Executive-style Desk

[Dan Schocke]

I haven't made many posts on this forum, but I finally finished a project and thought I would share. This desk took a little longer than forever to complete (almost 8 years :o from start to end date) -- mostly because I'm not very enamored with the process of applying finish and the number of raised panels to stain and sand and varnish added to my mental blockade. The desk is based off of a plan from a Woodsmith book, with a few modifications to make it work with raised panels and a pencil drawer in the middle. Primary wood is hard maple. Drawer boxes are poplar. Top is cherry plywood with a walnut strip inlay on the border and maple frame.

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As they say, done is better than perfect :)... My wife is excited to finally fill that spot in the kitchen/breakfast nook that was begging for a desk.

--Dan

[Gary Yoder]

Wow, that is the exact same desk that got me in to woodworking. My wife asked her grandfather if he would make her a desk. He said he would if I would help.... I got hooked! Beautiful desk, and it brought back good memories. Thanks for sharing:)

[Mel Fulks]

I like it ,especially the top. Panels in the knee well is a nice "deluxe" feature,too. See one thing I would change...it's obvious that the segment curve was laid out with a bent stick instead of trammel points.

[Bruce Volden]

Two words.

SHOW OFF!

I really like this.

Bruce

[Wayne Lomman]

Dan, you can justifiably be proud of the work. And to top it off, the wife is happy! Keep it up.

[glenn bradley]

Beautiful clean traditional lines. Just think of it as a fine wine; it could not be served until it had aged properly.

[Mike Ontko]

very nice, and it looks like it should have taken about eight years :)

[Gregory Carles]

8 years- WOW. I'm the opposite, once I start a project I got to get it done. Nice looking desk. That would almost be better sitting in the middle of a room so you could see all the panels on the back too.

[Frederick Skelly]

I'd be proud to have built that desk!

[Dan Schocke]

Thanks for the comments everyone, they are really appreciated. I'm definitely proud of the desk, but at the same time I can see big differences in my own skill level when I look at the work i did 8 years ago vs. what was done recently. It is somewhat cool to see a sample of several years all in the same piece and humbling at the same time.


8 years- WOW. I'm the opposite, once I start a project I got to get it done. Nice looking desk. That would almost be better sitting in the middle of a room so you could see all the panels on the back too.

I know 8 years is way too long to work on a project like this. It just became one of those things that I kept putting off -- kind of like going to the doctor... If you're used to going every year for a physical it's super easy to keep that schedule, but if you fall off that track it's easy to find other distractions that keep you from scheduling an appointment with the doc. I found all kinds of other projects to build along the way instead of working on "the desk" :). I think I'm back on track now.

--Dan

[John Cascone]

Awesome work!

[Brett Luna]

Very nice work, indeed. As Mel alluded, I really like that it is a 360° piece...there isn't a side of that isn't worthy of showing off.