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At the end of 2023, I finally got around to building a window bench for the den. It's been in my plan for over a year, but I kept debating built-in versus smaller and movable. I eventually chose the latter.

When I build something like this, which is essentially a utility piece versus a decorative piece, I tend toward overkill on strength. If I'm going to put time into it, I want it to be built to last. I used oak 4x4s and oak 2x4s for the base. The top is 1 3/8" thick oak butcherblock (a countertop slab), 24"x60". All overkill, but it's stout and substantial. One of the goals was to be able to take a catnap on it, or accomodate a large dog. It should never move without intent.

The wall for the center window of the den is 63" wide. With the 3/4" trim on the top, the bench is 61 1/2" inches wide and 25 1/2" deep. Its total height is 19 5/8", which puts it almost exactly the height of the window sill. I'd have gone a little shorter, but the bench will traverse the only HVAC register in the room. I want a reasonable amount of space for the register air flow, whether assisted later by a fan or not. The left side has 8U of rack space for Middle Atlantic TD drawers, and possibly a fan panel.

Like a chair or desk, it's going to get a lot of wear and tear. Preventing that wear and tear mostly means rounded edges where it's expected to be bumped by vacuums, feet, knees, etc. For a sitting bench, it's pretty much the whole thing. So I've kept the design minimalist; all edges are just getting roundovers. The finish is shellac sanding sealer, then General Finishes Colonial Maple gel stain, then a sealing coat of wax-free shellac, then multiple coats of wipe-on polyurethane (3 to 5 gloss coats, 2 satin coats).

Given how heavy it is fully assembled, I designed it such that it can be disaasembled into three pieces: the top, the right leg assembly, and the left rack assembly (4 legs, 7 stretchers glued together as one piece). The top has threaded inserts installed in the bottom for 5/16"-18 bolts, 8 on total. Each of the 4 top stretchers has a pair of countersunk holes for 3" long bolts to thread into the inserts in the top. This is the same as I used for the desks, though a different top material (hence different inserts intended for hardwood).

The second element to the weight is the feet. I don't want a huge point load, and I want something slippery on the porcelain floor so the bench can be moved despite its mass. In some applications I'd use UHMW, but here I need more dimensional stability and ease of machining. So like the desks, I used black acetal. It's much more expensive than UHMW, but here it's the right material. I've been thrilled with it on the desk feet, and the desk feet are bearing a lot more weight.

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Den Diary

• February 26, 2024
  
  • I finally received the medium size D-Line oak colored cable covers. They took a week to get here despite being a Prime Two-Day item that was 'In Stock'.

    I installed one of the newly received cable covers to hold the cord for the power strip under the second end table. This completes the tidying up of the window seat and end tables.

    I received the Micomlan LED desk lamp. I installed the base behind my monitor. The stand is a bit flimsy, and I wish it had one more degree of articulation, but light-wise I really like it. I have the extensions completely folded, so they're pointing upward. I can already tell that this light is going to give me some relief from eye strain. And it's really nice that I can turn the main part and the extensions on separately.

• February 25, 2024
  
  • I installed the second power strip on the wall behind the second end table. It's more difficult to access compared to the first, but that's OK. At the moment it's only used to power the bench fans, and in a bit I'll also be using its USB charging ports.

    I installed a D-Line cable cover on the cord for this power strip. It traverses a 45 degree wall joint, so I mitered that part (22.5 on each piece). I also added a handful of pieces of 45mil 3M VHB tape since I didn't fully trust the tape that's pre-installed on the cable cover.

    I ordered some more Bluelounge CableDrops. They've apparently discontinued the 'Muted' color pack, so I wanted to get these ordered before everyone runs out of stock. I bought some of this color scheme years ago and I'm out of the brown ones included. I just need 4, so I can have lightning and USB-C cables readily accessible from the bench. I'm placing the CableDrops just above where I expect the top of the bench cusnhion to be. I'm out of 6' USB to lightning and USB-C to USB-C cables so I ordered some.

    I also ordered a Micomlan LED desk lamp. I've hemmed and hawed over this for a year, but I want something that can illuminate my keyboard and desk. While I like the idea of the BenQ monitor-mounted light, it's more than I want to spend. I was able to buy the Micomlan with an Amazon gift card I received for Christmas.

• February 23, 2024
  
  • I caulked the joint between the porcelain and frame of the second end table. It's now latched to the bench.

    The delivery of cable covers from Amazon has been delayed, they won't be here until tomorrow. In the meantime I applied some gel stain to one of the large ones I had on hand just to see if it makes for a better match to the walls. I think it's debatable at the moment.

    I mounted one of the new power strips to the wall behind the first end table. It's easily accessible but out of the way.

• February 22, 2024
  
  • I got a little bit sidetracked today replacing a wheel speed sensor on mom's truck. I put the final coats of polyurethane on the second end table this morning, then this evening I installed the draw latches for it. Now I just need to install the porcelain.

    While I was waiting for the polyurethane to cure, I finally repaired my old paper towel holder. It's made of wood and stainless steel. The body is a cylindrically bent piece of stainless steel, and at the base of the cylinder is has tabs bent inward that were sandwiched between two circular pieces of wood (one inside the cylinder, one below it). The wood pieces were held together with three too-short screws and some glue (which failed). The bottom piece (which serves as the base) was pine, unsealed. At some point years ago it got wet and the bottom piece warped severely, pulling away from the top piece of wood. This made it unusable, since it'd wobble and tip over when trying to dispense a towel. I kept it but haven't used it in 10 years! I bought a nice cabinet-mounted replacement for the kitchen, but kept this old one for the den. I drink a lot of coffee, and hence I like having paper towels handy in my workspace in the event of a spill. But it was annoying the heck out of me. So today I cracked the old base off with a chisel after removing the screws, sanded the glue off the top piece of wood and tapped the center dowel out. I cut a piece of 3/4" oak from scrap in a rough circle to match the top piece of wood, screwed it to the top piece of wood, then trimmed it flush to the top piece of wood with my trim router and a flush cutting bit. I then drilled the partial depth hole for the dowel on the drill press (easy since there's a through hole for the dowel in the top piece of wood). I then sanded and put the whole thing back together, using Gorilla Glue and longer #8 countersunk screws. I wiped on some polyurethane to protect it from moisture. Yay, it no longer wobbles and is fully functional again! Nice to fix something with some scrap.

    I installed the porcelain in the second end table with Loctite PL Premium and will let it cure for 24 hours. My 50 lb. kettlebell is on top of it to keep it in place. Tomorrow night I'll caulk the edges with Mapesil T.

• February 21, 2024
  
  • More work on the second end table...
    • DONE - lightly sand the top.
    • DONE - lightly sand the base.
    • DONE - spray a coat of gloss polyurethane on the top.
    • DONE - spray a coat of gloss polyurethane on the base.
    • DONE - wipe a coat of satin polyurethane on the base.
    • DONE - wipe a coat of satin polyurethane on the top.

    More electrical...

    I ordered some inexpensive power strips from Amazon with relatively flat profiles. One has a 5' cord and one has a 10' cord, both with flat plugs. I am still waiting for some oak colored D-Line half-round cable covers and connectors to arrive. The idea here is to put one of the power strips behind the end table on the right, and cover the cord with the D-Line cable cover (on the wall). I hate cords on the floor, since they get in the way of cleaning and collect dust bunnies. The other power strip will go on the wall behind the rack in the window seat, also with cord covers.

• February 20, 2024
  
  • More work on the second end table...
    • DONE - Spray shellac on the top of the top.
    • DONE - Put the base on the top (upside down) and position for marking the location of the threaded inserts.
    • DONE - Mark the position of the rear threaded insert of the short stretcher on the bottom of the top. Remove the base from the top.
    • DONE - Drill the 7/16" hole for the aforementioned threaded insert.
    • DONE - Install the aforementioned threaded insert.
    • DONE - Put the base back on the top and install the 3" stainless bolt with a 316 stainless washer, hand tight with nut driver and then back off enough to allow movement.
    • DONE - Mark the location of the second threaded insert of the short stretcher on the bottom of the top.
    • DONE - Drill the 7/16" hole for the aforementioned threaded insert.
    • DONE - Install the aforementioned threaded insert.
    • DONE - Position the base and install the second 3" stainless bolt with a 316 stainless washer.
    • DONE - Use parallel clamp as needed to squeeze or spread the front legs, then mark the position of the 3 threaded inserts for the long stretcher.
    • DONE - Remove the base from the top and drill the holes for the 3 threaded inserts for the long stretcher.
    • DONE - Install the 3 threaded inserts for the long stretcher.
    • DONE - Test fitment of top on base with all 5 bolts installed.
    • DONE - Strip the top since it's too dark.
    • DONE - Reseal the top with shellac.
    • DONE - Restain the top, VERY lightly (the wood is darker than other wood I used).
    • DONE - Spray shellac on restained top.
    • DONE - Lightly sand the base and wipe on a coat of gloss polyurethane.

    I realized that the 1x3 I used for the top of the second end table is a MUCH redder piece of oak than the oak I have elsewhere. This caused it to be much darker than other items after staining. I know I can't make it match, but I stripped the top and resealed with 1 lb. cut shellac again. I then restained and sprayed a coat of shellac. When the shellac dries I'll see if it's a bettter match. It's not a big deal if not, but it was worth a try. I know it won't be perfect simply because I can't get rid of the red color of the wood without making a new top, which I am not going to do.

    One other thing to note... the second end table doesn't mate up to the wall nearly as nicely as the first. I didn't measure, and it turns out that the left angled wall isn't at 45 degrees like the wall on the right. Not a big deal, I'd rather have symmetrical end tables than not. This isn't a built-in, it's freestanding furniture.

    More work on the first end table...

    • DONE - Mask the frame with masking tape.
    • DONE - Mist the top plywood with water.
    • DONE - Apply Loctite PL Premium fairly liberally to back of porcelain.
    • DONE - Mist the back of porcelain with water.
    • DONE - Place the porcelain in the top, press into place.
    • DONE - Place 50 lb. kettlebell on top for 24 hours.

    Loctite PL Premium, like any polyurethane adhesive, will expand as it cures. The kettlebell just helps force the expansion to be mostly horizontal and keeps the porcelain from lifting. Polyurethane adhesive draws moisture from the environment to cure, hence the water mist since the center of this large tile is far from access to moisture in the air. I expect some of the adhesive to expand out from underneath the porcelain, hence the masking tape. It just makes it easier to remove the adhesive seepage later.

    Interesting observation while the polyurethane was curing... it makes crackling noises. I don't think I've ever noticed this before, but I'm not normally working in a really quiet space. I suppose the nice thing about it is that I'll be able to tell when it's set just by listening.

    This is what the first end table looks like when latched to the window seat. I haven't caulked the porcelain yet.

    

    Electrical...

    There aren't enough outlets in this room. Though honestly I can probably say that about most rooms versus what we often need in a modern work space. I've addressed the desks with power strips and PDUs, but there's really only one readily accessible outlet now since there were only outlets on 2 walls. There is one hidden inside one of the built-in cabinets, but it's only useful for the cabinets.

    All I really need at the moment is to change the accessible single-gang outlet to a double-gang. Unfortunately it's wedged against the trim on the left of the wood wall panel inset, and the stud the electrical box is mounted on is to the right of the box. So a double-gang isn't possible here. The outlet is already all the way to the right in the box, so I don't think I can just mount an ugly outlet expander.

    What I really need is outlets on the exterior wall. That's a lot more work than I want to do at the moment; there is no wiring in that area in the basement.

• February 19, 2024
  
  • • DONE - Apply 1-lb cut shellac to the second end table base.
    • DONE - Reattach the top of the first end table to its base.
    • DONE - Figure out where I'm going to put the draw latches to hold the first end table against the window seat.
    • DONE - Mark the location of the draw latches on the right side of the window seat (for the first end table).
    • DONE - Drill pilot holes for the draw latches in the underside of the window seat. I'm using #6 x 1" screws; #8 flat head screws don't sit flush in the countersink of the draw latches.
    • DONE - Install the draw latches on the window seat.
    • DONE - Mark the location of the draw latches on the first end table.
    • DONE - Install the draw latches on the first end table.
    • DONE - Apply gel stain to the base of the second end table.
    • DONE - Spray shellac on the base of the second end table.
    • DONE - Apply gel stain to the top of the second end table.
    • DONE - Spray shellac on the bottom of the top of the second end table.

    I broke a screw off in the underside of the window seat top when installing the first draw latch. I was unable to remove it, so I cut it off with a cutting wheel on one of my Dremels and moved the draw latch. I used a slightly larger drill bit for the pilot hole the second time.

    With the end table latched to the window seat, the whole top surface (window seat plus end table) feels VERY solid. It can of course be easily unlatched as desired.

• February 18, 2024
  
  • • DONE - Wipe fourth coat of polyurethane on base of first end table. This is the first coat of satin (the first three were gloss).
    • DONE - Wipe first coat of gloss polyurethane on top frame of first end table.
    • DONE - Wipe 5th coat of polyurethane on base of first end table.
    • DONE - Wipe second coat of gloss polyurethane on top frame of first end table.
    • DONE- Cut the edge banding for the 3/4" plywood of the second end table. I want a thick piece on the right side to accomodate draw latches to hold the table to the window seat.
    • DONE - Install the edge banding on the second end table. Glue and 18 gauge nails for the front and diagonal, glue and screws for the right piece.
    • DONE - Route the edges of the edge banding of the second end table (1/8" roundover bit).
    • DONE - Sand the edge banding of the second end table.
    • DONE - Route the remaining edges of the base of the second end table.
    • DONE - Sand the bulk of the base of the second end table.
    • DONE - Wipe 6th coat of polyurethane on base of first end table.
    • DONE - Wipe third coat of polyurethane on top frame of first end table.
    • DONE - Lightly sand top frame of first end table with 400 grit, wipe on fourth coat of polyurethane.
    • DONE - Plug the pocket holes on the base of the second end table.
    • DONE - Sand the pocket hole plugs on the base of the second end table.

    The draw latches to hold the end tables to the window seat arrived today. Since I hadn't planned for these during design, it's going to be a very tight fit. But I think I can make them work.

• February 17, 2024
  
  • • DONE - Spray the base of the first end table base with shellac to seal the stain.
    • DONE - Wipe the first coat of polyurethane on the first end table base.
    • DONE - Cut the edge banding for the 3/4" plywood of the first end table. I want a thick piece on the left side to accomodate draw latches to hold the table to the window seat.
    • DONE - Install the edge banding on the first end table. Glue and pin 18 gauge nails for the front and diagonal, glue and screws for the left piece.
    • DONE - Route the edges of the edge banding of the first end table (1/8" roundover bit).
    • DONE - ACE Hardware trip: Titebond III, Loctite PL, adhesive spreader, Bostitch 18-gauge 1.25" nails.
    • DONE - Wipe the second coat of polyurethane on the first end table base.
    • DONE - Stain the edge banding of the top of the first end table.
    • DONE - Wipe the third coat of polyurethane on the first end table base.
    • DONE - Order more shellac from Amazon.

• February 16, 2024
  
  • • DONE - Attach the frame of the second end table to the 3/4" plywood.
    • DONE - Glue and screw the 1/4" plywood to the 3/4" plywood.
    • DONE - Remove the top from the first end table.
    • DONE - Plug the pocket holes of the first end table.
    • DONE - Sand the base of the first end table.
    • DONE - Apply shellac sanding sealer to the base of the first end table.
    • DONE - Apply a coat of gel stain to the base of the first end table.
    • DONE - Label the joints of the front leg of the second end table.
    • DONE - Mark the location of the dowel holes in the front leg of the second end table.
    • DONE - Drill the dowel holes in the front leg of the second end table.
    • DONE - Attach the front leg of the second end table to the long stretchers.
    • DONE - Assemble the base of the second end table. Clamp overnight.

    Note that the draw latches will not arrive until Monday.

    I didn't get as far as I would have liked tonight. I made a mistake when marking and drilling the dowel holes in the front leg of the second end table: I had labelled the wrong side of the stretcher, which meant I marked the holes with the stretcher flipped over. It's just three holes and equidistant in theory, but anyone who has done a lot of dowel joints knows that it's rare that you can flip a part over and have the dowels still line up. And unfortunately I didn't notice until I had already glued that joint. I went to glue up the upper stretcher and realized my mistake. I had to quickly disassemble the first joint and flip the stretcher. And it didn't fit perfectly so it took a good amount of effort to force it together in the correct orientation. It worked and thanks to precisely marking the center dowel, it was in the correct position. And thanks to the fact that I'm using Titebond III, the glue hadn't completely set. That doesn't meant it was easy to take it apart without breaking a dowel, since I had nothing to brace a spreader against. I used a block of wood to protect the leg and hammered on it with a deadblow hammer. And of course the lower dowel remained in the leg while the other two remained in the stretcher, so I had to pull out one dowel and replace it.

    In any event, it all worked out. That joint is never coming apart, and I didn't crack a dowel (they are 1/2" oak dowels). But it caused about an hour of panic. Building another leg and foot would've cost me a lot of time and I would have had to order more acetal.

    A replacement 1/2" brad point drill bit arrived from Amazon. I put the old one in the metal recycling bin and the new one in my case that holds the brad point bits I normally use for dowel holes.

• February 15, 2024
  
  • On the agenda for today:
    • DONE - Mark the dowel holes of the right leg of the first end table.
    • DONE - Drill the dowel holes of the right leg of the first end table.
    • DONE - Glue and clamp the right leg of the first end table to the long stretchers.
    • DONE - Glue and screw the 45 degree connections of the first end table stretchers.
    • DONE - Clamp the right side assembly for a couple of hours to allow the glue to cure.
    • DONE - Route all the edges of the first end table base parts that can be touched (using a roundover bit).
    • DONE - Put the base on the top (upside down) and mark the location of the threaded inserts in the bottom of the top.
    • DONE - Drill the holes for the threaded inserts.
    • DONE - Install the threaded inserts.
    • DONE - Attach the top and make sure it fits in the room as desired.
    • DONE - Glue and screw the 1/4" thick plywood to the 3/4" plywood that sits beneath the porcelain.
    • DONE - Route the stretchers of the second end table with roundover bit.
    • DONE - Label the dowel joints of the right leg assembly of the second end table.
    • DONE - Mark the dowel hole positions of the right leg assembly of the second end table.
    • DONE - Drill the dowel holes in the right side legs of the second end table.
    • DONE - Assemble the right side leg assembly of the second end table (dowels and glue), clamp overnight.

    Just a note to myself that my plan from last night worked. I avoided damaging the pointed parts of the stretchers when gluing the right front leg to the stretchers by using a wedge clamped to my bench, and avoided 45 degree joint movement when driving the pocket hole screws by using my parallel clamps as stops.

    With the base now assembled, My fears of needing a front stretcher for rigidity have been allayed. It's plenty strong and rigid as is.

    The table fits as desired. I can proceed with finishing, and assembly of the second table.

    

    I ordered some draw latches so I can lock the tables to the bench most of the time, but easily release them. Same ones I used to latch the desks together. They'll require a slight change to the underside of the table top, but it's just widening of the edge banding for the plywood; easy to accomodate.

• February 14, 2024
  
  • On the agenda for today:
    • DONE - Cut 5/16" from the end table legs.
    • DONE - Drill the dowel holes in the stretchers of both end tables.
    • DONE - Mark and drill pocket holes for the 45 degree connections of the end table stretchers.
    • DONE - round over the edges of the countersinks in the top stretchers of the first end table.
    • DONE - round over the inside edges of the long lower stretcher of the first end table.
    • DONE - round over the lower edges of the short upper stretcher of the first end table.
    • DONE - round over 4 edges of the short lower stretcher of the first end table.
    • DONE - label the joints for the first end table with masking tape.
    • Mark the dowel holes in the left legs of the first end table.
    • DONE - Drill the dowel holes in the left legs of the first end table.
    • DONE - Glue and clamp the left leg assembly of the first end table.

    I ran into a slight issue drilling the dowel holes: my 1/2" brad point doweling bit is about as sharp as a butter knife. The other problem is that my 1/2" drill stop collar wouldn't fit on a 1/2" bit despite the screw being loose. Apparently it's got some shape memory.

    I had to experiment to arrive at the pocket holes for the 45 degree connection of the long stretchers to the rear leg. I wound up using the jig and bit set for 1 1/4" material, and I'm using 1 1/2" pocket hole screws. These joints will be glued as well, and while I could have used 2" screws with the jig and bit set for 1 1/2" material but I don't have any 2" pocket hole screws on hand.

    I didn't get to everything I had planned tonight. That's mostly due to vascillating about how I'm going to clamp the 45 degree connections of the stretchers to the rear leg while I drive the pocket hole screws, since the glue will make them want to move. I also don't want to crush the point of the 45 on the stretchers, so I need a means of preventing that when I need to clamp the front right leg to the stretchers (dowels and glue joint). I think my best bet it to do it all at once, which will take more energy than I have tonight. I can clamp a wedge to my bench to let me use a parallel clamp to bring the doweled joints together, then unclamp those and bring the assembly to the other assembly and use parallel clamps to prevent the 45 degree joints from sliding when I drive the pocket hole screws. Once the pocket hole screws are installed, I can clamp from the rear leg to the front right leg to hold the doweled joints while the glue cures. Or at least that's the idea for now.

• February 13, 2024
  
  • On the agenda for today:
    • DONE - Sand the pocket hole plugs flush on the top frame of the second end table
    • DONE - Put a coat of sanding sealer on the top frame of the second end table
    • DONE - Cut the acetal pieces for the end table feet (six).
    • DONE - Mark the acetal pieces for the end table feet.
    • DONE - Drill the countersinks in the acetal pieces for the end table feet. 3/4" diameter by 1/2" deep with forstner bit.
    • DONE - Drill the through holes in the acetal pieces for the end table feet. 3/8" diameter with forstner bit.
    • DONE - Mark the dowel holes in the stretchers of both end tables.
    • DONE - Mark and drill the holes in the end table legs for the threaded inserts. 7/16" diameter by 1.125" deep.
    • DONE - Install the threaded inserts in the end table legs.
    • DONE - Mount the feet on the end table legs.
    • DONE - Shape the feet flush to the legs with flush cutting bit on router. Be careful of the Colt's tendency to not lock due to plastic threaded parts.
    • DONE - Attach the top frame of the first end table to the 3/4" plywood, making sure I avoid putting screws too close to where the threaded inserts will be installed in the plywood.
    • DONE - Prop the top on the legs to decide the final length of the legs. I've decided I want the top at the same height as the window seat, so I need to take about 5/16" off the length of the legs.

    Note that the threaded inserts for the feet arrived late, so I sort of got held up for a bit. Plus it takes a long time to drill the acetal. Thankfully I remembered that using a twist drill for the through holes in the acetal is scary and hence I used a Forstner bit. With a typical twist drill, there's a significant grabbing force as the twist drill breaks through the exit side. I nicked myself with a spinning part on the drill press before, and even when clamped there's a risk of an ugly exit. The Forstner bits don't have this problem and produce a clean exit.

    I decided to do all of the feet shaping instead of just the flush cutting. Mainly because routing acetal makes a huge mess and I don't want to clean it up twice. So I did the roundover work on all six of the feet. I'll have to go back and do the roundover work on the oak once I have the leg assemblies doweled together, but at least there won't be any acetal flying and clinging to things.

• February 12, 2024
  
  • I cut the legs for the first end table. I intentionally cut them about 3/8" too long so I can decide later if I want them flush with the window seat wood top or just a bit taller.

    I cut the stretchers for the first end table. The short ones are 12 5/16" long and the long diagonal ones are 22 1/4" on the long side despite me marking them at 56.7 cm (longer than 22 1/4"). A consequence of drift of the laser on my miter saw from top to bottom when it's at 45 degrees. The important thing: it fits.

    

    I cut the plywood for the top of the second end table, mirroring the first end table pieces.

    I cut the short 2x4 stretchers for the second end table.

    I cut the long 2x4 stretchers for the second end table.

    I cut the 2x4 legs for the second end table.

    I cut the 1x3 pieces for the top frame of the second end table and tested their fitment around the porcelain.

    I drilled the dowel holes and pocket holes for the second end table top frame and assembled the frame. I'm waiting a bit for the glue to set on the doweled joint.

    I drilled the countersinks in the stretchers of both end tables. These are 7/8" diameter for the long bolts that will go into threaded inserts in the bottom of the table top. I then drilled the through-holes, which are 3/8" diameter to allow some wiggle room for the 5/16" bolts.

    I routed and sanded the top frame of the second end table. I then plugged the pocket holes. I'll need to sand these flush tomorrow.

    I am out of kerosene so I'm stopping for the night. Tomorrow I should receive the threaded inserts I plan to use in the legs of the end tables so I can bolt the feet on. I haven't cut the acetal for the feet yet.

• February 11, 2024
  
  • I have enough 1" thick acetal left to make a mirror copy of the end table for the other side of the window seat. I know I don't have enough 1x3 and 2x4 oak pieces, but I can buy those locally. The acetal is expensive, so I'm glad I have enough remaining.

    I plugged the pocket holes in the end table frame. I later sanded the plugs flush, routed the edges of the frame with a roundover bit and sanded the frame to remove the burn marks on the end grain and remove the planer marks. I then sanded it with 220 and applied a coat of thin-cut shellac.

    I sanded the bottom side of the 3/4" plywood for the end table top, sealed it with thin cut shellac and then stained it. This part will not normally be visible.

    I stained the end table frame.

    I lightly sanded the bottom of the 3/4" plywood for the end table top, then wiped on a coat of gloss polyurethane.

    I sprayed a light coat of shellac on the bottom side of the end table frame.

    I was hoping to create the end table legs today, but realized I am out of the threaded inserts I want to use for the feet. I ordered some from McMaster-Carr. This time I ordered 63/64" long 5/16"-18 inserts intended for soft woods (92105A415). These are flanged, and I prefer them in end grain even if it's hardwood. I'll be putting some Gorilla Glue in the holes for the inserts before I install them.

    I went to Menard's and bought oak 2x4 and 1x3 so I can make a second mirror-copy end table. I also bought more 3" long stainless steel 5/16"-18 bolts. I have the rest of the materials already. I'll start making the top tomorrow.

    I sprayed a coat of shellac on top of the end table frame.

    I wiped a second coat of polyurethane on the underside of the 3/4" plywood for the end table top.

    I made a mirrored copy of the end table in my SketchUp drawing.

    

• February 10, 2024
  
  • I went to Menard's for an oak 2x4, an oak 1x3 and some 18-8 stainless steel 5/16"-18 hex head bolts.

    I cut some of the pieces for the end table: the 3/4" plywood, the 3/8" plywood (just raises the porcelain) and the oak frame pieces. I later drilled the dowel holes to connect two of the 1x3s that frame the porcelain, and then glued them together.

    I drilled the pocket holes to hold the diagonal piece of the top frame, then installed the pocket hole screws. I didn't use any glue here, and don't feel inclined to disassemble and add glue. This frame is going to be attached to the 3/4" plywood, and glue isn't going to add any strength here. Plus it's the edge that will be against the wall and isn't going to see heavy loads.

    I'm still hemming and having about the leg length for the table. I can't decide if I want it flush with the window seat top or slightly higher. The main advantage of slightly higher is that it would help keep a cushion in place on the window seat. That's important for me to remember: the end height of the window seat will include the cushion, which means no matter what, the window seat will be taller than the table. I don't want the table to be above the window sash handle, so at most the table height will be 3/8" taller than the top of the wood on the window seat.

• February 9, 2024
  
  • I fabricated a cable raceway from an oak 1x4 to hide the cord for the power strip that goes to the bench. Two 3/8&quopt; slots cut with dado cutters on the table saw, and a decorative routed edge top and bottom. I sanded it and applied sanding sealer, then applied gel stain. I later sprayed the first coat of satin polyurethane.

    It's not very often that I can use the tile saw outdoors in February. But it was 60F today, so I took advantage and cut an 18" porcelain tile into two, diagonally. This is so I can make the end table that will butt against the window seat. I have enough wood on hand to make my plan, except for an 8' oak 2x4. This is the idea:

    

• February 8, 2024
  
  • The wastebasket collar is in final finishing stages. I sprayed the first coat of satin polyurethane on it tonight. The lid is about ready for the same.

    Before I started applying polyurethane, these parts looked like this.

    

• February 7, 2024
  
  • I applied a second coat of stain to the collar I made for the wastebasket. I later got to the point where it has the first coat of wipe-on polyurethane on all sides but one.

    I fabricated a lid that drops into the collar. I wanted it to be flat so things can be set on top of it, so I went with finger holes. The top itself is just a slab of red oak. It looked like this after I had cut, drilled and routed it.

    

• February 6, 2024
  
  • I started making a top frame for the wastebasket, to hold the bag in place and hide the top of the bag. I thought this would be quick, but all off the 1/2" oak stock I have is cupped (from relatively minor to almost unusable). This includes the pieces I bought this weekend, which was the best one Menard's had in stock.

    So, instead of just needing squaring clamps, I needed to use multiple parallel clamps to hold things together during glue-up. I used 3/4" pin nails to position things before clamping. I'll wait 8 or more hours for the glue to cure before I unclamp it. Note that since the joints are butt joints (I decided against mitre joints due to the cupping of the wood), I first applied glue on the end grain, then waited 5 minutes before applying the usual bead. I could have used Gorilla Glue here, but since there will be some corner bracing added (part of the design that sits on top of the wastbasket), I deemed the cleanup not worth it. This isn't a structural piece, it just rests on top of the wastebasket.

    I fabricated the pieces that rest on the top of the wastebasket. I ripped some 1/2" thick oak to 3/4" width for this purpose. I cut them to length, then glued them in place and clamped them for drying.

    Later I sanded, wiped on sanding sealer (shellac), and applied the first coat of stain. The oak stock I used was close grained, it'll need a second coat.

    Before I started the finishing, it looked like this on the wastebasket with a bag in the wastebasket.

    

• February 5, 2024
  
  • I bought a wastebasket at The Container Store over the weekend. I like the design (bamboo slats), but wasn't thrilled with the look once I put a bag in it. A bag is pretty much necessary since the wastbasket is about 50% open. So I cut some 1/4" thick oak plywood to line the inside, sanded and stained them, shellac'ed and put one coat of wipe-on polyurethane on them. I then glued them in place with Gorilla Glue. For most office trash, this makes the bag optional. However, there's always the oddball thing like a leaky ink pen that would warrant a bag. So I intend to create a top frame that will secure the bag at the top and make it look a bit tidier. It will likely accomodate a lid.

    The bummer: I hadn't used Gorilla Glue in 10 years. I knew it would foam, so I used it VERY sparingly. However, it still made a mess that I realistically can't clean up due to the slats in the wastebasket. Hidnisght being 20/20, I should have just used TiteBond. The only reason I used Gorilla Glue was to avoid having to sand off the finish on the inside of the wastebasket to get a good bond. But realistally, this isn't structural at all; TiteBond would've worked fine without sanding.

    Fortunately I still have my template for the liner pieces, so I could get a second wastebasket and repeat the process. I have enough 1/4" oak plywood to do it again.

• February 3, 2024
  
  • More work on the window bench...

    I wiped two coats of satin polyurethane on the drawer front.

    I later installed the drawer pull and the dividers. The drawer is done except for some stacking bamboo organizers I want for the front areas of the drawer (mainly for loose pencils, pens and markers). I was going to make my own, but the bamboo ones are way cheaper than my time from The Container Store. I'll pick them up tomorrow.

    I mounted a small power strip on the rear stretcher behind the rackmount drawers. This is where the Kasa smart plug lives for the bench fans, aince there is no outlet nearby. In the summer I might put a new outlet in the wall behind the bench, but for now the power strip with an 8' cord works. I checked the basement and I did not find the wiring for the AC outlet that's on the porch in that wall. Odd, it must be from a drop from the second floor or holes through a lot of wall studs. I don't want to pull that box and peek inside in the winter, so it'll have to wait. If I keep the power strip, I'll fabricate an oak piece to hide the power strip cord above the shoe moulding. I hate having power cords on the floor, even if they're along the wall.

• February 2, 2024
  
  • More work on the window bench...

    On the docket for today...

    • DONE - Scuff the drawer dividers and wipe on the second coat of gloss polyurethane.
    • DONE - Mark and drill the holes in the drawer box for the screws that will hold the drawer front to the drawer box.
    • DONE - Mount the drawer front to the drawer box.
    • DONE - Drill the holes in the drawer box for the drawer pull.
    • DONE - Test fit the drawer pull.
    • DONE - Mount the drawer slides to the drawer box as intended (per my drawing), but use the vertical slots to allow up/down adjustment.
    • DONE - Mount the drawer in the bench, adjust as needed.
    • DONE - Screw the slides to the drawer box via the round holes, using my hinge drill bits to mark the centers.
    • DONE - Remove the drawer, mask the slides.
    • Continue finishing process on the drawer.

    After drawer fitment:

    

    19:00: I wiped a third coat of gloss polyurethane on the drawer front, as well as the interior of the drawer. The inner plies of the drawer box plywood soak up the wipe-on polyurethane rapidly, so I will continue to use gloss there so it's obvious when they're sealed up.

    22:00: I wiped another coat of polyurethane on the drawer. This was the 4th coat on the drawer front. I think I'm done with the interior, it won't be touched often and it's not a visible area. I might apply more to the edges of the plywood if needed.

    The next coats on the drawer front will be satin.

• February 1, 2024
  
  • More work on the window bench...

    I drilled the holes in the drawer front for the drawer pull. I tested the fitment, it's good.

    I quickly checked the fitment of the drawer box between the drawer slides on the bench, and I think it's going to be good without shims. I'll know later, but it's no big deal to make some solid oak shims on the table saw if necessary.

    All of the dividers have a sealing coat of shellac over the stain. I went to Menard's and picked up another can of shellac, more cheese cloth, a power strip with an 8' cord for the bench fans, a pair of power strips with 30" cords for unrelated use, some 1.75" long #8-32 screws for the drawer pull and some washers for the screws for the drawer pull. I also bought a box of 100 Kreg 1 1/4" screws for softwoods since I'm almost out.

    I stained the inside of the drawer. It doesn't look great but that's OK; it's a drawer interior.

    I added screw locations to my drawing to hold the drawer front to the drawer box.

    I put a sealing coat of shellac over the stain on the outside of the drawer box. Power went out in my neighborhood seconds afterward. :-(

    When power returned 4 hours later, I put a coat of shellac over the stain on the interior of the drawer box. I also wiped on the first coat of polyurethane on the drawer front and one side of the dividers.

    I later sprayed a coat of satin polyurethane on the drawer box, all but the bottom. I only have half a can of spray gloss left, and since I don't need clarity inside the drawer, I'm saving it. Tomorrow I'll be working on the holes for the screws that hold the drawer front to the drawer box, and installing the drawer slides on the drawer box. I want to get all the holes and fitting done before I apply final finish coats.

    I set up the Kasa smart plug for the bench fans. I don't really care about their app, but had to use it for setup. It is of course broken; it claimed that it failed to add the plug to Home (the Apple HomeKit app), when in fact it succeeded.

    I wiped a second coat of gloss polyurethane on the drawer front, and finished the first coat of wipe-on gloss polyurethane on the drawer dividers. Before further coats on the dividers, I need to mask then ends so I don't need to sand them to fit the slots in the drawer box.

• January 31, 2024
  
  • More work on the window bench...

    I sealed and sanded the drawer box. It had been many years since I had last worked with oak plywood, and I forgot how soft the core veneers are underneath the thin oak veneer. Hence some of the corners I was intentionally rounding had a lot more paterial removed than intended. Mainly the top of the slots for the dividers. No big deal since these aren't visible when the drawer is closed.

    I started staining the drawer box.

    I started filling the pocket holes inside the drawer box with Durham's Rock Hard Water Putty. This is mostly to make it easier to wipe the inside of the drawer clean once it's done and prevent things like mechanical pencil tips from getting snagged in one of the pocket holes. It won't accept stain and it'll stick out like a sdore thumb visually, but it's in the drawer interior.

    I sealed and sanded the drawer box dividers.

    I cut, routed, sanded and sealed the drawer front. I stained the parts that will be visible, then sprayed a sealing coat of shellac.

    I stained the drawer box dividers.

    I flipped the drawer box and filled the second set of pocket holes with rock hard water putty. Once it sets up I'll make it flush. The first set will need a second round; I scraped too soon.

    I sprayed a second coat of shellac on the drawer front. I'm expecting a decent amount of sanding on this part due to the coarse grain, so a bit more shellac here is a good idea. Plus I need to drill holes for the drawer pull on the drill press, which I'll do before I start final finishing.

    I installed the coolerguys 3U rackmount fan panel. Despite my beefs with the power supply connection and the fact that I don't want ball bearing fans (they'll get louder over time), I am really happy with the function. At the moment they're very quiet and I can feel the air moving from across the room. I think Julie is going to like having a breeze at roughly butt height, especially with the Aeron chair since it's mesh. I will replace the fans with Noctua NF-S12A PWM fans with an NA-FC1 controller, and plug the power supply into a Kasa smart plug so the fans can be turned on/off via HomeKit. But for now I think I've addressed any issues with the bench straddling the HVAC register.

    I ordered a pair of Kasa HomeKit-compatible smart plugs from Amazon. One will be used to control the bench fans. I need to pick up a small power strip at Menard's.

• January 30, 2024
  
  • More work on the window bench...

    I installed the drawer slides on the bench. I then measured, and the rear span is about 1/16" wider than the front. I will loosen the right leg assembly from the top and see if I can make it parallel. I intentionally drilled 3/8" holes in the stretchers while using 5/16" bolts, just for some wiggle room when installing the leg assembly to the top. There may be enough wiggle room to bring things parallel. I don't actually expect a problem with 1/16" but there's no harm in trying to improve it. I have some PVC I can use to shim if necessary.

    Well, that worked! It looks like the drawer slides are now parallel.

    I cut the 2 drawer side pieces to length, and ripped the front and back pieces and cut them to length. I then set up the table saw for the dados for the bottom and cut them.

    I set up the table saw to cut the dados for the dividers and cut them.

    I drilled the 8 pocket holes in the drawer box sides. I fit the sides, front and back together to get a final measurement for the bottom, then cut the bottom piece from the 2' x 4' piece of 1/2" oak plywood. I then test fitted all of the drawer box pieces, then glued it up and installed the pocket hole screws. I checked it for square, it's good. I moved it indoors for the glue to cure.

    I cut the dividers from 1/4"x4" oak and then clut slots in them so they lock together. The slots aren't perfect since I did them with the miter saw (I should've done them on the table saw while I still had the dado cutter set up for 1/4"). But they work and should be more than sufficient since the dividers fit snugly in the slots in the drawer.

    Here's a picture of the drawer box while I was checking that the dividers will fit.

    

    The coolerguys 3U fan panel arrived. It's just OK at best. I probably should have just designed my own. My main beef at the moment is that the fan splitter has a very hokey barrel connector to connect to the power supply. And sure enough, it's intermittent; if I just look at it wrong, it stops working. :-( I really only wanted the panel anyway, since I don't want ball bearing fans (I want Noctua with SSO bearings).

• January 28, 2024
  
  • More work on the window bench...

    I finished most of the SketchUp work for the wide drawer. I need 1" thick spacers on the bench stretchers in order to mount the drawer slides. The SketchUp drawing has the drawer box made of 1/2" and 3/4" thick pieces, with 1/4" internal dividers.

• January 27, 2024
  
  • More work on the window bench...

    I decided I want a wide drawer under the open part of the bench. I started working on incorporating it in my SketchUp drawing. I also picked up a 2' x 4' piece of 1/2" thick oak plywood to use as the bottom. I haven't decided what to use for the drawer sides, mostly because I don't want to drive to Novi to get baltic birch plywood. I might have enough scrap 3/4" plywood to use.

    I bought 20" soft-close drawer slides, 100 lb. rated.

• January 25, 2024
  
  • More work on the window bench...

    I ordered a coolerguys 3U rackmount fan panel with low-speed fans from Amazon.

• January 24, 2024
  
  • More work on the window bench...

    I picked up the rack rails at the Post Office. And since I had put a small scratch in the top of the bench by dragging something on it before the last coat had cured, I sanded and put another coat of wipe-on polyurethane on it. I'll put another coat on it in a couple of hours.

    I installed the rack rails, and started installing the drawers. At the moment it looks like this:

    

• January 23, 2024
  
  • I rescreened a second window. I used aluminum here, since it works better with the Andersen aluminum C-channel splines. As it turns out, the clarity is better than the fiberglass (the fiberglass mesh is finer, with a higher material to open ratio). It's also just better quality; the fiberglass has some insonsistencies in the mesh. I need to buy more aluminum screen for the third window. It's a little harder to work with than the fiberglass, but the end result is better.

    I stopped at Home Depot and bought a 48" x 25' roll of aluminum screen. I then rescreened the third window in the den. I have enough screen left to do the two screen doors and redo the center window in the den when desired.

• January 22, 2024
  
  • More work on the window bench...

    I thinned the remaining satin wipe-on polyurethane in the open can, using mineral spirits. I lightly sanded the bench top with 400 grit and wiped on another coat of the satin polyurethane. I think this is the final coat.

    I rescreened the window under the bench. The screen had a pretty big hole in it. I used standard fiberglass, after hemming and hawing about using small insect screen. The visibility through the small insect screen is considerably lower, so I decided against it. I haven't had issues with no see 'ems or other tiny insects, and I like my view.

    My screens are Andersen, hence I could order TruScene insect screens, but it's more money than I want to spend at the moment. But it's worth noting that the C-channel splines used in Andersen screens aren't great with fiberglass screen. This is the first time I've used fiberglass screen with the Andersen splines; I used aluminum screen on the other windows I've rescreened. We'll see if it stays put. I'll start the other den windows tomorrow, but I think I have aluminum screen for those if I want to go that route.

• January 21, 2024
  
  • More work on the window bench...

    I assembled the bench. I still have finishing work to do on the top, but wanted to do it with the top in place.

    I don't know what happened with my rack rail delivery. The post office hasn't delivered it nor left a notification.

    I wound up doing more sanding and polyurethane work on the top than I expected, only because I wasn't thrilled with some inconsistencies in grain fill. I used a sanding block to bring it down a bit, then applied a new coat of wipe-on gloss and 3 coats of wipe-on satin. Part of the issue here is that I'm getting below the 25% mark on my cans of wipe-on polyurethane, and despite the fact that I shake it vigorously before every use, it gets thicker over time. For now I'm waiting overnight for the latest coat to cure, then I'll sand again and add some mineral spirits to the remainder of the first can of satin before using again. I have a new can in the waiting, but am hoping to not need to open it yet.

    The good news is that I like the final result. It didn't match the base color perfectly, but that's mostly a function of the grain. It's a little lighter than the base pieces. But even among the base pieces, the leftmost front leg absorbed quite a bit more stain than the others. It was cut from a different piece of stock than 4 of the other legs. It's all OK; I was aiming for a rustic looking material in a simple utilitarian design. It's very substantial (wil far outlive me), and deliberately plain.

    I am atill considering a small table that tucks under the right side of the bench. The trick here is that this area needs to remain as open as possible since the room's only HVAC register is under this side of the bench. Right now it's more than open enough to be a non-issue.

• January 20, 2024
  
  • More work on the window bench...

    On the agenda for today...

    • DONE - Lightly wetsand the bench top
    • DONE - Apply a second coat of gloss wipe-on polyurethane on the top
    • DONE - Lightly wetsand the left base assembly
    • DONE 3PM - Apply a second coat of gloss wipe-on polyurethane to the left base assembly
    • DONE 3PM - Apply third coat of wipe-on gloss polyurethane to the bench top
    • DONE 4PM - Lightly wetsand the right leg assembly, apply third coat of satin wipe-on polyurethane. Pull the masking tape from the feet, this part is done!
    • DONE 6:30PM - Apply 4th coat of wipe-on gloss polyurethane to the bench top
    • DONE 7PM - Apply third coat of wipe-on gloss polyurethane to the left base assembly
    • DONE 11PM - steel wool the left base assembly
    • DONE 11:45PM - Apply first coat of wipe-on satin polyurethane to the left base assembly

    The objective for the base parts is 6 coats of wipe-on polyurethane. For the top, I'd like 8 to 10 coats. What would be 3 coats of brush or spray works out to 9 coats of wipe-on. I've put roughly the equivalent of 7 wipe-on coats on the top already. 1 more gloss and 2 satin should be plenty.

    I decided to wait until tomorrow for more finishing steps on the top. Given the heavy lifting involved in final assembly, I want to get the top on the base and legs before I do final finish coats on the top.

    It looks to me like I don't need another coat of satin on the left base assembly. Tomorrow I can assemble the bench and put the remaining coats on the top.

• January 19, 2024
  
  • More work on the window bench...

    I applied gel stain to the top and edges of the top. I later sprayed on a sealing coat of shellac. Later still, I flipped it over and sealed the bottom of the edge trim.

    I put the first coat of wipe-on polyurethane on the top (gloss).

    I put a coat of gloss wipe-on polyurethane on the left base assembly. It looks like this at the moment:

    

    Before I went to sleep, I sprayed a coat of gloss polyurethane on the top. This just helps me get to a build thickness faster, since my next step is wetsand anyway and I can take advantage of the build thickness of the spray by sleeping while it's curing.

• January 18, 2024
  
  • More work on the window bench...

    I removed the clamps from the top edge trim. I routed it flush with the top, and did some of the edge shaping of the top edge (roundover bit, sanding).

    I later mostly finished the shaping process of the top, then flipped it over. I removed a few hardened glue drops with a chisel, then routed and shaped the bottom edge. I'm using 60 grit paper on the random orbtial for the shaping, which is aggressive but what I needed. Unfortunately it's my last piece of 60 grit for the random orbital. I don't use it often, but I'll need to replenish.

    I later sanded by hand with 220 and put a sealing coat of thin cut shellac on it. Tomorrow I should be able to get stain on it.

    This piece turned out good but not great. Which is OK; I didn't want fancy here, since it's a seating surface that will get wear and tear and will eventually be covered by a cushion. Very rounded corners everywhere to avoid knicking knees, snagging pockets, etc. It's built to take a lot of abuse.

• January 17, 2024
  
  • More work on the window bench...

    I glued and screwed the second end trim piece on the top. It's clamped up while the glue cures. The clamps don't really need to stay since the pocket hole screws are more than strong enough. I'll leave them for a couple of hours.

    I later removed the clamps from the end trim and reconfigured the pipe clamps as four 36" long clamps. I then glued the final piece of edge trim on the top. It is clamped with four pipe clamps and 3 parallel clamps. I'll be leaving this overnight.

• January 16, 2024
  
  • More work on the window bench...

    I released the clamps from the front trim of the bench top. I can't start on the other pieces without more clamps. I ordered some bar clamps and blakc steel pipe from Home Depot for in-store pickup. Since I don't need 6' long clamps very often, I ordered four 3' long pieces and a pair of couplers. Since I'm going to use pocket holes for the end trim pieces, I only need a pair of 6' long clamps; the pocket hole screws will do the rest.

    I later picked up the clamps, pipe and couplers. I assembled two 6' long clamps in preparation to attach the end trim pieces. I drilled the pocket holes for both ends. The right edge trim is now glued, screwed and clamped. I was originally going to do both ends at once, but decided to do one at a time due to the endgrain to face grain joint. I'm not worried about the joint long-term, the pocket hole screws alone are a very strong solution. But I don't like to have my endgrain to face grain joint starved of glue due to endgrain glue absorption. I brush a first coat on the end grain, wait a few minuttes, then brush on another coat before I put glue on the face grain piece and stick them together. The joint here is 33 square inches and I didn't trust myself to get everything glued, screwed and clamped during the work time of the glue. I'll leave thtis clamped overnight. Next up here is the other end trim piece.

• January 14, 2024
  
  • More work on the window bench...

    I released the top from the left side of the base. I put the base upside rigt on the floor, and placed the top on it, bottom side up. I had to replace one of the threaded inserts. It sucks that 2 of the 10 in the pack had buggered threads; these inserts aren't cheap. This is the second time I've used this type, and I've come to dislike them versus the flaged ones for softwood. Even in oak, the hardwood versions are kind of a nightmare to install straight. And if only 8 out of 10 are good out of the box, well... they're a poor investment. Next time I'll just use the flanged ones that are intended for softwoods. I seem to recall having a similar issue when using the hardwood inserts in the past.

    I put a little bit of Titebond III on the raw wood from chipout while installing the threaded inserts in the underisde of the top.

    Hours later, I lightly sanded the bottom of the top and wiped on a coat of wipe-on gloss polyurethane.

    I realized that I don't have enough clamps to do the trim work on the benchtop, not any clamps long enough for the end pieces. I need to pick up 4 pipe clamps and two pieces of 10' long 3/4" black iron pipe which I'll cut to 6.5' and 3.5'. That will give me two clamps for the end pieces (I'd prefer 4 but don't want to but that much pipe).

    I spent over an hour vacuuming some of the garage, to clean up the area around the tractor (I need to put the winter gear on it) and pick up most of the acetal shavings that were all over the place. I emptied my shop vac first, which was full of sawdust and acetal shavings from work at the router table and table saw.

    I cut the 1x2 pieces to trim the top of the bench, to rough length. They'll be cut down later, I just wanted to get them indoors.

    I'm starting to think I might dowel these in place. The original thought was biscuits, but at least one of these pieces (the front edge) will see decent amouts of shear forces. But given that the trim is only 3/4" deep, I can't get a lot of dowel in it without using dowels that pass all the way through. At that point I might as well use wood screws and plugs?

    As long as I clamp it well, I think the front and rear trim pieces can just be glued. It's face grain to face grain. For the end pieces, which is end grain to face grain... pocket holes from underneath is probably as good as anything, and perhaps polyurethane adhesive instead of PVA? I like this idea because the Kreg pocket hole screws have flanged heads, and since I don't need to plug the holes (not visible unless you lie on the floor under the bench), they could be retightened and the joint reglued if 20 years from now it gives way.

    It looks like I have enough clamps to glue one of the long trim pieces but not both; the width exceeds the capacity of my 24" clamps once both trim pieces are placed. So I glued on the front piece, with extra on the ends to be cut flush later.

• January 13, 2024
  
  • More work on the window bench...

    On the docket for today:

    • drill the remaining dowel holes (20) in the left side legs. Estimate 90 minutes.
    • Release the clamps from the middle leg assembly.
    • Glue and clamp the left side leg assembly.

    I had to wait for the garage to warm up. There was a winter storm last night; 8" of wet snow followed by colder temperatures and high winds. I don't have the snoowthrower, wheel weights and chains on the tractor, nor the time to do it right now. For the moment I want to finish the dowel hole drilling for the window bench. Once the third leg assembly is glued up and clamped, I can think about snow removal.

    I cleaned the right side leg assembly and wiped on gloss polyurethane. The plan is 3 coats of gloss followed by 2 coats of satin.

    I released the middle leg assembly from the clamps.

    I drilled the 12 dowel holes in the rear left leg. I then drilled the 8 dowel holes in the front left leg.

    I assembled the left leg assembly. It's clamped up (4 parallel clamps) and I'll let it cure overnight.

    I sanded the right leg assembly with 400 grit and applied a second coat of wipe-on gloss polyurethane. I'm starting to think I might finish the base in gloss; the front of this assembly looks good in gloss.

    I later applied a 3rd coat of wipe-on gloss polyurethane to the right leg assembly.

• January 12, 2024
  
  • More work on the window bench...

    I stopped at Menard's for wipe-on polyurethane, 2 cans of spray shellac and more cheese cloth.

    I marked the 12 front-to-back holes of the center leg assembly. This takes a long time due to the dowel guides not being easy to remove from the dowel holes in the stretchers, and the fact that I only have six 1/2" dowel guides since I don't use 1/2" dowels very often.

    I had missed masking two of the joints on the rear lef leg, so I reverse masked those spots and sanded with some 80 grit paper by hand.

    I marked all of the legs for their dowel holes, and labeled all of the joints with masking tape. The goal for tonight is to get the two middle leg dowel holes drilled, then the middle legs glued up with their stretchers.

    I completed the dowel holes in the middle legs, then glued the middle leg assembly together (2 legs, 2 stretchers). I'll leave it clamped up overnight.

    20 more dowel holes to drill tomorrow, then I can glue and clamp the left leg assembly. On Sunday I should be able to glue the left and center leg assemblies together, and possibly install the remaining threaded inserts in the bottom of the top.

• January 11, 2024
  
  • More work on the window bench...

    I removed the clamps from the right side leg assembly. I positioned it on the bench top and marked for the holes for the threaded inserts. I then removed it and drilled the holes for the threaded inserts and installed the inserts. I then fastened the leg assembly to the bench top using 3" long 5/16"-18 316 stainless steel hex head bolts with 316 stainless steel washers. It fits perfectly.

    I'll be removing it shortly so I can complete the finishing process. But it's very strong, and doesn't need side-to-side stretchers.

    Note to self: the hardwood threaded inserts are pretty brutal. They specify a 15/32" diameter hole, but that inevitably will cause the insert to splinter the surface grain. A non-issue for me since these are concealed, but just the same I'm going to try a 31/64" hole on the next one.

    I masked the joint areas of the remaining legs and applied a thin cut of shellac. I later applied gel stain, then later a thin coat of spray shellac. The four legs also now have a single coat of wipe-on polyurethane. I also applied the shellac spray on the front stretcher. The goal here is to just make the pieces ready for dowel hole drilling and then glue-up. The thin coat of shellac is sufficient but there's no harm in a first coat of wipe-on polyurethane afterward since satin polyurethane will be the final finish.

    I flipped the bench upright just to remind myself of the overall height (propped up on the legs).

    I ordered the Middle Atlantic RRF-8 (8U) rack rails from Sweetwater. I'm not in a hurry here since it'll be a while before I'm ready to install the rails, and at the moment I haven't decided on the drawer configuration. I'm thinking a pair of TD3 and a single TD2, but I think I only have one relocatable TD3. I'm also considering a 3U fan panel and a TD3 and TD2. This would help move air from the register that's under the open side of the bench, and would probably be appreciated by Julie in the summer.

    I need to stop at Menard's for 2 more cans of spray shellac and a new quart of wipe-on polyurethane.

• January 10, 2024
  
  • More work on the window bench...

    I decided that the drill press creates more work than necessary for the holes for the threaded inserts in the bottom of the legs (to attach the acetal feet). I am now using one of my drill guides at the workbench, which is faster.

    The third leg now has the rough-cut acetal foot attached.

    I marked the bottom of the remaining three legs for the holes for the threaded inserts. I then drilled the holes, installed the threaded inserts and installed the rough-cut feet. I then routed the feet to match the legs (with a flush cutting bit), then rounded off the feet and legs with a roundover bit. This made a huge mess since acetal shavings cling to everything, but it's done.

    Here's a picture of one of the completed feet. Note that there's 1/4" of acetal to wear away before the bolt heads could touch the floor. That's not going to happen in my lifetime or anyone else's, it's a bench and not a sled.

    

    Worth noting that I hate several things about my trim router (a Bosch Colt). The lock is unreliable due to plastic threaded parts, and today it jumped on me as a result (and took a chunk of skin off my right ring finger). The power switch is too recessed to use with gloves, which to me is a disaster. The whole move toward 'safe' power switches has actually made this tool more dangerous in normal operation; if I have gloves on, it's difficult to impossible to turn the router on safely. Another nit is the acrylic base plate. It scratches very easily if you happen to pass the base over a tiny protrusion like an ever so slightly protruding pin nail, which makes the whole thing pointless eventually (can't see through it anymore, and it's no longer slippery). My oldest router (a 1990's Porter-Cable) has none of these problems but is full-sized.

    At any rate, wound dressing changes slowed me down today. But I drilled the dowel holes in the legs of the right side. I sanded the finish off of the joint area on the leg I had already stained but did not mask. I stained the other leg, avoiding the joint areas. I then masked the joint areas and sprayed a light coat of dewaxed shellac on the leg. This is my usual process for preventing smearing of the gel stain during the first coat of polyurethane.

    Once the shellac dried, I glued up the right side leg assembly: front and rear legs and the stretchers that connect them. It's all clamped up and I'll leave it overnight.

    I'm pretty sure I'm going to run out of wipe-on polyurethane before the bench is completed. I'll need to get more before I start working on the top of the benchtop.

• January 9, 2024
  
  • More work on the window bench...

    I updated my SketchUp drawing to include all of the holes for the dowels, threaded inserts and bolts.

    I lightly sanded the bottom of the bench top and applied a coat of wipe-on polyurethane. I don't think it needs anything else; it already had 2 coats of shellac.

    The 1" thick acetal for the feet arrived (McMaster-Carr 8492K172), along with threaded inserts for hardwood (McMaster-Carr 90192A127) and 3" long 5/16"-18 316 stainless steel hex head bolts (McMaster-Carr 93190A595). I quickly cut 6 feet from the acetal to rough size. I then marked and drilled the countersunk holes in all of them.

    I marked and drilled the holes in the bottom of one of the legs, installed the threaded inserts and installed one of the feet using the 5/16"-18 1 1/4" long 316 stainless steel hex bolts with a 316 stainless washer. I then routed the foot flush with the sides of the leg, then ran a roundover bit on the bottom of the feet and the vertical edges of the leg. It turned out perfect, so I did the same for a second leg. I have 4 more legs to go and I still haven't marked and drilled the dowel holes in the legs.

    Here's a screenshot from SketchUp with faces in X-ray mode.

    

• January 8, 2024
  
  • More work on the window bench...

    I put two coats of dewaxed shellac on the bottom of the bench top. This is just to seal it up well before I lightly sand it and start applying polyurethane. It won't be visible once the bench is assembled, but detaisl matter.

    All of the stretchers have dewaxed shellac over the gel stain, except for the front lower one that won't be routed until after it's glued in place. I can wetsand them and start putting polyurethane on the others tomorrow night.

• January 7, 2024
  
  • More work on the window bench...

    I drilled the 7/8" diameter countersinks in the underside of the upper stretchers. I then drilled the concentric 3/8" diameter through-holes. The fasteners are 3" long 5/16"-18 316 stainless steel bolts. The 3/8" hole allows a bit of wiggle during assembly.

    I routed the edges of all of the stretchers. I cleaned the pencil marks from the lower stretchers, sanded them and applied thin cut dewaxed shellac just to seal them.

    I cleaned the pencil marks from the upper stretchers and put a coat of dewaxed shellac on the countersink hole walls. Once it dried I sanded and sealed these stretchers for later sanding and stain.

    I am still hemming and hawing over the exact height. It's really all about front appearance and drawer space for the left side. I know I don't want to go more thnn 17+1/4" oak length, which would put the bottom edge of the top slab at 18+1/4" (due to the 1" thick acetal feet). 10U of rack space is 17.5"; too much. So I'm planning for 8U at the moment, and 1.5" tall stretcher below the drawers:

    

    I cut a piece to length to use as this front stretcher.

    I cut all six of the legs to length, 17+1/4".

    I applied gel stain to the upper stretcher pieces. I'm doing it at this stage just to not have to deal with glue preventing stain penetration after glue-up. I later sprayed a light coat of dewaxed shellac on them.

    I applied gel stain to the bottom of the top slab.

    I applied get stain to the lower stretchers, except the one that's not drilled for dowels yet.

    I am considering a top rear stretcher, but it would be removable. If glued, I'd need more than just a single stretcher since the whole frame as one piece would need to be movable without risk of breaking a joint. I'm not really in the mood for barrel nuts again, especially since I'd have to buy more fasteners. Pocket hole screws might be reasonable, Hmm...

• January 6, 2024
  
  • I have started assembling a window bench for the den. A rough drawing from SketchUp:

    

    It will not span the whole bay, only the center window wall. The bench top is 1+38" glue-laminated red oak, normally a countertop surface. The goal here is strength and to match the other furniture I've built for the den. The top is 60" long and 24" wide. With 1x2 oak trim, it'll wind up 61+1/2" x 25+1/2". This is near perfect lengthwise, since the center window wall is 63" wide.

    I am able to utilize scraps from my desk legs for four of the six legs. Hence I only needed to buy a 4' long oak 4x4 for the other two legs. I also bought two 8' long oak 2x4s to cut up for the front-to-back stretchers. Only part of the rear of the bench will have length-wise stretchers, just to keep it square. I want to maximize space available under one side. I'm using beefy framing here to let me keep it simple but also be able to easily handle the weight of two seated people or one napper.

    I am out of some consumables I need, so I ordered them from McMaster-Carr. 1" thick acetal for the feet, 5/16" threaded inserts for hardwood and 3" long 5/16"x18 316 stainless steel bolts to bolt the top to the stretchers from underneath. I can't put together the framing until the acetal arrives, since the work I need to do for the feet is much easier before the legs are attached to anything. While the dimensional tolerances of the oak 4x4s are quite good, it's still wood; I always have to use a flush cut bit on the acetal to make the feet exactly match the bottom of a perticular leg.

    I can work on drilling and other preparation. Last night I cut all six of the front-to-back stretchers (15"). Today I marked all of them for 1/2" dowel holes, 3 in each end (6 total per stretcher). I've drilled the 36 dowel holes.

    I cleaned the top with isopropyl alcohol, mostly to get rid of the scuff marks on the underside. Menards only had two of these slabs in stock, neither of which had wrapping. I picked the better of the two, but it had forklift grit on it. I then sealed it with a thin cut of shellac, just to prevent me from staining it while I work on it. It will eventually get the usual finishing rigamarole.

    I cut the rear stretcher 2x4 oak pieces to 19+1/8". This is to provide rack-width spacing between the left legs and the center legs. My intent is to put Middle Atlantic TD drawers in the front of this side. I marked and drilled the dowel holes in the end of these stretchers. I also marked the upper stretchers for the countersink holes for the 5/16" bolts. The countersink here is 7/8" diameter and 1.25" deep.

• October 30, 2022
  
  • I re-terminated the basement end of the Cat6A for the In-Wall HD wifi access point twice more, but continued to not get all 4 pairs good (needed for 1G ethernet). I knew my final termination was very good via visual inspection with magnification. So... on to the other end. It turns out that the low-cost shielded Cat6A plugs I have are not great for actual Cat6A (23AWG) wiring. Despite having more than one good tool for Cat6A crimping, the insulation displacement blades deflected pretty badly without penetrating the insulation. Sigh, they went around the insulation instead of through it. I decided to separately test a couple more of them. They're super finicky, but I got one to work OK on the Cat6A run I was working on. Note to self: buy more of the Klein pass-through versions (VDV826-705) or better, the cheapos aren't a good substitute.

• October 29, 2022
  
  • The under-desk rack is fully populated and in place.

    Today I spent some time hemming and hawing about where to put the Ubiquiti InWall HD access point. I knew I wanted it on the wall between the door and the built-in shelving, despite the cold-air return in that space. The issue was the height. Low on the wall, which would be typical, would leave it blocked by the rolling drawer cabinet I intend to place there. High on the wall isn't pretty, but at the same time these things aren't pretty anywhere. So I placed it just high enough to be above my printer atop the rolling drawer cabinet. This would also be just above the taller cabinet if I decide to turn that into a rolling cabinet.

    I mounted it and ran the Cat6A cabling to the switch in the basement. However, I'm only seeing it connect at 100 mbits/sec. I suspect the termination in the patch panel jack in the basement; I didn't find my preferred punchdown tool for these jacks, and hence probably didn't get the wires all punched down correctly.

• October 19, 2022
  
  • I've been moving small amounts of gear into the den each night. My Mac Studio is partly set up, in a temporary manner since I don't yet have the speakers set up nor the under-desk rack. But I can use my headphones for now, and I used a 10GbaseT port (Cat6A) in the wall plate to get 10G connectivity to the basement.

    Tonight I moved a couple more pieces into the new rack; the CloudPlate, a pair of patch panels and the US24 ethernet switch. I also installed the grounding terminal block for the rear patch panels and the AC Infinity fan controller for the rear exhaust fans.

    I haven't done the hardest part yet: the UPS (it's super heavy). I also haven't moved the important ethernet switch (the US-16-XG).

• October 15, 2022
  
  • The second desk overbridge is assembled. The porcelain insert is installed and grouted.

• October 13, 2022
  
  • I wiped another coat of polyurethane on the bottom of the top of the second desk overbridge.

• October 12, 2022
  
  • I sanded (400 grit) the third coat of wipe-on polyurethane on the top for the second desk overbridge, then wiped on the 4th coat.

    The third coat of wipe-on polyurethane is on the base, except for the parts that require fpilling it over.

• October 10, 2022
  
  • I put the first coat of wipe-on polyurethane on the base of the second desk overbridge, except for the front of the front legs.

    I sprayed the overbridge top with dewaxed shellac and sanded it. I brushed a coat of wipe-on polyurethane on the bottom of it. The bottom isn't visible in use, and brushing on the wipe-on polyurethane creates a slightly thicker first coat. Saves me time.

    I cut the piece of porcelain for the overbridge. I needed to do this today because it's a messy, wet job with a crappy handheld tile saw since the porcelain is too long to use my tile saw with sliding table.

• October 9, 2022
  
  • I stained the top of the overbridge.

• October 8, 2022
  
  • The top of the second overbridge is assembled wood-wise; trim pieces installed and trimmed flush with router, edges rounded over with router, sanded and SealCoated. The 3/8" plywood to support the porcelain is also installed (Titebond III and #6 x 5/8quot; wood screws). I drilled the pilot holes to attach it to the base.

• October 5, 2022
  
  • Change of plans for tonight. I sanded the pocket hole plugs flush on the base of the second overbridge. Mainly because I want to get a protective coat of dewaxed shellac on it soon.

• October 4, 2022
  
  • I sanded the top frame of the second desk's overbridge flat. I then centered the oak plywood on the bottom of the frame and marked the screw locations. I drilled the countersinks and the pilot holes in the plywood. I then brushed Titebond III on the frame and joined the plywood to the frame with #8 x 1 1/4" cabinet screws (28 screws total). Yes, it's overkill, but I want these desks to be very strong.

    Tomorrow night I'll try to cut the trim pieces that cover the edges of the oak plywood and possibly get started on their installation.

• October 3, 2022
  
  • I routed the front edges of the second desk's overbridge shelf with a roundover bit. I also routed the remaining touchable edges of the rear panel assembly. I drilled the 11 pocket holes in the shelf of the overbridge and then the 4 pocket holes in the rear panel assembly. I assembled the base and plugged 11 of the pocket holes. I will plug the remaining 4 tonight.

    I marked the end pieces of the frame of the overbridge's top for dowels. I then drilled the 12 dowel holes. Using dowel guides, I then marked the long pieces of the frame for dowel holes and then drilled those holes (12). I then assembled the frame with dowels and Titebond III. It's clamped on my bench for overnight cure.

    I brought the overbridge base indoors and installed the remaining 4 pocket hole plugs.

• October 2, 2022
  
  • I assembled the rear panel of the second desk's overbridge base. Nine pieces, 24 dowels. It is glued and clamped for overnight curing.

• October 1, 2022
  
  • I finished the roundover routing on the side pieces of the second desk's overbridge base. I then lightly sanded them.

    10:30 AM. I routed the edges of two of the legs of this overbridge base, and marked and drilled the dowel holes to attach them to a side panel.

    11:30 AM. One of the overbridge base sides is assembled and clamped for curing. That's two legs and a side panel assembly.

    13:00. Both side asemblies of the second overbridge's base are clamped and curing. Watching some football. Go Blue!

• September 30, 2022
  
  • The top and moulding are installed and finished on the on-desk cabinet. I glued the porcelain insert in place with Loctite PL Premium, it is curing with a 50 lb weight on top of it. I also filled a small knot hole on the top with cyanocrylate.

    I'd like to make some progress on the second overbridge and second rolling cabinet this weekend.

    I cut the 1x2's and the shelf for the second overbridge. I then cut the oak plywood for the top, the 3/8" plywood for the top and the 1x3's for the top frame. I now have all the pieces for the second overbridge except the 3/4" pieces to cover the edges of the oak plywood and the porcelain piece. I'll cut the trim pieces and porcelain once I have the rest of the top assembled. The plan for tonight is to get some of the overbridge base ready for assembly (dowels and glue).

    I marked all of the 2 1/4" 1x2s for dowel holes. I then drilled the dowel holes (40 of them).

    I marked and drilled the 1x2 side rails for dowels (32 holes). I then assembled the side panels an clamped them to cure overnight. Tomorrow I'll start by doing the remaining roundover routing on the side panels, then mark and drill the legs, route the desired rounded edges of the legs and then attach the legs to the side panels. My hope is that I can the base of this overbridge assembled tomorrow, and then get started on the assembly of its top. I have 24 more dowel holes and 15 pocket holes to drill for the base.

• September 18, 2022
  
  • I cut the pieces for the legs of the second desk overbridge.

    I cut the oak pieces for the top frame of the on-desk cabinet. The frame is glued and clamped. Given that these are endgrain miter joints with just glue, I will wait a full day before doing more work on it.

• September 17, 2022
  
  • More work on the desks...

    I installed one of the small draw latches that will help keep the desks abutted as desired. They're easy to release when needed, and are not visible without getting on the floor. Seems to be good, so I installed the second draw latch. These are small, I got them from Amazon.

    I taped off the edges of the top of Desk #1 in preparation for the porcelain installation.

    I installed the porcelain in the top of Desk #1.

    I installed the power strips on the underside of the top of Desk #1, as well as cable tie bases and ties to keep the power cords hidden.

    I later grouted the joint around the porcelain in the top of Desk #1. Normally I would wait until the adhesive was fully cured, but I'm short on time.

    Next up is the top frame and porcelain tile for the on-desks cabinet.

• September 16, 2022
  
  • More work on the desks...

    The top of Desk #1 now has 5 coats of wipe-on poluyerthane on it.

    I brought thee top of Deesk #1 into the den and installed it on its base. Carrying it it without the porcelain installed was slightly easier.

• September 14, 2022
  
  • More work on the desks...

    Desk #1's top: I glued and nailed 1/8" thick support strips to the 1/2" BCX that will make sure the porcelain stays where I want it height-wise while the SikaBond cures. I did the same thing when I assembled the top for Desk #2, but I don't think I mentioned it and these strips were not in my drawing.

    I wiped a third coat of polyurethane on the frame of the top.

• September 13, 2022
  
  • More work on the desks...

    I put the second coat of wipe-on polyurethane on the frame of the top of Desk #1.

• September 12, 2022
  
  • More work on the desks...

    I bought more Sikabond on my way home from work. I need it for the porcelain insert for Desk #1.

    I put the first coat of wipe-on polyurethane on the frame of the top of Desk #1.

• September 11, 2022
  
  • More work on the desks...

    The polyurethane on the bottom of the top of Desk #1 cured overnight. Examining it, it doesn't need another coat on the plywood. The edges of the oak will get more finish while doing the top.

    I flipped the top over on the bench and did the final pre-stain sanding of the top frame. I managed to give myself a couple of thumb blisters in the process. I then blew it off with a blow gun and put a coat of SealCoat on the 1/2" BCX plywood. The BCX was thirsty as expected.

    I then stained the top frame with General Finishes gel stain. Later I sprayed a coat of dwaxed shellac on it just to seal it.

    After the shellac cured, I wetsanded it with 400 grit in preparation for the first coat of polyurethane. Unlike Desk #2, I used gloss spray for the first coat, just to see if the clarity winds up better in the end. The final coats will still be wipe-on satin.

    I'm sort of on schedule, in the sense that I got the finishing process started on this piece.

• September 10, 2022
  
  • More work on the desks...

    I marked the location of the threaded inserts on the bottom of the top of Desk #1. I then drilled the holes and installed the threaded inserts.

    I applied gel stain to the bottom of the top of Desk #1.

    A few hours later, I sprayed a coat of dewaxed shellac on the bottom of the top of Desk #1. Once it dried, I lightly sanded it, then wiped it with microfiber, then brushed on a coat of wipe-on polyurethane. This winds up thicker than when wiped on, which I want here; no one sees the bottom of the desk top, and there will be sanding after this step anyway. So it saves me a bit of time.

    I'm a bit behind schedule, but at least I'm now in the finishing process for the top. I can't do other things in the garage during this process since I don't want to kick up a bunch of dust while finish coats are curing.

• September 8, 2022
  
  • More work on the desks...

    I routed the top edge of the frame of the top for Desk #1. I then flipped the top over on the bench and assembled the base on the upside-down top. I need to mark the holes for the threaded inserts. I also need to check my stock of threaded inserts and 3" long 5/16-18 stainless hex head bolts.

• September 7, 2022
  
  • More work on the desks...

    I'm a tiny bit ahead of schedule. The final edge piece of the top for Desk #1 is installed and routed flush. I also routed the whole bottom edge with a 3/16" roundover bit, and sanded the bottom and the edges. The edges will get sanded again when I flip the top over on the bench, but this is a good start. My main target is to get the porcelain insert installed on the weekend of the 16th, so I just need to keep doing little bits of work each night after work.

    Worth noting that I love how Desk #2 turned out. Having a porcelain top is wonderful. It looks great to me, it's super durable, and I like the feel of it under my forearms. The mid-design change replacing the top 3/4" frame pieces with 1" thick pieces on top of the 3/4" oak plywood with the plywood edges covered by 3/4" thick oak turned out to be fantastic. The 1.75" thickness is more proportional to my eye with the beefy base, and the 1.5" thick overbridge top is now more proportional with respect to the desk top. It has aesthetic and structural substance.

    It's also worth noting that I completely failed in finding any similar desk builds on the Internet. I'm fairly certain I'm not the only one to build some desks with single-piece porcelain tops with wood frames. But for the life of me I couldn't find any, despite my fairly good Google skills (I've been on the Internet since the late 1980's). While it's unlikely someone else would use the mix of fasteners I used, and probably unlikely that someone else would use the overkill acetal feet, I find it hard to believe that no one else has done something similar top-wise.

    Room stuff...

    I still need to decide where to put the in-wall access point. I need to look up the beam pattern; I suspect it wants to be fairly low on the wall (samee height as an AC receeptacle), but I need to check.

• September 6, 2022
  
  • More work on the desks...

    I installed three of the four edge pieces on the top for Desk #1 using Titebond III and the Bositch 18-gauge nailer with 1.5" nails. I ran out of clamps (insert woodworker's curse here about never having too many clamps), so...

    I routed one of the long edge pieces flush with the frame.

    Tomorrow I'll install the final edge piece, and hopefully on Thursday I'll be able to route and sand the remaining edge pieces and frame. That will allow me to put the base on the top to mark the underside of the top for threaded inserts on Friday, and hopefully get them installed. I really need to get the finishing started on Saturday; the top needs at least 7 coats of wipe-on polyurethane before I install the porcelain.

• September 2, 2022
  
  • More work on the desks...

    Last night I glued a desktop frame together with 5/16" dowels and clamped it overnight.

    I put a coat of 1 lb. cut dewaxed shellac on the bottom of the 3/4" oak plywood for the first desk's top. This is just to seal it. I then placed it on top of the 1" thick frame and marked all of the screw holes.

    I drilled the countersinks in the 3/4" plywood, theen drilled the pilot holes. I then removed the plywood, spread wood glue on the frame, then put the plywood in place and screwed it to the frame with 1 1/4" wafer head screws.

    I marked the location of the screw holes on the 1/2" plywood that will support the porcelain insert. This piece of plywood is a bit warped, so I put my tractor wheel weights on it to help flatten it. I drilled the countersinks in the 1/2" plywood, removed it, then ran a roundover bit over the inside of the frame since it wouldn't be possible once the 1/2" plywood is installed.

    I brushed Titebond III onto the 3/4" oak plywood and then attached the 1/2" BCX plywood with screws.

    I roughly sanded the frame and put a coat of thinned SealCoat on the top just to protect it from any stains when I flip it over on the bench.

• August 28, 2022
  
  • More work on the desks...

    I cut the 3/4" and 1/2" plywood for the second desk top.

    I ripped the frame pieces for the top and cut them to length.

    I drilled the 5/16" diameter x 3/4" deep dowel holes in the frame end pieces. 16 holes.

    I need the second desk to be done before I can start moving into the den; the cabinet that will hold my audio gear will straddle both desks and I need it. At the moment I am wishing I had thought about how to get started with one desk when I designed and built the other furniture. Oh well.

    I don't need the second overbridge right away, but will work on it once the second desk is in place.

    In order to do any of the remaining work, I need to clear off my workbench.

• August 25, 2022
  
  • The TREBLEET Thunderbolt dock arrived for the Mac Studio. I installed a Samsung 980 Pro 1TB drive in the M.2 slot for testing. It appears to work well, at 2800 MB/s write and 2700 MB/s read.

• August 24, 2022
  
  • The shoe moulding installation is done. I haven't sealed the nail holes yet.

• August 21, 2022
  
  • I ordered some Cat6A copper and LC fiber patch cables from fs.com. Just a few in a few different lengths, mixed colors.

    On the way home from work on Friday, I picked up some cable management miscellany from The Container Store. Just cable clips and some spiral loom.

    I ordered some clip-on cable labels, saddle type cable tie bases and a Thunderbolt hub from Amazon. I decided to try the TREBLEET, mainly because it has what I need all in one tidy package. I can put an NVMe and an SATA SSD in it, and it has the slots I need access to on the front that are absent on the Mac Studio front (USB-A, CF) and an additional USB-A on the rear.

• August 18, 2022
  
  • I continue to work on shoe moulding. I can't do much on weeknights, but I do a tiny bit each night. In total I need 11 pieces of shoe moulding. I've installed 5 of them, plus 2 of the 3 small blocks at the outside corners. Tonight I cut and sanded the 6th piece of shoe moulding, then put the first coat of stain on it. When I get the 8th piece installed, I can put the first desk where it belongs. After the 9th piece, the spot for the second desk (not completed) will be available.
    I'm trying to figure out a schedule to finish the second desk, as well as a schedule to move my work area into the den. Both are a lot of work but I'll keep plugging away.

    There are still some tech items I need to buy. One is the little stand for the Mac Studio from Etsy, which I jusr ordered. The second item is a dock of some kind to give me more USB-A ports for the Mac Studio. I really only need one USB-A on the front, but it'd be nice to also have NVMe inside for a second drive. That has me looking at the TREBLEET, but the reviews are mixed. Fortunately I'm not in a hurry at the moment.

• August 14, 2022
  
  • I did some more work on the shoe moulding. It's slow because I have to sand the moulding to rough up the existing finish, then apply two different colors of stain, then clear coat with shellac and then polyurethane.

    I installed two 9-outlet power strips on the underside of the top of the desk, in the back. They are staggered to make access a bit easier, but sadly the outlet orientation is on axis with the length of the strips. Meaning there isn't a lot of room for wall warts. That's one reason I I installed two: to get a total of 18 outlets. I won't need near this many, but having the space helps deal with wall warts and the like. The other reason: UPS. I like to have the important things on UPS, such as my desktop computer and monitor. But other things aren't critical, and hence don't need UPS: speakers, lighting, chargers, etc. So I like having two main strips: one that is plugged into UPS and one that is not. This allows me to maximize UPS runtime on battery; I don't load the UPS with things that can lsoe power without disturbing my work.

    I need a new charging dock for my iPhone, Apple watch and airpods. I put one in my wish list on Amazon; it's the smallest desktop footprint I could find. I can continue to use my Elevation Labs phone dock and my existing watch dock in the interim.

    How do I want to charge my trackpad? And where do I stash the power brick for the CalDigit TS3 Plus?

• August 13, 2022
  
  • One of the desks is now fully assembled and in the room. I want to get some 1/8" rubber for the feet of the overbridge, but that's minor.

    The transition strip from the foyer to the den is fully installed. Countersunk 2.5" #9 construction screws, countersinks filled with oak dowels, sanded, stained and coated with polyurethane.

    I'm working on the shoe moulding, first by creating the corner blocks. I hemmed and hawed on this since I can't perfectly match the color of the old wood, but just from a durability perspective, it's the right thing to do. The exterior corner block will get bonked quite a bit when vacuuming. Having this be a solod oak block makes sense.

• August 5, 2022
  
  • I wiped a second coat of polyurethane on the rear assembly of the base of the second desk, except for the 2x6 stretcher.

• August 4, 2022
  
  • I wiped the first coat of polyurethane on the rear assembly of the base of the second desk, except for the 2x6 stretcher. I later put the first coat on the 2x6 stretcher.

    I put the ensomotion wheels on the second Aeron chair.

    I'm still debating

• August 3, 2022
  
  • I finished staining the rear assembly of the base of the second desk. I then sprayed a light coat of shellac on one side of it.

• August 1, 2022
  
  • I put another coat of wipe-on polyurethane on the second leg assembly of the second desk. I believe this is the final coat. I still need to stain the rear panel assembly and put polyurethaner on it.

    I drilled countersinks in the piece I'm trying as a transition. While I can make this work, I'm not sujper thrilled with it at the moment. This is the lazy route, which relies on the fact that I can twist this piece torsionally. If I put a gloss or even semi-gloss finish on it, it'll probably stick out like a sore thumb. I'll try a satin finish and see what I think. I won't be plugging the screw holes until I'ver decided it's god enough to go with.

    The real right solution is to make my own, shaving a shallow angled depth channel in one side using a pattern bit in my router. Or make a jig that I can use with the table saw and dado cutter.

• July 31, 2022
  
  • I had to run out and get a new coffee maker. I stopped at Menard's and bought some oak boards to make a transition strip and for work I need to do on the desks. I also bought a pre-made unfinished oak transition strip that I think I can use effectively. I also bought some spray polyurethane to use on the shoe moulding, and another gel stain color to try on the shoe moulding.

    I cut some pieces of shoe moulding for the area to the north of the door. But I don't like my options to mate it with the vertical corner moulding. I think the only way it will look decent is with outside corner blocks. The shoe moulding is profile 9596. It's 3/4" deep by 1.25" tall. If I make my own blocks, I'd like them to be 1/8" thicker than the shoe moulding. Hence 7/8" of thickness. I only need 3 of these blocks, and they'll be diminutive in height; I have no baseboard and don't want it since the wood walls were proportioned to not have it. At the moment I think I make my own from 2x2 (1.5"x1.5" actual) oak stock. I'll use the dado cutter to remove a 5/8" corner from the stock, cut to length and shape the tops at the router table.

    I put the doors on just to see how much I might need to trim from the bottom of the doors to clear the transition strip I'm trying. It looks like the answer is 'none' for the south door and it's really close for the south door. I'll wait until the strip is installed before making a final judgement.

    I did a quick cleaning of the north door.

    I lightly sanded the right leg assembly of the second desk with 400 grit, in preparation for another coat of wipe-on polyurethane. I've been using the last of an old can, and it's a bit thick. It cured fine on the first coat, and I think I'll only need a second coat; there is dewaxed shellac under the polyurethane. This is one of my beefs with the Minwax wipe-on polyurethane; despite me giving it a 15 to 30 seconds shake before use, at the end of the can I wind up with thicker material. It probably has something to do with the shape of the can and the lack of an agitator. Or me just not having time to shake it for minutes before each use.

    I'm pondering the transition strip installation. It's a solid piece of shaped red oak, unfinished. It came with holes pre-drilled, but the screws are way too short for what I need. Regardless, I'm not thrilled with the idea of exposed screw heads. At the moment I'm thinking I can countersink a torx-drive #9 construction screw in each pre-drilled hole, making the countersink with a 1/4" Forstner or doweling bit. After the screws are driven, I can plug the countersink with 1/4" oak dowel and sand the plugs flush. The trouble here is simply the amount of wood available. It looks like the countersinks will need to be quite shallow, and 1/4" just fits the #9 screw head. That'd leave little good surface for wood glue (the outer circumference of the plug). So I'm considering 1/2" diameter countersinks. This also greatly reduces the precision required for centering the countersink on the existing holes.

• July 30, 2022
  
  • Other than maybe some touch-ups, I'm done grouting the floor.

    The prefinished oak shoe moulding I bought is too light in color. I didn't expect a perfect match, but it's not close enough. I played with putting fel stain directly over the finish, but most of it winds up being wiped off. So I'll try sanding it a bit first. PITA since it's profiled and I have a lot of it (and not very many sanding sponges).

    I sanded the second leg assembly of the second desk in preparation for wipe-on polyurethane.

    I sanded a short piece of the shoe moulding and put a coat of Minwax 'Aged Oak' gel stain on it. This was after trying other colors (General Finishes 'Colonial Maple' and Minwax 'Cherry Wood'). I'm not going to get an exact match to the walls, but I think this might be the closest. I'd like to try some amber shellac over it, but I don't think I have any at the moment. Of course I don't want a gloss finish, so I'll just go with polyurethane. I need to buy some rattle cans of it to make my experimentation easier. I'm thinking 3 cans of gloss and 3 cans of satin. I'll use the gloss for the first coat and the satin for the final coat. The gloss is just for clarity.

• July 20, 2022
  
  • I've been working on grouting the floor. I did a round of cleaning yesterday, then hemmed and hawed over using grout release (which I don't have on hand). I also ordered more SpectraLOCK Pro Premium parts A and B, after reading that I shouldn't use SpectraLOCK Pro and SpectraLOCK Pro Premium on the same floor due to possible color differences. I had planned to use the SpectraLOCK Pro parts A and B that I bought last year for part of the floor. Oh well. The 4 mini kits I ordered yesterday should arrive on Friday.

    I used the first SpectraLOCK mini kit today. I don't need grout release, I just need to use my usual epoxy washdown procedure. I mix the cleaning packets in 2-gallon buckets as prescribed, but I also use two additional 5-gallon buckets of clean water (one for the initial washdown, another for the second washdown). I rinse the sponge in the 5-gallon bucket before dunking it in the 2-gallon solution again. In my experience, this greatly reduces gummy build-up in the sponge, at the expense of more water. It's worth it; I wind up with no grout haze. I thought I might need grout release just because this is the first time in a very long time that I've used SpectraLOCK on textured tiles. But I have no haze that I can see or feel, so I'm good to keep going.

    I later used the second mini kit. I can do almost 3 rows of tile per mini kit. I have 22 rows remaining, so I estimate I need 8 more kits, plus one for final touch ups of any low spots. So I think I ordered just the right amount, but I won't know until I'm closer to being done. Some joints are deeper than others.

    Tomorrow I need to clear out the remainder of the room and start working in the bay window area, which hasn't been cleaned yet. I need to work from the permiter toward the door. Now that I'm over the hump of the cabinet overhangs, and have revived some grouting muscle memory, things should go a little faster. Unfortunately, due to the washdown timing, it won't be that much faster. I'm hoping to get through 3 or 4 more kits tomorrow. If I can get 4 done, I'll be about 2/3 of the way done with grout. I'd like to get the grout and the shoe moulding done before this weekend concludes.

• July 18, 2022
  
  • I finished pulling up 4 tiles for lippage and a chip. I removed the DITRA underneath, then cut a couple of pieces to replace it. I adhered it with Loctite PL Premium MAX, combed with a v-notch adhesive spreader. This bond will be considerably stronger than the original thinset bond, which is good since the pieces are smaller. I didn't remove the original thinset, since it was bonded well to the plywood.

    I managed to salvage one of the original tiles, but it took hours of scraping and acetic acid to make it clean enough on the backside to re-use. Why did I do this? Well, from the boxes of tile I have open, I didn't have a tile of the right color. I didn't want to open another box for a single tile if I could get this one tile out intact.

    I set the four replacement tiles. Not perfect lippage-wise, but better than the originals.

• July 17, 2022
  
  • Near the end of cleaning the tile, I found a tile with a chipped corner that I didn't notice during installation. If it were a small chip, I'd leave it since the look of this tile is reclaimed wood anyway; it already has a worn/used look. But the chip was a triangle of about 1/2" and took a little bit of the tile body with it (not just the glaze). So I'm replacing it.
    In the process, I'm going to replace two adjacent tiles. They both have more lippage than I want, and if I'm mixing thinset anyway, I might as well get all three of them. There is some lippage in other areas of the floor, but it's minor compared to these two tiles. And yes, both of them happen to be over KERDI-BAND. Sigh.

    For these tiles I am going to replace the Ditra too. Mainly because it lost some of its bond to the subfloor from me hammering on the tiles. This isn't a huge deal in the grand scheme of things since Ditra is never that firmly bonded to the subfloor; the fuzzy backing of the Ditra will yield fairly easily. I believe this is by design, and very similar to how we used to mud plywood subfloors back in the day, where tar paper was tacked down before mudding the floor to basically create a floating floor that won't crack from expansion and contraction of the subfloor.

    At any rate, this probably adds two days to my floor work, since I'll have to wait for the Ditra to bond to the floor and the thinset to cure. :-( During this period I'll go back to putting finish on the base of the second desk, and possible start grouting the floor on the other end of the room. I might also start adding stain to the shoe moulding. Despite the fact that I bought prefinished oak moulding in hopes of avoiding some work, it's lighter than desired. I'll put gel stain on it, or Polyshades pecan.

• July 16, 2022
  
  • I've spent the last two days cleaning the tiles in preparation for epoxy grout (Laticrete SpectraLock Pro Premium). As usual, I wish I had spent more time cleaning up while the thinset was wet. I'm using an old el-cheapo wood chisel and a light deadblow where needed, which necessitates frequent trips to the grinding wheel (thinset is hard stuff). I'm using a scounring pad and a strong mix of 30% acetic acid and water to clean the surface of the tiles, then wiping with plain water and a microfiber. I'm trying to do a thorough job because I know from past experience that epoxy grout haze and thinset dust/sand is a horrible combination. :-) I'm almost done cleaning, but it's 12:30 AM and I'm sore from spending so much time on my hands and knees. However, I'm hoping I can start grouting tomorrow.

    My choice of grout color was a compromise, as it almost always is. I've never been a fan of really dark or really light grout, no matter whether it's cementitious, epoxy, urethane or acrylic. Grout lines collect dust, might get hard water marks, etc. Cleaning it is never fun, even when it's epoxy (which is near impossible to stain) And in this case, the tiles are many different colors. I knew I wanted a mid-tone, and a brown. But no one local carries SpectraLock Pro Premium, and you can't really trust color swatches. For that matter, with the epoxy grouts, you can't really trust the color of the aggregate (Part C) to be represenative either; many colors will be darker once it's mixed, and of course it finishes with some gloss. The good news is that it's very color consistent, no matter how many units you need to finish the job. And it's still the most durable and maintenance-free grout.

    We'll see what I tihnk once I've started grouting. There's pretty much no turning back at this point since it's expensive, extremely difficult to remove, and non-returnable since I bought it online. I went with 'Tawny', based largely on the color of the walls in the den and the mid-tone tiles. I often choose natural gray for its neutral nature, hopefully I won't regret not going that route.

    My personal keys to using epoxy grout: a good float intended for epoxy grout, working quickly, getting as much of the grout off of the tiles while grouting, and proper washdowns per the instructions. The time until the first washdown varies by temperature and humidity, but I usually want at least two 5-gallon buckets of water and several sponges ready for the first washdown. It's better to have too many than too few; if the sponge gets really gummy or the water gets too dirty, you won't have time to fill another bucket.

• July 14, 2022
  
  • I went to Menard's for a new epoxy grout float, margin grout float and sponges so I can grout the floor. I still have work to do before I grout; three tiles to replace and then cleaning.

    I replaced the 3 tiles that had unacceptable lippage.

    I spent several hours cleaning up thinset from the tile joints. I'm not done. This is one of the downsides to tile levelling systems; they get in the way of cleaning up thinset squeze-out during installation, which means you're doing it after the thinset has cured. Of course I could have been more fastidious cleaning joints as I went. And I wound up with more squeeze-out than planned.

    Tomorrow I'll be doing more joint cleaning and will be wiping the tiles with vinegar and then water to remove any thinset film before I grout.

• July 13, 2022
  
  • I pulled up 3 tiles to correct severe lippage. Two of them were from last night and against the wall, hence not difficult to remove. The third was a field tile that I installed a long time ago. It took many hours of carefully chipping away with a chisel to remove the fully cured thinset without ruining the Ditra. I'm preparing to mix thinset to replace these tiles.

    It's worth noting that almost all of my lippage issues have been with tiles over the Shluter KERDI-BAND. This isn't a product issue, it's the fact that I hadn't used it before and didn't fully appreciate how it would swell with water and thinset. I should not have put any mortar on it until I laid the tiles. There's also the fact that I really should have used a 1/4" × 3/8" notched trowel instead of a 1/2" × 1/2" notched trowel. There's more mortar under the tiles than I need. I had followed the advice for LFT tiles, but to me, realistically, a 6x24 tile is not LFT. It used to be considered an LFT tile, but these days, it's actually on the smaller side of things. I should know this, given that I am working with 30" × 60" porcelain tiles for the desks.

    There's no real harm in the extra mortar, but it has made my installation work more difficult. Lesson learned. Today, when someone says LFT (large format tile), they're probably referring to something larger than 6" × 24".

• July 12, 2022
  
  • I placed the final tiles on the floor. The ones against the toe kick of the built-in cabinets were difficult, and probably have some lippage. I'm not going to worry about it since you can't walk on those tiles.

    I ordered SpectraLock Pro part C (powder) mini kits in Tawny, and additional parts A and B mini kits. Yes, epoxy grout, which I don't really like working with but that's why I ordered mini kits instead of the full size. I'm slow at applying this stuff, and it has a fairly short work time.

• July 11, 2022
  
  • I am almost done tiling the floor. One more batch of thinset will do it. I would have finished tonight, but tornado sirens went off and we had impending severe weather. The worst of it passed JUST north of me. I got to watch a spectacular lightning show while washing out the mixing bucket.

    I still haven't picked a grout color (Part C of Laticrete SpectraLock), but I'm leaning toward Tawny. It's amazing to me how color sample swatches online are so different, on my monitor (color calibrated and accurate for a non-reference monitor). I don't know if Laticrete is to blame, or the retailers. But some of them aren't even remotely close to each other. Sigh. I'm not talking about installation photos; I'm talking about square uniform color swatches. Are people converting them? Crazy.

• July 10, 2022
  
  • I cleaned up a bit just to make a bit more room to continue the floor tile work. I lifted all of the labelled tiles and stacked them according to row. I then vacuumed to prepare for thinset.

    I installed 11 tiles. 24 to go.

    I think I am going to run out of thinset. I am going to use up what I have before I buy more.

    I keep heming and hawing on the window seat design. The problem is accomodating the HVAC register, which is under the center window on the floor. I'm not worried about the winter, it's the A/C in the summer. This is the only duct in this room, I need it. So I've been looking at providing some fan asistance to allow the air to immediately turn 90 degrees and go under the window seat, while still allowing storage.

• July 9, 2022
  
  • I cut the remaining tiles for the floor. I have 35 tiles left to install. I numbered all of them and marked them for the location of the tile levelling stems.

• July 8, 2022
  
  • I installed two more rows of tile, with Julie's help on the second row.

    I later realized that one of the tiles had more lippage at the end than I am willing to accept. I broke that tile out and cleaned out the mortar. I'll install a new tile when I install the next row.

• July 7, 2022
  
  • I installed another row of tile on the floor. I still have a ways to go, but I'm getting close enough to the built-in cabinets that I'll need to start working while kneeling on tile I've already placed. Hence I should cut and prep multiple rows and work diagonally. Three rows feels about right for how many I can get done in an afternoon.

    Worth noting that I'm still using a 2:1 mix (by volume) of thinset to water for my small batches. The thinset is Mapei Uncoupling Membrane Mortar (unmodified). It's probably slightly more than 2:1 since I use a heaping cup of the dry mortar, but it's close. It has worked well so I can mix batches in sizes this non-pro can use before it becomes unworkable. I'm pretty good at tile work (learned a bit from my dad who did it for a living), but I'm slow, especially when I need to backbutter awkward-sized tiles.

• July 6, 2022
  
  • More work on the desks...

    I installed the porcelain on the first desk's overbridge, using SikaBond construction adhesive. I misted the SikaBond with a spray bottle after I spread it with a V-notch adhesive spreader, since the center will not easily get any moisture (required for curing). I'm going to let it cure for at least a couple of days before grouting. I'm pretty sure it's going to take weeks to fully cure, and the center may never fully cure. That's OK here, this surface will be stationary and unstressed.

    I sanded the right leg assembly of the second desk with 150 grit on the detail sander. This was just to reduce glue lines from the glue-up.

    I stained the right leg assembly of the second desk. I later sprayed a coat of dewaxed shellac on it.

• July 5, 2022
  
  • Unfortunately, the Jet parallel clamps on the first desk's overbridge created marks in the polyurethane. I had forgotten that the Jet clamps are harder than the Bessey, and have sharper edges (no separate pads). So I had to sand the top again, touch up with gel stain, spray a thin coat of shellac and start the polyurethane again. When I build the second one, I won't start finishing the top and sides of the overbridge top until after it's attached to its base. I need the oomph of the parallel clamps to squeeze out excess Loctite PL Premium; it's a lot more viscous than PVA glue.

    I didn't get more done today because I had a full day of yard work.

• July 4, 2022
  
  • I wiped a 7th coat of polyurethane on the first desk's overbridge top.

    I wiped two more coats of polyurethane on the first desk's overbridge base.

    I positioned the first desk's overbridge top on its base, and clamped it in place. I then used the previously drilled holes in the top to drill the pilot holes into the base for the screws that will hold the top to the base.

    I started the screws into the top, then removed the top from the base. I put a bead of Loctite PL Premium on the edges of the base, then put the top back on using the screws to properly align it. I then clamped the base to the top with 6 parallel clamps, and drove the screws into place.

    A few hours later, I removed the Loctite PL Premium that squeezed out of the joints. This is the part I always dislike about using Loctite PL Premium, since it expands quite a bit. Squeeze out is inevitable, even if it doesn't show up with the initial clamping. But that's also a benefit, since it fills gaps and will bond where a PVA glue will not. It's the nature of polyurethane adhesives.

    Messing around a bit, the overbridge's construction is overkill. It's MUCH stronger than it needs to be. But that means it won't have any issues at all with my existing monitor arm for my 38" ultrawide monitor, and I don't think it'd have any problems holding a dual monitor arm. It's the combination of the 3/4" oak edges and the 3/4" plywood plus a very strong base. I'm not going to complain; it's better to have too much strength than too little. But I probably could have used 1x4 instead of 2x4 for the legs.

    I spent a decent amount of time today working on the SketchUp for the window seat, while polyurethane was drying on the desk overbridge parts.

• July 2, 2022
  
  • I wiped the 5th coat of polyurethane on the first desk overbridge top's frame.

    I wiped the 2nd coat of polyurethane on the bottom of the base of the first desk overbridge, and the 1st coat on the outside.

    I went to Home Depot (twice) to get #9 × 2" bugle head screws, #9 × 2+1/2" screws, more shellac spray and sandpaper for a mouse sander. I needed the screws for the final assembly of the first desk overbridge.

    I went to Menards (twice) for a mouse sander, more cheese cloth and some oak pieces to start building the second desk overbridge. Unfortunately they were out of 3/4" thick 2' × 4' oak plywood, so I can't quite build the top yet. But I can get started on the base and the frame of the top once my bench is clear of the first overbridge.

    I sanded the first desk overbridge top's frame. It should only need one more coat of wipe-on polyurethane (the 6th coat). It's probably worth noting that my rough estimate of wipe-on versus brush-on polyurethane is about 3:1. i.e. 3 coats of wipe-on is roughly equivalent to one coat of standard polyurethane. This varies quite a bit since you can wipe on a thick coat or brush on a thin coat, but it's a reasonable rough estimate for my own tendencies. For touch surfaces, I prefer wipe-on since it means less sanding and no brush cleaning (cheese cloth is dirt cheap and I just dispose of the small folded piece I use for each coat). No brush marks, no runs.

• July 1, 2022
  
  • I wiped the first coat of polyurethane on the first desk overbridge top frame.

    I wiped the first coat of polyurethane on the top and inside of the first desk overbridge base.

    I wiped the second coat of polyurethane on the first desk overbridge top frame.

    I wiped the third coat of polyurethane on the first desk overbridge top frame.

    I wiped the second coat of polyurethane on the top and inside of the first desk overbridge base.

    I sanded the first desk overbridge top frame with 400 grit in preparation for the 4th coat of polyurethane. I then wiped on the 4th coat of polyurethane.

    I wiped the first coat of polyurethane on the bottom of the first desk overbridge base.

• June 30, 2022
  
  • I stained the first desk overbridge top. I later sprayed it with a coat of dewaxed shellac.

    I marked and drilled pilot holes from the underside of the first desk overbridge's top. These are for the #9 screws I'll be using to hold the top to the base.

    I sprayed a coat of shellac on the first desk overbridge's base.

    I lightly sanded the underside of the first desk overbridge top, and applied two thicker coats of wipe-on polyurethane. This won't be a visible surface, it's just for moisture protection.

• June 29, 2022
  
  • I sanded the pocket hole plugs flush on the first desk overbridge base. I then sanded the entire base.

    I trimmed the first overbridge frame's remaining trim pieces flush with the top of the frame, then used the belt sander to even things up. I then ran a 3/16" roundover bit over all of the edges, and sanded all of the trim and frame.

    I put a coat of SealCoat on the frame and the top of the 3/4" plywood of the first overbridge top. I also put a coat on both sides and all edges of the 3/8" plywood. I then marked and drilled countersink holes in the 3/8" plywood to fasten it to the 3/4" oak plywood. I then glued and screwed the 3/8" plywood to the 3/4" oak plywood with TiteBond III and 3/4" long #8 screws. I updated my SketchUp drawing to show the holes for these screws.

    I updated the SketchUp drawing to include holes for screws to hold the top to the base. Most of the strength here will be from glue, but the screws will hold it in place while the glue cures. I'll be using Loctite PL Premium or Loctite PL Premium MAX here since I want some gap filling that isn't accomplished with Titebond. I'll probably use PL Premium just because it's less expensive and it's medium to light brown instead of gray.

    I sanded the top and edges of the overbridge frame with 220. I also checked the fitment of the porcelain insert again, mainly for height. I think it'll wind up flush or very close to flush once I've installed it with adhesive. Of course that's several days away, since I need to do some finishing before I attach the top to the base, and the top needs to be attached before I install the porcelain (the porcelain will cover the fasteners).

• June 28, 2022
  
  • I went to Menards for a Bosch Colt trim router, since I'm tired of trying to balance my full-size Porter-Cable router when flush cutting. A trim router is designed for this purpose.

    I also bought a Red Devil adhesive spreader for $2.

    I went to Home Depot for SikaBond to adhere the porcelain to the desk tops. I decided on the 29 ounce cartridges since in the end I expect to use much more than 10 ounces per desktop and buying the larger size saves money and time.

    I bought a Husky 29 ounce caulk gun to dispense the SikaBond. I wanted one with 26:1 thrust ratio, but could not find one locally in stock. The Husky is switchable from 9:1 to 18:1. So 18:1 will have to suffice.

    The plan for this evening is to get the trim pieces on the first desk overbridge top. Sadly no one locally has 1.25" 23-gauge pin nails in stock, so I'll have to be conservative with the nails.

    I glued and pin nailed one of the trim pieces on the first desk overbridge. I clamped it for a couple of hours. I then used the new Bosch Colt trim router to trim it flush with the frame. Wow... a night and day difference in ease of use versus my full-size router for this kind of task. Plenty of power, and much easier to keep the base plate flat on the edge of a 3/4&qout; board.

    I glued and clamped the second piece of trim on the top of the first overbridge, and pin-nailed it while it was clamped. 90 minutes later, I removed the clamps and routed the edge flush.

    I glued and clamped the remaining two pieces of trim on the top of the first overbridge and pin-nailed them in place while clamped. Given that it's dark outside, I'll wait until the morning to route them flush.

    I plugged the pocket holes in the first overbridge base.

    I finally got around to filling some minor spots on the desk left leg assembly, with CA glue. Cosmetically they were not an issue, but I didn't like the fact that a rag would snag them; I want to be easy to dust them. I filled the holes, then later used a chisel and sandpaper to make them flush. They're not perfect but a microfiber towel no longer catches on them.

    Note that I've read negative reviews about the Colt router. Mainly that the micro-adjustment threads get stripped on the motor body. Beyond the soft material issue, I think part of the problem here is that there's nothing preventing you from moving the dial to full lock with the threads misaligned, which will eventually chew up the aluminum threads. I'll wind up lubricating the threads a bit which will help, but ultimately it's only a matter of time and unlock/lock cycles that will determine the life of the tool. Of course I can try to be careful when locking, but thus far I haven't developed a feel for when the locking dial is causing the threads to be shaved. If you ask me, this is disappointing. Most of the time, I don't need micro-adjustment on a trim router, since I'm using it with flush-cutting bits and roundover bits which can easily be eyeballed (I'm going to sand anyway). But the threads on the motor body should be hardened steel; the bolt is easy and inexpensive to replace, it should be the sacrificial part.

• June 27, 2022
  
  • I finished the assembly of the first overbridge base.

    I positioned and clamped the 3/4" oak plywood to the oak border of the first overbridge top. I then drilled countersinks and pilot holes. I removed the plywood, brushed on TiteBond III, then glued and screwed the plywood to the border.

    I cut the 3/4" solid oak pieces that will cover the edges of the oak plywood. I haven't installed them yet because I'm considering an LED light bar in the front edge to illuminate my keyboard. Though my current keyboard has backlighting, there are times when I'd like to have dye-sublimated PBT keycaps without backlighting.

• June 26, 2022
  
  • I marked and drilled all of the dowel holes for the rest of the first desk overbridge. 12 dowel holes in the 24" shelf support, 24 dowel holes in the 2.25" stiles and 6 dowel holes in each of the 7.5" top supports. I then drilled the pocket hole in each of the 7.5" top supports, 2 pocket holes in the 24" shelf support and the 11 pocket holes in the bottom of the shelf.

    I routed the edges of the 2.25" long stiles for the rear of the first desk overbridge, as well as the bottom edges of the 24" shelf support and the front edges of the shelf. Just a 3/16" roundover on edges I expect to get bumped. I also routed the exposed ends of the 7.5" long top supports.

    I glued and screwed the shelf support to the shelf with Titebond III and pocket hole screws.

    I installed the three 2.25" left stiles in the shelf support with dowels and Titebond III. I installed the left side 7.5" top support on top of the three 2.25" stiles with dowels and Titebond III. I then clamped with a pair of parallel clamps.

    I installed the three 2.25" right stiles in the shelf support with dowels and Titebond III. I installed the right side 7.5" top support on top of the three 2.25" stiles with dowels and Titebond III. I then clamped with a pair of parallel clamps.

    I am going to run out of 1/4" dowels. I think I've concluded that I prefer the fluted dowels over the spiral-cut dowels from Rockler. Mainly because they're a little bit easier to tap into a tight dowel hole, but also because they retain more glue during installation. I'm ordering 200 more fluted dowels from Amazon.

• June 25, 2022
  
  • I marked and drilled the dowel holes in the right legs of the first desk overbridge. I routed three of the edges of each leg with a 3/16" roundover bit, then assembled the right leg assembly with the 1/4" dowels and Titebond III. It's clamped while the glue cures.

• June 24, 2022
  
  • I marked and drilled some of the holes for the first desk overbridge. I routed the edges of some of the 1x2s, marked and drilled the dowel holes for some of the 1x2s, and assembled the left side panel with dowels and glue. It's clamped in one of my woodworking vises to cure for a bit.

    I later assembled the right side panel, which is now clamped in one of my woodworking vises while the glue cures.

• June 23, 2022
  
  • I cut the border pieces for the top of the first desk overbridge. I marked and drilled the dowel holes in the end pieces. I then marked and drilled the dowel holes in the front and rear pieces, and assembled the four pieces with dowels and Titebond III. I clamped them up and will let them sit for a few hours.

    I cut the remaining 1x2s for the first desk overbridge.

    I cut the 12+1/4" × 24" × 3/4" solid oak shelf for the overbridge.

    I cut the 14+1/2" × 46+1/2" × 3/4" piece of oak plywood for the overbridge.

    I cut the 11" × 43" × 3/8" plywood for the overbridge. This is underlayment for the porcelain.

    I cut the 42+7/8" × 10+3/4" piece of porcelain. The inexpensive handheld saw I bought for this works but is difficult to use for these kinds of cuts in porcelain. Even with a really good backing setup, it chipped out at the end of the rip cut. This is really about being able to steady the tiny saw with no guide edge on the base plate, and the fact that the water feed is poorly implemented (poorly placed, insufficient flow). When I see sparks from a westsaw, I know that the water feed isn't sufficient and/or the blade is poor quality. I got the cuts done, but they're not perfect. For the second overbridge, I will likely ask for help to just dump water on the porcelain with the garden hose while I'm cutting.

• June 22, 2022
  
  • I lightly cleaned/scufffed the top frame of the second desk with a scotchbrite pad and then wiped on the 4th coat of polyurethane. I expect to apply 6 to 9 coats in total, since this is a high contact area and each coat of the wipe-on polyurethane is very thin.

    I sprayed a thin coat of shellac on the left leg assembly of the second desk, just to prevent smearing of the gel stain with the wipe-on polyurethane. I applied the first coat of wipe-on polyurethane.

    I put the 5th coat of wipe-on polyurethane on the top frame of the second desk.

    I cut the legs for the first overbridge, from scrap left over from the desk bases. I'll need another oak 2x4 for the second overbridge.

  • I cut the 2.25" long 1x2s for the second overbridge.

  • I wiped on the 6th coat of polyurethane on the top frame of the second desk after very light sanding with 400 grit. I think I can stop here, and move the desktop off of the bench.

    I applied the second coat of polyurethane to the left leg assembly.

    I went to Menard's for 1x3 and 1x2 pieces and 3/8" plywood for the overbridge.

• June 21, 2022
  
  • I finally adhered the porcelain to the first drawer cabinet (which I built last year). I used what remained of the Loctite PL Premium MAX that I used for the same purpose on the under-desk rack cabinet.

    I wiped on 2 coats of polyurethane on the second desk's top frame. I'll probably lightly sand with 400 grit before applying 2 more coats. It's over 90F today, so I'm trying to take it easy.

    I am definitely going to run out of Colonial Maple gel stain before I finish the den furniture. I might be able to finish the second desk, but I'll need more for the second cabinet and the window seat.

    I applied the 3rd coat of polyurethane to the second desk's top frame.

    I sanded the right leg assembly of the second desk with 150 grit.

• June 20, 2022
  
  • I grouted the top of the under-desk rack cabinet. Nothing fancy here, I used TEC Ready To Use Grout, slate gray color.

    I stained the top of the second desk. I later sprayed it with dewaxed shellac and sanded. There were a couple of spots I needed to sand back to bare wood and restain due to what I'm assuming were glue marks from my handling of the top. I'm probably going to let the stain cure for a few days instead of adding another coat of shellac. I basically use the shellac to allow me to apply the wipe-on polyurethane a little sooner, but als as a sanding surface to smooth things out before I start the wipe-on polyurethane, Shellac sands very nicely compared to polyurethane, and if I wetsand, it doesn't clog the sandpaper.

    I sanded one of the leg assemblies for the second desk, and applied gel stain except for the bottom of the 2x6 and 2x4.

• June 19, 2022
  
  • I installed the filters in the under-desk rack cabinet with my pin nailer. This should keep them firmly in place.

    Using Loctite PL Premium MAX, I adhered the porcelain tiles to the top of the under-desk rack cabinet. They are very slightly recessed in the frame, which is exactly what I wanted. Just enough to keep screws from rolling off when I'm installing or uninstalling gear in the rack. All that remains in building this cabinet is the grout.

• June 18, 2022
  
  • I sanded the final filter for the under-desk rack cabinet, then applied gel stain.

    I lightly sanded the side filter frames with 400 grit and applied a coat of wipe-on polyurethane.

    I went to Home Depot for a piece of 11/32" plywood to underlay the porcelain on the under-desk rack cabinet. I went to Menard's for more wipe-on polyurethane.

    I cut the 11/32" plywood underlayment for the porcelain on the under-desk rack cabinet on the table saw. I then got out the tile saw and cut the porcelain tile piece (there are two tiles, one whole and one about 8.25"). I beveled the edge a bit after cutting. They fit well for my intended narrow grout lines (less than 1/8").

    I sprayed a coat of dewaxed shellac on the final filter frame for the under-desk rack cabinet. I wiped on a second coat of polyurethane on the side filter frames. I'm approaching the finish line for the filter frames.

    I marked the 11/32" underlayment for the top porcelain for screw placement. I drilled countersink pilot holes for all of the screws. I then brushed on Titebond III and screwed the 11/32" plywood in place. The total wood thickness of the top is now 1+27/32": 3/4" of oak, 3/4" of plywood and 11/32" of additional plywood. All this means is that it's stable enough to firmly attach the porcelain. I don't have room nor need for thinset, so I'll be using Loctite PL Premium MAX here. I'll need to mist it a bit to aid in curing, but it should work well here.

    I finished the polyurethane on the final filter.

• June 17, 2022
  
  • I finished assembling the two side filters for the door of the under-desk rack cabinet. I put a coat of SealCoat on them, sanded them and stained them. In a few hours I'll spray a coat of dewaxed shellac on them and sand again so I can start applying wipe-on polyurethane.

    I had intended to order more stainless steel filtering cloth to complete the final filter. It's McMaster-Carr 9230T51. However, in the name of conserving materials, I'm making make the final filter frame a little differently. It's the top filter, and thinking about it, a center strut makes sense. It won't affect air flow and will provide more support. And it'll save me the shipping costs of more stainless steel filtering cloth.

    I cut the oak pieces for this final filter, including the center strut. I glued the center strut in place with Gorilla Super Glue Gel. I let it cure for half an hour, then glued the rest. I then cut the stainless steel filtering cloth and galvanized mesh and installed them with a bead of hot glue. I sanded the assembled filter and applied a coat of SealCoat. It turned out so nicely that I'm considering using it as the bottom filter, since the top filter won't be visible.

    The bottom filter has its final coat of polyurethane. The side filters are ready to be sanded and wiped with polyurethane.

• June 16, 2022
  
  • Work on the second desk...

    I stained the bottom of the desk top. After a couple of hours, I sprayed 2 thin coats of shellac over it. This is simply because I've had bad luck with the curing of the gel stain; even when I've waited 5 days, I've had it smear when wiping on wipe-on polyurethane. Of course, applying shellac so early should be a no-no, but I've done it many times with no ill consequences. It allows me to lightly sand with 400 grit sooner than later, and then start applying wipe-on polyurethane.

    Of course I'm doing this on a part of the desk that will essentially never be seen unless I'm on the floor looking up at it. It's the bottom of the oak plywood. It doesn't really need much protection and doesn't need to look perfect. And it doesn't regardless of finish; it has exposed cabinet screw heads. I just want the color to roughly match the rest of the desk and for it to be sealed from swings in humidity.

    I sanded the shellac and wiped on a coat of polyurethane.

    I finally got around to working on the filters for the under-desk rack cabinet. I bought the stainless steel screen (does the actual filtering) and 1/4" square galvanized mesh (to prevent damage to the stainless steel screen) a long time ago, but hadn't gotten around to making the wood frames. I'm sort of doing this on the fly, though the base frames are in my SketchUp drawing. I finished building the filter for the bottom, and it turned out fairly nicely.

• June 15, 2022
  
  • Work on the second desk...

    I cut the trim of the oak covering the edges of the top plywood to be flush with the top frame, using a flush-cut bit in my router. I then ran a 3/16" roundover bit on all the edges and sanded the edges.

    I cleaned up dust and shavings.

    It's hot today, 104F is the heat index. But I put a sealing coat of SealCoat on the back of the top and sanded it with 400 grit. I also put a coat of SealCoat on the oak frame of the top and sanded it lightly with 150 grit.

    I tested the fitment of the porcelain one last time. I think it's going to be fine. It will be recessed a bit, but I consider that a good thing. If I spill coffee on the top, it won't run off onto the floor. In fact that's been an annoyance with my current desk, since it has a big cutout in front of my keyboard for the rack spaces. With a tile floor it's not that big of a deal, but just the same, it's nice to have containment here.

    I have three 9 oz. cartridges of Loctite PL Premium MAX adhesive. Henkel's data sheet says I should get about 28 linear feet of a 1/4" bead from each cartridge. That's a little over 5 passes end-to-end for the porcelain. With three cartridges, I should be able to get about 15 passes. That's a bead every 2 inches. I'd prefer a bead every inch. Not for adhesion, but for support. But at more than $11 per cartridge, it probably makes sense to consider alternatives. And I need to think about open time; while I have the correct caulk guns to dispense thick adhesives, they flow slowly by nature. The open time of Loctite PL Premium MAX is 20 minutes. I think it's unlikely that I could lay down thirty beads of 60" length and get the porcelain on top of it in under 20 minutes.

    VHB tape is an option, but it's very expensive.

    I'm starting to think I should use SikaBond Construction Adhesive. The working time is 2 hours, and I can use a notched trowel to spread it. It remains flexible, which is probably a good thing.

• June 14, 2022
  
  • Work on the second desk...

    I bought 1/8" hardboard from Home Depot to use as furring strips at the edges of the porcelain. I cut strips from it and glued them to the front and back edges of the 1/2" plywood support. This should alleviate the problem with the bowing of the plywood. I am assuming I can easily lay down beads of the adhesive that are thicker than the furring strips.

    I put a sealing coat of shellac (SealCoat) on the border frame, just to help prevent staining it while I work on attaching it.

    I aligned the border frame to the oak plywood, clamped it and drilled pilot holes into the border frame (through the pilot holes I had already drilled in the plywood). I brushed on a coat of Titebond III and placed the border frame, then installed alost all of the screws. This was difficult only because I was working from underneath and it's over 85F in the garage.

    I cut and installed the solid oak pieces that cover the edges of the oak plywood. I used Titebond III and pin nails. Once the glue cures, I'll trim them flush with the frame using a flush cutting bit in my router, round them over and sand.

    I'm still concerned about cracking the porcelain if I install it and then move the top. So the current plan is to wait until I'm ready to put the desks in the den before I install the porcelain and grout it.

    The heat index is expected to be 105F tomorrow. I was hoping to do some tile work, but it's probably not wise. Instead I'll probably get the trim of the desktop routed (about 10 minutes of work) and stain some of the base.

• June 13, 2022
  
  • Work on the second desk...

    I glued the border pieces of the top to each other. There are four dowels in each joint. It's clamped up on my workbench.

    Many hours later, I released the clamps and cleaned up the excess glue with a chisel and then the random orbital sander.

    I drilled the pilot holes for the screws that will hold the border pieces of the top to the oak plywood. I then routed the edges of the border pieces with a 3/16" roundover bit and sanded them with the random orbital sander.

    I need to deal with some bowing of the 1/2" plywood. I haven't decided how I want to do this yet. The simplest answer would be self-levelling compound, but the ones I've used are Portland cement based products, which will likely crack when I move the top (it's strong but doesn't meet the deflection requirements of a typical tile floor). I might try DAP Flexible floor patch and leveler from ACE Hardware. My other option is furring strips around the perimeter of the support, which is probably a better option given the reviews of the DAP stuff.

• June 12, 2022
  
  • Work on the second desk...

    I finished drilling the holes in the border pieces of the top. I will be using 5/16" dowels, 4 per joint. These are really just to keep the pieces flush with each other; they will all be screwed to the 3/4" oak plywood.

• June 10, 2022
  
  • Work on the second desk...

    I bought 5/4" × 6" and 5/4" × 4" oak boards at Menards for the top borders. The actual thickness is 1". This accomodates the thickness of the 1/2" plywood and the porcelain, with room for a layer of adhesive under the porcelain. It's also quite a bit stiffer than 3/4" thick boards, making the desk top stronger. Of course I don't need super strength, but preventing sag is a good thing. I also think it's more proportional to the beefy desk base.

    I cut the boards to length, checked the fitment, then ripped them to width. Tonight I'll drill the 5/16" dowel holes and get them glued and clamped.

• June 9, 2022
  
  • Work on the second desk...

    I marked the location of all of the screws to hold the 1/2" BCX plywood to the 3/4" oak plywood top. I then drilled the slight countersinks in the 1/2" plywood with a 1/2" forstner bit. I'm be using #8 washer-head cabinet screws here,

    I checked the fitment of the porcelain. It's good.

    I glued and screwed the 1/2" plywood to the 3/4" oak plywood using Titebond III after checking the fitment and aligning it. I have about 150 pounds of weight on it at the moment to keep it flat while the glue dries. In a few hours I'll probably flip it over and start preparing for the threaded inserts to attach it to the base.

    I added the dowel holes for the top trim to my SketchUp drawing and checked it in.

    I flipped the top over on my bench and positioned the base parts on it. I then bolted the base parts together and positioned the base. I then marked the locations in the top for the threaded inserts and moved the base out of the way. I drilled 3/8" holes for the threaded inserts, installed the inserts, and then bolted the base to the top. The assembly is very strong.

    I'm out of threaded inserts (only have one left) and 5/16-18 × 3" stainless steel bolts. I ordered more from McMaster-Carr in preparation for the other desk.

    I miscalculated a little bit on the height of the plywood and porcelain. It's really close to 3/4" where I was hoping it'd be just shy of 3/4". I definitely don't want thinner plywood since I want the support provided by the current thickness. I could use 1" thick oak trim boards, which isn't a terrible idea; it would allow a real layer or mastic under the porcelain and provide additional strength. Menard's has them.

• June 8, 2022
  
  • Work on the second desk...

    I cut the 3/4" oak plywood and the 1/2" BCX plywood for the desk top. It started sprinkling as I finished, so I'm in a holding pattern. I need to buy the plywood for the top of the first desk, but don't want it to get wet.

    I put a coat of SealCoat on the rear assembly.

    I made a run to Home Depot and Menards for wood screws, a gallon of Titebond III, a cheap foam roller, some foam brushes and more cheese cloth. The screws, glue and foam applicators are for bonding the oak plywood to the BCX plywood.

    I updated my SketchUp drawing to include the screw hole pattern to hold the two pieces of plywood together.

    I haven't figured out what I'm going to use to bond the porcelain to the plywood. I could use mastic, or Loctite PL Premium MAX. I don't want any thickness here, since I need the top to stay at 1.5" total thickness and the porcelain is 6.5mm thick. Honestly, it doesn't really need any adhesive since the porcelain weighs 38 pounds. But if I ever want to take the desk apart and move the top, it'd be nice if I didn't need to move the porcelain piece separately with suction cups. On the other hand, I can't easily replace it if it's adhered strongly. I'm leaning toward mastic at the moment, though it'll take a long time to cure.

• June 7, 2022
  
  • Work on the second desk...

    I sanded the left leg assembly with 150 grit by hand. I sealed the large countersinks in the left leg assembly with shellac.

    I sealed the right leg assembly with shellac (Zinsser SealCoat), cut slightly with denatured alcohol (3 parts SealCoat, 1 part alcohol).

    I need more spray shellac to seal the stain once it's done. This is mostly because I'm impatient. In my experience building the new den furniture, I've found that I need to wait a week after applying the gel stain before I can apply wipe-on polyurethane, else I risk the gel stain being removed by the wipe-on polyurethane. Spraying a light coat of shellac atop the gel stain a day after applying the gel stain has prevented this problem and allowed me to work faster. I haven't seen any downsides; the pieces I finished last year look good as new.

    Have I mentioned how much I love dewaxed shellac? :-) It's so useful for so many things. It dries really fast, it's a dream to sand, it doesn't yellow, and it is compatible with almost everything. It's not the most durable topcoat, but on the other hand it's easy to repair.

• June 6, 2022
  
  • Work on the second desk...

    I aligned the left leg assembly with the rear assembly and marked the location of the leaded bronze bushings. I then drilled the 7/8" shallow holes for the flanges and then the 5/8" holes for the bushings. I then installed the bushings in the leg assembly and the locating pins in the rear assembly.

    I clamped the left leg assembly to the rear assembly and drilled the start of the holes for the bolts that go into the dowel nuts in the rear assembly. I then detached the left leg assembly from the rear assembly. Using a drill guide, I completed the holes in the rear assembly.

    On the drill press, I drilled the holes for the dowel nuts. I then tested the fitment of the left leg assembly and rear assembly. It's good.

    I repeated all of the above for the right leg assembly and right side of the rear assembly.

    I plugged the pocket holes in the rear assembly and later sanded them flush.

    I sealed the left leg assembly with shellac cut 50/50 with denatured alcohol. This is just to reduce blotching when staining. But it raises the grain a bit so I'll have to sand and seal again.

    So... why does the base assembly take so long? It's the number of holes that have to be carefully drilled. For the rear asssembly, it was 33 holes in the 2x6, 38 holes in the 2x4, 46 dowel holes in the stiles and 12 pocket holes. That's 129 holes, 4 of which were 2-pass holes due to the large countersink. For the side leg assemblies, it's 63 holes each plus 20 pocket holes. So the total is 295 holes. And all require a clamped guide of some sort, or the drill press.

• June 5, 2022
  
  • Work on the second desk...

    I drilled the remaining holes for the rear panel of the second desk. 46 precisely placed holes for dowels (a slow process). I then assembled the rear panel. This one was more difficult than I remember for the first desk, but some of that is probably due to my bench being cluttered and hence having to do it in a vertical position with the bottom bridge in one of my woodworking vises.

    I am essentially ready to line up this panel with the completed leg assemblies and mark the locations for the flanged bushings in the side assemblies.

    I sanded down the pocket hole plugs in the leg assemblies.

• June 4, 2022
  
  • Work on the second desk...

    I finished drilling the holes in the stiles for the rear panel. 46 precisely placed holes for dowels, and 12 pocket holes.

• March 13, 2022
  
  • Work on the second desk...

    I cut the remaining pieces for the base of the second desk: the 2x4 and 2x6 for the rear assembly, the 1x2 pieces for the rear assembly, the 1x4 for the rear assembly and the 1x4s for the rear assembly that are ripped to 3" width.

• March 12, 2022
  
  • Work on the second desk...

    I cut the legs to length. I drilled the holes for the threaded inserts for the feet, then installed the threaded inserts and the feet. I then trimmed the edges of the feet flush with the faces of the legs using a flush cut router bit and a chisel.

    I cut the 2x4, 2x6 and 1x2 pieces to make the sides. I will mark these and drill all the holes next, then route the edges before starting the glue-up.

• February 19, 2022
  
  • More work on the first desk...

    There are two coats of wipe-on polyurethane on the right piece of the desk base. I don't think it needs a third coat.

    I put two coats of wipe-on polyurethane on the left piece of the desk base.

• February 6, 2022
  
  • More work on the first desk...

    I stained the back and left pieces of the desk base with gel stain. I then sprayed a coat of shellac on the back piece. The shellac is to give me a base I can sand smooth and to protect the stain from migrating when I apply the wipe-on polyurethane.

• February 5, 2022
  
  • More work on the first desk...

    The base assembly is done. I took apart the three pieces (left, right and back) and sealed them with SealCoat dewaxed shellac mixed 1:1 with denatured alcohol.

• January 23, 2022
  
  • More work on the first desk...

    I drilled all of the 1/4" holes in the 1x2, 1x3 and 1x3.5 pieces for the rear. I marked and drilled all of the 1/4" holes in the 2x4 and 2x6 for the rear. That's 92 holes in total, which obviously took a while.

    I drilled the pocket holes in the rear 1x3 pieces and 1x3.5 piece for the rear, a total of 12 holes.

    I installed the locating pins in the rear 2x4 and the leaded bronze bushings in the rear legs. I then drilled the holes in the 2x4 for the dowel nut bolts and the holes for the dowel nuts. The 2x4 fits well to the rear legs.

    I installed the 1x3 pieces on the 2x4 with 1/4" dowels and Titebond III, then the pocket hole screws.

• January 22, 2022
  
  • More work on the first desk...

    I marked and drilled the six 1.5" diameter holes in the rear 2x4 with a new 1.5" Forstner bit. Since these are intended as potential cable pass-through holes, I also rounded the edges of the holes and sanded them to help prevent cable snags from chipping the wood.

    I drilled the four 7/8" countersink holes in the rear 2x4, then the concentric 5/16" through-holes.

    I drilled the 1/2" holes in the rear 2x4 for the guide pins.

• January 16, 2022
  
  • More work on the first desk...

    I aligned the right rear leg to the right side structure, and used dowel centers to mark for 1/2" and 1/4" dowel holes. I then drilled the dowel holes in the rear leg and routed the edges of the leg on the router table.

    I attached the right rear leg to the right side structure with dowels and Titebond II, then clamped in place and installed the pocket hole screws.

    I aligned the right front leg to the right side structure, and used dowel centers to mark for 1/2" and 1/4quot; dowel holes. I then drilled the dowel holes in the front leg and routed the edges of the leg on the router table.

    I attached the right front leg to the right side structure with dowels and Titebond II, then clamped in place and installed the pocket hole screws.

    I tweaked the SketchUp drawing to make the dowel nuts holes go all the way through the rear 2x4 and 2x6. If I don't do this and they get into a bad position, it could be difficult to reposition them. With the holes all the way through, I can drive them out easily with a punch or dowel.

    I also removed the large notches in the back 2x4 and am now using 1.5" diameter holes. It doesn't look as nice, but it's stronger and at the moment I don't have plans for any cables that need to run through there. At some point I'll possibly have a headphone and microphone jack on the underside of the desk that will use one of these holes.

• January 15, 2022
  
  • More work on the first desk...

    I drilled the 7/8" diameter, 1" deep countersink and 5/16" diameter through-holes in the top right 2x4.

    I drilled the 1/2" dowel holes in the top right 2x4.

    I drilled the 1/2" dowel holes in the bottom right 2x6.

    I drilled the 1/4" dowel holes in the right side 1x2 pieces.

    I drilled the 1/4" dowel holes in the right side 1x3 pieces.

    I routed the edges of the right side 2x4 and 2x6.

    I marked the right side 1x3 pieces for pocket holes, and drilled the holes.

    I routed the edges of the right side 1x3 and 1x2 pieces.

    I marked the right side 2x4 and 2x6 for pocket holes.

    I marked and drilled the 1/4" dowel holes in the right side 2x4.

    I marked and drilled the 1/4" dowel holes in the right side 2x6.

    I drilled the 1" diameter 1" deep contersinks and 3/8" through holes in the right rear leg.

    I drilled the six pocket holes in the right side 2x4.

    I drilled the eight pocket holes in the right side 2x6.

    I glued and clamped the 1x2 pieces to the 2x4 and 3x6 with 1.5" long 1/4" diameter spiral cut dowels. The 1x3 pieces are in the clamp-up to keep everything where it should be, but not fastened since I need them to be loose for now.

    I ordered 1/2" steel guide pins (McMaster-Carr 31445A114) and leaded bronze bushings (McMaster-Carr 7815K31) for the rear panel. I'll only be using 2 on each end. They're just additional support and alignment aids, while allowing me to still take the desk apart into 4 pieces. They're in my new SketchUp drawing.

    Final pieces for the under-desk rack...

    I added an input air filter design. Just something simple, made of wood. A 1/4" thick frame with the stainless steel cloth protected by 1/4" square mesh. To execute it, I need a new hot glue gun to glue the 1/4" mesh and the stainless steel cloth into the frame.

• January 9, 2022
  
  • Work on the first desk...

    I drilled the holes in the left side 2x4. A pair of 7/8" diameter 1" deep countersinks and 5/16" through holes that will be used to fasten the top, the 1/2" diameter 1" deep dowel holes on the ends, the 1/4" diameter 3/4" deep dowel holes for the thin stiles and the pocket holes to secure it to the 4x4 legs. I also routed the edges that will be exposed, with a 3/16" roundover bit.

    I drilled the pocket holes in the left side 2x6.

    More dowel centers arrived from Amazon, which I used to mark the left rear 4x4 leg for the 2x4 dowel holes, and drilled those holes.

    I glued and clamped part of the left side together: the 2x4, 2x6 and the 1x2 pieces. It didn't go together as easily as I expected, probably because this is the first time I've used the spiral dowels; while it's nice that they're likely much harder to pull out than fluted dowels, it also means they're more difficult to get fully seated. At any rate, having this part done will allow me to then mark and drill the remaining dowel holes in the left side legs.

    I routed the edges of the rear left leg with a 3/16" roundover bit and then sanded it just to knock down the grain a bit.

    I also received 1/2" x 2" and 3/8" x 1.5" fluted hardwood dowels. I am still waiting for 1/4" x 1.5" fluted dowels, but I have spiral dowels to use for now.

• January 8, 2022
  
  • Work on the first desk...

    I drilled the 1" diameter 1" deep countersink holes in one of the rear legs and the concentric through holes for the bolts that will hold the rear rails to the rear legs via dowel nuts.

    I started changing my SketchUp drawing a bit. I didn't like the spacing of the dowels at the end of the vertical 1x2 pieces, I moved them outward by 1/8". This provides better torsional support, and doesn't really compromise the strength (there is 1/4" of wood on each side of each dowel).

    I'm considering replacing the dowels that connect the rear to the rear legs. Since the whole idea here is to be able to break down the base by disconnecting the rear from the sides, it'd be smarter to use guide pins and flanged bushings, much like I did for the door on the under-desk cabinet. McMaster-Carr 31445A113 locating pin and 9440T18 flanged sleeve bearing is as big as I can center and cut cleanly (brad point bit and dowel jig).

    I cut the pieces I need for each side: a 2x6, a 2x4, a pair of 1x3 and three 1x2. I marked all of these pieces for dowel holes. Note that the markings on the 2x6 and 2x4 are only for guidance; the real marking will happen with dowel centers.

    I drilled the 1/4" dowel holes in the ends of the 1x2 pieces. I also drilled the 1/4" holes in the sides of a pair of 1x3s, and drilled the 1/2" holes in the ends of a side 2x6. The latter doesn't match my drawing where I had 3/8" dowels; I'll correct the drawing.

    I marked up the left side 2x4 for dowel holes and the through holes that will be used when attaching the top. This piece and its corresponding piece on the right side are kinda riddled with holes, but there's more than enough material left to be very strong.

• January 5, 2022
  
  • Work on the first desk...

    I installed the acetal feet I created on the oak 4x4 legs I cut to length weeks ago. I decided that I only needed two threaded inserts per leg for the feet. The feet themselves are very strong and rigid (since they're 1" thick), and the inserts in the legs are way stronger than I'll ever need. While the inserts specify 15/32" holes for hardwood, I found that 31/64" was better for this usage. A lot of this has to do with the fact that they're going into end grain. It took a decent amount of oomph to get them installed, and they are definitely never going to be a problem. These legs and feet will far outlive me.

• January 3, 2022
  
  • More work on the under-desk rack cabinet...

    I wiped on the final coat of polyurethane on the door.

    I cut and installed the UHMW bottom. Easy peasy, it fits nicely. It's fastened only front and rear, with countersunk #6 screws. The front screws are behind the front of the rack rail faces, meaning they'll be hidden by whatever is in the bottom of the cabinet (for now, my UPS).

    I installed the rack rails. I put them at the same distance from the edge as my existing Middle Atlantic MDV-R12, so everything will transfer without complication.

• January 2, 2022
  
  • More work on the under-desk rack cabinet... I installed the first draw latch on the door and cabinet, though it'll come off shortly in order to continue cabinet finishing. Sadly but not unexpectedly, the first brass screw broke off with almost no torque at all. I made an attempt to remove it, but in the end it was easier to just remove part of it and then move the draw latch to cover the hole. I used steel #8 screws instead of the #10 brass. They are much stronger, and recessed. I like the look of brass screws and may eventually use them, but for now I am OK with the steel screws. I'll order some 316 stainless screws too.

    Both draw latches mounted, they work really nicely.

    I sanded the inside of the cabinet with 220 grit, then applied a coat of wipe-on polyurethane. The inside of the cabinet won't be visible, but I still want it relatively smooth and I want the wood sealed up. The bottom is getting a piece of UHMW since I want the UPS on a slippery surface (no rack rails), but the wood still needs to be sealed. I'll be applying a second coat tonight.

    I put the first coat of polyurethane on the top frame. This was mostly just to protect it a bit while I work on the rest of the cabinet.

    I sanded the inside of the cabinet with 220 grit, then wiped it clean. I then applied a second coat of polyurethane. This means that I can install the rack rails early this week, though I'd like to wait for the UHMW bottom. My experience with UHMW says that if I want to glue it in place, I should use 3M 90 or 77 spray as the reasonably priced adhesive. They're messy to apply, I'd rather have an empty cabinet interior (masked off) when I do it.

    I put another coat of wipe-on polyurethane on the top frame and most of the outside of the door. Another coat on the outside and I'll be able to install the window.

    I put dewaxed shellac on the window quarter-round, sanded it, then put a coat of polyurethane on it. It's unlikely that I'll put another coat on it; I just need it to be reasonably sealed, it's not a cosmetic item. I'll be using my pin nailer to pin it in place to hold the window.

    I'm still thinking about intake air filtering. I have stainless steel cloth on the way, but I'm pretty sure it's quite fragile. I'd like to use it, mostly to keep out pet hair and big dust bunnies. I don't want a lot of restriction, since the equipment fans aren't designed for static pressure and there will be negative pressure at the front of the cabinet. The door, while a very good fit, isn't sealed. So there's only so much that's worth doing here, and the cosmetics are important since the door will be the most visible part. I'm thinking I can make some wood frames to hold the stainless steel cloth inside the door with magnets, possibly with a stronger wire grid to protect the stainless steel cloth. McMaster-Carr 92725T4?

• January 1, 2022
  
  • More work on the under-desk rack cabinet...

    I bought three 12 oz. cans of spray shellac at Home Depot, since I used the last of my supply yesterday on the door. I also bought 3/4" long #10 brass screws for the draw latches for the door.

    I lightly sanded the door and put a coat of wipe-on polyurethane on the inside and 3 of the 4 sides of the outside (all but the hinge side). I also put a coat on the left side of the cabinet. I'm trying to get to the point where I can mount the door again and drill the holes for the draw latches.

• December 31, 2021
  
  • More work on the under-desk rack cabinet...

    I put a coat of dewaxed shellac on the inside of the cabinet. I also put a coat on the cove moulding and edge of the top that I sanded yesterday.

    I sanded the whole door with 220 grit, by hand. I double checked the fitment of the door on the cabinet, it's good to go.

    I put a coat of gel stain on the inside of the door, then three of the outer sides.

    I put a coat of gel stain on the cabinet, inside and out.

    I applied gel stain to the remaining side of the door.

    I sprayed a light coat of shellac on the inside and outside of the cabinet, let it dry, then brought the cabinet indoors.

    I put a thin coat of shellac on the door, let it dry, then brought it indoors..

• December 30, 2021
  
  • More den furniture work...

    I ordered a drill guide from McMaster-Carr (9550T16) to assist in drilling the 15/32" holes in the desk legs for threaded inserts. I also ordered the UHMW for the bottom of the under-desk rack cabinet (4296A48), brass screws for the draw latches (92114A244), 316 stainless steel wire cloth to possibly cover the ventilation holes in the door (keep out pet hair), and some ring-grip quick release pins (98404A103 and 92342A404) for the draw latches.

    I put the under-desk rack cabinet upside down on the bench and trimmed and sanded the pocket hole plugs in the inside of the top.

    While I had the cabinet upside down, I sanded the pencil marks from the ACX plywood overhang. I also sanded one side of the ACX flush with the oak side panel.

    I stained the bottom of the cabinet, though it will not be visible. I then stained the edges of the top ACX plywood and the underside of the ACX overhang, using painter's tape to protect other areas. These will not be visible either, but I wanted to further seal them up. I sprayed a light coat of shellac over these areas after staining, mostly just to allow me to handle the cabinet without mucking up the stain. I then removed the painter's tape.

    I need to give the stain and shellac a little bit of time to dry, and will then cut and install the cove moulding to conceal the edge of the top ACX plywood.

    The cabinet is getting heavy enough that I need to consider the order of execution from here on out, to avoid dinging it.

    I cut and installed the cove moulding. I then trimmed and sanded it flush with the edge of the oak top.

    I trimmed and sanded the pocket hole plugs in the bottom of the inside of the cabinet. I need to find a better way to cut off pocket hole plugs. The oscillating tool is risky while my pull saws aren't flush-cut (have teeth on both sides). What I really want is two double-sided flush cut saws. One fine tooth, one larger tooth.

    I cut the polycarbonate for the window of the front door, using a new 80-tooth blade for plastic on the table saw. It cut nicely, as expected (it's much easier to cut on a table saw than acrylic). I test the fitment in the door, it's perfect.

• December 29, 2021
  
  • I finished sealing the door of the under-desk rack cabinet. I also glued the pocket hole plugs in the top of the inside of the cabinet. The brass draw latches arrived for the door, and they're beautiful. Thanks to my friend Matthew Meyer for the nautical suggestion.

    Sidetracked a bit... I installed a new seat on my 1996 Herman Miller Aeron chair. I also replaced the arm bolts with stronger bolts and serrated Bellevile washers from McMaster-Carr. Should be good for another 25 years. It still needs a new back, but wow... it's so nice to be able to get parts to refresh a chair I've been using daily for 25 years!

• December 28, 2021
  
  • More work on the under-desk rack cabinet...

    I removed the face frame from the door, then reassembled with Titebond II glue and the pocket hole screws. I then sanded three of the face frame edges flush with the top, bottom and right side. I need to remove the hinges and sand the left side.

    I glued all of the pocket hole plugs in the inside of the door. I am out of oak plugs, so I used maple. I also glued all of the pocket hole plugs in the bottom of the cabinet, again using maple. Sadly, my local big box stores don't have anything but the paint grade plugs in stock right now. However, it's OK to use them inside the top of the cabinet; they won't ever be visible.

    I bought some 3/4" oak cove moulding at Menard's, to cover the edge of the top ACX plywood. I only bought enough to do the sides and the front, since I intend to just put a flat piece of oak on the back. I also bought a piece of plywood as the underlayment for the porecelain tile inset, some premixed grout, some sandpaper and some 1/2" dowels. I may or may not use the dowels for joining the desk base parts, but I also needed some to help me sand the holes in the door.

    I trimmed and sanded the pocket hole plugs on the door. I removed the hinges and did a bit of sanding in the side holes with a 1/2" dowel and sandpaper, 60 grit paper. This was to remove tooling marks, but I am leaving a bit of the router burn marks. I think of it as a reminder that it's hard for me to get a good feed rate across end grain in such a small space, and that I should buy a spindle sander before I do something like this again.

    I sanded the left side of the door face frame flush with the left side of the door. It is ready for finer sanding.

• December 27, 2021
  
  • More work on the under-desk rack cabinet...

    The skirt is now installed on the base. I used Loctite PL here, simply because it expands to fill gaps (useful when gluing to the edge of plywood). I clamped everything in place and then drove the screws in the hidden support pieces. Once the Loctite PL cures, the skirt will be very strong.

    I marked and drilled holes in the top ACX plywood to drive screws into the top of the oak box. Just the countersink area for now (with Forstner), and two full-depth holes. I lined up the top on the oak box and clamped it iun place, then drove two screws at opposite corners to mark the alignment.

    I then removed the top, applied many beads of Titebond glue, then put the top back on and sunk the two alignment screws. I then drilled the pilot holes for the remaining screws in the top, and drove those screws. Finally I installed all of the pocket hole screws that hold the top to the sides of the oak box.

    As is, this cabinet is very strong. And it rolls easily, for now (it's empty). It should work well. Still a long way to go, but making progress.

• December 24, 2021
  
  • More work on the under-desk rack cabinet...

    I lightly sanded the bottom of the ACX plywood base and sealed it with two coats of dewaxed shellac.

    I sanded the outside of the oak box and applied one coat of dewaxed shellac. This is just to prevent me from staining it while I continue working.

    Belleville washers (McMaster-Carr 90127A115) and 316 stainless 5/16"-18 x7/8" hex head bolts (McMaster-Carr 93190A582) arrived for the casters. Brass-plated draw latches (McMaster-Carr 1766A3) for the door also arrived. I'm still waiting for the screws for the draw latches.

    I installed the casters in the base. I had to slightly modify the front right one: I made the two front holes 1/32" larger. This was due to slightly missing the mark when installing one of the threaded inserts in the ACX plywood. The other three fit perfectly without modification.

    I started working on the skirt. The pieces are mitered, routed, and ripped to width. The fitment looks OK. I installed some of the inside supports just to help me with fitment checking. I glued these pieces together, with corner block supports in place.

    I always have trouble making these skirts since they are only attached at the edge. I should find a better way to build them. It doesn't help that my miter saw isn't all that accurate at 45 degrees. The table saw is, but it's much less convenient and I don't have an accurate cross cut guide for it. If I didn't want the weight of the cabinet to sit on top of the ACX edge-to-edge, this would all be easier; I'd extend the side panels to serve as the skirt, and just put a panel in the front. Adding a skirt for decoaration would then have some support. The only downside is that the casters would be more inward, but that's not a problem for this rack; the far and away heaviest item (the UPS) will be in the bottom, hence it'll have a very low center of gravity.

• December 23, 2021
  
  • More work on the under-desk rack cabinet...

    I cut the ACX plywood for the top support. It fits well.

    I ordered more McMaster-Carr 93190A582 7/8" long 5/16"-18 316 stainless steel hex head bolts for the casters. For now I am using the ones intended for the second rolling drawer cabinet. I also ordered McMaster-Carr 90127A115 serrated steel lock washers for the caster bolts. Finally, I ordered new draw latches (McMaster-Carr 1766A3), which are the same as the original ones I bought which were nickel plated. With the hinge descision, I now want brass plating.

    I cut the top oak frame pieces and glued them together. I gave up on the dowels after breaking one. I don't need them; the frame is now attached to the top piece of ACX plywood with 22 screws.

    I sanded the top frame, and softened its edges with the sander. It looks nice. I then added a coat of dewaxed shellac to seal it.

    I added dimensions of the screw holes to attach the top to the oak box to my SketchUp drawing.

    I attached the base ACX plywood to the oak box. I trimmed the edges of the ACX flush with the oak box sides using a flush cutter in my router.

    I did a little bit of sanding on the oak box, just to soften the edges and remove pencil marks. I haven't finished sanding here, but I'm getting tired and I have the box clamped in position while waiting for glue to cure.

• December 22, 2021
  
  • The threaded inserts for the desk legs arrived, as well as the guide bearing for the door of the under-desk rack.

    I drilled the pocket holes in the sides, top and bottom oak panels of the under-desk rack.

    I assembled the oak sides, top and bottom of the under-desk rack, without glue yet. I refit the door temporarily, in order to mark the location for the guide bearing. I then drilled the shallow 1/2" diameter hole for the guide bearing flange and then the 3/8" diameter hole for the body of the guide bearing. Both holes were drilled using the Rockler dowel jig and brad point bits with stop collars. I then installed the guide bearing with a bit of contact cement.

    I installed the guide pin in the door and checked the alignment. It's perfect.

    I placed the oak box on 2' x 2' ACX plywood, drew cut lines on the ACX plywood and thencut the ACX plywood on table saw. I then checked the fitment, it's perfect. Before I move the table saw fence, I'll cut the ACX plywood for the top support.

    I marked the location of holes in bottom ACX support for threaded inserts for caster bolts. I double checked that the casters will clear the skirt.

    I drilled the 7/16" holes for McMaster-Carr 92105A023 threaded inserts. I then used those holes as guides to mark the center for shallow holes in the bottom of the oak box. I drilled the shallow holes (about 1/4" deep) in the bottom of the oak box with a 1/2" Forstner bit. These holes just allow clearance for the threaded inserts (which are a bit longer than the thickness of the ACX plywood, which is .705") and the caster bolts.

    I installed the McMaster-Carr 92105A023 threaded inserts (16 of them) in the bottom of the ACX plywood for the caster bolts. I then tested the fitment of the ACX to the oak box, it's all good.

• December 19, 2021
  
  • I've started building the under-desk rack. I finished fabricating the wood parts for the door, including the chiseling for the twin pin hinges and the hole for the guide pin. The front stiles and rails are also done. I'll glue and screw it together this week.

    I think I'm basically done with the design of the desks. They will be a lot of work to make, but it'll be worth it. I did the basic work for the feet of the desks this weekend (1" thick black Delrin); they've been cut and drilled with countersinks for the bolts that will go into threaded inserts in the legs. I want Delrin here simply because it'll make it easy to slide the desks on the porcelain floor.

• November 15, 2021
  
  • I ordered rack rails and screws for the second rolling drawer cabinet and the UPS/switches underdesk rack.

• November 14, 2021
  
  • I stained the second bookcase, except for the bottom.

    I bought some of the wood to make the cabinet with rack rails for UPS, ethernet switches, power conditioning and patch panels. I haven't finalized the design yet, but it'll be on concealed casters much like the first rolling drawer cabinet.

• November 10, 2021
  
  • I finished the assembly of the second bookcase. Next up is sanding and finishing.

• November 7, 2021
  
  • I continued working on the second bookcase. Shelf holes drilled, pocket holes drilled, and two halves assembled individually. I also cut the back piece to width. Some evening this week, I'll finish the assembly.

• November 6, 2021
  
  • The remaining 2 recessed LED fixtures arrived. I installed them.

• October 31, 2021
  
  • I haven't finished the floor yet, but I'm about 3/4 of the way done with laying the tile.

    I've long been tired of working with poor lighting in this room. There were two 6" cans in the ceiling, both very close to the same wall (where the built-in shelves are located). I decided I wanted more recessed lights long ago. Today I cut the holes in the ceiling for them, and... found an empty 6" light can rolling around on top of the drywall with snipped-off conduit. Sigh. I suspect I'll find a second one in the joist cavity for the other existing light. So my assumption is still valid that whoever did the lighting in this room didn't know the basic rules of recesed lighting (can spacing should be equivalent to one half the height of the ceiling), but at least someone had planned for more lighting. I'm guessing the electrician didn't finish and they drywallers ripped the unwired cans out and stuffed them in the ceiling. Losers.

    I am installing 8 modern LED fixtures designed to fit into the same holes as a 6" can. They have a nice built-in nightlight feature that has a glowing ring at 2000K color temperature. Their main lamps are color temperature adjustable and 900 lumens max each. I have 4 of them wired and installed. They don't require a can since they don't get very hot. They're a bit of a pain to install, only because the driver boxes have almost no room to work in (and the already-attached connectors only have 2 positions so you can't use them alone to run lights in parallel). No chance of fitting 6 wire nuts in the driver box. It turns out that these connectors aren't very secure anyway; I have been able to remove them from the wires by just twisting and pulling, with no damage to the wires. So I'm just replacing them with wire nuts and dealing with the fact that I have to be fairly exact about how much solid wire I can fit in the box.

    Getting the 2 old cans out of the ceiling through the 6" holes wasn't easy but I managed. I installed a junction box to split the two rows, and am using 14/2 Romex.

    In the process I forgot to double-check that I had turned off the correct breaker, and sure I enough I shorted hot to ground when removing one of the old canisters. It tripped the breaker, but unfortunately it also killed the triac in my existing Lutron Maestro dimmer. I didn't intend to use this dimmer long-term, but I didn't want to destroy it. Oh well, it was time for a Lutron Caseta with Pico remote anyway. Due to the layout of this room (French doors that swing into the room), the dimmer for it is in the foyer. Not very convenient when you're in the room. The Caseta with remote solves this problem. It's now installed.

    I intend to install a Lutron Smart Bridge Pro and some more Caseta switches where it makes sense. And I might replace some more of the existing recessed lighting with ones with a nightlight feature. The second floor hallway, for example. And I might put a couple of 4" versions in the underside of the second floor overhang.

• July 12, 2021
  
  • I've been very lax with updates...

    I long ago put Schluter Ditra on the floor, and taped and mudded the seams. I'm in the process of putting porcelain tile on the floor. It's going slowly for a number of reasons: I'm down a thumb for now, I'm using large-format tiles, and I'm back-buttering every tile. But I'm somewhere between 1/3 and 1/2 of the way done laying the tile. Which means I need to make a grout color decision soon.

• January 1, 2019
  
  • I spent some time sanding some of the areas of the floor with my belt sander. I'm probably not done patching and levelling, but I'm getting there.

    I recreated parts of the expansion joint at the east wall of the room that had been contaminated with Henry 555. I again just used GreatStuff Gaps & Cracks. The objective here was just to prevent thinset from going all the way to the wall when I put down the Ditra.

• December 31, 2018
  
  • I chipped out the remaining parts of the GreatStuff that had been contaminated with Henry 555 at the perimeter expansion joint.

    I sanded and ground a little bit more of the floor levelling and patching.

    I went to Home Depot and picked up some sanding belts for my belt sander, a dozen 1/4 sheet sandpaper pieces for my palm sanders, sill seal foam for perimeter expansion joint, 3 fresh bags of VersaBond thinset, and 3 rolls of Kerdi Band. While I technically don't need the floor to be waterproof (not a wet room), I like the idea of sealing the joints of the Ditra before tiling. We'll see if I bought enough; I probably need one more roll, but at $20/roll, I don't want to buy more than I need.

• December 29, 2018
  
  • Well, I applied too much Henry 555 and didn't spread it around enough. I had a feeling this might be a problem, and Henry unfortunately doesn't provide mix ratios other than mixing the whole bag. And it covered more than quoted in the instructions. So I spent some time today with a diamond cup wheel on the angle grinder, removing some of it. Dirty, dusty job, especially this time of year when I would not normally open a window and place an exhaust fan. But I had no choice, so it was cold in the room for a while. I opened the front door of the house for air intake and put my double industrial fan at the window to blow the dust outside. Obviously I wore a good respirator. I'm not done grinding, but I had to clean up before dinner. I used my electric leaf blower to coax the remaining dust toward the exhaust fan, which worked well.

    I chiseled out the small areas where the leveler flowed over the top of my original foam expansion gap. I will probably pick up some SilSeal foam before I do the thinset for the Ditra.

• December 28, 2018
  
  • I applied a coat of Henry 555 Primer to the area of the floor I need to flatten more effectively than I can do with Henry 549. I applied a second coat a few hours later since the plywood was very dry when I started (it's the winter and I have forced-air heat). When it dried, I poured and spread Henry 555 LevelPro.

• December 23, 2018
  
  • I applied 3 more coats of Henry 549 to the low area of the floor. I'm now using much smaller batches, 6 to 8 cups of Henry 549 at a time. I'm also mixing by hand with a margin trowel to avoid air bubbles, and using a 6:3.5 compound to water ratio instead of the recommended 2:1 ratio. This makes it more workable, and should not significantly compromise the strength. I've noticed no difference in hardness once cured.

    I'm glad I bought a new 14" concrete finishing trowel; I could probably use a longer one, but it's a good length for what I need to do with the other areas of the floor. I am not using the new Ridgid mixer for the Henry 549 now since I'm mixing in small batches in a 2 gallon bucket. But the mixer will be used again when I get to the thinset for the Ditra.

• December 22, 2018
  
  • The largest area of the floor I need to flatten is marked with masking tape. I also marked a few other spots I need to skim, if I have material left over from my first mix.

    I ran a bead of GreatStuff Gaps and Cracks around the perimeter of the room, just to maintain an expansion gap when patching and later thinset and Ditra. Once it cured, I trimmed it where it was too thick.

    I applied the first coat of Henry 549 in the largest area. I used the whole 7 lb. box but will need to apply more. It's not much fun to work with due to a short setting time, but I think I did well given I haven't used suich a product in over 10 years.

• December 21, 2018
  
  • I've been debating whether or not the floor needs SLC (self-levelling compound). Actually, it could use it since there are low spots in a couple of places. However, I can't seem to find Henry 542 or equivalent locally. Everything available requires metal lath when poured over plywood. Lath is 1/8" thick, and I'd need to pour 1/8" minimum thickness over the height of the lath. That's a bit more height and weight than I'd like to add to the floor. Additionally, it's nearly impossible to apply SLC to a floor this size when working alone.

    So for the moment I'm back to using the Henry 549. I think I'll be OK going this route. It's not like I haven't flattened a floor before (did mortar tile beds with my father). And mistakes here are easier to correct than SLC gone wrong. I need to mark up the floor using my straight edges.

• December 20, 2018
  
  • I sanded the whole floor lightly with 80-grit sandpaper on my 1/4 sheet palm sander. I then swept and vacuumed.

• December 18, 2018
  
  • I scraped some of the joint compound from the subfloor, and added a few screws in the subfloor where needed. I'll be adding some more screws later.

    I picked up some supplies and tools at Home Depot:

    • 3.5 mil 10' x 25' plastic sheeting (to protect shelving from dust)
    • 3' x 168' red rosin paper (to protect floors)
    • Ridgid mixer (to mix thinset, etc. without burning out my drill)
    • 3M blue masking tape (to protect walls from thinset)
    • 200 more Ridgid LevelMax tops (tile levelling system)
    • Ridgid 1/2" x 1/2" square notch gold finish trowel
    • Henry 549 7 lb. FeatherFinish (to patch/skim/level subfloor)
    • 16" magnesium float (for subfloor skimming and pressing Ditra)
    • 80 grit sandpaper (for sanding subfloor with 1/4-sheet palm sander)

• December 17, 2018
  
  • I removed the remaining carpet, padding, tack strips and staples.

• December 16, 2018
  
  • I started removing the carpet, padding, tack strips and staples from the floor. I still need to remove a few things from the room, but I wanted to get a sense of the state of the subfloor and how many staples were in the carpet padding. Nowhere near as many staples as the 2nd floor bedrooms, which explains why the carpet felt softer. I've removed 1/3 of the carpet and padding and found no staples in the field (only at the edges). Yay, less work!

• December 15, 2018
  
  • I ordered 5 SpectraLock Pro mini units of parts A and B from floorlife.com, along with a Laticrete grout color chart. I'll order the powder after deciding on color.

    I picked up a 1/4"x3/16" V-notch trowel at Home Depot to install the Ditra to the floor.

    I moved the final Middle Atlantic MDV-R12 out of the den. It was the final piece of furniture that needed to be removed.

• December 12, 2018
  
  • Many months later, I'm nearly done reinforcing the floor joists under the den. I wound up doing somewhat of a patchwork due to obstacles: ductwork and electrical. Each joist now has a custom-made flitch beam of 1/8" x 2" steel and 1.75" x 3" LVL, 6' long. I cut a channel for the steel in the LVL, and the steel is sandwiched between the LVL and the existing joists with Loctite PL Premium and screws. It took a long time to do these because each one had to be cut, channeled and drilled. They are installed at the top of each joist, against the subfloor plywood, near the center of each span.

    I then custom cut 2x10 lumber to sister the remainder of the accessible parts of each joist, and installed with screws and Loctite PL Premium where possible. Some areas were difficult to reach due to ductwork.

    To make the most of this work, I then created custom X-braces for each inter-joist gap from 1.75" thick LVL. These will prevent the joists from twisting. I removed the old 1X crossbraces before I sistered the joists, since they were in the way. They've been replaced with the much stronger and stiffer LVL X-braces, and I added a second row of LVL X-braces.

    I have one or two flitch beams and sisters to do, though as near as I can tell with my bounce tests, they're not necessary. But I bought the wood and steel, I might as well use it. My bounce tests are just me bouncing on the floor with a floor lamp loctated elsewhere in the room. Before I started this work, the lamp would wobble a LOT. Now it doesn't appear to wobble at all. I have yet to redo my dial indicator measurements, but I don't think it's necessary. I can't do any more reinforcement of the joists, I'd need a support beam and floor jacks to make it any stifer. I'm avoiding that for now since I am not at the point where I can start designing basement finishing.

• June 30, 2018
  
  • I bought a pair of 1.75" x 11.875" x 10' 1.9E LVL beams at Menards to reinforce the floor joists under the den. This is to reduce deflection to avoid any issues with cracking of tiles or grout after I install the tile. Given the electrical throughways and cross bracing that I don't want to remove or rerun, I don't intend to fully sister the joists; I will rip narrower pieces of LVL to run above and/or below the throughways.

    I bought 5 bags of Mapei Uncoupling Membrane Mortar (thinset) at Lowe's. This is an unmodified thinset, which is what I need for use over Schluter Ditra.

• June 23, 2018
  
  • I bought the Marazzi Montagna Wood Vintage Chic 6" x 24" porcelain tiles from Home Depot, along with 2 bags of CBP Versabond modified thinset to bond the Ditra to the subfloor. I also bought a new tile saw blade and a thinset mixing paddle.

    I tweaked my back and right bicep moving all of this weight (over 1000 pounds) from the store to my truck and then my truck to the basement. It'll probably take a couple of days for my back to recover.

    I would like to use Ditra-Set as the thinset for the tiles. It's expensive but it's a quality unmodified thinset and doesn't void the Schluter Ditra warranty. It appears that I'll have to order it online.

• September 27, 2017
  
  • I moved one of my Middle Atlantic MDV-R12 units from Bedroom 1 to the den, then moved my HP LaserJet 4050TN printer to the den. I connected it to the Den_3 ethernet port in the den, and checked that it's reachable. It's working fine.

• September 25, 2017
  
  • I cut a new hole in the wall near the room door for a new electrical box. I drilled to the basement to run wiring.

    I picked up a Square D QO 15A single pole circuit breaker for the new outlet in the den, and 100' of 14/2 NM-B wire. I ran the wire through the basement, installed an old-work electrical box and a Leviton R05-T5632-0BE outlet with USB charging ports (3.6 amps). I then installed the circuit breaker in the subpanel since the main panel is completely full (and already has a large number of tandem breakers in it). Kind of a shame that I used a breaker for a single outlet, but it is what it is. A tandem breaker is 3 times the price, and until I refinish the basement, I don't need it.

    I cut another hole in the wall near the room door for a pair of ethernet ports. I fished two cat6 cables and terminated one with orange Cat6 keystones on each end (one for the wall plate, one for the patch panel) and one with white keystones on each end. These are 'Den_3' and 'Den_4', respectively. I tested both runs after terminating, then installed the keystones in the patch panel. I then installed the keystones in a Decora keystone insert and installed it in the new electrical box in the wall, and installed a new wall plate.

• September 22, 2017
  
  • I installed a basic Leviton 15A decorator outlet on the south side of the den's door. I installed a Brainerd beaded wall plate in Venetian bronze.

    I pulled two Cat6 cables to the new box in the west wall of the den. I terminated one cable with Legrand Cat6 blue keystone jacks on each end. This one is "Den 1". I labelled it with Dymo heatshrink label tubing just outside of the enclosure in the basement. I terminated the second cable with Commercial Electric Cat6 beige keystone jacks. This one is "Den 2". I ran out of heatshrink label tubing and hence labelled this one with flexible nylon labelling from the Dymo Rhino 6000. In the den, I installed a temporary Leviton 2-port white decorator keystone insert and installed the jacks (later to be changed to black). I installed a Brainerd beaded wall plate in Venetion bronze color.

    I hemmed and hawed about where to place one of the USB charging receptacles on the west wall. I decided the northmost receptacle was the correct one. I installed it there and installed the Brainerd beaded wall plate. Two things worth noting: the Leviton black receptables are glossy, and dinged/scratched pretty good before packaging. I'm not a fan, I probably should've ordered the Hubbell ones in brown or just bought the lower-current Legrand brown ones (which are matte finish). Or sanded them with 1000+ grit sandpaper before installing to knock off the sheen. Second note: the receptacle I replaced had two hot wires (one black, one red) but only one neutral. I'm not sure why the receptacle was used to chain hot but not neutral, and I didn't have time to prod with my DMM.

    I need to install two more ethernet ports, on the east wall. These will likely be used for one of my networked printers, and possibly the Ooma Telo.

    I discovered that the AC receptacle in the northeast corner of the room is too close to the panel moulding to accomodate anything but a standard width wall plate. Even then, the receptacle has to be as far as possible to the other side of the enclosure, and the standard wall plate is crammed against the panel moulding. Sigh, why can't finish carpenters do the right thing when they run into this kind of problem? Or better, why did the electrican position this box crammed into the corner?

    At any rate, I can't use a matching wall plate in this spot without quite a bit of demolition or an ugly hack to the mouldings; the wall plates I bought are wider than standard, and I did that because someone overcut some of the holes for the AC outlets and I wanted to hide the overcuts. Sigh.

• September 21, 2017
  
  • I cut the hole in the west wall for the low-voltage old-work box for ethernet wiring. Wouldn't you know it, I made an error and my first hole was in one of the two cavities for cold air return from Bedroom 1. So I'll wind up with a blank wall plate there unless I bother trying to replace the wood panel (maybe with oak veneer library panel. My second attempt was in the right location, and I installed the low-voltage old-work box.

• September 17, 2017
  
  • I need to install ethernet ports in the den so I can move my desk in there while I install the flooring in Bedroom 1 and the 2nd floor hallway. As of yet I haven't decided where I'm going to install the rework box. It's not yet obvious from the basement where the AC power wires go into this room and hence where the wall bottom plate sits. The walls of this room are all wood, so I don't want to make a mistake with placement.

• July 15, 2014
  
  • I bought a Cree BR30 2700K LED bulb to replace the remaining CFL bulb in the den. I'm inching closer to having all of the fixture bulbs changed to LED. I need two more of the Cree PAR38 bulbs for the front porch recessed fixtures, and I will need new fixtures in the master bathroom and full bathroom on the second floor in order to convert them to LED. And there are some recessed fixtures in the master bathroom whose bulbs I haven't replaced since I never use those lights.

• July 13, 2014
  
  • I installed a Lutron MACL-153MH-WH digital dimmer for the recessed lights in the den. This dimmer is actually in the foyer, next to the doors to the den.

    I still need to replace the remaining CFL bulb in the den with a Cree BR30 2700K LED bulb.