"Old Timey Computer Desk-Hutch... sorta

[SARGE..g-47]

I wasn't going to post this until I finished the hutch but.. someone ask me to take some pictures today so why not? The finish is on but curing so it has not been rubbed down with 0000 steel wool and wax to cut down the sheen yet.

All QSWO except drawers of maple. The legs are quad-linear so QS fleck is on all 4 sides. There is a compartment behind the key-board open on the rear that will house surge protector and all main wires as no wires will be seen. CPU in right cabinet with open back to cool.. 2 add on after the fact as my wife asked for them in lieu of shelves after the carcass was built with recessed door. That presented a design problem with door clearance but I adjusted on the fly to get it the way she wants it. The drawers are for manuals.. back up tapes.. etc..

Basically a Stickley hunt-board modified to accept computer components in the way she desired them to be. The center row of drawers had to be eliminated to house the key-board and human legs. The hutch will be a modified Liberty & Co. hunt-board hutch modified to accept her small printer.. speakers.. etc. The top is 23" x 63" x 1 1/4" and weighs around 70 pounds with the base at around 60 lbs. The hutch will weigh another 40 lbs. or so and eventually around 140 board feet used over-all. All M & T's.. bridals and dadoes with box joint drawers as the one my father used at the U.S. Post Office for 35 years before his death in 1959. I loved that desk as a kid.

Sorry for my photo skills as they are basically non-existant as my computer skills. For those that don't know.. put your pointer in a picture and click to en-large even though this is a computer saavy group with me as an exception for sure.

Sarge..

[jackellis]

Sarge, I'd like to say I'd give up my computer skills for your woodworking skills except that I still need to make a living.

That's a nice looking computer desk. I'm going to need a new one here pretty soon and I just might copy your design!, though I doubt I can execute it as well as you have.

[radhak]

Breathtaking!
Being a computer guy, and looking for this sort of a desk for a while now, I find it exactly how a comp desk should be like. And you description makes it look so simple - almost as if even I could build it. Almost !

Dare I ask if you followed a plan? Even if not, do you have the dimensions pat? As in, width of the CPU cabinet and of the left cabinet, and the height to the keyboard? And the idea of the back compartment is neat - is it accessible without moving the table?

In case I did not mention it - that's an amazing and inspiring piece!

[Ed62]

WOW! That is beee-utiful!

Ed

[Pappy]

What a pile of garbage, Sarge. I'm not even sure I would call that good firewood. I wouldn't even want to see you to waste the money to ship it somewhere for proper destruction.

It is 10:15 your time. If I leave now I can be there about 7 AM to remove it before you suffer the embarrassement of having a friend or neighbor see it.

I have tried to envision what kind of computer desk and hutch that I would like to build, now I know. That is beautiful! I will be watching for pictures of what I want for a hutch.

How about some close ups and details on the wiring compartment.

[Kristofor]

That looks great Sarge! Very nicely done. Lots of open space like that on the back should work great for ventilation of most any non-gaming rig.

[SARGE..g-47]

Thanks for the kind words, everyone. I have found this a challenge after my wife changed her mind and wanted drawers after I designed a basic frame and panel with doors recessed instead of flush. That can cause a hinge problem as off-set have to be used but.. the door has to open wide enough to allow the hidden drawers to slide out.

Plus.. by the after the fact.. I did not allow for wooden slides as shelves were her first request. So... I had to build a box within a box to accomodate slides and I went to metal Accuride bottom slides. That was the first time in 38 years I have built a carcass with drawers not using my own wooden built slides. I will say those Accurides are very sturdy as full extenion slides.

Jack.. borrow away and if you have trouble when you get to it finding the hardware.. PM as I will give you some leads. These are 9" hinges and the most common are 6" .. 10".. 12".. etc. It took me awhile to find 9" to keep proportion and in black.

Rad.. I have never used anyone's plans in 38 years. I just looked at a picture of a Stickley Hunt-board and a Liberty & Co. hunt-board hutch and draw out a very crude drawing with my modifications. I add the dementions in scribled notes and then go build it allowing for mortise depths and tenon lenghts. I am a seat of the pants flyer you might say.

Width of cab doors is 12" as our little CPU is 7 1/2" wide. There is actually a bit more side room past the door as the panels are recessed into frames so about 13 1/2"-14' inside on both sides. Keyboard height is around 26" from floor and about 3 1/2" under teh top itself.. not the middle arched stretcher. If you decide to build it.. PM and I will get any exact dementions you ask for.

Thanks Ed... my wife thinks it's purty and is pushing for me to start the hutch tomorrow. I would love to but... I have to tear down a tile wall around the second bath shower-tub and replace along with the fixtures as the faucet started leaking after 20 years.

Pappy... be here early.. bring my mail and bring a coffee cup. We'll have some fun day after tomorrow hutch building as tomorrow is re-do the 2nd bath day. Women don't give a man any respect once they find out you can do something.

I'll attempt a picture of the back which will show the wire tray exposed. It is just an enclosed (from front side) and open in rear tray compartment. I got tired of the ten million wires laying on the floor in the center of our current desk. What a mess IMO and there had to be a better way. I just found one to be frank.. Nothing special really but it does hide all the rid-ga-ma-ru and spider-web of wires that these things work off of.

Thanks Kristofor... I am computer illiterate but I do know a liittle bit about machines. Heat is not good for machines and has to be dealt with. My wife is retired from the State of Georgia in computer operations also and she does know the soft-ware end. My son is the hardware guy.. I'm just the dummie that monitors a couple of WW forums daily. When I get in trouble.. I simply yell.... HELP and they pull me from the deep water over my head.

BTW.. for those interested in building a simialr one... this thing weighs a ton. So... those upper-middle stretchers are not enough to hold it together when you pick it up and move it. To much torque on them as each side is pretty heavy. You must re-inforce the two sides and middle. I will try to get a picture tomorrow when I get Pappy a pic of the back on how I did that.

Once in place.. no problem but moving it up stairs as I will have to will put force on those middle stretchers. I made this 3 phase.. the base.. the top.. an the hutch with final assembly done in the resting place. One piece at around 200 pounds is just too much with akward weigh distribution.

Picture tomorrow and thanks to all...

[footprintsinconc]

looks amazing. very nice. i cant show this to LOML, otherwise she will be asking me where are the things that i have promised her.

[SARGE..g-47]

Thanks Omar..

Pappy.. here is the picture of the back showing the simple electronic tray that will obstruct view of wires from the front. Again.. just a shelf so to speak that is tied into the upper cross support (you will see a picture of that also) that drops down.. then a shelf tied in at 90* and the rear stretcher for the center back panel drops down off the rear of the shelf.

The other pictures are a way of beefing up the strengh of the two heavy outer cabinets tied together. Again.. the center front and rear strechers that are tenoned in just can't handle that kind of weight when lifted as in transporting.

The center piece of 23/32" ply is attached to a rabbet in both outside cabinet strechers.. then I rabbetted the bottom to accept a glued piece of stock that runs under it and ties to the out 3/8" groove on the inside of the front and rear strecther on both side cabinets. The end of that stock is rabbeted to fit the slot which is also used as a trench for table top fastners that will allow expansion.

So the ply sheet not only beefs the support of supporting a connection of side cabinets but... also becomes an anchor point for the electronic shelf. Hope that helps... any questions.... ask.

Off to destroy and rebuild a bathroom...

[lrogers]

WOW! Nice job Sarge. Looked like there were more than a few dovetails in there.

[Bruce Cohen]

Sarge,

YOU DE MAN!!!

Bruce

[SARGE..g-47]

WOW! Nice job Sarge. Looked like there were more than a few dovetails in there.

In this case Larry.. box joints all the way around. I normally do hand cut DT's in front and use box joints in the rear but.. I wanted those drawers to look similar to the one's on an oak desk my dad sat behind doing book-keeping at the U.S. Post office from 1929 to 1959 before his death. That desk is still at the old Post Office which has been replaced by a new facility. The county purchased it and is it a museum or sorts..

Thanks for the compliment...

[SARGE..g-47]

Thanks... Bruce.

[ironhat]

Veeery nice, Sarge. I don't believe that I'll ever get close tot the skill sets that you have. Everytime I build something it's like a three month course on learnining, re-doing and re-using what I screwed up. Along the lines of history I love the idea of building a memorial, of sorts, to your father. I'm sure that he's smiling at you and he is honored by it.

[jgrobler]

Very beautiful!