I said my last project was a bit out of the ordinary for me, but another similar build followed straight after. A previous client (repeat business, I must be doing something right!) asked me to build a floating desk in an alcove for them to be used as a PC / office / design area.
It was quite a large area to cover so to keep it structurally sound the best material to use was plywood, so I bought another full sheet of plywood and cut it to rough size with my circular saw. The top was stained and varnished in my workshop, but all other work would be performed on site as it would be built to fit the space exactly.
The first step was to build a torsion box. This is a lattice of interconnected lengths of plywood that supports itself and provides rigidity to the top. Once the height of the top was determined I cut and attached the three battens to the wall, before cutting the rest of the pieces to size and fitting them in place using a combination of half lap and mortice and tenon joinery to make a very solid platform.
Next came the most crucial step of the whole process: cutting the top to fit. None of the walls were quite at 90 degrees to each other so I used two adjustable bevels to find the exact angle to adjust the cut lines to the right angle. After remeasuring everything many, many, many times I crossed my fingers and used a jigsaw to trim each end to the correct size and angle. Even an experienced woodworker like me gets nervous at points like this because if a mistake is made there is no going back. Laying it on the frame was a nerve wracking moment, but it fit perfectly. And I could breath again.
The top was attached to the frame with the use of corner blocks, to allow for any expansion in the wood. I forgot to take a photo, but I also attached a piece of stained and varnished plywood across the front edge of the torsion box to match it to the top.
The final job was to cut holes at each end towards the back corner to allow wires to be routed neatly, and it was job done.
Another job completed that I really enjoyed, but the best part of all – apart from the client being happy with the job – was the constant supply of coffee provided whilst I was on site!
