Need a large slab of wood
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Discussion

Rawwr

Original Poster:

22,722 posts

258 months

Sunday 5th June 2011
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I've been hunting around for a decent desk but despite much hunting around, there's nothing out there that really fits the bill. So I've decided I should make one myself that'll fit perfectly to what I need. So, several questions arise...

1) Where can I get a big slab of wood; 1500x600x40mm?

2) Ideally I'd like it to be european beech (mainly based on colouring) but will this be suitable? Is a veneered ply going to be better/easier? The desk won't need to hold any serious weight as monitors will be mounted to the wall behind the desk, so so long as it can support the weight of a keyboard, mouse and two small speakers, I'm happy.

3) Who can then trim this vast slab to look like the diagram below?


Arthur Jackson

2,111 posts

254 months

Sunday 5th June 2011
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Sounds like a bit of kitchen worktop.

Rawwr

Original Poster:

22,722 posts

258 months

Sunday 5th June 2011
quotequote all
Arthur Jackson said:
Sounds like a bit of kitchen worktop.
Yeah, that kind of thing but looking more like wood than granite smile

Toyowner

25,376 posts

245 months

Sunday 5th June 2011
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A slab of real wood that size is going be expensive. I'd be trying to find a worktop off cut if I could.

Veneered ply or mdf is rarely anywhere near that thickness, Ive seen 25mm and I think you can go to 32mm.

Rawwr

Original Poster:

22,722 posts

258 months

Sunday 5th June 2011
quotequote all
Arthur Jackson said:
http://tinyurl.com/6ykh7wr

Perfect! smile

Toyowner

25,376 posts

245 months

Sunday 5th June 2011
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Doh! too slow!

Magog

2,653 posts

213 months

Sunday 5th June 2011
quotequote all
Veneered mdf or faced ply would be your best bet, you can always put strip wood or iron on facings round the visible edges to smarten it up a bit, (just noticed the thickness of 40mm, i think veneered mdf usually topsn out at 25mm but you might get some thats thicker), you could always double up with two sheets of mdf/ply glued and screwed together to get towards that thickness and then edge with solid wood.

As another poster said solid wood of that thickness will set you back an awful lot, and would almost certainly have to be biscuited and joined from separate stock boards after having been through a thicknesser.

I think your best best bet would be to get a local joiners to do it for you.

Rawwr

Original Poster:

22,722 posts

258 months

Sunday 5th June 2011
quotequote all
Well the worktop material seems perfect, really. Finding someone to cut the hole and the two notches for the trunking is the issue now.

Stu R

21,443 posts

239 months

Sunday 5th June 2011
quotequote all
Any decent kitchen worktop place, I think it was barncrest I used for the kitchen, wasn't cheap though. It's since been replaced with granite, and what was once the island is now my monstrously oversized desk. The cut to order etc, I can't see your picture because for some reason Thumbsnap doesn't work for me any more, but they were pretty handy - you just send the dimensions etc though and they make it.

Rawwr

Original Poster:

22,722 posts

258 months

Sunday 5th June 2011
quotequote all
Stu R said:
monstrously oversized wood
hehe

Magog

2,653 posts

213 months

Sunday 5th June 2011
quotequote all
Rawwr said:
Well the worktop material seems perfect, really. Finding someone to cut the hole and the two notches for the trunking is the issue now.
Seems my post was too slow!

I'd buy yourself a cheap and cheerful router and have a go yourself (maybe practice on some scrap wood first), you might be able to do your front bevel yourself as well.

Rawwr

Original Poster:

22,722 posts

258 months

Sunday 5th June 2011
quotequote all
How do you do a bevel? Wouldn't it be easier to just cobble on some trim afterwards?

Magog

2,653 posts

213 months

Sunday 5th June 2011
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Rawwr said:
How do you do a bevel? Wouldn't it be easier to just cobble on some trim afterwards?
You use a router bit similar to this;


mgtony

4,166 posts

214 months

Sunday 5th June 2011
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One of these:

http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/9001492...

A jig saw and a hole saw for the cut-outs smile

Deva Link

26,934 posts

269 months

Sunday 5th June 2011
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mgtony said:
One of these:

http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/9001492...

A jig saw and a hole saw for the cut-outs smile
I was going to suggest having a wander around IKEA.

I wanted deeper than 60cm so built my desk a few years ago using one of the 120 x 80 tabletops slung between two IVAR shelving units turned sideways (they do the brackets to attach the table top to the shelving units.

If it needs altering or holes cutting in it then get a local woodwork workshop to do it (there are loads of them around, hidden away).

Slinky

15,704 posts

273 months

Sunday 5th June 2011
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I used to have a fire door as a desk.. Covered in vinyl and with edging strips, you'd never have known it was a door..

It was heavy as hell, so very sturdy..