A child’s desk

March 27, 2020

After our last bed broke for a second time we decided to replace it. As usual I dismantled it for parts and gave the rest for recycling. So I’ve ended up with a number of thick wooden planks and a sheet of MDF.

So when we needed a new table/desk for my daughter, these seemed to be the best starting place.

I thought I’d do a rough design in Fusion 360 but when it came to run it, my license had expired. Autodesk told me they would not renew it as I did not meet their “start-up” category. So I swapped over to TinkerCad and threw an idea up with the materials I had to hand.

When I came to measure up, I realised that there was not enough for the chunky legs I had planned. So I created some tapered legs by sawing the wood lengthways.

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To build the main frame, I used the larger planks and cut a curve from the side using the jigsaw. This was to make the table look a little less utilitarian but also to provide leg space if it was used as a desk in the future.

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The saw marks were removed using a plane for the straight sections and surform for the curved. The parts were then all sanded.

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When I came to assemble the frame, I discovered that one of the planks was a bit twisted. So I used a tourniquet to pull the frame together and then used some extra long screws to hold it together. It does cause the frame to twist a little but I think it will be fine with a little weight on the top. If not I’m sure I can add some cross struts to twist it back into shape.

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I decided that I’ll assemble the legs inside where I can guarantee the floor is level. So I temporarily clamped on the legs whilst the top and sides were painted with some left over duck-egg blue silk paint. I’ll share some of the finished pictured on social media over the next few days.

By Andy from Workshopshed One Comment

  Posted in: Woodworking Materials: MDF, Pine Tags: Scrap, simple project