First large-scale project: walnut desk


MisterDrow

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Thanks! Now I've got to build another one for my friend (this gal's husband) by the 24th... that one will have cantilevered legs and a slightly larger top. Given how long this one dragged out vs actual time spent its become a personal challenge to pull it off much more quickly.

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7 minutes ago, Lester Burnham said:

You'll get it. It's been my experience that the first one always takes longer because you're cutting a path. Any trip after that is just retracing your steps.

Also, from the layouts I've drawn, the joinery on the cantilever legs (bridle joints) will be much simpler than 8 mortise and tenons that you have to make sure come out square and tight when you've hardly done any of them before!

Really looking forward to this build. I've got the walnut for the top in my garage right now and I'll dive in this Saturday morning. I've got enough poplar left over from screwed up aprons on this desk to handle most of the leg material, as well.

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2 minutes ago, pkinneb said:

Very nice. The painted legs and apron make really help pop that beautiful top!! Well done.

I, personally, would have gone with maple or cherry for the legs/aprons but they wanted it painted so we went poplar and did just that. I much prefer the look of wood over paint on furniture like this but to each their own.

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Thanks! When I got the aprons finally all glued up to the legs and it all sat flat on the floor and square at the joints I jumped around like a kid getting his first popsicle! That was a HUGE victory moment, though I fear I've used up my luck on that for the rest of the year :P

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3 minutes ago, Eric. said:

Nice work man.  It's a simple piece but it looks well executed and clean.

That's high praise coming from you, sir. It's hard because I know every damn thing that's wrong with it so it's easy for me to think, "This is so much less than it could have been!" but then I remind myself that I just build a piece of furniture... that turned out well... and I learned a lot from... and it's now sitting in the home office of someone who loves it. That's what matters here and I'm really pumped to dive into the next one.

As for the heat, after a week and a half of >100F temps, the high today is supposed to be 96F and go down a bit more over the coming days. Still really hot but I'll take anything < triple-digits. 

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Very nice job on the desk, Cory! I like the walnut over the gray paint, it is very similar to the last piece I built.

 

BTW, throwing what in the games? Caber toss?

We each do all of the events. Normally it's 9 different ones but this games were heavy throws only so there were only 6 total... including Caber! Turned a 15' 75lb Caber that day. Felt pretty good, too!

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