This modern desk is one for the books. It blends wood and metal elements to give it a modern, industrial feel. It was really fun stepping outside of the norm to incorporate multiple materials to make this one truly unique. With four deep drawers, and measuring 6ft x 11ft, this desk will surely provide a beautiful and functional space for my client, an IT Engineer, to work.
The two cases are mitered boxes with large bevels on the inside of the case opening to create a shadow line around the drawer faces. The drawer faces come from the same boards used to create the cases which adds continuity to the colors and grain off the figured maple. The drawer boxes are made of poplar with plywood bottoms and joined with a drawer lock joint. This is essentially a tongue and dado joint where each measurement of the joint is half the thickness of the material allowing me to dial in one setup at the table saw to cut both the tongue and the dado. The drawers ride on concealed soft close drawer glides for quiet operation.
The top is 1.5″ thick and features the most figured boards of the build. The grain is truly amazing on the top and I hope it makes my client proud as he uses this piece each day. The edges of the top feature a small bevel for comfort and to help protect the edge as it wears. The two components are joined together with festool’s domino xl connectors. This was my first time using this new hardware and it proved to be easy to use and very effective at pulling the two tops together securely.
I made the metal components of the desk with the help of my dad and his metal working equipment. Four angled feet hold up each case, and a riser on each supports the top. A large L-shaped leg supports the top in the corner and features the same angled leg. All of the metal was painted black for a sleek, industrial feel. I attached rubber feet to the bottom of the metal components to protect the clients floors if they ever put this on hardwoods.
I finished the desk with Osmo’s Polyx Oil. This is a zero VOC finish that uses natural ingredients to produce a very durable, and easily maintainable finish.
Whitehurst Custom Woodworking 