I very much like the old style furniture but one thing quick to realize is that most of it doesn’t really have much organizing space.
It’s a show of craftsmanship, it is something to look at but that is it.
I’m planning to build a lot of furniture for myself and the top requirement is internal space, followed by ease of assembly and modularity.
Visual impact can be achieve by different varnishes or finishes or, what I’m considering lately, pyro engraving or ink line work, underneath the varnish.
It’s a show of craftsmanship, it is something to look at but that is it.
It’s also a pain in the ass to dust with all those nooks and crannies. I can appreciate the craftsmanship but I won’t bring anything like that into my house.
Yeah I know how to clean this type of furniture, it’s just a lot of work that I’d rather not have to do. All of my furniture has minimal detail and no filigree. It looks way less gaudy and is so much easier to clean.
Here’s a little plant stand I built, that one is white oak and finished with spar varnish, it’s currently living under a massive peace lily.
Built a pair of these end tables to go on either side of my couch. Tops are oak, the structures are yellow pine. I put a secret compartment in one of the drawers. I’ve always wanted to do that.
A dining room cupboard I more recently built. Walnut, with poplar internals. I’m particularly proud of the grain matched drawer fronts, the entire face frame is made from one solid board.
The hutch that goes with that cupboard currently looks like this:
And since the tonguing is done, I’ll take my leave and go.
I also planned on such, but the desk would require a metal frame, and that means either expensive aluminium profile with even more expensive bolting hardware, or welding. Learning to weld properly would take a while, and my father doesn’t wnat me to use bolts or make it anywhere “modular” to make it “very strong”.
You can build a big desk that is more than strong enough for you to stand on using nothing but basic pine from the likes of home depot and some screws or glue.
I actually just built one that’s 5 feet long and am assembling another that’s 7 feet. They will fit together to make a big L-shaped desk for a couple PCs and some other stuff. I use 3/4" plywood for the top surface.
I’m making a 3-foot long one too that’s going to be a stand for a 55 gallon aquarium. That’s about 450lbs / 200kg if completely filled.
Why couldn’t you make that with wood? I don’t think it has to be hardwood even, but sure, that’s always nice.
Edit: check out this book about building a workbench for woodworking. You probably don’t need such rigidity but it’s a could be good to use as reference.
At some point I’m going to tackle designing and building a computer desk. I don’t think humanity has done it right yet.
I came up in the 90’s and 00’s when everyone had a Windows ME era Compaq set up on one of those Bush brand tube-and-panel desks that was supposedly purpose built to be a computer desk, but they STILL ended up way overcrowded because they STILL hadn’t thought about all the stuff you would have with a computer. So a subwoofer, the computer itself, both, or some other piece of equipment would end up in the foot well, cable management is a nightmare, no one in the furniture industry has ever acknowledged the existence of the UPS…
Then everyone got laptops, then everyone got phones and tablets, and then oh yeah desktop PCs are a thing, what are desktop PC gamers using for desks these days? A rectangular slab on L-shaped legs. Is the current state of the art in computer desk design. A table. Weirdly thick and heavy, and completely featureless.
I very much like the old style furniture but one thing quick to realize is that most of it doesn’t really have much organizing space.
It’s a show of craftsmanship, it is something to look at but that is it.
I’m planning to build a lot of furniture for myself and the top requirement is internal space, followed by ease of assembly and modularity.
Visual impact can be achieve by different varnishes or finishes or, what I’m considering lately, pyro engraving or ink line work, underneath the varnish.
This kind of furniture was designed to impress the neighbours, not for practicality. But people also had far less stuff back then.
You have a point, there.
It’s also a pain in the ass to dust with all those nooks and crannies. I can appreciate the craftsmanship but I won’t bring anything like that into my house.
I remember my grandma using these anti static wood cleaning spray for it and it worked. Or just plain cedar oil.
Yeah I know how to clean this type of furniture, it’s just a lot of work that I’d rather not have to do. All of my furniture has minimal detail and no filigree. It looks way less gaudy and is so much easier to clean.
I agree. It’s a relic of another time, when having servants was common fare or it was obligatory having one person always at home, usually the wife.
this is why I’m into shaker style furniture. simple, elegant and practical.
Shaker style furniture? Pictures, please.
Can do.
Here’s a little plant stand I built, that one is white oak and finished with spar varnish, it’s currently living under a massive peace lily.
Built a pair of these end tables to go on either side of my couch. Tops are oak, the structures are yellow pine. I put a secret compartment in one of the drawers. I’ve always wanted to do that.
A dining room cupboard I more recently built. Walnut, with poplar internals. I’m particularly proud of the grain matched drawer fronts, the entire face frame is made from one solid board.
The hutch that goes with that cupboard currently looks like this:
And since the tonguing is done, I’ll take my leave and go.
Hey, that is really nice
Very nice work, thanks for the pics.
I also planned on such, but the desk would require a metal frame, and that means either expensive aluminium profile with even more expensive bolting hardware, or welding. Learning to weld properly would take a while, and my father doesn’t wnat me to use bolts or make it anywhere “modular” to make it “very strong”.
What kind of a desk are you thinking about?
A big desk for computer and other stuff. Don’t want those standing desks either, the mechanism would cost a fortune, and also limit my desk size.
Edit: I might look into hardwoods, that might be my only way, I just need to get some power sanders.
You can build a big desk that is more than strong enough for you to stand on using nothing but basic pine from the likes of home depot and some screws or glue.
I actually just built one that’s 5 feet long and am assembling another that’s 7 feet. They will fit together to make a big L-shaped desk for a couple PCs and some other stuff. I use 3/4" plywood for the top surface.
I’m making a 3-foot long one too that’s going to be a stand for a 55 gallon aquarium. That’s about 450lbs / 200kg if completely filled.
You might find some inspiration in this desk I built.
Why couldn’t you make that with wood? I don’t think it has to be hardwood even, but sure, that’s always nice.
Edit: check out this book about building a workbench for woodworking. You probably don’t need such rigidity but it’s a could be good to use as reference.
An imperial like desk?
There’s absolutely no reason a metal frame is necessary for a desk.
At some point I’m going to tackle designing and building a computer desk. I don’t think humanity has done it right yet.
I came up in the 90’s and 00’s when everyone had a Windows ME era Compaq set up on one of those Bush brand tube-and-panel desks that was supposedly purpose built to be a computer desk, but they STILL ended up way overcrowded because they STILL hadn’t thought about all the stuff you would have with a computer. So a subwoofer, the computer itself, both, or some other piece of equipment would end up in the foot well, cable management is a nightmare, no one in the furniture industry has ever acknowledged the existence of the UPS…
Then everyone got laptops, then everyone got phones and tablets, and then oh yeah desktop PCs are a thing, what are desktop PC gamers using for desks these days? A rectangular slab on L-shaped legs. Is the current state of the art in computer desk design. A table. Weirdly thick and heavy, and completely featureless.
It’s a challenge I want to tackle.