much with mesquite, but it looks great. Did you get any breakout or how did raising the panels with the cracks go?

[alex grams]

Jeff, I had the same concern on the raised panels. I have a pm2700 shaper with power feeder, and I did the first as a standards cut on the shaper, and had just the slightest amount of tearout (fortunately on the tongue that sits into the frame, so not visible). But after that, for the rest of the panels, I used the power feeder and switched to a climb cut and had no problems.

It is certainly a fun wood to work with, and has such character. It is hard as a rock though.

I have the drawers all done, and am doing a few touchups on the top, once I get the top sanded down I will be able to start with the linseed oil and the waterlox. I will post some pictures soon.

[alex grams]

some progress:

Some progress coming down the home stretch:

The top is sanded down and has the first coat of oil drying:

http://i613.photobucket.com/albums/tt220/alexgrams/Mesquite%20Desk/MesquiteDesk168_zps124df14c.jpg

All of the drawers are dovetailed and glued up
http://i613.photobucket.com/albums/tt220/alexgrams/Mesquite%20Desk/MesquiteDesk169_zps135fef1e.jpg

http://i613.photobucket.com/albums/tt220/alexgrams/Mesquite%20Desk/MesquiteDesk165_zps6c0b2a4d.jpg

And the mesquite cutoffs were used to smoke a pork shoulder over the weekend!

http://i613.photobucket.com/albums/tt220/alexgrams/Mesquite%20Desk/MesquiteDesk156_zps7dc9df0c.jpg

Now it is just a process to wipe on 5-6 coats of oil on the entire desk, put the drawer stops in, and mount the hardware.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Alex,

I really like the desk, the wood and your attention to detail. The pork shoulder looks great too!

[Thomas Bank]

Beautiful piece of work!

[alex grams]

I got the hardware put on and all of the final coats on the desk (about 6 coats of a varnish). The lighting in that room does not show well, too yellow, but I moved it out of the garage until delivery so it doesn't get banged up)

http://i613.photobucket.com/albums/tt220/alexgrams/Mesquite%20Desk/MesquiteDesk184_zpsbd1ab0db.jpg (http://s613.photobucket.com/user/alexgrams/media/Mesquite%20Desk/MesquiteDesk184_zpsbd1ab0db.jpg.html)

http://i613.photobucket.com/albums/tt220/alexgrams/Mesquite%20Desk/MesquiteDesk183_zps94a54e19.jpg (http://s613.photobucket.com/user/alexgrams/media/Mesquite%20Desk/MesquiteDesk183_zps94a54e19.jpg.html)

http://i613.photobucket.com/albums/tt220/alexgrams/Mesquite%20Desk/MesquiteDesk179_zps52e1ce1d.jpg (http://s613.photobucket.com/user/alexgrams/media/Mesquite%20Desk/MesquiteDesk179_zps52e1ce1d.jpg.html)

http://i613.photobucket.com/albums/tt220/alexgrams/Mesquite%20Desk/MesquiteDesk177_zps9df0dd20.jpg (http://s613.photobucket.com/user/alexgrams/media/Mesquite%20Desk/MesquiteDesk177_zps9df0dd20.jpg.html)

http://i613.photobucket.com/albums/tt220/alexgrams/Mesquite%20Desk/MesquiteDesk175_zps7537f383-1.jpg (http://s613.photobucket.com/user/alexgrams/media/Mesquite%20Desk/MesquiteDesk175_zps7537f383-1.jpg.html)

http://i613.photobucket.com/albums/tt220/alexgrams/Mesquite%20Desk/MesquiteDesk173_zps7c6e1bdf.jpg (http://s613.photobucket.com/user/alexgrams/media/Mesquite%20Desk/MesquiteDesk173_zps7c6e1bdf.jpg.html)

[Paul Murphy]

Wow, that is a classy desk! You make it look almost easy Alex, and yet I know how much work goes into one. That mesquite is so rich, I'm glad you were able to use it.

[Anne Coarr]

Love the grain in the top. I can't wait to see the finished piece too. The linseed oil and the waterlox should really make the whole desk pop! Are the drawers going to have a specific type of handles/hardware?

[Brent Ring]

Way Cool!! Love the Top! Nice execution on the design across the board!

[Bruce Page]

That's a looker!

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/images/icons/icon14.pnghttp://www.sawmillcreek.org/images/icons/icon14.png Well done! http://www.sawmillcreek.org/images/icons/icon14.pnghttp://www.sawmillcreek.org/images/icons/icon14.png