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Orion wrote:

The other thing I had though of was to just build a large countertop around the perimeter of the room, but I'm not sure the walls would like that much weight being on them.  I have lathe and plaster walls, so if you flex them too much, they will crack.

Best idea.

That is what I did myself.

I always hated those office desks because I could never find one with no drawers (which I hate because they take up leg space) or anything on top of the desk. (I could have gotten a custom built one but that was too expensive)

What you need is a long, wide bench with and a chair with wheels so you can roll along it. It's great. Distribute the machines around and if it is long enough you'll also have plenty of free space to work on paper, etc.

I made mine by getting some long pieces of wood from house depot and a kitchen countertop. It is about 3m long and 0.7 m wide (I would have appreciated it being wider, but this is good enough). I only have one computer though.

I am sure you can build one that goes around the room and make it as wide as you want. And do not support them on the walls, build legs for your desk, it is not too hard.

I took pictures

I've never found keyboard shelves comfortable. I have always like having the keyboard on the desk. Are keyboard shelves for short ppl or something?

Orion wrote:

The other thing I had though of was to just build a large countertop around the perimeter of the room, but I'm not sure the walls would like that much weight being on them.  I have lathe and plaster walls, so if you flex them too much, they will crack.

You attach to the studs on the back side, front can either be legs down or angled back to wall. I assume you know the tricks so finding the studs is pathetically easy.

I could use maple or oak to make the legs, and paint or stain it.  I really like that setup soulcrusher!  That's what I want, so I'll probably have to make it myself.  I may still make it modular so I can bend it in a U shape or move it flat against the wall too.  If I get two corner pieces and make a triangular pullout piece with drawers, I can shove that in the V shaped hole between the corner chunks and have it straight.  Take the triangular piece out and make a U again.  I'll probably have it on locking casters so I can move it around instead of the one I have now that is heavy as hell.  I built it back in high school from that laminate pressboard and maple trim strips.  Its still solid as hell, but its just not designed for more than one or two systems.  Its a corner desk, but I have legs on either side of the corner and can't swivel the chair to face either of the legs.    Bad planning, but at the time, I had two computers hooked up with a KVM switch to one monitor, keyboard, and mouse so it fit me fine.

DukeofNuke wrote:

If there's, like, a big dead tree somewhere near, you could cut it down and plane the wood and build yourself a desk.
Just be sure to ask permission of the owner to cut the tree down , first.

Or check with a neighbor, they might have some he could buy.

See, this is exactly what I was going to use that wood for.  I had planned using two 16" wide planks the length of the room and then use more for legs and shelves.  That idea got nixed because of a certain someone... 

I'll have to use countertops or some such device now though.  Grr...

IKEA makes some desks that might fit the bill, especially the more office/corporate-oriented stuff (not the desks designed for a home office).  Of course, a nice solid wood desk specially made for you is always better if you can manage it!

soulcrusher wrote:

Orion wrote:

The other thing I had though of was to just build a large countertop around the perimeter of the room, but I'm not sure the walls would like that much weight being on them.  I have lathe and plaster walls, so if you flex them too much, they will crack.

Best idea.

That is what I did myself.

I always hated those office desks because I could never find one with no drawers (which I hate because they take up leg space) or anything on top of the desk. (I could have gotten a custom built one but that was too expensive)

That's why I got a couple of those big folding-leg tables, like the ones used everywhere from science fairs to bingo halls to outdoor markets. They're $20-30, sturdy, and big.

I've got a corner desk in my office, but as you can see, it isn't facing into a corner:


It's the desk my boss gave me when I was working for him, and I don't remember where he got it, but I found a similar one here (but better quality and probably higher priced):
http://www.onewayfurniture.com/bush-wc64366.html
There's plenty of leg room, and the desktop itself is nice and deep.

Mine also has an add-on "desk" like this one, attached to the main desk underneath with brackets:
http://www.onewayfurniture.com/bush-wc64336.html

and the drawers you see in my office pic is actually a filing cabinet on wheels, so I can move it anywhere.
http://www.onewayfurniture.com/bush-wc64353.html

There are enough extra components available for just about any configuration.

I also have a keyboard shelf wide enough for both my bulky Microsoft Wireless Elite keyboard and 8 sq inches to the side for my mouse, which is plenty of room for what I do at work (bookkeeping). The shelf only hangs 4" below the desktop, and there is about 3" of clearance between the shelf and my legs.

I also like the gentle curve of the desktop where I sit, instead of hard right angles.

I've seen and used desks that are either too high, or too low, too small or too cramped (from unnecessary shelving and/or drawers, usually), this one is just about perfect, at least for me.

I just got this desk about a week ago. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v317/ … 0_5865.jpg
It's is great for the money.

Something like that with the steel legs would be nice.  Hmmm... I wonder if I can scrounge up some nice steel legs and build a desk around them?  I want to put some rain gutter behind the desk to carry all the cords and keep them off the floor.

Well, I just thought I'd follow this up with some pics of my shiny new desk.  I built it about a week ago and I love it.  Its legs are built from 2x6 lumber from a plan I came up with when I stubbed my toe on the old desk.  There are no legs to get in your way anymore.  I used 2x12's for the top (recommend Douglas Fir, nice and strong) and covered them in 1/4" hardboard.  The trim along the front edge is 2 1/2" casement trim cut down to 1 3/4 inches.  I just have to stain the legs and front edge yet.  Its super strong, and I can do pull ups from the front edge.  I sat on the edge right after I set it up and it hardly moved at all. 

Shot #1




Shot #2




So, what do ya'll think?


EDIT:  Oh, I forgot that I did go with the rain gutter idea.  I mounted the power strips under the desk and have the cords laying in the gutter.  Its nice not having that crap hanging down in my way anymore!

Last edited by Orion (2008-03-05 7:29 pm)