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September 2024
September 2024
Recently, I've been inspired to improve my at-home crafting setup. Specifically, I want a dedicated work surface to work on crafting projects, and better storage for project components (electronics, tools, hardware, etc.).
Until now, my crafting spaces have been ad-hoc. For example, when I want to do some soldering, I pull the tools out of my closet and set up on the dining table (a table which does already sport some crafting-related injuries). When I want to fix something around the house, I go downstairs and out to the garage just to get the drill and some screws, which are always coated in a layer of fresh dust.
This idea has been heavily inspired by the well-kitted engineering "sandbox" tinkering spaces at my workplace, which have made me realize just how woefully inadequate my at-home setup really is.
For this project, I wanted to find a chest-height work surface to set up in my office, with lighting, tool storage, and a storage shelf for hardware etc.
Getting Started
Getting Started
I started with a (very) basic sketch of what I wanted the desk to look like. I quickly found a suitable desk for cheap on Facebook, which left only the storage shelfing to design.
I went with a fairly basic design, using two legs on the table to support a shelf about 3 feet above the desk. In order to really maximize the storage, I also wanted to put a pegboard vertical surface beneath the shelf.
As for attaching the shelf to the desk, I originally wanted to use a clamp-style design (seen at left), to avoid putting holes into the top of the desk. However, that plan had to be amended on the fly during construction (more on that later).
After buying wood for the project, I did a quick size-up to confirm that I liked the dimensions. Then, I got after constructing the shelf.
The shelf itself is fairly typical construction: a "floating" piece of plywood that sits in a rabbet cut on the inside of the edge pieces. I also cut in a little half-lap joint at each corner, for aesthetic appeal and ease of glue-up.
Before cutting anything, I did have to plan out all my joints for the entire shelf: I wanted to use half-lap basically everywhere, but I had to plan carefully to make sure the end product would look good, and be possible to glue up in the steps I had planned.
That said, the shelf main part came together beautifully. I planned to leave the long pieces oversized, and flush-trim the oversized ends of the joint down with the router mounted on my table saw.
This posed some challenges in practice. First, I'm not well-practiced with (and am terrified of) the router in general. I found it difficult to move my large workpiece around the get a food flush trim - it cut in too far in some places, and took a large chunk of wood out of one of my corners.
Fortunately, I was able to do a pretty passable repair job (seen at right), which I am more than happy with. Essentially, I chiselled out a box-shaped hole around the tear-out, glued in a new chunk of wood, and shaped it down to match.
Wabi-sabi!
Finding a Foundation
Finding a Foundation
Next, it was time to work on the legs. I started with the feet, using a dead-simple yet effective jig on my table saw sled to cut a long taper on the leading edge of each.
The jig worked great, but unfortunately my brain skipped a step while cutting, and I ended up with two left feet. thankfully, I had enough spare wood to make another one.
The rest of the base was fairly straightforward. Just some longer pieces with dadoes cut in.
One upshot of this build was that I got some good practice in with the router. I wanted a roundover on many of the edges of the final piece, so I had to plan and execute those using the router.
Particularly on the "feet" roundovers, I found it very important to support the workpiece as close to the router bit as possible, even when using the router fence. Without good support, I was constantly getting "chattering" and poor cut quality as I fed my piece into the router. To achieve this support near the router bit, I used my least-favorite fingers (just kidding -- I used a push stick).
One thing I forgot to account for in my design was the thickness of the cutting mat I planned to use. For any sort of cutting, and all-around crafting handiness, I like having a large cutting mat down on the crafting table at all times.
However, the "stretcher" piece between my shelf footers prevented my cutting mat from fully sitting on the table. Had I thought of this earlier, I would have elevated the stretcher half an inch above the feet, giving the mat room to slide underneath it.
Thnakfully, the solution was simple: I got some felt pads to elevate the entire shelf, giving me room to slide in the cutting mat.
Another fun little hiccup in the process: I ordered an LED light bar, to sit in a recess beneath the shelf and provide great lighting to the work surface. The LED bar was sized perfectly for my shelf dimensions. However, I failed to fully account for the extra width required by the LED's power plug.
In order to make room for the plug, I considered drilling a hole through the shelf to allow it to pass through, or mounting the bar at a jaunty angle beneath the shelf.
Ultimately, I decided the best idea was to modify the plug itself. I hacked the molded plug apart, and resoldered in a shorter, custom connection, which gave me just enough room to bend the plug and fit the LED bar just where I wanted it.
Finishing and Final Hiccups
Finishing and Final Hiccups
Finally, it was time to put finish on the shelf. I chose polyurethane, as it is durable and easy to apply (or so I thought). I have used plenty of poly in the past, but I think I tried to apply it to thickly this time, and ended up with some less-than ideal drip spots. I diluted the polyurethane with some mineral spirits and applied a couple final coats, which went on much more smoothly than the initial ones.
If I was a perfectionist, I would have sanded down the initial coats and started over after thinning down the finish. However, this is going to be a functional piece, with a focus on storage and utility over perfect aesthetics. It's going to get beat up over it's lifespan, and I don't mind a bit of upfront imperfection.
Also, I'm ready to be done with this one -- I'm excited to start putting it to use, and every day that I'm sitting around waiting for a coat of finish to dry is annoying.
Okay, I did say "finally" earlier, but there was one more piece to wrap up: mounting the shelf to the desk.
Originally, I planned to leave the top of the desk unmarred, using a clamping design to secure the shelf. However, my clamping brackets weren't large enough for the job, and I was doiubting that it would be a robust solution anyways.
I just screwed the brackets into the desktop. With any luck, this shelf will be a permanent feature, so the screw holes may never be seen anyways.
And with that, the crafting workbench was complete!
I mounted a power strip and got on with filling out the storage space.
On the pegboard, I wanted to put a mix of most-used crafting tools: pliers, scissors, tapes, soldering stuff, etc. And, a ninja star (for emergencies).
Up above, I'm putting bigger tools (drill and soldering iron) and lots of little bits-boxes for hardware, electronics stuff, and whatever else.
Final Thoughts
Final Thoughts
I'm totally pleased with how this one came out! I think this project has hit just about everything I enjoy about a good personal project:
A goal and design vision for meeting a real need in my life
A satisfying design process for planning out the details and potential pitfalls of the build
Plenty of opportunity to "roll-with-the-punches" for those inevitable unforeseen pitfalls
An end product that is both aesthetically pleasing and immensely useful
I'm finding it especially important to recognize that, no matter how much planning you do, you will likely run into unforeseen issues in the middle of your projects. When these arise, you have to be able to come up with creative solutions to get around them, while dealing with the frustration of your original plan going awry. More and more, I'm finding joy in these moments of improvisation!
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