Birch and Aluminum Desk

This desk was designed to meet specific needs- it had to be:
1) Large enough to spread out a textbook, notebook computer, and writing notebook.
2) Durable, with legs that do not wobble or a span that bends under weight.
3) Without nooks and crannies that would fill up with knick knacks.
4) Modern, clean, stylish and a positive addition to my workspace. 

My finished product has douglas fir legs, a birch top with steel panels and an acrylic overlay. The edges are finished with aluminum angle. 

And so we begin with the materials: 
1 4x8' 3/4" Birch Plywood
1 3x6' 0.118" Acrylic Sheet
1 12' 4x4" Douglas Fir 
2 8' 1" Aluminum Angle
12 8x12" Galvanized Steel Flashing in Pre-cut sections
10 3/4" #8 Stainless Screws
4 4" 3/8" Hanger Bolts
4 3/8" Tee Nuts
1 Can Polyurethane Finish
Double Stick Tape
Glue
Wide Tape
Aluminum Polish
Car Wax

Tools:
Circular Saw
 Jigsaw
Square
Tape Measure
Drill with various drivers and bits
Router
Tin Snips

Step 1: Plan and Cut to Size

This step was relatively  simple for me, as my steel panels were 8x12". My final dimensions for the top were therefore 32x60". 

But layout a design on your available plywood and see what works best. With an acrylic top, you can put nearly anything underneath, I considered pictures, lights and many other designs. 

I used a circular saw to cut the plywood down, a table saw or hand saw would work just fine as well. 

Comments

[krazy4projects]

Great project! I would have never thought of putting aluminum on a desk top. Bravo! I also built several desks which you can find on my website: krazy4projects.com. Thanks for sharing!

[Danieljr]

What was the wide tape used for?

[zwild1]

No idea. I suppose I meant the painter's tape used when I bent the aluminum angle.

The desk is still going strong by the way, 2.5 years later!

[tecneeq]

Not bad. Not bad at all. Did you consider to get real glas instead of acrylic sheet? Should be scratch free for many years.

[zwild1]

Glass is a great suggestion- and it would look great over the steel panels.. Unfortunately the cost is prohibitive, and plexiglass is cheap, easy to work with, and lightweight. I'm also pleased with the durability so far- under normal use scratches should be a non-issue. 

[Fieldownage]

 Yeah and you can always sand the plexiglass back to clear if you need to.

[orvis]

Can you sand plexiglass to clear? I've not had luck with that; is it just a matter of going to a high enough grit?

Actually, even sanding the plexiglass frosted would be a very interesting look with the checkerboard materials behind it.

[Fieldownage]

You can sand it to clear again, but it is a slow matter of working up from ~200 to somewhere above 10 000 depending on how clear you want it to be.

Oh and also you would be sanding with water on the surface (to clear the dust between the surface and the sandpaper) for most of the time.

[kid007la]

Great instructable. Just one quick question. Where did you buy the acrylic sheet and how much did it cost you?

[scrain]

I was able to find a sheet with the exact same dimensions listed above at Lowes for $47.75... on their site it's listed as "DURAPLEX 30" x 60" Clear High Impact Acrylic", Item #: 11289, Model #: 1AG1775A.

[prenticehill]

How durable is the acrylic with use?

[f2a]

Nice, you could even write on it with dry erase markers if you wanted.

[Zeboaz]

Did you cut in more then you did on the second picture? Or simply cut all the way through the top part of the angle, and bent the bottom to fit the work bench?

[ballisticboy101]

Thanks for the great instructions. How long did this take you and about how much did it cost?

[zwild1]

 It took about two days with plenty of downtime, a single trip to the hardware store, and $172.

I have no doubt that this could have been done cheaper, but the price isn't so far off from a nice IKEA desk, and it's much sturdier. And hey, if I get tired of the design, I'm only a few screws away from changing the design. 

[BHStibal]

 does the price it cost you include all of the tools, or was it just materials? I really like the table and it looks really cool!

[zwild1]

 Dpdk is right- that's only a materials cost. But simple had tools, like hand saws and an inexpesive drill, could be used to complete the project with equal quality. It'll just take a bit more time and effort is all. 

Thanks for the comment!

[Dpdk]

Haha, that's going to be only for the materials.

[josiahkerley]

Must be hell without a mousepad.

[zwild1]

 Optical mice work just fine! But It's my computer-free, distraction free workspace anyhow. 

[josiahkerley]

Ok, cool.  Great looking project!

[RCMadMatt]

Very nice! Simple, yet elegant at the same time. Well done!

Matt

[lemonie]

Very nice job, and good instruction.

L

[zwild1]

 Thanks lemonie!

[nanosec12]

I think I would like to try this, but with a set of tarnished brass plates and a deeper mahogany stain.  I like the step by step of your 'ible, not too many boring details, and an overall assumption that if you are going to try this, you have some clue of what you are doing. Well written.

[zwild1]

 Thanks! This would look great with a little victorian flair. You could even use brass screws or put laser cut gears and things underneath the acrylic.