Opry99er Posted September 21, 2015 Share Posted September 21, 2015 I am building myself the greatest most epic computer desk of all time... It will house my TI, my PC, 3 gaming consoles (2600, NES, and Genesis) and a CRT, alongside my cartridge display cases. 8' long by 4' deep, this desktop is a monster. Doing it in oak. Here is the first pic of my first coat of stain (staining it in Red Mahogany). Tomorrow, one more coat of stain and then a coat of polyurethane each day for the next 5 days, with a solid 220 grit sandpaper job in between coats. I will update this thread with progress reports as I move forward. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Ksarul Posted September 21, 2015 Share Posted September 21, 2015 That looks like a fun project, Owen! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iwantgames:) Posted September 21, 2015 Share Posted September 21, 2015 Wow, that's nice I really need to finish my game room Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shift838 Posted September 21, 2015 Share Posted September 21, 2015 I made a few computer desk. Out of oak as well. Stains very good. down here in Texas with the high humidity on the coast I had to wait about 5 days before I could clear it though to make sure the stain would not run. Instead of using 220 grit between the coats I always used 000 steel wool to pop the bubbles and also put 5 coats on it. It's as smooth as glass. Mines not as big as your desk will be though. As soon as I get my man cave back to (online my stuff) then I will be building a desk for my TI stuff only!.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Opry99er Posted September 21, 2015 Author Share Posted September 21, 2015 Thanks all! Went ahead and did the first coat of poly... Looking juuuust right. Chris, this will likely take 5 coats as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Schmitzi Posted September 21, 2015 Share Posted September 21, 2015 Great Project good idea Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Opry99er Posted September 27, 2015 Author Share Posted September 27, 2015 I put this second coat of poly on kind of in a daze... One of our greatest members is no longer with us---and I went into the basement to brush in silence and contemplation. It looks nice.. Anyway, it seems trivial now, but I am still working on the desk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Ksarul Posted September 27, 2015 Share Posted September 27, 2015 It is good to have something to work on, Owen. I'll probably sit and do a lot of soldering tomorrow in his memory. . .assuming I don't have to tangle with She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed to do so. She gets a bit ornery at times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iwantgames:) Posted September 27, 2015 Share Posted September 27, 2015 I'll b hooking the TI up and using some of the game carts I got from him in memory didn't know him well but am grateful for the awesome contributions to the TI he made Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Opry99er Posted September 27, 2015 Author Share Posted September 27, 2015 Third coat of poly is on and drying. Two more to go (maybe 3). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Opry99er Posted September 28, 2015 Author Share Posted September 28, 2015 4th coat: 1 or 2 more, then I will add the trim and be done with it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Opry99er Posted September 28, 2015 Author Share Posted September 28, 2015 Did the 5th coat today and I am still not 100% happy... Some grain can still be felt above the clear coat, and it doesnt have a truly "glassy" texture yet. I am beginning to wonder if maybe I didnt sand well enough after one of the coats... I will do one more coat and then call it finished---the trim is already done and ready to be applied. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shift838 Posted September 29, 2015 Share Posted September 29, 2015 Still looks good Owen! oak is fairly porous and breathes a bit more than other woods like Birch. Mine is made out of oak and I put 5 coats on mine. not glassy, but close. I did super thin coats and steel-wooled (not sanded) between coats and it turned out pretty good. Once I get it cleaned off I will take a picture and send it to you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Opry99er Posted October 1, 2015 Author Share Posted October 1, 2015 Here we go... Trim is on, everything is done on the top. Took longer than I expected, but it is beautiful. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMole Posted October 2, 2015 Share Posted October 2, 2015 Looks great. I'm not really that much of a woodworker, so I'm curious: is there a reason you do the trim after you've finished the board? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Opry99er Posted October 2, 2015 Author Share Posted October 2, 2015 I like to stain them separately, then poly them separately... That way they are getting partial coverage on the surfaces between the two. Also, in this case, my primary board was oak, my trim was pine... They required different levels of stain and poly to achieve uniform color. I did the main board first... To get the stain absorption I wanted, it took 3 coats of stain. Then I did the pine so I could visually match color level. The pine took only one coat. The oak took 5 coats of poly gloss, the pine took 2 (less pourous) Had I done them all together, it would have been a disaster. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Vorticon Posted October 3, 2015 Share Posted October 3, 2015 Only a woodmaker would have thought of this Looks gorgeous! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Omega-TI Posted October 3, 2015 Share Posted October 3, 2015 Owen, You're short one photo! We still need to see the desk with your TI setup on it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Opry99er Posted October 3, 2015 Author Share Posted October 3, 2015 Thank you guys for keeping up with the progress. My grandfather was a master wood worker. He spent his years as a small business owner. "On-The-Spot Furniture Repair" in Denver, CO. He could do anything. I saw him once take a large conference table that had broken in half during a move. He put it back together, re-stained it, and then took a super fine brush (after carefully color matching the grain) and traced each grain line along the entire length of the break before finishing it with laquer. It was unbelievable, the level of skill he had as a wood man. He built chairs, clocks, desks... I have never seen wood work so beautiful. My dad and uncles worked for him in their youth. When I was a kid, I used to help him during the summer. He taught me alot. I am nowhere near the craftsman he was, but I DID learn alot from him. When I was doing this project, I felt proud that I remembered much of what he taught me. Biggest lesson: each piece of wood is unique and has its own character and personality... Listen to them before working with them. Miss my grandpa. This piece is a tribute. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Opry99er Posted October 3, 2015 Author Share Posted October 3, 2015 And Kevan, I should be able to get it all set up today... Have to cut two holes on the back-side and get the plastic inserts so I can feed my cables through them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Opry99er Posted October 4, 2015 Author Share Posted October 4, 2015 Had to cut some holes for cables... 3 to be exact, one behind each station. Terrible lighting and bad angle, but here is a pic of the "Fully operational battle station" And, of course, my TI. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shift838 Posted October 4, 2015 Share Posted October 4, 2015 Now that's some desk space! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Ksarul Posted October 4, 2015 Share Posted October 4, 2015 And with one of the 512K multicart test cartridges too (the 128K Black boards can be used in that configuration, when needed). I like it Owen! Much neater than my computer cave. . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Omega-TI Posted October 4, 2015 Share Posted October 4, 2015 Damn Owen, that's nice! Being able to spread out must be great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Opry99er Posted October 4, 2015 Author Share Posted October 4, 2015 Thank you fellas. I was up laaaate last night trying to get it fully set up, then spent some time working on getting my disk drives working. The desk-system configuration I have is exactly what I wanted, and if I wanted to, I could spread the systems out even farther... It is the perfect desktop for my needs. Appreciate you guys keeping up with the progress. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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