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Step 2Clean up the Wood
If you use reclaimed lumber it will likely come to you really dirty, not straight, and covered in total crap.
The first thing I did was go over each piece with a hammer and a pair of vice grips to remove the nails and other interesting metal objects that had found their way into the wood over the course of it's previous life. This is really important because if there's any metal left in the wood it can mess up your tools when you use them on it (I suppose this could also cause an accident where you could be injured or killed. Be careful). It's probably a good idea to use a metal detector to make sure you got everything out.
After the metal was removed I decided to use my sander with a very rough abrasive in it to remove all the crap on the outside of the wood. This made the rest of the process a lot cleaner which is important to me because I'm doing all this in the same space that I live in.
Next you're going to want to use your saw to make sure all the corners are at 90 degree angles. I used my circular saw, but a table saw would probably be better. Actually what would be great is a jointer. I don't have one of those though, so I'm making do with what I have.
The first thing I did was go over each piece with a hammer and a pair of vice grips to remove the nails and other interesting metal objects that had found their way into the wood over the course of it's previous life. This is really important because if there's any metal left in the wood it can mess up your tools when you use them on it (I suppose this could also cause an accident where you could be injured or killed. Be careful). It's probably a good idea to use a metal detector to make sure you got everything out.
After the metal was removed I decided to use my sander with a very rough abrasive in it to remove all the crap on the outside of the wood. This made the rest of the process a lot cleaner which is important to me because I'm doing all this in the same space that I live in.
Next you're going to want to use your saw to make sure all the corners are at 90 degree angles. I used my circular saw, but a table saw would probably be better. Actually what would be great is a jointer. I don't have one of those though, so I'm making do with what I have.
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I was just wondering (as I have basically zero experience with woodwork) when you said:
"Next you're going to want to use your saw to make sure all the corners are at 90 degree angles. I used my circular saw, but a table saw would probably be better. Actually what would be great is a jointer. I don't have one of those though, so I'm making do with what I have."
What does this actually mean. Are you assuming the wooden planks are square to begin with, and just want to make the ends at 90 degrees, or did you make the whole plank square?
I can understand if my question is confusing, but you say you don't have a jointer, and I am wondering how you got your planks to look so perfect and fit together using a circular saw?
Thanks,
Paul
The wood was pretty close, but not quite square. The secret is the Festool plunge cut saw and guide. Their saw fits perfectly into a metal guide that I can line up with the edge of the wood (or any edge I want). It also has a protractor that fits to the guide to allow me to cut at any angle.
Frankly, a used table saw is probably cheaper and would do a better job, but space is at a premium where I've lived and I move a lot. This project was actually done two apartments ago! The Festool tools are small and pack up quite nicely.
If/when I move into a place that has a lot of space I will set up a woodshop with a tablesaw.
If you are using this Instructable to help with your desk, for this part just make sure the wood is cut nice so it fits together well. That's really all that is important. Good luck with your desk!
-Dave