I am so happy to FINALLY post this project!
It was completely built 2 & 1/2 weeks ago....but getting it finished well...
I am blaming it on the weather...because truly it has been way too winterish. Staining wood and below freezing temperatures don't mix...and making my family high off of fumes....not happening.
So I waited, and waited, and waited. Then on a 48 degree temp day I braved the freezing wind to get this baby finished. I am from Vegas, and I don't like to be cold.
OK enough talk, meet my oldest son's new desk!
Eeekk! I truly LOVE it!
What is even more cool is that it used to be this:
We might need a side by side...
This poor sad end table, can you believe it? I was about to work on a project and remembered I had moved this to my back patio.
I loved the thickness of the wood, so I brought it in and took it apart.
Then I went to work repairing the damage that occurs when kids jump repeatedly on something. I wood glued and clamped it together.
I started to get an idea...I had this amazing old wood that was given to me.
These beauties were once benches around town and the "soon to be Eagle Scout" that replaced them happened to know I like to build....of course I couldn't refuse his offer! I have had them since last fall and it was so great to think that I finally had a project for them.
I
ran went to the shed to see if I had a piece of plywood that would be about the same size as the end table piece I had glued together.
The stars were aligned, I had the perfect size scrap piece! So I set to work and grabbed some scrap 1x4's and cut them to fit. I ended up with a box like this:
It was decided, I was going to build a desk.
(Please ignore the late night photo, and the dishes, our dishwasher is broken-of course). This was my dry fit and obviously I sanded the heck out of the end table pieces, they looked so much better.
To start I took my top and put it upside down. Then put my 1x4's where I wanted them and traced lines all around them. This helps when I actually screw them together I know if they are in the right place.
I drilled pocket holes into all the 1x4's then glued and screwed on the back piece. Remember this is the desk top flipped upside down.
Next I glued and screwed on the side and middle boards. Last, I screwed from the back into the long boards. The arrow is showing my pocket holes, gotta love my Kreg Jig!
Next up was making drawers. As luck would have it I had taken apart some old bunkie boards (the best way to describe them... they were once a frame and wrapped in cardboard and covered with a material that was all stapled on). Being the cheap person I am I keep the wood that was still in good shape after I demoed them and I am so happy I did because there were 1x3's the perfect size for my desk drawers. So here I am removing all the staples, that was fun...
I slid in the 1x3 scraps and measured where I would need to cut to make the box for all three drawers. I measured the very end, and then made a mark back 3/4 of an inch to make room to add a drawer front. I also measured the distance for each drawer end.
Then I went out and cut every thing and built the boxes with my nail gun. I used scrap wood for the bottom of the drawers as well. You might have caught on by now that this desk was totally and completely free....my most favorite thing in the world!
And I now had drawers!
They are so cute!!!!!!!! This is so much fun, don't you think?
Are you wondering why the drawers are upside down....I was just testing them out. Now I needed to attach the bottom.
I glued and screwed it on. Notice how I drew lines, it helps so I don't screw in the wrong place...I always pre-drill my holes too, and I might have gone overboard on how many screws, I tend to be a better save than sorry kind of gal.
My desk top was done.
On to the legs. I cut them the height I wanted with a double bevel at 10 degrees, ends parallel. Then I used some more scrap wood from the bunkie boards that were 1x2's for the aprons.
After drilling pocket holes I turned the desk upside down and drew out where I would attach everything, this pictures is where I drew lines around the wood pieces.
Then I glued and screwed everything on in a circle. Not the normal way it is done, but this way I kept it level!
All done...now the magic moment...did it work?
This is where I squealed so loud my husband and kids came running to see what was wrong! Insert happy dance!
I have to explain why I was so excited, I have followed plans before, but this was my first time just winging it....just me and my "make it up as I was going plan!" Pretty exciting for my first time!
Anyway....I then got the top part of the end table...
Cut it to make a square for my stool.
I learned this trick from
Ana White when I build my
Child's stool. I marked the center for the legs so I don't put them on wrong, trust me you want to do this!
This is a picture of when I made the stool, it was done the exact same way as the table legs, just smaller scale. The numbers were helpful, because the legs were not the same width on all sides, that way it was like a puzzle and everything went where it was supposed to. You can also see the center mark right in the center.
My stool was built!
On the right above I am showing how I cut the wood (same as the legs) to make my two side drawer fronts. At first I was going to attempt to paint wood to match legs, but decided my painting skills are not up to par with that kind of project, so I opted to make it out of the same wood. Then I took two cut pieces and screwed them together with pocket holes and glue. (once it dried I removed the middle screw, just incase I ever decide to add knobs or something...)
And then everything was on hold until the sun finally peeked from behind the clouds...
and I could finally stain! I did several test stains to see what I wanted to use. I ended up using
Rust-oleum's Summer Oak. It turned out darker than I wanted but it was so rich and pretty I ended up loving it!
I didn't stain the legs at all, I had gotten clear lacquer at the restore for $1 a long time ago. It is that gallon can in the above picture.
Can you see the results? The legs on the right have one coat of lacquer and it brought out all the rich rustic goodness that this wood has. I ended up doing only one coat over the whole desk, because it was getting too cold....
I swear I am almost done with this marathon tutorial! Last up were the drawer fronts:
I just glued and taped them on! So easy! (once they dried I drilled screws from the inside of the drawers to make sure they stayed on tight)
For the middle drawer I used 1/2 ply-wood stained in Rust-oleum's Dark Walnut and glued and taped it on. Then for the fun part! Did any of you guess how I got the decorative front?
They are 5 gallon paint stick ends! I had 80 of them from making paint stick ornaments for a church craft activity. They were actually the true beginning to this project, I was going to use them for something else when I remembered the end table and everything kind of morphed from there.
I love them! They add a fun touch, and make me happy!
Maybe this shot will give you a better idea of how pretty the legs are....swoon!
Lots of storage options, and I made sure the middle drawer could fit papers...
Is it possible to be too obsessed with wood grain?
And why not...one more before and after,
Thanks so much for stopping by and please come again!
Mindi