| Project by Jeff | posted 07-30-2008 06:34 AM | 15129 views | 18 times favorited | 29 comments |  |
 |
It’s been a while since I made a project contribution to the site but after a little consideration I decided this reclamation project was a good candidate for “One Man’s Junk”. My father-in-law had an old steel desk from the 60s or 70s hanging around and asked me to post it on Craigslist and get rid of it and outta the spare garage (half of which houses my shop). Well, after two listings we had no takers and it just sat on its end on a dolly and I had to wheel it in and out every time i worked in the shop.
Flash forward to this spring and my plans to build an all-in-one outfeed table, work station, chop saw stand, planer stand, router table. I have some plans I heard about here on the site but they call for quite a bit of MDF and I’m not convinced I want to deal with all the toxic dust it creates. The other problem was what would I do with the old desk to make room for the tool/work station. Then, it dawned on me I had the basis for the tool station in the old desk. I talked to my FIL about letting me take the desk off his hands. He said that would be great and wouldn’t even take a penny for it.
I figured I could get some plywood and bolt it too any surface that I wanted to use as a surface to attach shelf mounts, hooks, etc. I also figured there was a way to get it onto some casters even though the legs were only 1 inch square. A little work in SketchUp and I was ready to go.
It’s not quite fully enhanced as per the SU plan but I was so happy to have it operational that I moved on to other projects so I could put it to use. I have some ideas for ways to incorporate some movable platforms (anchored in T-tracks) to function as outboard platform extensions for my chop saw and planer. The t-track approach would allow me to securely lock down the platforms with toilet bolts and knobs thus avoiding the handles of clamps getting in the way. This modification is “under development” for now though.
As for the table saw outfeed usage, I really lucked out. The height of the table is just a little less than 3/4 of an inch shy of my saw’s height. Just perfect for using another ‘salvaged’ item. I recently picked up two 30×42 x 3/4 drawing table tops for $25 total cost from a local surplus and salvage store. These are nice tops with the white super-slick laminate. One of them is used to take up the gap between top of the desk and the table saw. It works really well.
Materials:
1 Steel Desk – FREE
2 4×8 sheets 7/16” OSB – $8 each
6 linear feet of construction lumber – FREE leftovers from the New-Fangled workbench project
4 3-inch casters – about $25 – purchased at big sale at Woodcraft earlier this year
Various lag, machine, and hex bolts and their washers and nuts for attaching the OSB and casters – about $35 (some new, some on hand)
Increased storage, mobility, and flexibility in my small shop – worth it!
-- Jeff, St. Paul, MN
29 comments so far
jeanmarc
home | projects | blog
1899 posts in 4195 days
#1 posted 07-30-2008 07:03 AM
Super job
-- jeanmarc manosque france
Joe Brumley
home | projects | blog
70 posts in 4261 days
#2 posted 07-30-2008 07:17 AM
Nice repurposing of the desk, Jeff. It’s great that you were able to help out the FIL and tidy up your shop. I like that you used sketchup to work out the details. It reminds me that I should use it for even the little things and by doing so I will become more familiar with it.
-- Joe, Indiana, http://www.crookedshack.com
Scott Bryan
home | projects | blog
27250 posts in 4301 days
#3 posted 07-30-2008 12:03 PM
This is a nice job of re-purposing on the desk. You got a nice, as well as needed, piece of shop furniture for under $100 and helped your father-in-law get rid of an unwanted desk. Sounds like a winning combination to me.
Great job, Jeff.
-- Challenges are what make life interesting; overcoming them is what makes life meaningful- Joshua Marine
Dick, & Barb Cain
home | projects | blog
8693 posts in 4778 days
#4 posted 07-30-2008 01:14 PM
What a great recycling job, & it looks real handy.
-- -** You are never to old to set another goal or to dream a new dream ****************** Dick, & Barb Cain, Hibbing, MN. http://www.woodcarvingillustrated.com/gallery/member.php?uid=3627&protype=1
trifern
home | projects | blog
8135 posts in 4246 days
#5 posted 07-30-2008 01:27 PM
Nice solution to both of your issues. Thank you for sharing Jeff.
-- My favorite piece is my last one, my best piece is my next one.
Chris
home | projects | blog
1880 posts in 4470 days
#6 posted 07-30-2008 01:37 PM
Very Nice Jeff…. I really like the fact that it’s mobile.
-- "Everything that is great and inspiring is created by the individual who labors in freedom" -- Albert Einstein
motthunter
home | projects | blog
2141 posts in 4278 days
#7 posted 07-30-2008 02:28 PM
As always, I am a fan of taking what normally would be discarded and turning it to gold
-- making sawdust....
SteveKorz
home | projects | blog
2139 posts in 4193 days
#8 posted 07-30-2008 03:04 PM
I agree with Motthunter… I like taking something that nobody really wants and making somthing that they want. Great job on this project… very functional. The original desk actually looks like it was in reasonable shape to start with. Very creative, I like it a lot.
-- As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17) †
Douglas Bordner
home | projects | blog
4050 posts in 4542 days
#9 posted 07-30-2008 06:14 PM
Harvest gold rides again!
What were those 70’s designers thinking! I guess you can be glad it wasn’t Avocado green. In the printing business I’ve even seen a multi-spindle paper drill in powder coated Harvest gold.
Seriously, though, I think this is genius, especially the solution to the caster problem. And I like the power strips and the on-board storage. Good job, Jeff.
-- "Bordnerizing" perfectly good lumber for over two decades.
Greg Wurst
home | projects | blog
796 posts in 4311 days
#10 posted 07-30-2008 06:17 PM
I would not have thought of using an old steel desk that way. Kudos for thinking outside the box!
-- You're a unique and special person, just like everyone else.
gizmodyne
home | projects | blog
1780 posts in 4569 days
#11 posted 07-30-2008 06:17 PM
Great repurposing. I think you have room for another shelf down at the casters. Is it heavy?
-- -John "Do I have to keep typing a smiley? Just assume it's a joke."
Timber4fun
home | projects | blog
218 posts in 4079 days
#12 posted 07-30-2008 06:18 PM
Very creative. I would guess that desk is rock solid. Should give you a great deal of work surface. One man’s junk is another man’s treasure.
-- Tim from Iowa City, IA
jm82435
home | projects | blog
1285 posts in 4221 days
#13 posted 07-30-2008 09:49 PM
I am glad to see I am not alone…
I repurposed a free desk from the local high school too. I intend on using it in the same manner:
-- A thing of beauty is a joy forever...
GaryK
home | projects | blog
10262 posts in 4467 days
#14 posted 07-30-2008 09:52 PM
Nice and functional!
-- Gary - Never pass up the opportunity to make a mistake look like you planned it that way - Tyler, TX
Texasgaloot
home | projects | blog
465 posts in 4179 days
#15 posted 07-30-2008 10:09 PM
Makes a bottom-feeder’s heart warm…
-- There's no tool like an old tool...
View all comments »
showing 1 through 15 of 29 comments
Have your say...