Swedish "Wraparound Desk Made From One Sheet of Plywood"

 by jolebitte
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Inspired by the original desk:
http://www.instructables.com/id/Wraparound-Desk-Made-From-One-Sheet-of-Plywood%2c-2-/?ALLSTEPS
I built one too, but with some variations.
Legs are IKEA's vika curry with two spin-out drawers. Also features MIKAEL drawer and SIGNUM cable channel.
I've later added a ALLAK workchair aswell.
Made in Sweden :)
 
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Step 1: Cutting the sheet

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Pictures are pretty self-explanatory, first the diagonal cut and then marking up the radius.
Cutting the radius and adding the locks.
Last I had to go through the diagonal cut again to make the halves fit tighter.
tinker234 says: Jun 4, 2011. 12:58 PM
hey iw as online could i use other antique legs and paint it whit also anyone thought of carbon nanotubes for legs just a thought
jolebitte (author) in reply to tinker234Jun 4, 2011. 5:59 PM
They sell them at IKEA? :)
tinker234 in reply to jolebitteJun 5, 2011. 4:55 AM
carbon namo tubes
todd_xxxx says: Dec 16, 2010. 5:09 AM
What a great job. Well done.
darthneo says: Nov 9, 2010. 12:26 AM
what kind of screws did you use for the legs?

And could you use a cheaper particle board instead of plywood, or would it not be strong enough?
jolebitte (author) in reply to darthneoNov 9, 2010. 2:52 AM
I used plain screws for wood, see http://biltema.se/sv/Bygg/Skruv-och-Bult/El-och-Blankforsinkat/Traskruv/

Not sure about the strenght, but hey IKEA uses particle board for about everything :) I'm still using this table every day for two years with no sign of wear except the clearcoat in front of the keyboard.
darthneo in reply to jolebitteNov 9, 2010. 11:50 AM
Oh, you are using particle board, not plywood?

I didn't think you could make something with plywood/particle board and make it look so good! I also like the that you used legs and not file cabinets, it looks nicer but i just wonder how much particle board+ those legs would be able to hold, a few hundred pounds maybe?
jolebitte (author) in reply to darthneoNov 9, 2010. 2:31 PM
To be honest I dont know what it's called, and now I cant remember what the name was in swedish :) But have a look at step 1, I added a picture of the surface.

200 pounds, thats me, and I can sit in at the weakest point (just in the middle of the curve at the seam) and, though it flexes about half an inch, there is no worries of breaking it.
darthneo in reply to jolebitteNov 9, 2010. 3:39 PM
I'm not a wood expert by no means, but to me that looks like fiberboard (particle board i think is the lowest grade of fiberboard)

Maybe i'll take a trip to my home depot or lowes and ask them
Branman says: Jul 31, 2010. 3:56 PM
Love it dood!!
chuckr44 says: Feb 1, 2008. 9:10 AM
The surface looks real nice. What did you paint this with and how many coats?
jolebitte (author) in reply to chuckr44Feb 1, 2008. 11:30 AM
It was a half-gloss paint, three or four layers with wet sanding 1200 between each layer. Two rounds of clear coat (that makes the difference) and done. I'd recommend anyone doing this to buy any cheap paint to use on the first layers, as it uses less expensive paint for the last layers then. I bought it all at a quality paintshop and used quality rollers when applying, that and the wet sanding is a must to get a good result. Maybe you could spray on the last layers and get the same result with less effort. Thanks for the comments all
andygreyrider in reply to jolebitteMar 20, 2009. 7:14 AM
Why don't you stain it with say tea to give it an antique look rather than use paint that has an enormous impact on the environment? I have always believed that 'instructables' nurtures the environment friendly ethos. Just a friendly comment not meaning to offend.
lloydrmc in reply to andygreyriderMay 14, 2010. 10:43 PM
Oh, good grief.
jolebitte (author) in reply to andygreyriderMar 20, 2009. 9:35 AM
If you find any "high-gloss black piano paint"-tea let me know. I wasnt out to get the old tea look, and it would look like poop on a MDF board
andygreyrider in reply to jolebitteMar 23, 2009. 7:28 PM
Oh sorry! I forgot to add, not tea for one person! No! The same tea that is used to make black paint but with a higher concentrate. It is only the fixatives that are the harmful chemicals to the environment. But, I thought Instructable users were intelligent and acquired their ingredients at source! FYI: Tea has an ingredient called Tannin; used in the tanning leather and used as a microbial inhibitor on wood. Wiki or Google 'Tannin' and Blackwater River, Florida and you will see why I suggested tea. You should find a tea that presents itself as a high gloss black! "Now how do I get those cup ring stains off?"
rally9x in reply to andygreyriderFeb 3, 2010. 2:01 PM
You went from "not meaning to offend" to attacking peoples intelligence pretty quickly. I highly doubt that the enviroment is one pint of black paint away from total destruction. I think you need to recalibrate what is an 'enourmous impact" if you think that a pint of paint would qualify.

The goal of this project was not to create an "antique" look since that does not usually match a "Swedish" design concept.

I am offended that you list your interest in motorcycles in your profile since they are evil because they burn fossil fuels and use up tons of rubber.


I think the more "instructable" way would be to create an instructable on how to color something black with Tea and then say something like "Hey check out my instructable on what I think is a more enviromentally sound way of staining something."

Some other quick notes:
1. He said high-gloss so you haven't met his requirements.
2. Most MDF is not water resistant  and I'm guessing that you would need to apply the tea wet somehow. Water resistant MDF is both expensive and usually only sold in speciality stores. It might be a bit easier to find if you live by a place with a lot of boating.
2a. Without the clearcoat the their is nothing protecting the desk from humidity so no more setting your drink down.
3. Where is he going to get this tea from have it flown in from China? Better yet since "intelligent instructables aquire things at their source" he would have to fly to China himself and then grow the tea himself. He could probably then go collect his own silk straight from the worms. On his way home he could make a quick stop in Africa to collect some Shellac to protect the desk with. Hopefully he remembered to plant a tree before he left so that when he gets back a decade later he could cut it down and collect the wood.
4. MDF is mostly or almost mostly made up of "binder". Its a bunch of wood scraps glued together.
5. Just because its natural doesn't mean its "better" or more "earth friendly" paint. Just ask all the people effected by lead paint.

milesduggan in reply to rally9xApr 27, 2010. 4:00 PM
 Ok lets not attack motorcyclist now. Even an open piped motorcycle doesnt put out even half the emissions that a early 80's car or even a new truck does so lets just leave us two wheelers out of it please!
rally9x in reply to milesdugganApr 27, 2010. 4:52 PM
I'm not attacking motorcycles, just his smugness and attempts to make himself a victim.

I was saying offended ironically. I think motorcycles are pretty sweet.
milesduggan in reply to rally9xApr 28, 2010. 2:05 PM
 Ok then. Well then screw that guy! lol
chuckr44 in reply to rally9xFeb 5, 2010. 4:53 AM
Also in the US, motorcycles are not subject to emissions laws. They pollute much more than cars.
andygreyrider in reply to rally9xFeb 4, 2010. 5:47 PM
So what is your point that you 'highly doubt' about something you can't spell like environment?
You have obviously woken from such a deep sleep that you forgot to use 'spell check' to a reply that is almost one year past it's use by date.
You are not clever or so high and mighty that you profess but instead choose to spout your garbled tirade.
Thanks for cheering us up!
Maybe you should give English a miss and try another language because your grammar is appalling.
rally9x in reply to andygreyriderFeb 5, 2010. 8:03 AM
I can't even comprehend what you are trying to say in that first sentence but I'm pretty sure that that the fact that you had no actual response to anything I or anything constructive to say about what I posted is your way of saying that I am right and your idea of trying to teabag everything was a poor idea.

I don't know what your point is about the date since you originally responded on Mar 20, 2009 to a comment posted Feb 1, 2008. I responded on Feb 3rd 2010. I'm pretty sure the time between Feb to Mar and the time between Mar and Feb are close to the same. I guess those extra 2 days were important some how? All it says to me is that you have had over a year to post an Instructable on how to paint a desk with tea but have failed to do so.

I will try not to "clever so high and mighty that I profess" in the future.
jolebitte (author) in reply to andygreyriderFeb 4, 2010. 11:46 PM
This is Swedish, http://translate.google.com/

Då provar vi ett annat språk, bara därför. Jag hade inte då, eller har inte nu, en speciell miljö-approach när jag väljer metoder eller material till det jag gör. Vill jag att det ska se ut som ett piano, väljer jag pianolack. Ytan var inte tänkt att visa några ådror, ge ett gammalt intryck utan, se ut som ett högblankt piano.

Sitter vid bordet och skriver detta nu, klarlacken har släppt runt tangentbordet pga nötning men annars är jag fortfarande nöjd med det :)

Jag kommer inte tolerera mer diskussioner kring miljöpåverkan eller språkkunskaper, det är slutdiskuterat

milesduggan says: Apr 27, 2010. 4:04 PM
 Great instructable btw! Too bad people have to use these comment spaces like a bashing forum. But thats the world we live in I guess! Keep on keepin on man!
rally9x says: Feb 3, 2010. 2:04 PM
Very awesome paint job. I belive that that you used MDF which isn't really a "plywood". I believe that it belongs in a family called "chipboard". They have many similarities but they also have different strengths and weaknesses.
work1nprogress says: Jul 12, 2009. 2:41 PM
Amazing. I would love to be able to do this. what was the overall cost? Would any manual saw work for the cutting?
jolebitte (author) in reply to work1nprogressJul 12, 2009. 3:58 PM
I dont remember, but since it´s a single sheet, look up that cost. About 3 square metres of surface for the base and top-paint along with with clear coat. To make the cuts i´d definetively would use power tools, could you perhaps rent them somewhere?
motaaa says: Mar 19, 2009. 9:35 PM
nice work, im diggin the legs with the swinging shelves, how would i go about converting your measurements to american units so i can get an idea of the proportions?
jolebitte (author) in reply to motaaaMar 20, 2009. 4:33 AM
Hi
http://www.instructables.com/files/deriv/FAY/6ATT/FGG6CHTT/FAY6ATTFGG6CHTT.MEDIUM.jpg Here's a quick drawing, Multiply by 0.39 to get inches.
Legs and shelve are in the VIKA CURRY series at IKEA
ThatInstructablesGuy says: Jan 18, 2009. 9:55 AM
It's really nice, this instructable is overlooked and should have a better rating. However the instructions could be more thorough.
ThatInstructablesGuy in reply to ThatInstructablesGuyJan 18, 2009. 9:56 AM
Gave it 5 stars to balance things out a bit more.
sakkaya says: May 10, 2008. 11:11 PM
any chance on getting some dimensions... the wife loves the design... wants me to make one for her
jolebitte (author) in reply to sakkayaMay 20, 2008. 6:34 AM
Sure, though estimated since that was the way I made it :)
Look at the original for some more numbers:
http://www.instructables.com/id/Wraparound-Desk-Made-From-One-Sheet-of-Plywood%2c-2-/?ALLSTEPS
Multiply by 0.39 to get inches.
themostbob says: Jan 31, 2008. 5:30 PM
Hey - nice job - looks great! Bob
GorillazMiko says: Jan 31, 2008. 3:07 PM
WOW, WOW, WOW! It looks like those ones from Ikea! Really expensive! Amazing job, I want one of these! NOW! :P Amazingly done Instructable, great (and I mean GREAT) idea. +1 rating. (added to favorites)
keng says: Jan 31, 2008. 12:38 PM
CASTERS ON THE BOTTOM OF A TOWER!!!! That's GENIUS!!...as in Wile E. Coyote kind of Genius! btw: the desk looks great too ;o)
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