Gaming Desk

[TheTechKid]

I have been spending the past few days on Google Sketchup, and have created what I believe to be the best desk to fit the requirements of my space. I have looked at many desks on the market, but due to the price of decent sized desks, I've opted to go custom. The desk will be built from mostly 14ga 1.5"x1.5" square tube, and will consist of about 70ft worth of it. We'll see how it goes! I'll keep it updated as I go, I'm planning to build it this summer, and hopefully have it started soon. Along with showing off my amateur Sketchup skills, I was wondering, should I go with a black top on the metal frame, or should I go with a wooden top? With both of these options, what would be the best peripherals that would compliment the setup? I currently have a Corsair Spec-01 Red case, and was looking into a Logitech G710+ and the Logitech MX Master 2.

 

*For those wondering, I am building shelves on the ends of the desk, which is why the tube frame has empty blocks on either end. The dimensions are 4.5'x6', and the desk is 24" deep. 

 

Thanks for any response,

Auston LeBlanc

[MrMcMuffinJr]

whats the desktop going to be made of?

[TheTechKid]

1 minute ago, MrMcMuffinJr said:

whats the desktop going to be made of?

I was planning on making it from some wood that has character, (ex: reclaimed wood from my Memere's old shed.) I would then use tung oil to pop the grain while keeping the wood light. The other option would be vinyl wraping some mdf/particle board, in hopes of getting a smooth surface. Painting anything will be a pain in the future, things such as my pc and monitors will stick to it and begin to peel the paint.

[MrMcMuffinJr]

1 minute ago, TheTechKid said:

I was planning on making it from some wood that has character, (ex: reclaimed wood from my Memere's old shed.) I would then use tung oil to pop the grain while keeping the wood light. The other option would be vinyl wraping some mdf/particle board, in hopes of getting a smooth surface. Painting anything will be a pain in the future, things such as my pc and monitors will stick to it and begin to peel the paint.

one word.......GLASS

[TheTechKid]

2 minutes ago, MrMcMuffinJr said:

one word.......GLASS

For the record, the point of this desk was to keep it cheap compared to others on the market. This means that it would be free for the wood, and about a $100 for the metal. Finding the glass that I need second hand is nearly impossible, and glass is:

1. Expensive
2. Hard to find people nearby who cut custom glass
3. Hard to ship
4. Scratches easily
5. Leaves fingerprints easily
6. And I would need more support depending on what type of glass I go with.

[Princess Luna]

7 minutes ago, MrMcMuffinJr said:

one word.......GLASS

Nah granite is 100 times better than glass.

[TheTechKid]

53 minutes ago, Princess Cadence said:

Nah granite is 100 times better than glass.

I was also looking into granite type materials, once again, if I had more money. But I thought it would look really nice if I had a polished slate top, but I HATE seams. If it is wood, I can deal with it because it's natural to have boards, but I would hate the seam left by two pieces of granite, or glass, or slate meeting in the corner of the desk.

[Blasteque]

Nothing beats natural wood grain for looks; wood would get my vote.

 

I do recommend doing more than just tung oil.  You will need many coats to get a reasonably durable finish; just something as simple as the water ring left from a drinking glass will challenge a clear wood finish.  I recommend overlaying the tung oil with a polyurethane or using a thicker varnish.  Table tops and desk tops take a beating.

[TheTechKid]

4 minutes ago, Blasteque said:

Nothing beats natural wood grain for looks; wood would get my vote.

 

I do recommend doing more than just tung oil.  You will need many coats to get a reasonably durable finish; just something as simple as the water ring left from a drinking glass will challenge a clear wood finish.  I recommend overlaying the tung oil with a polyurethane or using a thicker varnish.  Table tops and desk tops take a beating.

I agree, and this was my thought from the beginning, I just mentioned tung oil due to the way it makes the wood look. I planned on putting a poly over-coat to seal the wood from other elements.

[HunterScott]

2 hours ago, TheTechKid said:

I have been spending the past few days on Google Sketchup, and have created what I believe to be the best desk to fit the requirements of my space. I have looked at many desks on the market, but due to the price of decent sized desks, I've opted to go custom. The desk will be built from mostly 14ga 1.5"x1.5" square tube, and will consist of about 70ft worth of it. We'll see how it goes! I'll keep it updated as I go, I'm planning to build it this summer, and hopefully have it started soon. Along with showing off my amateur Sketchup skills, I was wondering, should I go with a black top on the metal frame, or should I go with a wooden top? With both of these options, what would be the best peripherals that would compliment the setup? I currently have a Corsair Spec-01 Red case, and was looking into a Logitech G710+ and the Logitech MX Master 2.

 

*For those wondering, I am building shelves on the ends of the desk, which is why the tube frame has empty blocks on either end. The dimensions are 4.5'x6', and the desk is 24" deep. 

 

Thanks for any response,

Auston LeBlanc

Linus made a cheap, decent desk in his most recent video.. He used a door as the desk top!

[nkesport]

If I were you, I'd use regular plywood to keep costs down, then use a nice Wood Veneer that you apply over it! Cheap, easy to build, and will look nice if you take your time installing the Veneer!

[Hugh_Mungus]

12 hours ago, TheTechKid said:

I have been spending the past few days on Google Sketchup, and have created what I believe to be the best desk to fit the requirements of my space. I have looked at many desks on the market, but due to the price of decent sized desks, I've opted to go custom. The desk will be built from mostly 14ga 1.5"x1.5" square tube, and will consist of about 70ft worth of it. We'll see how it goes! I'll keep it updated as I go, I'm planning to build it this summer, and hopefully have it started soon. Along with showing off my amateur Sketchup skills, I was wondering, should I go with a black top on the metal frame, or should I go with a wooden top? With both of these options, what would be the best peripherals that would compliment the setup? I currently have a Corsair Spec-01 Red case, and was looking into a Logitech G710+ and the Logitech MX Master 2.

 

*For those wondering, I am building shelves on the ends of the desk, which is why the tube frame has empty blocks on either end. The dimensions are 4.5'x6', and the desk is 24" deep. 

 

Thanks for any response,

Auston LeBlanc

I would Ditch the 'L' shape.
in my experiences with a  desk like that the right side is always in the way with my desk and right arm.

[TheTechKid]

10 hours ago, Hugh_Mungus said:

I would Ditch the 'L' shape.
in my experiences with a  desk like that the right side is always in the way with my desk and right arm.

The issue is that I want a spot to build computers on one end (the shorter of the two) and have my computer and monitors on the longer side. This is as custom fit as I can get it in my opinion to fit the rooms needs.

[Bhav]

Now I really wonder how much Hammonds would charge me to build such a custom desk.

[TheTechKid]

I'm hoping it won't take too long to make, I'm fairly good at custom-fab, and it's only square tube. What is Hammonds? Just wondering... I can share the Sketchup if anyone is interested, as I stated, I will update the post with more pictures as I adjust and finish the desk. I'm thinking about making it a time lapse while I make it.

[StealthArsenal]

The L-Shape in my opinion is the best option.  I have a tempered glass L setup that is 72" in each direction.  Really helps for my setup as my rig, and monitors take up one entire side, plus the entire corner and starts to go over to the other 72" side.  That's what happens when there is a 34" AW curve and 27" Predator on gas arms side by side.  How are you assembling the tubing?  Are you using L brackets or welding?  What are you going to do with the steel finish wise? 

[TheTechKid]

1 minute ago, StealthArsenal said:

The L-Shape in my opinion is the best option.  I have a tempered glass L setup that is 72" in each direction.  Really helps for my setup as my rig, and monitors take up one entire side, plus the entire corner and starts to go over to the other 72" side.  That's what happens when there is a 34" AW curve and 27" Predator on gas arms side by side.  How are you assembling the tubing?  Are you using L brackets or welding?  What are you going to do with the steel finish wise? 

I'm planning on welding, I have to build it in two pieces, in which case, the two parts will be held together with L-brackets, and the two halves bolted together. As for the finish, I'm either going with just some semi-gloss black spraypaint, or I might get it powder-coated. As I stated, I don't have a super high budget, but if lasts longer powder coated, depending on the price, I might as well have it done.

[StealthArsenal]

Powder coating would definitely be the way to go. Since I have access to an automotive spray booth (and this is specific to my old desk), I sand blasted, primed and painted.  Sounds like your going to do a good job with this.  I was worried you weren't going to weld it up and rely on brackets.  I like your wood top idea.  I love temper glass, but at the same time, you need to get real creative with cable management.  

[PCMasterDebater]

3 hours ago, TheTechKid said:

 

If you weld the desk together then add a 1/2-3/4" wood on top, its going to be mighty heavy. 

 

Things to keep in mind:

Modularity - keep In mind the need to move it - allowing for some disassembly will be good for you and your back.  Perhaps weld cubed frames that are then bolted together.

Risers or wheels- for the base to prop it off the ground - be able to sweep under it slide it around so you don't ruin the floor or carpet etc.

Cable management -self explanatory

 

[Revamp]

On ‎2‎/‎1‎/‎2018 at 9:53 AM, TheTechKid said:

I was planning on making it from some wood that has character, (ex: reclaimed wood from my Memere's old shed.) I would then use tung oil to pop the grain while keeping the wood light. The other option would be vinyl wraping some mdf/particle board, in hopes of getting a smooth surface. Painting anything will be a pain in the future, things such as my pc and monitors will stick to it and begin to peel the paint.

You can always paint it to color, then apply a layer or 2 of varnish. my buddy stained his wood top on his desk to make the grain pop just like you mentioned, then applied varnish to fill in the small crevices and now if you close your eyes, it nearly feels like glass. Super smooth, and his PC never pulled it up or chipped it.

[TheTechKid]

On 2/2/2018 at 4:50 PM, Revamp said:

You can always paint it to color, then apply a layer or 2 of varnish. my buddy stained his wood top on his desk to make the grain pop just like you mentioned, then applied varnish to fill in the small crevices and now if you close your eyes, it nearly feels like glass. Super smooth, and his PC never pulled it up or chipped it.

A resin type of finish wouldn't be a bad way to go either, it would be smooth, and give the wood a shimmer too.

[Revamp]

1 minute ago, TheTechKid said:

A resin type of finish wouldn't be a bad way to go either, it would be smooth, and give the wood a shimmer too.

I will mentioned, if you have LEDs or anything nearby though, a few coats of varnish can definitely cause some glare. We also saw some matte finishes I personally would have opted with to protect the wood to prevent the glare from the LEDs behind his monitor, and the monitor itself.

[TheTechKid]

Just now, Revamp said:

I will mentioned, if you have LEDs or anything nearby though, a few coats of varnish can definitely cause some glare. We also saw some matte finishes I personally would have opted with to protect the wood to prevent the glare from the LEDs behind his monitor, and the monitor itself.

This is a good point, I did not think of this issue. I suppose it could get quite irritating on the eyes with a glare coming back from the desktop. Is there a such thing as a matte finish resin/polycoat?

[Revamp]

I am not too sure, I just remember when we went to lowes, they had some products marketed as matte finishes that the sales person said had very similar properties as far as protection and feel. My buddy wanted gloss specifically to help reflect the LEDs onto the wall, but that also causes glare into your eyes in return unless you make it in such a way to isolate the reflection. However I was wearing my glasses, so that could have made it worse than it really was.

With that said, it definitely wasn't "OMG this is so bad I can't even use it" it was more subtle, but it was there and would likely only start to bother me during long sessions at the desk.

[TheTechKid]

1 minute ago, Revamp said:

I am not too sure, I just remember when we went to lowes, they had some products marketed as matte finishes that the sales person said had very similar properties as far as protection and feel. My buddy wanted gloss specifically to help reflect the LEDs onto the wall, but that also causes glare into your eyes in return unless you make it in such a way to isolate the reflection. However I was wearing my glasses, so that could have made it worse than it really was.

With that said, it definitely wasn't "OMG this is so bad I can't even use it" it was more subtle, but it was there and would likely only start to bother me during long sessions at the desk.

I just googled it, and I believe they make a matte finish that's still clear. This will probably still give a good look without being too shiny. I was also looking into routeing the edge with a round-over bit, I feel this would make it more welcoming, and give it a cleaner look.