# Twin Pedestal Desk



## landman (Sep 1, 2013)

I have a granddaughter in grade 10. In a couple of years she'll be leaving for post secondary studies. She will need a desk, so here goes. The plan calls for cherry. I have very little cherry but enough elm. So it will be cherry panels with elm frames. The plans call for poplar for the webframes. I have none but enough maple so I am using that.Working my way down the cutting list.


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## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

A desk like that is beautiful and I am sure would be greatly appreciated at the right time. But is now the right time? I assume that she will be going away from home for school. Does she want to be moving a desk like that? Might be best to wait until her first job for that one.


In the meantime you could build something more utilitarian and easier to move.


George


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## landman (Sep 1, 2013)

GeorgeC said:


> A desk like that is beautiful and I am sure would be greatly appreciated at the right time. But is now the right time? I assume that she will be going away from home for school. Does she want to be moving a desk like that? Might be best to wait until her first job for that one.
> 
> 
> In the meantime you could build something more utilitarian and easier to move.
> ...


George, it comes apart just for that, ease of moving.


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## landman (Sep 1, 2013)

Drawer sides will be made with offcuts. Little more tedious but gines nice results just the same.


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## landman (Sep 1, 2013)

Internal and external frames account for nearly 150 pieces.Waiting for a quote from the lumber store for the plywood.


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## AwesomeOpossum74 (Jan 27, 2017)

landman said:


> George, it comes apart just for that, ease of moving.


In @GeorgeC's defense, I was thinking the same thing. Most modern kids in this age bracket underestimate the intrinsic and personal value of handmade gifts. You know your family. Go for it! But maybe put a disclaimer that if she doesn't want it later, it should be returned to the family, and not set curbside or left as fodder.

No matter what, it looks like you're well on your way in the build. I'm interested in seeing your progress.


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## gj13us (Apr 19, 2016)

You might want to make sure it'll fit the room. Dorm rooms can be notoriously small. I built a bed frame for my daughter's college apartment and had to go back home to get a saw to trim it or else it wouldn't have fit in the room. Her desk is, literally, a repurposed dressing table.


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## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

Landman, have you ever talked to your granddaughter about this project and gotten her input? I have built two desks for granddaughters, but they have wanted something entirely different from your design.


George


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## landman (Sep 1, 2013)

AwesomeOpossum74 said:


> In @GeorgeC's defense, I was thinking the same thing. Most modern kids in this age bracket underestimate the intrinsic and personal value of handmade gifts. You know your family. Go for it! But maybe put a disclaimer that if she doesn't want it later, it should be returned to the family, and not set curbside or left as fodder.
> 
> No matter what, it looks like you're well on your way in the build. I'm interested in seeing your progress.


I am confident that it will be a keepsake. She is the academic type, spends a lot of time reading and writing, and she has the cult of the ancestors.


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## landman (Sep 1, 2013)

gj13us said:


> You might want to make sure it'll fit the room. Dorm rooms can be notoriously small. I built a bed frame for my daughter's college apartment and had to go back home to get a saw to trim it or else it wouldn't have fit in the room. Her desk is, literally, a repurposed dressing table.


We have done that (measuring) for her bedroom at home. It will get reduced from 60x30 to 60 x24. As far as dorm rooms go, yes they are small . However, she has two older siblings in a city with two colleges and one University who have each offered her a bedroom free of charge if she wants to go stay there. I had built her aunt a chest because her dorm room had about a 14" closet and a night table but no dresser.


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## landman (Sep 1, 2013)

GeorgeC said:


> Landman, have you ever talked to your granddaughter about this project and gotten her input?  I have built two desks for granddaughters, but they have wanted something entirely different from your design.
> 
> 
> George


Absolutely. Her sister got a trundle bed because she wanted to have sleepovers. Her cousin got a desk because he already had a nice bedroom suite from his other grandparents and his sister had a desk. The cousin's sister , as I said, also had a desk and a bedroom suite so she asked me for a chest like her mother had. With this one, it was a tossup between a bed and a desk but the desk won because of her looking forward to putting all her stuff in it and working at it. I attach photos of the pieces mentioned above


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## AwesomeOpossum74 (Jan 27, 2017)

In that case, on with the project!


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## gj13us (Apr 19, 2016)

landman said:


> Absolutely. Her sister got a trundle bed because she wanted to have sleepovers. Her cousin got a desk because he already had a nice bedroom suite from his other grandparents and his sister had a desk. The cousin's sister , as I said, also had a desk and a bedroom suite so she asked me for a chest like her mother had. With this one, it was a tossup between a bed and a desk but the desk won because of her looking forward to putting all her stuff in it and working at it. I attach photos of the pieces mentioned above



In other words, what you're saying is you know your family better than we do. :grin:


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## kklowell (Apr 4, 2016)

You do nice work. That desk is going to beautiful and treasured.


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## landman (Sep 1, 2013)

Next comes the valuable stuff, and no it isn't the cherry plywood. It is wood that is nearly 200 years old which comes from my grandfather's homestead (her great-great-grandfather). I had salvaged some pieces and I use it for historical family content. The false drawer fronts will be made of it.


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## landman (Sep 1, 2013)

The external and internal frames have been cut & routed. Made some patterns out of cardboard to make the plywood panels.


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## landman (Sep 1, 2013)

The plywwod has been delivered. My granddaughter (whose desk this will be) came to help cut some of it in strips to make the panels.


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## landman (Sep 1, 2013)

Started assembling the boxes.


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## landman (Sep 1, 2013)

The bases of the pedestals are assembled. My first crack at splined joints.


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## AwesomeOpossum74 (Jan 27, 2017)

Moving along nicely.


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## CharleyL (Jan 13, 2019)

Landman,

Add a plywood modesty panel to your plans. Easy to do, and they will appreciate it if the desk is ever positioned in the center of a large room.

That's a beautiful design, and I can't wait to see the finished desk pictures.


Charley


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## landman (Sep 1, 2013)

CharleyL said:


> Landman,
> 
> Add a plywood modesty panel to your plans. Easy to do, and they will appreciate it if the desk is ever positioned in the center of a large room.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the suggestion Charley. I will certainly investigate. It would have to be removable as the desk comes apart in four sections.


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## landman (Sep 1, 2013)

Completed the center section and attached it to the pedestals. it is starting to look like a desk.


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## landman (Sep 1, 2013)

Fiddling with the top.


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## landman (Sep 1, 2013)

Working on the drawer boxes. Don't tell anyone as this may go against the grain of some people but they are made with scraps I found around the shop.


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## landman (Sep 1, 2013)

Drawers are fitted. The small ones slide on wooden guides. the two big ones sport full extension slides. The one without a box will hod a printer.


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## landman (Sep 1, 2013)

Cutting and fitting the old spruce fralse drawer fronts.


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## landman (Sep 1, 2013)

Cutting and fitting the 200 year old spruce false drawer fronts.


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## landman (Sep 1, 2013)

The drawers have been fitted as well as I could given unsquare openings. Added filler to some joints and the nail holes. Started the sanding down process. Made a board showing a few samples of stains to run by my granddaughter. then it is finishing time.


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## landman (Sep 1, 2013)

The verdict was, oil only like her cousin's desk. So it is. Some will cringe at the motley appearance of all the grains but several who have seen it like it. So does my granddaughter, which is what matters. So here's one coat on one end. this site doesn't like vertical photos.


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## landman (Sep 1, 2013)

Depending on personal taste, it can be either a symphony or a cacophony of woodgrains. 2nd coat of oil.


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## gj13us (Apr 19, 2016)

It looks beautiful. 

Will there be expansion/contraction around the top center panel inside the frame?


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## landman (Sep 1, 2013)

gj13us said:


> It looks beautiful.
> 
> Will there be expansion/contraction around the top center panel inside the frame?


It is possible. Hopefully it won't come apart. Here is the completed item.


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