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Mesquite draft table/standing desk

3,749 Views | 39 Replies | Last: 1 yr ago by rednecked
agrams
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AG
Not sure what to call this, but its a standing desk designed for viewing larger blueprints and spaces below to store them.

The top is a bookmatch set I picked up a few years ago because it was an abnormally clear and large set. I didn't realize how pretty the set was until I got it flattened and sanded down.

start with epoxy.. always epoxy on mesquite.. i buy epoxy in 3 and 6 gallon kits..



Then glue them together. Instead of using wood glue I use epoxy with some sawdust for color and a thickening agent. This helps ensure if the glue joint isn't perfect that the epoxy fills the gap better. Wood glue wills hrink over time, so while you sand it flat right after glue up, in a few days it can shrink some more and you feel/see the divot/line where it keeps shrinking.

then sand/flatten:


then flood the top with a thinner epoxy to fill defects and harden a few soft spots of grain:


then find more defects and fill those...


then frame up the bottom unit. In order to keep costs down i didn't do the whole lower unit in mesquite, but did the front 2-3" of trim in mesquite, then the body out of a mahogany to match the overall tone and same and labor:


the desk it tall with long legs (40-41" top height). Some of the grain on the legs was not straight, so it made me paranoid about strength along some grain lines, so I drilled a 3/4" down with an auger bit about 12-14" in from each end, and epoxied in an oak dowel. This will help strengthen the ends against any grain splits.



I cut shallow grooves down the side of the dowel to allow the epoxy to come out and not have a big pocket in the end of the hole with no escape and which would have prevented the dowel from going in all the way.


I didn't have any mesquite wide enough for the sides (28x14") so i took some 8" wide boards, resawed them into 1/4" thick slats, then backed them on some mahogany:


final product:


full extension soft close drawers:




the top is one of the prettiest pieces of mesquite I've worked with. I also am starting to get used to the more durable solvent based post-catalyzed conversion varnishes, which dry quick as heck and are some of the best options for durability on a work surface:


I didn't get any good pictures of the assembly setup, the the end panels and legs come off and mount with 6 1/4-20 bolts that go into threaded inserts, so easy to assembly and disassemble, and you don't have to move the whole thing around as a monster assembly with long legs.


BrokeAssAggie
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Beautiful, as always. I wish I could come be an apprentice for 3 months.
California Ag 90
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AG
just flat-out gorgeous work. congrats.
We're from North California, and South Alabam
and little towns all around this land...
Aggietaco
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AG
Great looking plan table!
chase128
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AG
Very cool! I always love your posts.

Why did you say always start with epoxy on mesquite?
DatTallArchitect
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AG
Are there drawers on both sides or only the side pictured?
schmellba99
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AG
Awesome wood figure there.

Not sure what I'd call that either. Drafting and print tables have angled and/or adjustable tops so you can see the full size prints better.

Still damn good looking though.
Matthew99
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AG
gorgeous! this architect appreciates it!
ccard257
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AG
****ing amazing!

I'll know I'm doing alright when the money saving parts of my mediocre-at-best wood projects become solid mahogany.
DatTallArchitect
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AG
schmellba99 said:

Awesome wood figure there.

Not sure what I'd call that either. Drafting and print tables have angled and/or adjustable tops so you can see the full size prints better.

Still damn good looking though.
The first firm I worked for we had a similar table (but nowhere close to as nice) that drawing sets would lay on that were needing to be looked at or talked about. I've known several people that like to look at drawings upside down (as as right side up) to help catch errors. This helps with that as well.
Goodest Poster
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AG
Snack desk.
Choose the cubbies wisely
Always the most goodest
HartWorm93
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AG
BrokeAssAggie said:

Beautiful, as always. I wish I could come be an apprentice for 3 months.


And you'd still be building bird houses.
agrams
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mesquite, while very dimensionally stable (it has very little movement from a wet wood to a dry lumber) I swear cannot grow to more than 6" without having cracks. I typically try to initially flatten the boards while removing as little material as possible, then I blow out cracks with compressed air/scrub with a wire brush, or even carve out bark with a chisel, and fill with epoxy. I then will do the final flattening after the initial epoxy treatment, then come back and do any touchup I need.

I don't want to flatten to final thickness then try to epoxy, as i would have to sand and work the wood even more to remove the excess epoxy, and that could create an uneven surface. While not an issue on mesquite, some woods are more porous and the black tinted epoxy can stain the grain pores of adjacent wood. Filling the defects prior to milling/flattening I often remove enough material that any wood staining will be machined off.
Aggieangler93
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AG
It's almost like I routinely expect to be amazed now when I see an agrams post. It's kind of cool.
Class of '93 - proud Dad of a '22 grad and a '26 student!
ldg397
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Agrams do you take one smaller custom work? A little over five years ago we had a bunch of black walnut harvested off our place and had a couple logs cut into boards. Would like to get some stuff made with it since it comes from our family place. How do I get in touch with you?
Eliminatus
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AG
Have you ever worked with the adjustable standing desk legs before? Preferably the automatic ones?

If so……
agrams
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AG
I have probably done about a dozen or so standing desktops on uplift style bases.

these were a pair of walnut and i integrated the controls into the side panel for ease of access and use:


Aggieangler93
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AG
I like those. I have an uplift desk but the top is this ugly bamboo stuff. I would love to have something made to replace it, out of a native Texas wood.
Class of '93 - proud Dad of a '22 grad and a '26 student!
txag2008
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AG
Looks great.

New drum sander? That thing is a beast! 50"?
agrams
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I actually have a spare mesquite desktop. let me see if I can find a better pic
chickencoupe16
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AG
Looking forward to TexAgs tolling out an Android app so I can follow Agrams...
agrams
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AG
I got it a few years ago. I needed ti be able to sand tables up to 50" wide. I upgraded my planer last year to 24", so now can much more easily do bookmatch tables in the 40-50" width range.
AggieRob93
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AG
Gosh dang it, this is awesome, not only the design but also the fact it is made from mesquite. Beautiful work a always Agrams!
Aggieangler93
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AG
That looks great. What are the dimensions?
Class of '93 - proud Dad of a '22 grad and a '26 student!
Rattler12
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agrams said:

mesquite, while very dimensionally stable (it has very little movement from a wet wood to a dry lumber) I swear cannot grow to more than 6" without having cracks. I typically try to initially flatten the boards while removing as little material as possible, then I blow out cracks with compressed air/scrub with a wire brush, or even carve out bark with a chisel, and fill with epoxy. I then will do the final flattening after the initial epoxy treatment, then come back and do any touchup I need.

I don't want to flatten to final thickness then try to epoxy, as i would have to sand and work the wood even more to remove the excess epoxy, and that could create an uneven surface. While not an issue on mesquite, some woods are more porous and the black tinted epoxy can stain the grain pores of adjacent wood. Filling the defects prior to milling/flattening I often remove enough material that any wood staining will be machined off.
They are highly susceptible to wind shake cracks caused by the crown twisting the trunk while still in the ground and growing
Rattler12
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With a bit of imagination, it's very easy to see all kinds of things in a piece of wood like this

aggiedent
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AG
I like her waist but those boobs are sagging sideways.
Rattler12
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aggiedent said:

I like her waist but those boobs are sagging sideways.
They used to be 36 DD's but they turned into 64 longs......Don't forget the hairy armpits and the backside view
INIGO MONTOYA
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I'm the lucky owner. Dimensions are 40" tall, 72" long, and 30" deep. Large enough to open up a full sized set of plans. Not an architect or engineer - but we can have 2-3 development projects going on or recently completed and I could never find something I liked to store/access plans. I obviously hit the jackpot doing this. I probably look at them once a week so wasn't smart enough to think through whether I should have angled the top.
suburban cowboy
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AG
OP best poster on the OB
agrams
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in terms of a rorschach test of a table, this one I made before was probably the neatest with the horse head/legs pattern.
rednecked
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Whoa nelly!
AggiePetro07
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AG
Wood
TexAggee05
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I'm guessing that's not going in a job site office trailer….
Beautiful work!
lurker76
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I think I say this every time I see one of your posts, Agrams, but this is a beautiful piece of furniture. You truly have mastered the craft of woodworking. Thanks for sharing your work with us.
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