Share
Hello everyone,
Today I am going to introduce how to make a timber desk/table with your own taste.
For some reason, we need two desks one to do the work and another for my kid to use the computer. Buying online is one choice but we think building our own will be more fun.
First, we searched the Bunnings website, in the building hardware/timber sector, there are various options with different sizes you can choose from. Since I need to make 2 desks, 2200mm * 600mm is a perfect option for us as we can cut it into half. We chose the Merbau Panel in the end which is solid and beautiful in colour.
The next step is choosing the legs, which you can also select based on your favour and requirement
Other things you need are some acetone, rags, a brush, sanding paper and paint/varnish, etc. Let's get to the work.
1. Safety first. make sure you are wearing protection equipment e.g. masks, glasses, noise protection, gloves, etc. before you do any work.
2. For me since I need 2 desks, I have to cut the board in half, I used a circular saw and did the job.
3. Sand the edges and spikes if there are any, you can either use a manual sanding paper or an electric sander to do this job.
4. Prepare the timber, apply acetone on a rag and wipe over the timber, this step is important as there is oil in the timber, which will react with the varnish/paint and make your work harder in the future.
5. Acetone dries out fast, after that, we can apply the paint/varnish/oil with a brush/rag on top of the timber to make it pretty and durable. There are lots of choices based on your requirement. For us, Merbau with Varnish is a perfect combination.
6. Wait until the first coat dries, feel the timber with your hand, there will be some spikes and you can sand them out lightly with a very fine level sanding paper. If you want to use an electrical sander, please be very careful as it's easy to over sanding. (remember we used the acetone? yeah, if we didn't then there will be a lot of spikes based on the timber you choose and that will take a long time to do this job).
7. Apply a second coat if you like, again, sand it when it's dry. You can apply as much coat as you like but for varnish, the more you apply, the dark the wood will be and the more plastic-like the surface will be.
8. After the timber is fully prepared, pun them upside down on the ground with the protection and you can install the legs! (or you can do this step before applying the varnish/paint/oil)
9. Job done and enjoy the new table!🎉
Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @kchen. It's brilliant to have you join us, and many thanks for sharing this fantastic project.
Those are some lovely desks you've created. Thanks so much for taking the time to run through the steps you took to complete this project. I trust any of our members looking to build something similar will take great inspiration from your project. I know I'm now considering such a build, thanks to you.
I'll be keenly awaiting what project you tackle next. Well done.
Mitchell
