UPDATE: Cherry Laptop Desk w/Leather Panels Mucho Pics

[Jason Tuinstra]

Well, another month brings another project to an end. Uh, almost. I have a few details that I need to finish up, but this desk is 99% done.

The design is taken from the Moser catalog. I drew up the plans myself, so it’s not an exact copy. I wanted to be able to hide the cords of the laptop, phone, and lamp, so I built a hidden compartment to manage all the cords. The trick was figuring out how to run one cord from the compartment. My solution was to trim off an 1/8” of the leg, plow out a groove for the a cord and then glue the 1/8” strip back so that it would be invisible. It worked perfect. At the top of the leg, I routed out a groove so that the cord could fit into the compartment. I then mounted a powerstrip into the compartment. The bottom of the compartment is cut so that the drawer face matches the grain. The spinners hold the drawer face in place. I have to put walnut grommets in the top yet, but they haven’t arrived so I’m waiting on this. This is .5% left undone.

The leather panels were mounted on ½” MDF with ¼” cherry ply for the bottom. I opted to have an upholsterer do the leather work for me. I know, I’m a wimp, but it’s safer this way!

The drawers were cut on the Leigh D4 - halfblinds on the front, thru on the back. The only maple I had left in my shop was this tiger maple. I really like the way they turned out. The bottoms are ½” and beveled to ¼” to fit in the grooves. I was going to build secret compartments into the back, but after much debate with my wife, we opted to not put them in. The drawer fronts were cut out in such a way that all the grain matches.

The joints on the top of the table were pegged with ¼” cherry dowel. The legs were pinned with 1/8” walnut pegs.

The other .5% that I need to do is spray with lacquer. Right now the BLO is curing. In a few weeks, I’ll get to work on putting a final coat on.

The next project is to build a chair for the desk. I have it started, but I should probably finish this one up first!

Thanks for looking!

[Jason Tuinstra]

The rest of the pics...

[Vaughn McMillan]

What a shame all you had laying around was that tiger maple. Too bad you didn't have anything flashy to use instead. :)

Beautiful job Jason! Everything about it...design, materials, execution, and finish...are superb.

- Vaughn

[Michael Pfau]

Nice Job Jason...love it..nothing like cherry!

[Jim Becker]

Jason, Jason, Jason...talk about a guy with TWO callings! Once again, you amaze. That desk is really awesome; even better than I knew it would be. And the material. Sheesh! In-Cred-E-Bull!! :D

[Dave Avery]

WOW! Jason. Simple elegance. What did you use for the finish? Dave.

[John Hart]

WOW!!! Just plain gorgeous Jason!

[Keith Burns]

WOW ! WOW ! WOW ! Takes my breath away ! WOW ! :D

[Corey Hallagan]

Very beautiful Jason. Another great piece.

Corey

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Excellent...excellent work Jason! As usual.......

[Tom Hamilton]

Jason: Fabulous desk, beautiful in all respects. How interesting that a "Fisher of Men" is also a woodworker. Hmmm, seems like a familiar concept.

Congrats on completing another wonderful piece. Is it for you or a commission? Blessings, Tom :)

[Dan Oliphant]

Jason,

Not too darn shappy!!!! well done.

[Jason Tuinstra]

Tom, it's funny, many of the pastors that I'm friends with enjoy woodworking as well. What is it about pastors? Hey, are you going to the airshow this weekend? My neighbor is flying his F-18 demonstration in it. He made the papers last week in Moneray CA when he came a wee bit to close the ole' sound barrier.

I built the desk for our bedroom. We actually just put it in and it looks great.

Thanks to everyone else for your kind comments!

[Alan Turner]

Wonderful work, as always, Jason. Very clever on the wires. The Shakers were laptop guys too, I am told.

[Peter Pedisich]

Beautiful.

Pete P.

[Andy Hoyt]

Handsome. Very handsome, indeed.

Congrats.

[Russ Massery]

Another Most Excellent piece Jason. Once again I"m speechless.

[Mark Stutz]

Simply outstanding Jason. Each new peice you show to us seems better than the previuos. And I never get tired of the cherry! :D

[Jason Tuinstra]

WOW! Jason. Simple elegance. What did you use for the finish? Dave.

Dave, sorry I skipped over your question. Right now, I just have a coat of BLO. Later on I'll shoot it with lacquer. That could actually be a bit. My pancake compressor just isn't cutting it for these bigger jobs. I wish I was joking - about the compressor size, that is.

[Shelley Bolster]

Simply stunning Jason! A most impressive piece. :)

[Dave Malen]

Jason,
Really an elegant piece. The cherry apron and drawers grain look great.
You should draw up those plans and sell them.
Dave

[Roy Wall]

Jason,

Another quality piece!! Like Jim B. said..."even better than I thought you'd do"!!

Are the leather sections removable via cleats below? (for finish and spray?...and accidents....?)

Tell me about the drawer cutouts in front....

Another TERRIFIC JOB!!! I always look forward to your work.

[Martin Shupe]

Jason,

Once again, you have raised the bar even higher.

You are incredibly talented, young man.

Keep up the good work.

[Bob Oehler]

What a wonderful desk I love the tiger maple on the drawers.
Bravo

Bob Oehler

[Jason Tuinstra]

Roy, the leather panels are removable and rest in the openings via cleats. I think you can see them in one of the pictures. I haven't screwed them down tight yet. I'm going to wait until it's totally finished.


Martin, "young"? Thanks! My wife will get a kick out of that comment :p :D I'm not over the hill yet, but I'm getting to the point where I can see the top! :eek:

[Steve Wargo]

Excellent Piece. Great design and execution. The leather really set it apart. But in the future if you need some "Normal" maple I'll gladly trade you. Wonderful piece.

[Don Baer]

Tom, it's funny, many of the pastors that I'm friends with enjoy woodworking as well.

Maybe because your boss was a woodworker....:D

Thats another impressive piece and am glad that the leather worked out for you.

[Dan Forman]

So many things to like about this exquisite piece. The matching grain accross the front, the leather segments, figured drawers, hidden cords, and the beautiful wood.

Dan

[John Lucas]

beautiful...

[Keith Outten]

Definately Fine Woodworking...

[Karl Laustrup]

Beautiful desk, Jason.

Innovative and beautiful wood and work also.

'Nuff said. Amen.

Karl

[Dave Richards]

Beautiful desk Jason. I love the details. You did an excellent job.

[Kirk (KC) Constable]

Wow....

That belongs in a magazine for sure.

[Gail O'Rourke]

Jason, It is a beautiful desk and absolutely gorgeous. Your pictures I am sure don't even capture it's beauty in person.

Love the leather. Keep up the good work. Can't wait to see the chair.

[Mike Alagna]

Really nice job. The leather inlays really add the finishing touch. Great details and nice job with the pictures to get all of the details. Very impressive.

[Glenn Clabo]

Sir...you are inspirational in many ways.

[Jay Knoll]

Jason

Fantastic work! Thanks so much for posting

Jay

[Steve Inniss]

Jason:



perfect

Steve

[Martin Lutz]

Inspirational. simply beautiful.

If you reference my signature, your project qualifies.

[Scott Coffelt]

Wow, wow and did I say WOW! I love the wood, design and ingenuity. Furniture with a purpose.

[Jason Tuinstra]

Wow, wow and did I say WOW! I love the wood, design and ingenuity. Furniture with a purpose.

Scott, you're just saying that because you know that I used my FESTOOLs on it :D :p

[Matthew Poeller]

That is just awesome. OK so the wood is really gorgeous and you did a very good job on that but I really YOU GET AN A+ FOR DESIGN FUNCTIONALITY. Your wire concept is just amazing.

[Mike Waddell]

I don't have anything to say that hasn't already been said by many others here, but I still need to say it...

"Wow"

Incredible, detailed work. I love the panel on the bottom of the desk, the use of leather, the Cherry, the pinned mortise and tenon... too much to take in at first glance. Too much.

Mike

[Chad Pater]

Very nice once again!

[Jason Tuinstra]

Here is the desk with the walnut grommets installed. Also, I included a picture of the desk in place, and a picture of the powerstrip. I had to learn how to solder for this one. Thankfully, I didn't burn anything, myself included! :D

[John Hart]

Very cool!! Better be careful...you'll start using it before you get the lacquer on it!

[Andrew Ault]

Wow, what a nice desk.
I like your cord management solution!

- Andy

[Mike Vermeil]

I am so totally stealing that cord through the leg trick. Too cool.

[Bruce Page]

Aside from what everyone else thinks, I think it is veyr nice! :D

[Nathan Hoffman]

Absolutely beautiful! Everything you make seems to be better than the last project.
What is your secret for cutting the drawer fronts so that the grain matches accross? Do you use a bandsaw and get really accruate, or do you cut the piece apart and glue the apron back together?

Even better than the inspiration piece!

[Kevin Murdock]

Absolutely beautiful

Did you happen to take progress pics as you were working on the project? I think I speak for many that it would be cool to see how did the hollow leg, the leather inserts/supports and cut the perfect drawer openings out of the front apron.

Again, WOW!

[Seth Poorman]

Good job Jason

Thats my style:D ....

[Jason Tuinstra]

Thanks everyone for the kind words and comments! You guys and gals are always so very gracious. That's what I love about SMC. You really make this place what it is.




Did you happen to take progress pics as you were working on the project? I think I speak for many that it would be cool to see how did the hollow leg, the leather inserts/supports and cut the perfect drawer openings out of the front apron.

Construction pics: I really don't have a lot and I don't know why I took the ones I did, but here is what I have. Sorry, they're not the best, but they give you some idea as to what I did.

Pic #1 is a two pics of the leg detail. You can see in the picture to the right the 1/8" strip that I cut off if you look closely. It's not perfectly square becuase when I cut the mortise, a bit of the unsupported wood blew out. The left picture shows the angle relief that I cut for the cord. Again, horrible picture, but you can see at least what I did.

Pic #2 is a picture of the bottom of the hidden compartment. I did all the drawer cut outs on the tablesaw by ripping strips and cutting the drawers out, and then gluing the pieces back together and ripping to final width. Making sure that everything was centered how I wanted it was a trick, but careful measuring paid off. I've seen Norm cut drawers out with a PC Trim saw, but I don't like the idea of it not being square. The table saw ensures nice fitting drawers. I'm sure others have their own tricks, but this is the way I learned how.

Hope this helps.

[Joe Unni]

Jason,

I'd like to add...

Thank you for sharing your gift with us.

-joe

[Dan Larson]

Jason,

I agree with all of the superlatives voiced by other posters. You are a fantastic craftsman.

So you mention that you've gotten started on a chair to go with the desk. Would you mind sharing with us what you have in mind-- or do you prefer to keep this under you hat until its finished?

Dan

[Jason Tuinstra]

So you mention that you've gotten started on a chair to go with the desk. Would you mind sharing with us what you have in mind-- or do you prefer to keep this under you hat until its finished?


Mum's the word - only becuase I don't know how to describe it. In my mind, it's a combination of a Moser style chair and a Brian Boggs style chair. Right now, I plan to use black Shaker tape for the seat. We'll see how it turns out. I've never built a chair before.

[Bill Sampson]

Jason,

Thanks for allowing us to visually see the product of your woodworking skills. Your desk is simply beautiful!! You must have a special wife who supports all of your God given talents.

Bill Sampson, Richmond

[Andy Hoyt]

Jason - I've been drooling over your desk all day, but something in the pictures seemed funny to me and have only now realized what it is.

I see that you bread-boarded the long side rather than the short side. While I have no idea if one or the other is traditional, I'll admit that I've only ever seen or done bread-boarding on the short side.

So, I was wondering what led to this design decision. What that how Thos. Moser did it? Or was it your preference? Or did it just happen that way?

I still think/believe/know that you did an A1 job.

[Jason Tuinstra]

Andy, correct me if I'm wrong, but breadboard refers to the end cap put on a solid wood top - typically done to prevent warping of the top (and it looks good). My top is frame and panel. The frame consists of mortise and tenon joinery - hence the pegged joints. The panels float on cleats attatched to the inside of the frame members. Make sense? I believe this is the way Moser did it as well. I suppose you could miter the outside edges, but I think the mortise and tenon is a stronger way of doing it - and easier :p

[Andy Hoyt]

Andy, correct me if I'm wrong, but breadboard refers to the end cap put on a solid wood top - typically done to prevent warping of the top (and it looks good). My top is frame and panel. The frame consists of mortise and tenon joinery - hence the pegged joints. The panels float on cleats attatched to the inside of the frame members. Make sense? I believe this is the way Moser did it as well. I suppose you could miter the outside edges, but I think the mortise and tenon is a stronger way of doing it - and easier :p

My mistake. Was so keyed in on the joinery at the corners of the desktop that I didn't bother to even think about the desktop in whole. Now that I know that it's frame and panel your approach is the better solution.

And no, I wasn't proposing mitered corners (I like end grain), just reversing what tenons into what, along with the normal breadboard joinery treatment for a solid wood top.

Thanks for opening my eyes.

[Jim Becker]

That desk looks incredibly good in situ, Jason! Awesome look for the room.

[Doug Shepard]

WOW Indeed! That one's definitely a keeper. The only thing you could improve upon is to move it into your living area so more of your guests could appreciate it.:)

[Jules Dominguez]

Beautiful design and great execution.

[Mac McAtee]

Well done Jason, what's next?

[Jay Knepper]

Now that is an elegant piece of furniture!

[Per Swenson]

Just plain old excellent!


Per

[Karl Laustrup]

Jason, that desk is most impressive, especially in its place in your home.

Perhaps the cherry lamp I built would look good on your desk?

[Kelly C. Hanna]

Very, very nice Jason!! I love the look of the grain on the desk....fantastic!!

[Jason Tuinstra]

Perhaps the cherry lamp I built would look good on your desk?

I agree Karl, did you want my address? :p :D Seriously, that's a great looking lamp - your own design?

[Jim Becker]

I agree Karl, did you want my address? Seriously, that's a great looking lamp - your own design?

Jason, that lamp would be a looker for your home!

Karl, you MUST do a separate thread on that lamp with ALL the details!! It's awesome...

[Karl Laustrup]

Thank you Jim and Jason.

So I don't hi-jack Jason's thread, I'll find the info on this and a couple of others I did at the same time and run a separate post. I'll even get some other pictures. It may take a day or two though.

Thanks again.

Karl

[Jason Tuinstra]

Thank you Jim and Jason.

So I don't hi-jack Jason's thread, I'll find the info on this and a couple of others I did at the same time and run a separate post. I'll even get some other pictures. It may take a day or two though.

Thanks again.

Karl

Sounds good! It's hard to hi-jack a thread that's five pages long, though. :D But it's obvious that there is more than meets the eye on this lamp. Seeing as how it's face grain on both showing sides, I'm assuming there is a fun glue up that goes along with it.

[Jon Olson]

Just saw this post!!! WOW!!! Awesome desk. Its so nice, Bill Gates should not even be allowed to use it. Love the colors and the grain patterns. Any reason you used the single dovetail for the drawers?? (Don't get me wrong, I love it, just thought I'd ask.)

Jon

[Jon Olson]

One last question - how did you cut the drawer fronts to match with the long apron??

Jon

[Jason Tuinstra]

Just saw this post!!! WOW!!! Awesome desk. Its so nice, Bill Gates should not even be allowed to use it. Love the colors and the grain patterns. Any reason you used the single dovetail for the drawers?? (Don't get me wrong, I love it, just thought I'd ask.)
Jon

Jon, the drawers are not that tall, so that was one issue. And I just like the look, I guess. For larger drawers I would probably do it differently.

As for the front apron and the bottom of the hidden compartment, I used the table saw to cut the wood apart, cut the drawers out, and then glued the wood back together paying attention to make sure the grain came as close as possible considering the loss of wood from the blade kerf. I shows some pictures of the drawer bottom being glued up on page three or four. I tried to explain the process here as well.

Hope this helps.

[Jim Becker]

Jon, if you are not familiar with the technique that Jason speaks about for insetting grain-matched drawer fronts, there is a cutting diagram on page two of my "Shaker Student Desk" article (http://sawsndust.com/p-studentdesk-p1.shtm) on my web site...a method I learned from "Norm"...

[lou sansone]

guess I have been napping. very nice desk. looks great. I like the figure in the cherry. Can't add much except congratulations.


lou

[Jim W. White]

Jason,

I have nothing to add; just wanted to thank you for your patience with all our questions. Your work trully does inspire! :)

Jim in Idaho

[Jon Olson]

Jason, Jim;

thanks for the explaination on the cuts for the apron.

jon

[Mark Singer]

Jason,

Really a beautiful piece! Great work!!!! I love the combination of materials too!