The Japan Page

My original computer desk v.1.o from 1998 was starting to show ten years of wear and tear. At 8 feet wide and 3 feet+ deep, it was big and sturdy enough for two 20" CRT monitors plus hardware. But it was just too big, and didn't make particularly good use of space either.

So, it was time for computer desk v.2.o. My design requirements were 1) Easy to disassemble and move and 2) Make better use of space (read smaller). Here is the completed basic desk, it's made of birch hardwood veneer 3/4" ply with solid maple edging. The finish is a cherry stain with a poly varnish topcoat.

My wife originally insisted she didn't want a handmade desk and would buy the $50 special from Ikea, but my 5 year plan is to eliminate all things Ikea from my house, so instead I knocked this together in about a week.

Here's a view of the side. The legs are the same birch ply with 1x2 solid maple dadoed on and attached with inset screws. The leg is attached to the desk by sliding it between two parallel solid maple 1x2's attached to the underside of the desk, then secured with two 3/8" bolts. This by itself makes the desk fairly strong, but in order to get rid of the wobble I ran a backboard across the back that attaches with the two gold screws visible in the upper left corner of the leg.

Not perfect... but it looks custom. I will order one of those ergo keyboard trays to mount underneath soon.

Here is the entire desk. The wood 90 degree bracket on the inside right side is a shelf for my wifes screaming VIA EPIA C3 1 GHz PC. I decided not to bother finishing the wood because the PC completely covers it up, and my wife is due for a new PC in the near future. No doubt the new PC will require a new bracket...

Posted by John Seaman at 11:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I needed somewhere out of the weather to store plywood between projects, and with a tiny garage shop I didn't want to waste any floor space if possible. I had already built a simple wood rack for small stock storage, but this time I want to store up to full 4' by 8' @ 3/4" ply sheets, and be able to put them up and take them down without enlisting the entire neighborhood to help.

I got to thinking about pulleys and sleds and this is what I came up with. It's built with standard 2x4's, 1/2" ply corner braces and some simple hinges and hardware. I have a tracked (roller) garage door that opens and just clears under the ply rack by about an inch, so I have to close the garage door when moving ply.

In the picture above you can see the two pulleys attached to the hooks by carabiners. On the two sides are the static support lines, these keep the ply rack exactly square and level as suspending the rack only in the middle might cause it to wobble or end up warping the wood. The butt plate is a scrap of 3/4" CDX and serves to hold the loaded ply on when the rack is lowered.

In hindsight I'd have purchased two double pulleys as loading this with two sheets of 3/4" ply requires some grunting and lifting.

Here is the static end (or back-end) of the rack. I used standard 3" heavy-duty hinges with lag bolts, the rope is a safety and is not load bearing under normal circumstances. Paranoid perhaps, but despite my best efforts I have to share the garage with my wife and daughter...

Here the rack is lowered, I've added lines to each side to stop it at about 45 degrees. This is pretty close to an optimum angle for loading while allowing clearance for the workbench and table saw. There are two 1/2" ply supports on each side to keep the ply in place when loading or unloading.

It's not perfect, but it works for now. In my dream shop I'll have plenty of space for material and won't be forced to hang ply off the rafters, so I don't expect to "upgrade" this project anytime soon...

Posted by John Seaman at 9:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Posted by John Seaman at 11:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)