Securing a desk top to the base

[Paul F Franklin]

I'll be building two identical desks as shown below. In another thread I mentioned that I want to make the top and modesty panel removable for ease of moving the desks.

444784

I'm thinking about using four battens to both help keep the solid cherry top flat and also to provide a way to mount the top in a removeable fashion. The battens would be screwed to the top (one fixed screw, probably in the center, and the rest with slotted holes to allow for wood movement). The battens are positioned so they drop down into the pedestals along side the top rails of the pedestal sides. I would screw horizontally through the battens into the rails to secure the top to the pedestals.

As an aside, the battens would also act as side guides for pull out work-surfaces above the top drawers (not shown in the drawing, so I get a three-fer with this design.

The top is 1" thick by 62 by 30 give or take. The battens would be 1 1/2 by 3/4 or 7/8 stock. I calculate the pedestals will weigh 40-50 lbs each (with empty drawers).

Do you think the battens will be strong enough when sooner or later someone lifts the desk by the top? Any problems/issues I'm not seeing? A 1" thick top doesn't give a lot of thread length, but I can use lots of screws, or even, I suppose, threaded inserts in the top.

Suggestions and thoughts appreciated!

[Thomas McCurnin]

The standard approach is a handful, probably a dozen, of those figure 8 fasteners, with one side mortised into the desk and screwed in place and the other side screwed into the bottom of the desktop.

[Doug Dawson]

I'll be building two identical desks as shown below. In another thread I mentioned that I want to make the top and modesty panel removable for ease of moving the desks.

444784

I'm thinking about using four battens to both help keep the solid cherry top flat and also to provide a way to mount the top in a removeable fashion. The battens would be screwed to the top (one fixed screw, probably in the center, and the rest with slotted holes to allow for wood movement). The battens are positioned so they drop down into the pedestals along side the top rails of the pedestal sides. I would screw horizontally through the battens into the rails to secure the top to the pedestals.

As an aside, the battens would also act as side guides for pull out work-surfaces above the top drawers (not shown in the drawing, so I get a three-fer with this design.

The top is 1" thick by 62 by 30 give or take. The battens would be 1 1/2 by 3/4 or 7/8 stock. I calculate the pedestals will weigh 40-50 lbs each (with empty drawers).

Do you think the battens will be strong enough when sooner or later someone lifts the desk by the top? Any problems/issues I'm not seeing? A 1" thick top doesn't give a lot of thread length, but I can use lots of screws, or even, I suppose, threaded inserts in the top.

Suggestions and thoughts appreciated!

You might consider not fastening the top to the base assembly at all. That makes it easier to move for sure. ;^) It’s already fixed in place by the battens with the assistance of Sir Isaac Newton.

Making the “modesty screen” (what, nobody wears pants anymore?) removable would be even more of an assist.

[lowell holmes]

Here is another option.
https://www.google.com/search?q=biscuit+joiner+lowes&sxsrf=ALeKk036Ke4KYipqpYXantmlJU2gA-_qRQ:1605014509949&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj95uX9iPjsAhUMWK0KHRn0DJYQ_AUoA3oECBUQB Q&biw=2133&bih=1076

[Gary Ragatz]

You might consider not fastening the top to the base assembly at all. That makes it easier to move for sure. ;^) It’s already fixed in place by the battens with the assistance of Sir Isaac Newton.

Making the “modesty screen” (what, nobody wears pants anymore?) removable would be even more of an assist.

I have an old (likely 80+ years) desk that belonged to my Dad that is built this way. The top is held in place, horizontally, by several dowel pins that fit between the top and the pedestals. If you lift straight up on the top, it just comes free. In the case of my Dad's desk, the top is heavier, as it contains three shallow drawers (center and one over each pedestal) as well as the top surface of the desk. The modesty panel is attached to the pedestals with some small angle irons (there's probably a more elegant way to do this). The whole thing is very stable.

[Jim Becker]

I kinda agree with Doug...with the battens contained within the pedestal footprint, you don't need must more to keep the top in place...maybe a few figure eights just for good measure. No point in getting complicated and screwing through the battens would require you to be a contortionist unless you do it from the outside which would be visible.

[Paul F Franklin]

Thanks all! I like the idea of just dropping the top with battens onto/into the pedestals and not fastening it; as Doug pointed out, there's really no reason to attach it as I planned. Down the road, if the tops should develop a little twist or warp, I can always go back and add some fasteners.

Doug, the modesty panel will be removable as discussed in the Domino connector thread hereabouts somewhere....

So that lets me deal with 4 manageable chunks for each desk instead of two big 150lb desks.

Thanks again!

[Jim Becker]

The singular reason I can think of that would make it important to fasten the top down is if you or anyone else intends to put an articulating monitor stand in place which can cause some leverage to come into play.