They say that necessity is the mother of invention, and for many people, building something from scratch, using reclaimed materials, is fulfilling in terms of both environmental responsibility and personal challenge.
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With a bit of expertise and delicacy, reclaimed materials have become highly
prized for the character they can bring home and office furnishings. As well as
vintage timbers, iron castings, once considered merely functional, now seem to
ooze style and good value.
Find a vision
Before you start your desk project, you need a clear idea of what you want to
build.
Wait until you’ve found your recycled materials before working out precise
dimensions and details of connecting joints.
You will need to take into consideration the space in the area you are
putting this desk, for example a reception area in the main foyer. If you are planning to fit in some Reception
Chairs from sites like Reception chairs from Best Buy Office Chairs to go
in the space make sure your measure it all out correctly.
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Tools
To build a solid and well-made desk, we suggest you will need access to a
router, circular saw, pipe clamps, bench-top planer, adjustable spanners,
sander, electric drill and a biscuit joiner. If you don’t own any of these
things, find somewhere to hire them.
Materials
Old rafters and joists rarely find their way to landfills, as they’re snapped
up by reclamation specialists. However, you can still find them at a decent
price, and asking on demolition sites might cut out the middleman.
2×6 rafters or 2×8 joists are a good basis for a desk. A tabletop planer will
erase twists and gouges inflicted by time. Find tips on using them here: https://www.familyhandyman.com/tools/woodworking-tools/how-to-use-a-benchtop-planer/view-all.
Cast-iron bases that used to support sewing machines or other machinery are
fairly easy to pick up from reclamation yards.
Desktop
Arrange planks in position and mark every 8″ along each seam. Cut biscuit
slots at each position and apply wood glue before assembling. “No more nails”
makes an excellent adhesive. Secure with pipe clamps until dried. You can cover
end grains with a veneer strip. Finish the top with wax or varnish.
Legs
Iron legs will attach to braces of 2×8, positioned on the underside of your
desktop. Drill through at bolt hole positions with a bit matching their
diameter. Use bolts 1/16” smaller. Attach braces with glue and 2” nails.
Drawers
Drawers are labour intensive, so a good tip is to salvage an old one and build
your recess around it.
