Built a pair of solid-wood desktops for my apartment and a friend's. Walnut for one, white oak for the other. Hand-finished, epoxy-stabilized knots.
Why this one
I wanted to know if I could go from rough lumber to a finished surface I'd actually want to type on every day. Turns out the answer is yes, but only if you respect the wood's grain direction more than your own schedule.
Scope
Material sourcing, milling, glue-up, finishing.
Role
Designer and builder.
Goals
01Source rough lumber and mill it down myself.
02Build something that would outlive a few moves.
Process & progress
Phase 01· Feb 2023
Sourcing
Local mill — walnut and quartersawn white oak, 8/4.
Milestone — Lumber picked up
Phase 02· Mar 2023
Milling
Jointer, planer, two glue-ups per top.
Milestone — Walnut top finished
Phase 03· May 2023
Finish
Sanded to 220, two coats of hardwax oil.
Milestone — White oak top finished
Documentation
Walnut top after first oil coat
Glue-up, eight clamps deep
Tools & materials
JointerPlanerTrack sawHardwax oil
Lessons learned
01Quartersawn moves less. Worth the upcharge for a desk.
02Two thin oil coats beat one heavy one.
Outcome
Both desks in daily use. Walnut top has aged exactly like the sample chip predicted.
