First DIY Project - Wall mounted study desk! Questions

[prvz27]

Hi everyone!

New to the workshop here! Have been browsing through the posts and seeing some great discussion!

I have several questions with regards to building a wall mounted murphy desk as seen in this video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QTHhMh0C5I

My desk will be 1 meter long x 0.4m wide

I watched the Bunnings timber basics video and I believe that dressed timber will be the right timber for my project, if I am correct?I have a few questions:

1. Will I have to sand dressed timber prior to applying stain? And if sanding is required, will 80-120-220 grit (in that order) be the way to go for sanding it?

2. Will bunnings be able to cut down the long pieces of timber to my desired dimensions including miter cuts? If they are able to, do they charge?

3. Finally, any other tips and recommendations here? Would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

[Jason]

@prvz27

Congrats on embarking on your first D.I.Y. project. I'm sure you'll get plenty of help and inspiration from our amazing community members. Let me also extend a very warm welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's wonderful to have you join us. 

Many Bunnings stores offer timber cutting. On the Bunnings website, make sure you have selected your nearest store, then click on the name of your store on the top left of the screen. This will take you to your store's information page, which includes details on what services they offer. For timber cutting, I would just recommend that you try to visit at a quiet time (not weekends or public holidays). 

We have lots of very capable and experienced woodworkers on the community who might like to share their thoughts on your desk project. Let me tag some helpful members for you: @woodalwaysworks, @Poppop, @r23on, @Brad, @Rusty-Saw, @ProjectPete.

Please let me know if you ever need a hand getting the most from the site or have any feedback about how we can improve Workshop for you. 

Thanks,

Jason

[Poppop]

Hi. Dressed pine is fairly smooth when you get it. So unless it receives any scratches or dings it should only need a light sand with 240 paper(or even finer) just to knock off any fluffy spots before staining. I can't help you with info on getting everything cut to size in store as I do all my own cutting. However I've found that pine can go a bit patchy when staining. I'd recommend checking out some YouTube videos about pre stain conditioners for pine. It will give you a better end result with the stain. Good luck with the project. Make sure you post up some photos for us to see when it's done. @Poppop 

[redracer01]

Hello @prvz27 

Check this link : https://www.workshop.com.au/t5/Living-and-Bedroom/DIY-Office-Desk-Top/m-p/43915#M2070

Just to give you some inspiration for a world dominating office desk.

Cheers,

Red

[Jason]

How is your desk project going @prvz27? Please let us know if you need a hand with anything. It would also be great to see an update if you have made some progress.

Thanks,

Jason

[prvz27]

Hi @Jason 

I posted the final result on another post I made just right after this one.  I didn't go ahead with the murphy desk. I used the Acacia panel on a couple of L brackets for a more minimal look. 

[Jason]

Congrats @prvz27, it looks fantastic. Looking forward to seeing what you tackle next.

For other readers of this discussion, the floating study desk can be found here - https://www.workshop.com.au/t5/Living-and-Bedroom/What-wood-to-use-for-a-study-desk-staining/m-p/454...

Jason