The Little Desk That Could

Gabe
by Gabe
1 Material
$300
25 Hours
Advanced
This was a desk that a friend of mine wanted for her home, she had the exact spot in her home where she wanted it and she knew the style. All I did was create her vision.
This was a fun project with a lot of different techniques applied in order to achieve the look that Ms. Priscilla was after. I didn't go into too much detail on the different staining, painting, joinery but if you would like to learn more please let me know and I will see about creating a tutorial for you. thanks!
Construction grade Pine, mixture of 2X4s and 2X6s this was a time consuming process, don't shortcut selection of the material you will be using, the direction and spacing of the grain are equally if not more important to how straight the board is, I like knots and milling marks just make sure that the integrity of the wood isn't compromised in your pursuit of "character"
I used biscuit joinery, glue and lots of clamps, this was only have I ensure that each of my pieces of wood were squared and planed to the same dimensions
guess what? I had a lot of cleanup to do, lots of squeeze out with the glue, "oh well!" and yes I did wipe off the excess but this happens, "no biggie!"
now where starting to see what a desktop needs to look like
after a careful inventory and dry fit of all the parts and pieces it was time to start putting all the pieces of the puzzle together, I used pocket hole joinery to assemble the table, however I also incorporated other methods of joinery to reinforce the pocket holes, I would have opted for mortise and tenon, but there were some constraints with this build that precluded that as an option.
Well now that looks like a desk! time to get to work.
the base was painted a satin white, and the top was stained with Early American stain. this was only after the bottom was sanded with 60, 80, 120 grit, and the top was planed smooth, sanded with 60,80,120,180, 220 grit. "yes that's a lot of sanding, but if you want a smooth surface with great looks don't skimp. I also used a prestain wood conditioner before applying 6 coats of stain, 4 coats of polyurethane , and machine application of wax.
did I mention that after I showed pics to my friend she decided she wanted the bottom, distressed, oh and "make it look a little old too" to which I replied "of course!" so after 4-6 coats of paint, I let everything dry and used 80 grit sandpaper, steel wool to create a distressed look. rule of thumb "less is more!" think about where a piece of furniture would get dinged up and well.. "ding it up!" after I distressed it, I used a small brush, and some black paint bring out the distressed features by "dry brushing" "BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE!!!" we can't forget the "make it look a little old too part" Patina can be applied in so many ways but if you aren't careful then your piece will either look dirty, grimy or just "jacked up!!!" I used stain to patina the bottom of the desk, being very deliberate about the application and removal process
here are some parting shots!
side view
in the sunlight
Suggested materials:
  • Wood, Glue, pocket screws, biscut joints   (big box store)
Gabe
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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 3 comments
  • Bro116390 Bro116390 on Jun 26, 2017

    Awesome project. It willl be quite sturdy and last a long time.

    • Gabe Gabe on Jun 27, 2017
      Thanks! I hope it lasts a lifetime 👍🏼
  • Vonnysue Vonnysue on Jul 11, 2017

    It's really beautiful. I love distressed pieces, but I think this piece was prettiest before it was 'made old'. Especially the top. It is absolutely gorgeous! But, you have to make the customer happy, and you did! Old craftsmanship in a new world. 😊



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