DIY Desk build ideas & critique

Redoubt9000 · June 10, 2015 at 5:53 AM

I'm over my current prefab desk and seeking a more ideal solution to orientate more of my crap front & center! I've long wanted a desk with a keyboard tray as having to wheel over and turn to my keyboard whenever I'm looking to write midi has grown tiresome.

Below is a REALLY messy sketchup model exploring various ideas. I think instead of going the route of the joints seen in the model, perhaps I could pass off several L brackets for every corner along with dado joints. I'm not a carpenter or engineer so I'm unsure over concerns with loads. I know I will have upwards of 250 lbs on the desk excluding the frame and top, this includes my speaker & display monitors, together with the 88 keyboard. Most of said weight will be located at the back center of the desk.

I'm considering 1x4s for the desk frame, with glued plywood cutouts for the legs. Carriage bolts & a middle recess on the topside of the legs to connect it to the desk frame. I'll try and cleanup the model later to give a more clear idea. I'm already spotting some potential issues

Are my ideas sound you figure? Not overbuilding enough? Underestimating the materials considering the weight load? Major concerns on the legs : /
The inspiration for the build. http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/DSKSMap

https://www.dropbox.com/s/i1aeob1q1qxger7/Desk Plan 2.skp?dl=0

Let me know your thoughts fellow DIYs!

Redoubt9000 · June 10, 2015 at 6:18 AM

Mmm I may forgo this idea entirely and go for a different design altogether : / There've been other samples of DIY desk builds to have popped up over the years since I last checked

lightbox · June 10, 2015 at 10:33 AM

Great idea to plan and build a custom desk.
I would never ever want to work with less than 2 displays though. Sometimes I even think about a third one.

One issue that holds me back from building a new desk for my studio is an unsolved problem:
I like the idea of having the keyboard in a kind of drawer like you've planned. But with this I can't put a nice mixer controller IN the desk. in a good working position. And I don't want to put it on top of the desk.
So with most of the mixer controller taking roughly 10cm below the tabletop plus the Korg Kronos X 88 taking another 15cm minimum, it would be a total of roughly 30cm space I need below the tabletop. Either there would be no space for my legs or the tabletop would be way to high.

Redoubt9000 · June 10, 2015 at 3:17 PM

I have the same concerns also but I've been jumping back and forth on digital mixers and control surfaces to the point of getting sick. Was seriously considering the Midas M32 but the limited and sorta convoluted DAW control just didn't do it for me...

Once I do get such gear, to include some rack gear, I'll likely go for another desk build and relegate this one for another workstation! I may avoid the rack spaces as well for the first build or keep them separate with concerns for speaker/display height

I've currently four displays Although one is for projector entertainment above my three panels I love the workflow in this configuration!

[Blocked Image: http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk59/hotlava900/WooHoo_zpsf697aa80.png]

I'm not really loving the desk anymore. Placed my current setup in the model and it's essentially the same thing with the exception of the keyboard tray & legs. Even though that was what I was originally going for, I think I may want to go a little farther in this build...