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For years i have planned on building a desk to meet my needs and use old wooden boxes and crates for the drawers. I'm not a finish carpenter but was able to cobble this desk together over a few evenings with a little trial and error.
I wanted to use crates found at garage sales and thrift stores for the drawers, have a tidy cable and cord system, shelving integrated, not conceal too much of the wall, and to fit the space that i had evenly. I also wanted to spend as little money as possible on it and use salvaged materials.
I ended up only buying a few longer screws for the drawer handles - that was the only new purchase of anything i didn't have on hand.
I wanted to use crates found at garage sales and thrift stores for the drawers, have a tidy cable and cord system, shelving integrated, not conceal too much of the wall, and to fit the space that i had evenly. I also wanted to spend as little money as possible on it and use salvaged materials.
I ended up only buying a few longer screws for the drawer handles - that was the only new purchase of anything i didn't have on hand.
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The entire desk was made out of red cedar 1x12 boards that i reused from shelving that was in the house and boards that i found in the attic and 2x2 red cedar pieces that i salvaged from the front porch railing.
The top of the desk was made with two pieces of tempered glass that i salvaged from a construction site -- they were extras.
The crates i collected slowly over a period of years from local sales.
The handles on the drawers were salvaged from a desk and a filing cabinet that were at the landfill and partially crushed.
The cable management tracks were removed from an electrical panel that was at the landfill as well.
Drawer hardware. Two of the drawers i put on tracks because i had salvaged them from old desks and because i could spare the extra space due to a crate being paired with a larger one. Friction drawers seem to be working alright with the others.
I used finishing nails for all the wood attachments and short screws with a very wide head for attaching the cable chases and the drawer hardware.
Unfortunately, my good digital camera was in for service as I built the desk so a few photos were taken with my cameraphone. Sorry about the poorer quality of them.
The entire desk was made out of red cedar 1x12 boards that i reused from shelving that was in the house and boards that i found in the attic and 2x2 red cedar pieces that i salvaged from the front porch railing.
The top of the desk was made with two pieces of tempered glass that i salvaged from a construction site -- they were extras.
The crates i collected slowly over a period of years from local sales.
The handles on the drawers were salvaged from a desk and a filing cabinet that were at the landfill and partially crushed.
The cable management tracks were removed from an electrical panel that was at the landfill as well.
Drawer hardware. Two of the drawers i put on tracks because i had salvaged them from old desks and because i could spare the extra space due to a crate being paired with a larger one. Friction drawers seem to be working alright with the others.
I used finishing nails for all the wood attachments and short screws with a very wide head for attaching the cable chases and the drawer hardware.
Unfortunately, my good digital camera was in for service as I built the desk so a few photos were taken with my cameraphone. Sorry about the poorer quality of them.
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Nobby.
PS. I wish my wife would let me build a desk like yours.
thanks for sharing.
I am collecting scarp wood from the street so I can make my own customized desk like yours.
thanks for this nice instructable.
The finished project looks nice, but it's not likely to last very long with those joints. Not if it gets used regularly. Those finishing nails are going to work that cedar like nobody's business. The slightest racking will spread their holes, and what's now a slight wobble will soon turn into a cause for keeping small children out of the immediate vicinity. I'd look for the hutch to go first.
Sorry. Don't mean to be a downer. I can completely relate to the spirit of your recycling efforts. I love the old boxes and the fact that you appreciate them like you do. And your "Imperfection" step speaks volumes about your aesthetic sensibilities. Delightful contrasts abound in this project.
And really, the desk and the hutch do look nice. No, I can't see the details of the finish in these photos, but I can tell that you took your time to square things up.
It's just those nails. They worry me. Holding those 1-inch boards with very little assistance from wood-on-wood support. Even if you only have a circular saw, you can at least cut dadoes (granted, that takes a little patience; OK, a lot).
Or if it's too late now for that, maybe plunge-cut a few splines from the outside. You could use a light-colored contrasting wood for the spline keys and make them decorative, as well as functional. I dunno. It would get glue in the frame.
That's really the key question: Did you glue it before you nailed it? Because if you did, and used some decent glue (e.g. plain old red-label Titebond), it might be fine.
Anyway, pardon the ramble. Discarded wooden crates (ones with character!), tied together visually with a common pull, and used as drawers in a home-built desk and hutch...cool beans.
Regarding sticky "drawers," you might want to consider applying some paste wax to the crates. Maybe just rub on one good coat, don't let it sit too long (an hour?), and buff it out real good.
That wouldn't likely change the color of the wood beyond a slight mellowing, but it would give you a smoother and more overall user-friendly finish on the boxes, without having to sand them or otherwise compromise they're integrity as fine antiques ;-). Plus, the paste wax would protect the crates somewhat from staining, smudging, and wide temperature swings.
Johnson's. Big yellow can. It's like 6 bucks at the big stores. Good stuff. Easy.