Ive just moved into my new bedroom/basement. I love it cuase its SO big and has a couple of couches/tv's etc. What I want todo is make a control center/desk for my room. I got inspiration from thisthread. I'll be building the entire desk from scratch in my grandpa's workshop. It will ethier be a horseshoe desk or a L desk. The middle will hold the monitors for the main PC (im gonna be building soon). The monitors will be 5-6 inches higher then the desk on a little stand build from the same wood as the desk. It will be big enough to hold 2 monitors. The on the short part of the L or the right hand side of the horseshoe will be a place for a second pc and monitor. Same on the other side if a horseshoe. I plan to put it where the black leather couch is. I will wire in 3-4, 4 plug conduit boxes. I will also put in a control panel similar to the other threads, except with more funtions and will be built into the desk. I need suggestions on wood type, etc. etc.
white ash looks good, and so does pine, but ifyou have the money, oak is the way to go. Do NOT get MDF!
I dont want to be offensive, but that room looks a bit "ghetto"... you should add some more lights, it looks quit dark (at least on the pictures),and whats up with your walls??? Anyway, how much do u want to spend on wood??? Alder (is that the right translation from german "Erle"???) looks nice but its dark, not sur if it's the right color for your room...
Theres nothing wrong with the walls, its a basement. The white stuff is insulation on the outside walls. It is pretty ghetto, but I can do what ever I want with it. On the note of wood, whats wrong with MDF? I dont want to spend a fortune on wood.
That room has SO much potential: -board up the walls with a lil hardwood will cost next to nothing, white wash um and do what you like on your walls. -boarded up u'd have great aucoustics, so hope ur an audiophile like myself. -u could board up that boiler too...lil dodgey that. -lights man, ur gunna go blind down there!!! ANYHOE BACK TO THE DESK- MDF is absoloutley terrible to work with, as anyone who's ever built anythin will tell you....enjoy destroying ur lungs and wasting ur time if u want MDF. Arauco is cheap and look breath-taking if you use it properly. I recomend it as the desk top as long as you can afford a lil wood stain and varinsh you'll have the world asking what wood it is.........put a layer of acrylic under te wooden top of ur desk, looks sweet and u can just put it round the edge to save money. EDIT: would never have a guessed, a mod using Arauco right here on bt. http://www.bit-tech.net/modding/2003/09/15/vesperdeco/2.html
I have $100 for supplys. Is particle board the same as MDF? Looks dont matter to a extent. Like it dosnt have tobe finished (as in stain), just smooth. I was thinking 4x4's for legs, and 2x2 for supports under the desk surface.
So - just to clarify - this is going to be a disposable desk? Not some piece of furniture that you expect to take with you when you move? If this is the case, MDF is fine, but keep in mind that the desk will have a limited lifespan. Plywood will last much longer than MDF and will not have as many problems with moisture. (Moisture could very possibly be a problem in a basement bedroom.)
You could do what my bro did when he wanted an entertainment center for college. Its plywood, 2" pvc pipe and threaded-rods, nuts and washers. Best thing is, it transports flat. And is semi modular. I still would stay away from partical board. Its the worst stuff ever made.
Yeah disposible, but I want it too last. Since we just build this home. Prolly wont be moving for a while. Maybe not disposible, but not all fancy. I might use plywood. Edit: Maybe I should try to discribe better, my goals. I want to build a desk out of plywood, with 4x4 legs. under desk support will be 2x2's and along the edge of the desk will be 3-4 inches of plywood, cut and nailed as molding, to hide the under desk supports and so on. I will wire 3 juntion boxes, 2 in the big part of the L and one in the small. They will be the metal kind, each will hold 4 outlets. I will use standard house wire run in conduit line to power each box. I will probably add plugs to the end of each plug wire to plug it in. Each outlet will be ground fualt, and surge protected if possible. There will be 5 2 inch holes drilled in random parts of the desk for wire routes. Near the main monitor stand will be the "control console" similar to the one in the other thread. It will control cable via a 4 port A,B,C,D selector box. Two "pop in" outlets will in next to it, the same as the other thread. The right outlet nearest the monitors, will contain, Red and White audio inputs, Mic input, Headset out put, Cable in/out jack, Tele phone jack, The other outlet will contain, Cable in/out, ethernet jack, Red and white aduio outputs, headset output, and other. The panel will contain computer on/off controls etc..., All conputer controls/leds on the panel will be routed through two 15 pin D sub connectors (one too each PC). There will be two 12v lamps on each side of the main monitor and 1 near the small part of the L, run by a old AT computer PSU. A group of 4 usb jacks will be mounted in the control center. A small circuit will control a a small motor, that locks/unlocks the main entry door to my room. I will also run a cat5e cable from the control console to the main door and another cable to the garage entrace, 4 of the wires will be connected to a USb webcam and two power a small 5-8v dc light. and possibly the remaining two will connect to a speaker for two way communication. Of coarse the more abstract harder things todo, will have to wait.
I have some pretty good local stores for cheap polycarbonate. I would just take 2-3 large sheets, bond them together flat, to form a 1/2" to 3/4" thick sheet, and then build the control boxes out of polycarb that has been frosted to hide the wires. On the thick polycarb you just made by bonding 2-3 together, flame polish the sides, then drill 3-5mm holes in the thin side to put some LED's to make it light up, without enough light to blind. Use split loom cable loom to hide the conduit between Jboxes and wall. For legs, I would buy one set of modular shelves. Cut the legs to the right height, and use the shelf peice as a frame under the polycarb sheet. Use the leftover legs and shelves to cross-brace the legs. As far as permanent, don't bond the control panels down, just use the clear rubber "bumps" used for glass tables (15-25cents for a 6 pack) so it doesn't slide around or scratch the desk. As for portable, the largest part would be the table top part. Cost. Cheaper than nice wood. A little more than MDF or plywood. But aestheticly (spelled right?), more pleasing than MDF or Plywood. Less sanding, no staining, no sealing. NO SPLINTERS. No clearcoating. Self built, and when you have people, over, You can brag about how good it looks, and that you built it yourself. Save the walls and the rest of the area for later, as it will just show off how great the table looks compared to the uh,hem un-finished walls. As to the rest of the area, You could really save yourself alot of money by going for that "Industrial Unfinished" look. Just upgrade the duct work for the shiny silver stuff. Buy some chrome pipe that will go over the pluming pipes, and go floor to ceiling, and call em stripp- er fireman poles. Take a staple gun and staple a pattern on the insulation, like the sides of die/dice ; paint around the staples with red/black circles to look like dice. Paint the concrete floor with paint made for garage concrete, so that it seals, move everything out for a day, throw a painting/Mararita party, get everyone really drunk then hand out super-soakers, and paint brushes, and tell em all to paint the floor. Get some rope-lights, and put it in-between the floor joyces you have for a roof. I would say, one for every 4-6 joyces, as they can really put out some light, and are low voltage. Someone send this reply to the Home-And-Garden Channel, please!!! I feel like such a woman, or a really cheap Ba****d. LOL Hope it helps.
I like the idea of raiding an Ikea and buying a Mikael desk; dirt cheap, flexible, and sturdy enough to take a couple of heavy CRTs.
I would buy a pre build desk, except no where around here has what I need, or if they do its way over priced. As far as Ikea goes, The closest one to me is in long island, I live in rochester. For those of you who dont know the distance, im on the other end of the state . Now even if there is one in toronto (toronto is right above me), I would rather not drive there just for a desk. I plan to cut a hole next to the monitor stance, to put the control panel directly into the desk. I will build a small enclosed area under it to hold circuits and wires.
Ive changed my plans, Im gonna redo my entire room instead of building the desk im just gonna buy one. I will modify the desk to suit my needs. Stay tuned for updates.
If you're looking for a corner desk and have some money to spend..this is the desk I have, it's really nice actually: http://www.ifurn.com/osullivan_10482.html I have both the desk and hutch and it is really nice, I plan on modding the top right shelf of the hutch and putting cd/dvd racks in there. Regards,
Heres what Im doing, I found a desk for real cheap, will fit my needs. Im going on a shopping spree sorta, heres what im getting: Surround sound system 27inch TV (maybe) Desk Mini fridge Misc. lamps and rugs Some movies and music Posters (Ill put them up as walls sorta. To destract people from the studs)
UPDATE Got the surround sound and desk. Im gonna install it tommorow, then get the mini fridge, also start on the control panel sometime next week.
Not only do I have that desk, but I also have a black cat, lol. Careful with the keyboard tray, it can get stuck now and then when you pull it out. edit- Stick your subwoofer on the floor, they arent designed to be placed on a shelf.
