Building a Desk -or why I have no art work

Desk building has taken a priority over my usual art work.  The Fall was hectic with shows and sales and open studio times.  The various organizations we belong to also ate up time from art work -although Mannie keeps on with her work.  As it stands I have very little work in the studio and must get to it over the winter.  But the desk has been looming.

Now this desk.  I promised it to Pilar and Malcolm aeons ago and am just completing it.  All the components are now built and await painting, assembling and the tempered glass top.  Pilar and Malcolm wanted trays to display pictures and artifacts from their trips -and they wanted to see these items through the glass top.  And so the fun began.

Much of the work went into determining sizes that could maximize the wood in the sheets of plywood used. (Wood has become very expensive).  Over and over again I had to figure out how many sides, tops, bottoms, etc I could get from the 4' x 8' sheets.  Page after page was put into the circular file until I struck just the right mix of sizes and plywood measurements. Home Depot had quite the time with me as I read out the cuts I needed.  

The desk spans 65.5 inches.  The right and left sections are 20'' each and the centre shelf is 25.5" inches.  Each section is made separately to disassemble for transport and set up.  I can lift and carry each section.

The pieces here are waiting to be painted.  Once painted I must build the drawer fronts and put on the hardware.  And, everything takes so much time.
Here are the two left and right cabinet sections.  The drawers are stacked inside and the trays fitted into their slots.  The centre shelf and its tray lie upon the right section.

Here the tray with its oak front is shown sliding out of the slot that will be just below the tempered glass top.

Each drawer has a birch bottom and the whole drawer will be painted black inside and out.

The centre shelf has pegs in it to align up when being assembled and then the screws will hold it in place, tight against each cabinet section.

The centre tray lies upon its centre shelf.
The trays took a great deal of sanding to allow them to slide easily and allow for paint coats.

Everything takes time and then more time -and in the meantime other issues come up that need to be handled.  Life just gets in the way.  

Stay posted for the results of all the work.  At the rate I'm going that might be in the new year.

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