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Scratch Build – In Progress The Ultimate Computer Desk - 2 Integrated Desktops (September 1)

Discussion in 'Project Logs' started by ultimatedesk, 29 Nov 2010.

  1. (FIH) The Don

    (FIH) The Don What's a Dremel?

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    :jawdrop:

    thats all i can do really
     
  2. AnG3L

    AnG3L Ultimate Modder

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    Dear Santa....
     
  3. Technobod

    Technobod Minimodder

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    Those are some crazy joinery skillz my friend. I would drive myself mad doing something like that and kudos for the clamping creativity :thumb: they never do seem to make quite the part you always need, to clamp things at just the right angle etc :duh:
     
  4. PureSilver

    PureSilver E-tailer Tailor

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    Looking very nice!
     
  5. ultimatedesk

    ultimatedesk What's a Dremel?

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    Drawer Face Staining

    Hehe, thanks The Don!

    One day! ;)

    Thank you Technobod, you're somewhat right about the clamps... I think they have a clamp for everything, if you've got the $$ for everything!!

    Thank you!

    With the drawers themselves all stained up, it was time to stain the drawer fronts!

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    Since most of the back of the drawer fronts won't be visible, I decided that I could probably stain and poly both sides at once...

    Pre stain!

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    They look so nice like this... ahh, next project...

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    Some staining time

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    And some sweet, sweet gloss poly.

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    Woops! One of the drawer faces slipped off the painting cones and picked up a whole whack of saw dust and wood chips... at least this will never be seen on the final project!

    [​IMG]
     
    Shael likes this.
  6. timmmay

    timmmay What's a Dremel?

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    That finish is nice and even. I don't have the patience for that!
     
  7. Shael

    Shael What's a Dremel?

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    :jawdrop: wow oh:D wow nothing more to say except i see another future sketchup plan in the future for me.

    Well done on the staining and poly there, youve got an amazing finish on the plywood well done :clap::clap::clap:
     
  8. ultimatedesk

    ultimatedesk What's a Dremel?

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    Trimming the Cabinets

    Thanks very much, both of you. I have to say, the staining and poly have been very patience-testing for me. It took a lot longer, and a lot more work than I thought it would be to get a nice finish. A dedicated painting room is a real must for top-end projects!

    With the drawers and drawer faces all finished and ready for installation, it was time to turn to finishing up the two cabinets.

    First up, finishing the piece that goes on the front of the left-hand cabinet.

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    And, well, not a lot of writing today, as the rest of it should look pretty straightforward. I had to cut up a bunch of trim pieces, and somehow arrange the clamps to hold them in the right place. A few of the arrangements required some creative thinking, but in the end, I got the whole cabinet trimmed up over the course of a few days.

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    Mmmm glue.

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    Enjoy! We're getting close to the final assembly, yay!
     
    Mechh69 likes this.
  9. ultimatedesk

    ultimatedesk What's a Dremel?

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    Sanding the Cabinets

    With the trim all glued up and dry, and the weather nice and warm, I decided to take the cabinets outside to have the trim sanded flush. I start with 80 grit to get all the bits nice and close, and then move to 120 grit with the random orbit sander in preparation for staining.

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    Everything looking pretty good on the right-hand cabinet

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    And now for the left-hand cabinet

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    I'm under the impression that I mistakenly sanded this edge too much prior to installation, because I thought that I was going to have to squeeze this end into the dado cut at the back of the drawer. Woops! Hopefully that won't show up too much after staining.

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    And, a bit of glue squeeze-out that I missed previously is easily taken care of by the sander

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    I'll be staining over the weekend, so some fresh and shiny cabinets await for next weeks early update!

    Have a good weekend folks!
     
  10. ultimatedesk

    ultimatedesk What's a Dremel?

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    Staining the Cabinets

    Well, got some time to start the staining of the cabinets this weekend, and overall, everything went pretty well. Started off with a bit of detailed sanding by hand, and then a good dusting with a tack cloth / cloth with paint thinner.

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    And then went to work applying the stain with a clean cotton rag

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    They both turned out pretty well - these pictures were taken after only the first coat (A second one will go on). I find that this stain really shines once a coat of poly is put over it.

    Let me tell you - getting the inside of the cabinets was quite time consuming and I really did a number on staining my arms...

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    Eww! It looks like a heart! ;)

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  11. Shael

    Shael What's a Dremel?

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    good work on the staing cant wait to see what it looks like once the poly is on. Can i ask a question? You are going to use polished brass fittings for the draw handles arent u;)
     
  12. Karrek

    Karrek Minimodder

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    Or flat black hardware would look good too. But, it may also depend on the other furniture in the room (if you are trying to match a theme). This looking good, and you are getting much closer to the final project. Great job thus far!! Having built some furniture, I know that a lot of effort and time goes into it...
     
  13. ultimatedesk

    ultimatedesk What's a Dremel?

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    Rubbing out the Desk Surface

    Thanks Shael, I'm not sure what sort of fittings I'm going to use yet actually. I may not even go with handles for the drawers. I'll have to see once it's assembled!

    Thanks Karrek, it sure does take a lot of time and effort!!

    I kind of forgot to take some pictures of the cabinets after I applied a pair of coats of polyurethane, but here's the status of the project so far

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    Both cabinets have been poly'd, and there are only 3 more pieces to stain + poly (The two caps for the end spaces on the top shelf, and the door for the right-hand cabinet). Otherwise, I am pretty much ready to assemble.

    Before assembly, however, I wanted to try a technique I had been reading about - rubbing out a finish.

    You start with some baby oil and a product called rottenstone (It's a very finely ground stone)

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    Apply some baby oil liberally (This slows down the cutting process. If you use water, it will speed up the cutting process)

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    Sprinkle on your rottenstone (Once again, fairly liberally. I didn't find the cutting action very aggressive at all, especially with all the baby oil)

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    Take a block of wood with a soft material wrapped around it, in this case, I used a piece of cut up fleece from an old blanket, but I think a felt block is the most recommended for this.

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    Go with the grain in long strokes, and rub the slurry into the wood. Its very fine cutting action should almost eliminate all dust marks, brush marks, and any small scratches.

    This took quite a long time, and it was very, very messy. Baby oil rottenstone slurry everywhere. I then went through a ton of rags soaked in paint thinner cleaning it all off the desk surface in preparation for some good 'ol waxing.

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    Applied with a lint free rag, I swirled it onto the table a little bit too liberally

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    I then let it dry for a few moments and "attempted" to buff it all off by hand with a clean rag. Much to my dismay, after spending 10 minutes trying to buff only but a small corner, I realized that I would never get the shine I was looking for...

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    So I made a trip to my storage unit (My mom's garage) where I remembered I had an old electric car buffer in a bin...

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    Booya. It was late when I got back home, so I left it and went to sleep. Have a good weekend everyone - Canada Day tomorrow here in Canada, so I'm going to enjoy the long weekend. I'm moving this weekend too, so hopefully the desk survives the trip!!
     
  14. Mosquito

    Mosquito Just 'Plane' Crazy

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    that looks so good... I'd almost want to not use it to keep it nice lol
     
  15. bboybaker

    bboybaker What's a Dremel?

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    great bricolage project :thumb:
     
  16. Shael

    Shael What's a Dremel?

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    um WOW :jawdrop:that is looking amazing even without the machine buffing cant wait to see how it comes up.:thumb:

    praying that the desk survives the move :eeek:
     
  17. ultimatedesk

    ultimatedesk What's a Dremel?

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    Before the Transportation

    Hehe, I know what you mean, but... if it breaks... I'll just have to build another bigger, badder, and better one!

    Thanks!

    Thanks! It ended up taking a few nicks and scuffs, but nothing major!

    So, I finally moved this weekend, and I'm glad to say everything went pretty well. A few small parts of the desk got scuffed up, but nothing major. Here are some shots from just before being transported.

    The car buffer partially worked. I ended up actually taking some more paint thinner and totally removing the wax. For some reason it didn't stick well - I think it's because I didn't remove the baby oil enough before adding the wax. Either way, it's shiny as glass and looks great.

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    Then I took some 3/4" weather stripping and put it on both cabinets to prevent the desk surface from slipping and sliding:

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    And, here's a sneak peak. Right before the move was pretty much the moment of triumph - assembling the 4 stained and poly'd pieces, and actually sitting at it. The monitors come in at perfect eye height, and the desk height is perfect as well, providing lots of forearm and elbow support.

    Ahhhhhhhhh.... 8 months.

    Now for the details ;)

    [​IMG]
     
  18. Shael

    Shael What's a Dremel?

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    :jawdrop::jawdrop::jawdrop::jawdrop::jawdrop:WOW :rock: well done that looks amazing :thumb:
     
  19. ultimatedesk

    ultimatedesk What's a Dremel?

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    Thanks Shael!

    Still getting myself organized at the new place. Hopefully I'll have some new updates early next week!
     
  20. jocke92

    jocke92 What's a Dremel?

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    Can't wait to see more pics. This is amazing
     

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