Mesquite computer desk pics (long)

[Kirk (KC) Constable]

Here's the computer desk I've been fiddling with since early this year. Dimensions are 28 deep x 58 wide x 30 high, Mojave Corian top.





I used doors all around for ease in hookup, and so it can sit in the middle of a room and look good, too. I didn't take a picture of the back, but it looks just like the front except there's no drawer pull on the middle stretcher (which is just like the drawer front). I gave serious thought to putting a privacy panel in back, but by the time I decided, I was too far along to 're-engineer' for it. I used the cheap keyboard slide/drawer front flip thingy from Rockler. Inside the left box is an adjustable shelf for the CPU to sit on, and a sliding tray/shelf at the bottom that fits my HP flatbed scanner (and others I suspect). In the right box are two drawers, and a sliding tray/shelf that a 'modern' printer can live on. The upper drawer is deep enough to hold a 'flip and see' CD holder. Drawers are 1/2 Russian birch plywood, dovetailed, with a mesquite front. CPU shelf/sliding shelves/keyboard shelf are birch ply bordered with mesquite.



There's some 'design detail' that doesn't photograph well (at least when I'm taking the pictures). The panels in the box are 1/4", resawn. The middle stile is just a teensy bit proud of the panels...maybe 1/8", and the rails are just a teensy bit proud of the middle stile. This assembly is inset from the leg posts, so the whole thing is kinda 'stairstepped'. Same thing with doors...except the stiles are proud of the rails. I thought this would look neat...and I guess it does...but I'm not sure if it was worth the trouble. The ebony pegs go through the doors, and just plug dowel pins everywhere else.





The two boxes are separate units, tied together with the middle assembly, which is screwed to both sides. I did this to make it more manageable to move, but it's not real stable if you try to pick the whole thing up . Once assembled, it does scoot quite nicely. The cross pieces in the middle are to help support the Corian top, which sits in a 2" mesquite frame.



I cut cable holes at the top of both inside box sides. Cabling can be tied up to the back of the rear middle stretcher, effectively hiding it (I hope).



Hardware is the Mission stuff from Woodcraft. Hinges are full wrap Amerock that almost match the color of the pulls. Finish is WATCO natural follwed by Sherwin Williams dull-rubbed-effect precat lacquer.

Overall, I guess I'm pleased with it. I'm not at all sure I like the top, and if you see this at a show, it may well have a wood top. I don't particularly like that the doors have to open all the way to use the drawers/sliding selves...but that came with the choice to use doors on both sides (which further led to doors all around). I think there's enough gap in the door frame to allow for heat escape, so I didn't put in any vents. Commentary pro and con welcome.

[Thomas Canfield]

The Mesquite project is really something else. Unless someone has worked with or around Mesquite, I don't think they can appreciate all the work that went in getting clear boards shown in the pictures. Congratulations. I take it you found the wood somewhere in the San Antonio area, but you did not mention the source. Some of the other members might be interested as to a source.

[Bob Marino]

Kirk,

You do some gorgeous work with mesquite. Beautiful design and construction. Question on the finish? Which type of lacquer did you use from SW? How many coats?

[Waymon Campbell]

Kirk - This Texas boy thinks that's a mighty fine desk.

[Jim Becker]

KC...I like this desk very much. I too have some reservations about the Corian top, however...my taste is to solid wood, especially when it's such beautiful stuff. But that's a very subjective thing. Some customer of yours may think differently!

[Rob Overton]

Hi Kirk, Good Lookin ! Rob

[Daniel Rabinovitz]

Kirk
It looks really outstanding.
Very nicely executed.
You'll get years and years of service out of it.
Daniel

[David Rose]

Kirk, that is beautiful work, as always.

I have wanted to ask you for some time about mesquite. Obviously, trees somewhere get larger than the ones I grew up with in the TX panhandle. We had 11" annual rainfall so that probably played a part. As a kid of around 10, one of my summer enterprises was cutting the stuff up for cooking grill seasoning and marketing it. I did it on Dad's old Shopsmith. Splitter? Guard? What's that? The Lord looks after dern fools and... That stuff ate blades like I was cutting metal! I'm pretty sure the teeth were not carbide. I just remember buying several blades that summer. White pine was the only other wood I ever saw. Was it the cheap hardware store blades I was using or just that it was the first hardwood I encountered that made me think the stuff was nearly impossible to cut? I also grew up believing that oak was something you could only work green. Even then it was only worth it if you wanting an object to last several hundred years. Maybe all of this was just an excuse to use pine for everything.

Do the trees your wood is coming from produce a lot of this quality wood, or do you do a lot of selecting? Like I say, your projects are the first I've seen with mesquite large enough to make actual boards. The scrub stuff up there was beautiful though barely large enough for pens most of the time.

How our perception can change!

David

[Ken Garlock]

Kirk, a great job, I like it very much.

One question, did you put some form of ventilation in the cabinets so the CPU can keep cool? If not, you can probably save the day with a small fan blowing out at one end of the bottom and a filtered inlet vent at the other end. Just a thought.

[Chris Padilla]

Sweet! This wood just doesn't get the air time it deserves but as a couple posters pointed out, it isn't the most flat-work friendly tree out there.

Spectacular work, Kirk...outstanding job. Why do you do so much work with Mequite?

[John Piwaron]

Here's the computer desk I've been fiddling with since early this year. Dimensions are 28 deep x 58 wide x 30 high, Mojave Corian top.

Beautiful work. I certainly love the look of mesquite.

What's the overal size of the boxes on either end? I'm askin' 'cause I'm in the early part of my own desk project which has only on large box to the right. Maybe another smaller box could go to the left to hide the PC.

[Tyler Howell]

Hubba Hubba!
Toooo Nice.

[Bruce Page]

Two thumbs up as usual KC. Building the cabinet doors on both sides is an excellent idea!

[Kirk (KC) Constable]

Beautiful work. I certainly love the look of mesquite.

What's the overal size of the boxes on either end? I'm askin' 'cause I'm in the early part of my own desk project which has only on large box to the right. Maybe another smaller box could go to the left to hide the PC.

Thanks for the comments, all. The boxes are 16" wide, 12 5/8 or so between the leg posts. I made them big ebough for the scanner to comfortably fit.

KC

[John Miliunas]

Beautiful job, KC! Man, that stuff sure does have some pretty graining to it. The only Mesquite I've ever worked with was a small blank for a bowl. It's still one of LOML's favorites! That's just one wood we don't see much of around here. Very nice execution on the desk, as well! Keep up the great work!