Computer table from scratch!!

[greatyoubrokeit]

(A little backstory) I'm 24, happily married with 2 kids! Before this whole thing I'd only built one thing out of wood, and thankfully there aren't any pictures I could find of that... thing. So I had this really awkward wall situation, a badly warped Ikea desk that was ready for the bin. Having someone build a custom desk to match these angles would cost a ton of money, especially all wood. So I did the logical thing and got into woodworking! (My wife thought I was nuts) 

 

This entire thing ran me just over $300 (Basically the price of all the wood) 

All the tools I used were about 300 in total as well if you want to take that into consideration, though I've used all that stuff on tons of other project by now so personally I thought it was totally worth it.

 

This is the dying Ikea table against the strange wall. The painters tape outlines the dimensions of the new table I wanted to make. (note the cable apocolypse)

 

I took some measurements and penciled my new tables dimensions on the floor, made some adjustments and finally taped the final size down for reference. I always liked tables that kinda rap around you like some kind of spaceship cockpit. Also, this wall looked perfect for some reference speakers for mixing music, which is why I wanted the PC at that center wall.

 

So over the next few months I saved up and bought some basic tools. I built a workbench as a practice run since that wouldn't need to be pretty. I learned a lot during this proccess and now I had a place to work on this computer table! (Keep in mind we live in an apartment...)

 

Here's what that workbench looked like when I first made it. I used a super dense leg system I got on Amazon to make things a bit easier on my first go.

Now I had a place to work and some basic tools! So work on this baby officially started. I calculated all the wood I'd need and went off to Lowes. I picked up 8 oak 4x4s for the legs, a bunch of cheap 2x4 to make the frame where the table top would sit (After the Ikea table I promised myself I'd never have a bowing computer desk again) and a bunch of squared pine planks for the table top.

 

Here are all the planks sitting on the work bench. These would eventually be the table top and were the bulk of the price. They ran about $30 each.

 

 

Here I started working on the frame/support using all the 2x4s These things are super cheap! (like $2 for 10 feet.) I used titebond wood glue, clamps, and a nailgun for this part.

 

The area of the frame is exactly 2" smaller than the outline on all sides, that's why it looks smaller. This is because I wanted the table top to hang 2" past the frame on all sides.

 

Here's the finished frame! Took a lot of simple math and calculations but I eventually got it right! So this part cost like $10 because these 2x4 are so cheap.

 

 

Next I attatched the legs. This part was a little trickier than I anticipated so I had to make some adjustments with a handsaw at the end.

I wanted to make this table something  I could take apart when we move, so rather than using glue and nails I used hardwood cabinet screws and some little oak supports under the frame I made from left over oak.

 

 

Next I laid the planks on the frame and drew the angles to cut out to match the wall. I clamped these down with wood glue to the frame, but not the legs so that I can still take this thing apart later.

I used heavy stuff to apply pressure where I couldn't fit the clamps.

 

After some fine tuning she was basically done!

I was originally planning on painting it, but I got so attatched by the end that I ended up just keeping the natural look.

I sealed the wood with some beeswax and orange oil and that was that.

 

I eventually added this contraption to mount my Focusrite Scarlett 18i8

 

 

And here she is today!

(I use the long side on the left for soldering and using my midi.)

 

Here's what the workbench has turned in to so far.

 

I honestly owe a lot of the motivation for this whole thing to LMG. Watching these guys not only taught me so much but made me feel like a piece of crap for not getting more involved with tech and making my life and my friend/familys lives better. Thanks to them I built my own PC, got into soldering, woodworking, coding, and just a ton of stuff in general. It's been a really awesome ride and I can't wait to build tons more cool stuff.

 

If you guys want any more info about this build just let me know and I'll post it!

 

My PC is nothing crazy but here's my setup in case anyones curious.

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/DRd8Fd

 

Hopefully I'll have the cash to build a super bada** computer some day. I'll definitely share it with all of you.

- Jesus (Yes, that is my name)

 

 

 

[Silentprototipe]

Wow, I almost went that route myself because it would be cheaper since I already had a ton of spare materials . Then I got gifted a desk so yeah. Still good job

[greatyoubrokeit]

6 minutes ago, silentprototipe said:

Wow, I almost went that route myself because it would be cheaper since I already had a ton of spare materials . Then I got gifted a desk so yeah. Still good job

Thank you  I think I would've settled for getting a regular desk, it was just the weird wall that really did it for me. My OCD wanted something that'd fit into it haha.

[Imbellis]

Good job. I've done several woodworking "experiments", and they always take more effort than I'd thought prior. This thing looks great.

[Silentprototipe]

3 hours ago, greatyoubrokeit said:

Thank you  I think I would've settled for getting a regular desk, it was just the weird wall that really did it for me. My OCD wanted something that'd fit into it haha.

Yeah that makes sense, In my case I would have just wanted it so I could have it custom to my needs

[ImagineThat]

Wow nice job. I’m hoping when I get my new house to create a similar project. I’ve dreamt of creating a customized desk with my pc built into the desk. Or basically create my own “smart” desk.