DeskInOffice

These are various photos of the computer desk I have set up in the computer room. I am on an email fan list for a British actor. I tried to describe my, "desk" some years ago. I didn't manage to get proper pictures of it then. I got good pictures, but it was difficult to tell how it went together. You couldn't see the trees because of the forest. On Sunday, May 12, 2013, we spent the afternoon and part of the evening taking the, "desk," apart and dusting everything. I was setting up my MacBook from the living room to its proper place in the computer room. I thought, since we are at it, why not make the room less dusty to keep the MacBook, a little less dusty. [Believe it or not, computers get dirty on the inside which isn't good.] When we took things apart, I took better photos to stick on here.

Another reason I put this page together is, I have some ergonomic issues with the chair I am using. My sister works for a major furniture manufacturer. (She doesn't sell one chair at a time to consumers. I think she sells suites of office furniture, for people who have offices. I know she does trade shows--- at least she did.) She can get me a family discount on a chair. I am also putting this together so she can see my set up.

I've tried to stick these photos on here in the order we put the desk together. Maybe you will get an idea of how it all works.

A quote from my writing blog:

"I took pictures of the table(s) that we use to make the computer table [DESK]. It is quite a contraption. The one table at the very back next to the wall, consists of:

a table top that we think was, The Admiral's mother's childhood table;

it looks to be the top to a child's table;

we found it in pieces in the garage;

the legs to this table came from my stepfather;

he bought odd pieces of wood to make furniture from a paint your own furniture place that was going out of business;

on top are two ancient fruit crates;

yes, the labels on them were probably collectable and might have been valuable;

they seemed damaged some what, we attached a vintage look telephone we got as a gift to one of the crates with, "molly screws";

I have old bottles and other ephemera on the, "middle" shelf;

on the top shelf I have an old teapot, some Tobacciana, an old English made ping pong ball, there's even a two page advertisement for BBC Radio 1 that I have framed;

beyond this top shelf is this large map I have resting on the shelf, it is a world map stuck to a large piece of cardboard, we managed to carve up a piece of someone's refrigerator box that they were throwing away, (I like to re-use rather than recycle), I wanted a map to stick pens in showing the radio stations I've picked up;

etc..."

This a picture [above] of the dice kept on the, "desk". You can click on it in order to view a larger one. The large red ones we got when, "The Admiral," was doing the games company with his father and Co. A company sent us samples. The white one with the arrows came from my Granny's house. The other's we found in the house here. Except for the large red ones, we have no idea what games or things these went with. I thought I had lost forever one of the black ones on the end. We found it when we took the desk apart to dust everything. I stuck the smaller ones in an ancient ink bottle I got at an estate sale. Now they shouldn't get lost. I washed the bottle and the ink residue came out nicely.

This is a photo of the table at the very back near the wall. It is just the legs. My stepfather had bought some furniture pieces at a, "Paint Your Own Furniture" place. That was a shop that sold furniture you put together and finish yourself. My stepfather put the bottom part of the table together for us. "The Admiral," guesstimated the size of the top. We stained it using a very old jar of stain we found in the house. It was not done properly. I wasn't going for perfection. The top of this table is sitting beside it. The table top we found in pieces in the garage.

This is a view of the table with the top on it. The Admiral is holding a sheet up so we can get a good view of the table without any distractions. The old sheets we found in the house make good drop cloths etc.

Table and top from the top down. (to a point) This table is the one that goes nearest the wall. The crates (see next photos) sit on top of this table.

The two ancient fruit crates empty. The blue and pink cloth was a table cloth. I think somewhere it has holes in it. I liked it but it wasn't good for a table for some reason. It works well for this purpose. This is taken against the wall with the table under it.

Another view of the table and crates. Yes, the wires do need sorting some day.

More table, crate, wires and floor. If you notice the duct tape and card board on the wall, that's plugging up the heater vent, so I don't have headaches and can breath in the winter.

Small typewriter table we found in the house. This is the back of the table. You can't see the little drawer in it. This table has a sliding extension to it. After I took this I replaced the wheels on this table to make it just a little higher.

[We found three old manual typewriters in this house too. (The Admiral's grandmother was a secretary at insurance offices in Detroit.) Anyone need an electric typewriter? I have the one my father gave me when I was in high school. It works. There is a mechanical problem with the back space button. I click on that too often. (a little, obsessive compulsive) The back space won't always move the carriage to the first space on the page (it sometimes goes one shy). And when you hit the carriage return, it won't always advance the paper. It takes a cartridge ribbon. You might be able to find new ones on eBay. I've bought brand new ribbons for a manual typewriter on there. We have the instruction book, the case, the keys to lock the case and some ribbons. (don't know if the ribbons still work) Let me know if you want it.]

This is a good view of the top of the table. It needs sanding and refinishing. That is from water---sweaty water bottle / tea cup etc. It works well for what we use it for.

This is the larger typewriter table. I found it in front of someones house on trash day one summer. We used to have a, "trash amnesty" and people would throw away incredible stuff. It sits between the smaller table and the table at the back. I put the wheels back on this one too.

This is a view of the two typewriter tables the way they sit. This is before we put the wheels on them.

This is a view of the two typewriter tables from the side. I am trying to show how the legs go.

This is how the desk looked as I was sticking stuff back on it.

This is the desk with the wireless keyboard and the MacBook on it. We do still have an old PC monitor behind the MacBook. I also have a PC I use for storage and some other stuff.

Another view with the wireless keyboard. The blue and white checked box on the floor, is a rest for my feet. If I sit in the chair my feet are not flat on the floor. I have to tip toe in essence to sit in the chair. If I use the box for my feet, I don't feel as if I am going to fall out of the chair.

The last view with the wireless keyboard. I tried it with that, but prefer the set up below. The plastic bin with the green lid, is no longer kept beside the computer. (It is a bin with the keyboard box, the mouse box and some other computer things in it.)

I prefer this set up with the USB keyboard we got at a charity thrift store.

Another view with the USB keyboard. The green mug is from Harrods. At least it says that on the cup. It came from a garage sale. It was chipped. I thought it would be good for pencils. The white-ish mug is from a place near Peoria, Illinois which sold things imported from England. It says, "Weed it and Reap". I used to have that one on top of the monitor I used to have. But when The Admiral got me the flat screen monitor, I had to find another place for it. The mug is supposed to remind me to weed the garden. We are very good at growing weeds. If you notice the stack of wood blocks near the pretend cat in the chair... they are now under the MacBook to make it tall enough that I don't get a crick in my neck.

This is an alternative chair I have available. We call it a, " black dining room chair".

It would be, "funny," if it turned out to have been valuable, "if only". There's another one without arms. I forget if we have three or two chairs. This is the only one with arms. The bottom rungs (stretchers?) are held together with clear sticky tape. (the wide kind for sealing packages) There is a hole in the back rest. That hole was put in it before I moved here. (at least that is my memory) I have no idea where these chairs came from. I don't know of a table to go with them. We also don't know if these are pre-1939 chairs or what. The dining room suite that we have is maple. it may have been bought in 1939 or 1940. I know the secretary and a, "federal style," mirror were bought early during W.W.II. (we found a receipt and they had a kind of ration stamp in order to get them--- but can we find the receipt now? No.)

This picture and the next one, are of the label of the chair I am sitting on now. If you can't read it, it says, "The Toledo Metal Furniture Company; Toledo Ohio".

I got the desk chair for $8.00 (USD) at a garage sale. The legs were rusted quite a bit. My husband wouldn't let me put the chair into the room as we bought it. I had to paint the legs after he used a wire brush on them. I painted them with Rust-Oleum Green Apple color. (A favorite color!)

It has a label on the chair saying it was originally in the Detroit Schools. It is the kind of chair that one would see in science labs and the like. They would sit in these while working at high [tall] counters or work tables. [Counters = work surfaces -- like ones in a kitchen. Schools used to have [still have?] laboratory, "counters?" or lab "benches?" / "tables?". Not sure what they are called. You've probably seen them in the movies or on television. Or maybe you used them when you were in school.]

There is a manufacturer label on the bottom of the seat. It says, "Toledo Metal Furniture Company". There is a one digit zip or postal code on the label. This would indicate that the chair is from the 1950's. It does have that Mid-Century Modern esthetic to it. And yes, these chairs are collected. Mine has some carving on the seat and back from the former students. I did paint the legs a color not consistent to the original color. So, mine is not worth what it cold be. That being said, I found a couple of places that have these for sale. They have them for sale starting at $215.00.

Get Back Inc Connecticut -- item number SE-4339

http://www.getbackinc.com/Inventory/vintageindustrial/View/ProductID/225

Industry West Toledo Chair

http://www.industrywest.com/shop/new-arrivals/toledo-counter-chair-gunmetal.html

This is the chair itself. This looks to be with the flash off. I painted the legs the Apple Green color. It is a neat chair. We did get a deal on it. It doesn't always hurt to sit in it. It is just not ergonomic enough for what I need. If I have injured my back, then sitting in this chair can exacerbate the situation.

This is trying to show more of the seat. I started writing, "This is too," but I forgot where I was going with that. I don't know if I was going to say the chair was, "too," something, or if I wrote, the, "Os," by mistake.

This one is with the flash on.

The last one. This one showing more of the seat.

There are times when I need a chair that I can sit in comfortably while having the hot water bottle and or a pillow at the small of my back. I don't want the wad of stuff at my back to make me feel as if I am going to slide out of the chair. (Does that make sense?) In other words, I think I need a somewhat, deep seat. (if deep is the correct word) I would prefer a chair that didn't shrink or collapse when I sat in it. I don't know why these modern office chairs do that. [At least the modern ones I sat in in the 1980's and 90's did that.] When I sit in the, "new" chair, I don't want to have to raise my arms over my head in order to reach the keyboard / mouse etc.. (That would hurt the other part of my back.) I end up with lower back issues, because I bend over at the waste with my legs straight type of thing. (opening a window with the legs straight; arching the back while, "on all fours" etc.) Then I have an upper back issue. I don't know how to describe that. My believing is that I am healed by God. And as I type that, the crick in my neck is gone! Thank you Father!!!! [In some places in the U.S. (Iowa etc.) they pronounce the word, "creek" something akin to, "crick". I once asked my farmer grandfather, if he needed water on the farm, as I could give him the crick I had in my neck. Ha!]