I just built the childs desk for my 7 year old son from the New Yankee
Workshop plans and it turned out great. It has formica top, sides and
drawer fronts with oak trim. It is really sturdy and should hold up
well for many years. I recommend it.
Mike
"Edwin Pawlowski" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> "Richard Cline" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> >
> > I would use formica. You can get a wide range of colors. It is
> > extremely durable. It is inexpensive. You can purchase it already
> > bonded to a plywood base or do your own bonding.
> >
> > Dick
>
> I have such a desk. It is many years old made with a plywood top, later
> covered with Formica. Been through a few kids and the top is still in good
> shape. May not be quite as elegant as a thick mahogany top, but it sure is
> practical.
> Ed
Difficult to imagine a wood less suitable for a desk top than fir. Huge
difference in hardness between early and latewood, splintery and though in a
sliced versus rotary veneer, entirely unsuitable as a writing surface. Even
the old oak arm surface desks required something under the paper to keep the
pencil from jumping up or poking through.
Something like yellow birch much more likely and suitable, as is hard maple.
Birch was the yellowish wood of the desks in my youth.
"J. Clarke" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> I remember when I was in school the desks we used had plywood tops,
probably
> hardwood of some sort (I didn't know to look for things like that then)
but
> might have been fir, and those would hold up for decades. Later they were
> particleboard with Formica. A piece of 3/4" Baltic Birch or Appleply
would
> probably be a considerable step up from those old school desks.
You forgot the inevitable carved pleasantries.
"Robert Bonomi" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> Historically, the smoothness of the wooden surface was a _non-issue_,
> given that such desks, in use, were almost universally equipped with a
> 'desk pad' -- frequently even including a 'blotter' (for those who used
> fountain pens) -- to provide the actual writing surface. Oddly enough,
> you can still buy desk pads in any quality office-supply store, today.
> They're _terribly_ expensive. circa $5-10. *grin*
>
In article <[email protected]>,
U-CDK_CHARLES\\Charles <[email protected]> wrote:
>List:
>
>Making a small desk for my daughter's 9th Birthday present.
>
>Materials?
>
>My inclination is pine as my mistakes will be cheaper, but I'm concerned
>about the writing surface holding up.
>
>Glass is inappropriate as it's in a child's room.
>
>Any thoughts?
'Way back when', red oak was the usual material for durable 'utility' desk
tops.
If glass is inappropriate, consider one of the plastics -- Plexiglas, or
one of the acrylics.
A budget alternative for the writing surface is _tempered_ Masonite(tm).
A couple of coats of quality _enamel_ paint, and you've got something that
is nearly indestructible -- absent _deliberate_ malice, that is.
I made bedroom fyrniture for both our boys when they were smaller incl
deshs. I used plywood for most of the construction and painted them.
For the desk surface I used a sheet of thin inexpensive plexiglass
screwed to the surface. They scratched it here and there but never
broke it, plus anything they slid under it could easily be removed.
Grandpa
U-CDK_CHARLES\Charles wrote:
> List:
>
> Making a small desk for my daughter's 9th Birthday present.
>
> Materials?
>
> My inclination is pine as my mistakes will be cheaper, but I'm concerned
> about the writing surface holding up.
>
> Glass is inappropriate as it's in a child's room.
>
> Any thoughts?
>
> Thanks
>
>
> Charles
>
>
"Ed G" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> "U-CDK_CHARLES\Charles" <"Charles Krug"@cdksystems.com> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> snip
>
> > Glass is inappropriate as it's in a child's room.
> >
> > Any thoughts?
> >
> > Thanks
> >
> >
> > Charles
> >
> You could still use the pine, but where the desk is for a 9-yr old, put a
> thick vinly desk blotter on top of it. That'll make it much easier to
clean
> up the paints and markers she'll use on her "crafts" and the clear vinly
> will still let the grain show through. That is, until it's stained but
then
> you can just get a new one.
>
> Ed
>
I meant VINYL, not vinly....sorry.
In article <[email protected]>,
Richard Cline <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>What do the schools use? They are the professionals in the choice for
>childrens desks. I don't see much oak. I don't see much glass.
Since the late 60's, it's been mostly plywood and high-pressure plastic
laminates for surfaces. Metal for the 'structural' components.
In article <[email protected]>,
J. Clarke <[email protected]> wrote:
>Robert Bonomi wrote:
>
>> In article <[email protected]>,
>> U-CDK_CHARLES\\Charles <[email protected]> wrote:
>>>List:
>>>
>>>Making a small desk for my daughter's 9th Birthday present.
>>>
>>>Materials?
>>>
>>>My inclination is pine as my mistakes will be cheaper, but I'm concerned
>>>about the writing surface holding up.
>>>
>>>Glass is inappropriate as it's in a child's room.
>>>
>>>Any thoughts?
>>
>> 'Way back when', red oak was the usual material for durable 'utility' desk
>> tops.
>>
>> If glass is inappropriate, consider one of the plastics -- Plexiglas, or
>> one of the acrylics.
>>
>> A budget alternative for the writing surface is _tempered_ Masonite(tm).
>> A couple of coats of quality _enamel_ paint, and you've got something that
>> is nearly indestructible -- absent _deliberate_ malice, that is.
>
>Incidentally, tempered glass might not be too bad a choice--it's
>surprisingly hard to break and doesn't produce sharp edges when it does.
>
>As another poster pointed out, oak isn't all that good a choice--you want a
>_smooth_ surface to write on and unless you work hard on the finish the
>open grain structure in oak doesn't give you that.
Whether or not it is a 'good' choice, it *is* the USUAL material that was
used in 'non-fine-furniture' desks manufactured up to at least the 1960s.
After that, particle-board took over.
Historically, the smoothness of the wooden surface was a _non-issue_,
given that such desks, in use, were almost universally equipped with a
'desk pad' -- frequently even including a 'blotter' (for those who used
fountain pens) -- to provide the actual writing surface. Oddly enough,
you can still buy desk pads in any quality office-supply store, today.
They're _terribly_ expensive. circa $5-10. *grin*
> That said, for a kid
>most writing will probably be in a loose-leaf binder that provides its own
>writing surface so it may not be a problem.
Or, just "treat 'em like an adult", and put a desk pad on it -- "just like
a real desk for adults". <grin>
"Richard Cline" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>
> I would use formica. You can get a wide range of colors. It is
> extremely durable. It is inexpensive. You can purchase it already
> bonded to a plywood base or do your own bonding.
>
> Dick
I have such a desk. It is many years old made with a plywood top, later
covered with Formica. Been through a few kids and the top is still in good
shape. May not be quite as elegant as a thick mahogany top, but it sure is
practical.
Ed
"U-CDK_CHARLES\Charles" <"Charles Krug"@cdksystems.com> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
snip
> Glass is inappropriate as it's in a child's room.
>
> Any thoughts?
>
> Thanks
>
>
> Charles
>
You could still use the pine, but where the desk is for a 9-yr old, put a
thick vinly desk blotter on top of it. That'll make it much easier to clean
up the paints and markers she'll use on her "crafts" and the clear vinly
will still let the grain show through. That is, until it's stained but then
you can just get a new one.
Ed
On Thu, 15 Jul 2004 17:26:56 -0400, J. Clarke <[email protected]>
wrote:
> I got in trouble for abusing the desk every time. Maybe they should have
> just paddled every fat kid in the school on general principle because I
> wasan't the only one it happened to. The last ones I recall seeing had
> some kind of green plastic for the top with molded ridges underneath, and I
> saw the underneath because there were a bunch of them in a storeroom, with,
> you guessed it, the screw holes stripped out.
>
We used to remove the screws for the next student to use the room.
By the time I graduated HS, they'd moved to "tamper proof" screws, and
we had to purchase the proper tool . . .
U-CDK_CHARLES\Charles wrote:
> List:
>
> Making a small desk for my daughter's 9th Birthday present.
>
> Materials?
>
> My inclination is pine as my mistakes will be cheaper, but I'm concerned
> about the writing surface holding up.
>
> Glass is inappropriate as it's in a child's room.
>
> Any thoughts?
I remember when I was in school the desks we used had plywood tops, probably
hardwood of some sort (I didn't know to look for things like that then) but
might have been fir, and those would hold up for decades. Later they were
particleboard with Formica. A piece of 3/4" Baltic Birch or Appleply would
probably be a considerable step up from those old school desks.
>
> Thanks
>
>
> Charles
--
--John
Reply to jclarke at ae tee tee global dot net
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)
George wrote:
> Difficult to imagine a wood less suitable for a desk top than fir. Huge
> difference in hardness between early and latewood, splintery and though in
> a
> sliced versus rotary veneer, entirely unsuitable as a writing surface.
And this would deter a school administrator for what reason? <grin>
Like I said, I paid no attention to the type of ply at the time. Would
suspect something like Baltic Birch but the last time I looked at one was
over 30 years ago and I can't see a school system that had to teach an
"Americanism vs Communism" course consisting mostly of anti-Russian
propaganda ("Russian politicians lie, American politicians tell the truth"
for example) buying anything made from Commie plywood.
You can bet that whatever it was was the cheapest stuff they could get away
with. A few years later they went to particleboard or with laminate and
that was a step down--lean on one of those and either it broke in the
middle or the screws pulled out. Last time I was in a school they were
using some kind of molded plastic. From the number of busted desks I saw
it doesn't seem to be any better than the particleboard.
Like I said, Baltic Birch or Appleply would probably be a big step up.
> Even the old oak arm surface desks required something under the paper to
> keep the pencil from jumping up or poking through.
> Something like yellow birch much more likely and suitable, as is hard
> maple. Birch was the yellowish wood of the desks in my youth.
Personally I find that a blotter or some other kind of firm padding is very
desirable on any hard surface. A Desco static mat (make sure you get the
smooth one, not the one with the ribs) works very nicely, but that's
neither here nor there.
> "J. Clarke" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>
>>
>> I remember when I was in school the desks we used had plywood tops,
> probably
>> hardwood of some sort (I didn't know to look for things like that then)
> but
>> might have been fir, and those would hold up for decades. Later they
>> were
>> particleboard with Formica. A piece of 3/4" Baltic Birch or Appleply
> would
>> probably be a considerable step up from those old school desks.
--
--John
Reply to jclarke at ae tee tee global dot net
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)
Robert Bonomi wrote:
> In article <[email protected]>,
> U-CDK_CHARLES\\Charles <[email protected]> wrote:
>>List:
>>
>>Making a small desk for my daughter's 9th Birthday present.
>>
>>Materials?
>>
>>My inclination is pine as my mistakes will be cheaper, but I'm concerned
>>about the writing surface holding up.
>>
>>Glass is inappropriate as it's in a child's room.
>>
>>Any thoughts?
>
> 'Way back when', red oak was the usual material for durable 'utility' desk
> tops.
>
> If glass is inappropriate, consider one of the plastics -- Plexiglas, or
> one of the acrylics.
>
> A budget alternative for the writing surface is _tempered_ Masonite(tm).
> A couple of coats of quality _enamel_ paint, and you've got something that
> is nearly indestructible -- absent _deliberate_ malice, that is.
Incidentally, tempered glass might not be too bad a choice--it's
surprisingly hard to break and doesn't produce sharp edges when it does.
As another poster pointed out, oak isn't all that good a choice--you want a
_smooth_ surface to write on and unless you work hard on the finish the
open grain structure in oak doesn't give you that. That said, for a kid
most writing will probably be in a loose-leaf binder that provides its own
writing surface so it may not be a problem.
--
--John
Reply to jclarke at ae tee tee global dot net
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)
Robert Bonomi wrote:
> In article <[email protected]>,
> Richard Cline <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>>What do the schools use? They are the professionals in the choice for
>>childrens desks. I don't see much oak. I don't see much glass.
>
> Since the late 60's, it's been mostly plywood and high-pressure plastic
> laminates for surfaces. Metal for the 'structural' components.
I'm not questioning you, I'm curious--have they finally gotten smart and
gone back to plywood? I remember any number of desktops going "flip" when
I leaned on them, which, upon inspection, refealed that the screws had torn
out of the particleboard or MDF or whatever they were using. And of course
I got in trouble for abusing the desk every time. Maybe they should have
just paddled every fat kid in the school on general principle because I
wasan't the only one it happened to. The last ones I recall seeing had
some kind of green plastic for the top with molded ridges underneath, and I
saw the underneath because there were a bunch of them in a storeroom, with,
you guessed it, the screw holes stripped out.
--
--John
Reply to jclarke at ae tee tee global dot net
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)
Robert Bonomi wrote:
> In article <[email protected]>,
> J. Clarke <[email protected]> wrote:
>>Robert Bonomi wrote:
>>
>>> In article <[email protected]>,
>>> U-CDK_CHARLES\\Charles <[email protected]> wrote:
>>>>List:
>>>>
>>>>Making a small desk for my daughter's 9th Birthday present.
>>>>
>>>>Materials?
>>>>
>>>>My inclination is pine as my mistakes will be cheaper, but I'm concerned
>>>>about the writing surface holding up.
>>>>
>>>>Glass is inappropriate as it's in a child's room.
>>>>
>>>>Any thoughts?
>>>
>>> 'Way back when', red oak was the usual material for durable 'utility'
>>> desk tops.
>>>
>>> If glass is inappropriate, consider one of the plastics -- Plexiglas, or
>>> one of the acrylics.
>>>
>>> A budget alternative for the writing surface is _tempered_
>>> Masonite(tm). A couple of coats of quality _enamel_ paint, and you've
>>> got something that is nearly indestructible -- absent _deliberate_
>>> malice, that is.
>>
>>Incidentally, tempered glass might not be too bad a choice--it's
>>surprisingly hard to break and doesn't produce sharp edges when it does.
>>
>>As another poster pointed out, oak isn't all that good a choice--you want
>>a _smooth_ surface to write on and unless you work hard on the finish the
>>open grain structure in oak doesn't give you that.
>
> Whether or not it is a 'good' choice, it *is* the USUAL material that was
> used in 'non-fine-furniture' desks manufactured up to at least the 1960s.
> After that, particle-board took over.
The "usual" material for "non-fine-furniture desks" was and is steel. For
"fine furniture desks" as well in some cases--see for example the Johnson's
Wax Building. But we're not talking about office desks here, we're talking
about student classroom desks, where when the kid took a test the only
thing allowed on that desktop was the kid, a test paper, and a pencil.
In any case, the original poster was asking about a material out of which to
make desk for his child, and one of the concerns that he expressed was the
suitability of the material as a writing surface.
> Historically, the smoothness of the wooden surface was a _non-issue_,
> given that such desks, in use, were almost universally equipped with a
> 'desk pad' -- frequently even including a 'blotter' (for those who used
> fountain pens) -- to provide the actual writing surface.
I don't recall in my entire time as a student in the public schools ever
sitting down at a desk on which there was a blotter or any other kind of
desk pad, except for the one in my father's office. And very few of us had
fountain pens. I did sit at a couple of desks that had empty inkwells.
> Oddly enough,
> you can still buy desk pads in any quality office-supply store, today.
> They're _terribly_ expensive. circa $5-10. *grin*
Yes, you can. Personally I find that a Desco static mat works very nicely
for that purpose and has the secondary benefit that it helps me avoid
zapping whatever electronic components I happen to be fiddling with. Be a
bit more durable but a lot more expensive. Don't go with the 3M though--it
will be a bit sticky for the first ten years or so.
>> That said, for a kid
>>most writing will probably be in a loose-leaf binder that provides its own
>>writing surface so it may not be a problem.
>
> Or, just "treat 'em like an adult", and put a desk pad on it -- "just like
> a real desk for adults". <grin>
Certainly a reasonable thing to do _if_ it will be used entirely as a
writing desk. If it's a typical kid though it will be used for many other
purposes, some of which would likely result in frequent replacement of desk
pads.
--
--John
Reply to jclarke at ae tee tee global dot net
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)
In article <[email protected]>,
Ed G <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>"Ed G" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>news:[email protected]...
>>
>> "U-CDK_CHARLES\Charles" <"Charles Krug"@cdksystems.com> wrote in message
>> news:[email protected]...
>> snip
>>
>> > Glass is inappropriate as it's in a child's room.
>> >
>> > Any thoughts?
>> >
>> > Thanks
>> >
>> >
>> > Charles
>> >
>> You could still use the pine, but where the desk is for a 9-yr old, put a
>> thick vinly desk blotter on top of it. That'll make it much easier to
>clean
>> up the paints and markers she'll use on her "crafts" and the clear vinly
>> will still let the grain show through. That is, until it's stained but
>then
>> you can just get a new one.
>>
>> Ed
>>
>I meant VINYL, not vinly....sorry.
>
>
That sounds like a vinly theiled excuse to me <muffled guffaw>
In article <[email protected]>, "J. Clarke"
<[email protected]> wrote:
You make some good points about screws pulling out of plywood.
Recognizing that, it soesn't seem like a big problem to solve. On the
underside, glue a 2" wide strip of oak (or maple or alder or etc) and
put the screws into the wood. It still makes most sense to use a
plastic laminate top that is free from grain and easily washed.
Dick
> I'm not questioning you, I'm curious--have they finally gotten smart and
> gone back to plywood? I remember any number of desktops going "flip"
> when
> I leaned on them, which, upon inspection, refealed that the screws had
> torn
> out of the particleboard or MDF or whatever they were using. And of
> course
> I got in trouble for abusing the desk every time. Maybe they should have
> just paddled every fat kid in the school on general principle because I
> wasan't the only one it happened to. The last ones I recall seeing had
> some kind of green plastic for the top with molded ridges underneath, and
> I
> saw the underneath because there were a bunch of them in a storeroom,
> with,
> you guessed it, the screw holes stripped out.
In article <[email protected]>, [email protected]
wrote:
I would use formica. You can get a wide range of colors. It is
extremely durable. It is inexpensive. You can purchase it already
bonded to a plywood base or do your own bonding.
Dick
> Making a small desk for my daughter's 9th Birthday present.
>
> Materials?
>
> My inclination is pine as my mistakes will be cheaper, but I'm concerned
> about the writing surface holding up.
>
> Glass is inappropriate as it's in a child's room.
>
> Any thoughts?
>
> Thanks
>
>
> Charles
>
>