Grommets for computer desk.

[Eric]

I need to make some grommets for a computer office desk that I'm building.
Anyone have any suggestions on how to do the top of the grommet so it's curved like the image below?


I was thinking that I would cut a square blank on the table saw, then tilt the blade and remove some of the material on the top, then to the band saw and cut out most of the material for the slot, and take the corners off the blank, then to the spindle sander to sand the slot out, then to the router to make it round and make the relief cut.

[cabinetman]

It might be just as fast to use a block plane. Then use a block sander.
.

[pelligrini]

Do you really want the top curved? Our old office had some taller curved ones. You can't really set anything on top. Our new office has some low profile flat plastic ones, they are much more useful.

If I was making them, I'd use a fly cutter on my drill press to make a round blank. A rabbit bit on my router table to do the bottom lip. Drawknife and belt sander to shape the top curve. The last thing would be the cutout for the cable. I'd drill a hole on the drill press, then cut to the hole with my backsaw.

*edit* Or, I might just order a few of these: http://www.craftparts.com/dowel-pins...c-150_259.html

More than likely I'd get these from Lee Valley: http://www.leevalley.com/US/hardware...=3,40894,41369
and add a few woodworking tools to so the box wouldn't be too light.

[parnelli]

If you want to go the simple route, I've seen black metal ones in the section of BORG or Lowes or somewhere that has all the little drawers of magnets, stoppers etc etc

[Eric]

I got one from Rockler when I was going to make the desk out of oak and birch ply, but have since gone with walnut and birch ply and want the grommet to match.

I made some flat ones last night and didn't like the looks of it as much, and where the holes are going to be there "shouldn't" be much need of setting anything on top of it. Of course saying that now there will be.

Going to go out and play with some different ideas.

[LCHIEN]

there's a real honest to goodness question you have to ask yourself here.
All these gromets illustrated seem to be in the 2.25 to 3" diameter range which is what traditional computer desks used. Back in the old days we had to pass big connectors thru the holes, thus the dimensions... like DB25 for the serial and printer, big ones for the parallel printers, and the SCSI connectors, all of which were about 2" or more long and at right angles to the cable.

Today's common PCs mostly work with VGA (3-row DB15), USB, USB and more USB. A few audio pin jacks, Ethernet RJ-45s and telephone RJ-11. The biggest connectors probably will be the Modular AC cords which will pass through about 1" diameter - but even then a lot of stuff on the desktop (like LCD monitors) will be powered by wall warts or bricks and a small DC cord and connector pased thru the hole.

Serial cables (DB9) are dinosaurs - they aren't found on modern computers.

So basically these larger holes aren't necessary for modern computer table anymore. Maybe a smaller hole or even a oval will work?

[Kristofor]

I would guess that a DVI connector is probably the largest object that most home users will need to pass through a desk grommet. To pick the smallest usable size then add in the size of a couple A/C cables, and a couple USB cables already in place (nothing more annoying than having to do the complete tear down because the largest connector can only fit if it's the first one through the hole...).

I might go for a small size if I was making raised grommets, but if I was going for flat ones I would actually go larger. A 4-5" hole is large enough to pass a wall wart or laptop brick and is a great thing. With gravity on your side dropping those down from above is trivial. If you have to go the other way pushing the end of the cable up from below you're stuck crawling under the desk, and if the hole is behind drawer/other modules you may be on your back reaching around at odd angles.

[Cochese]

Stick with the standard size.

[conwaygolfer]

I just did some counters for a real estate firm and the owner got his from Office Depot. They have different sizes also.

Conwaygolfer

[Eric]

Well, what I ended up doing was pretty much what I figured.

Cut the blanks to size on the table saw, then marked the center and drilled a 1/8" hole for a pin, then cut the top of the grommet at a 15° angle, started the hole for the cables to pass through (this gave me a nice starting point with the router), then used my OSS to sand the hole to the finished depth, then used a circle cutting jig on the router table, then adjusted the jig in relation to the bit for the relief cut, then used the belt sander and the ROS to finish it off. Dipped it into poly and let it dry.

They match the other walnut that I used on the desk. I'm sure I made it harder than I needed, but I'm pleased with the result.

[pelligrini]

Sure does look good.

Would you mind explaining how you did the 15° angle cuts?

[Eric]

after I cut the blank I tilted the blade on the TS to 15° and lowered the blade to half the height of the blank. Then I fed the blank through and cut all four sides, ended up with a pyramid which I was considering leaving because it looked kinda cool, but decided to sand them down.