Plywood Office Suite | Popular Woodworking Magazine

Build a contemporary workspace with only a single sheet of plywood.

Project #2012 • Skill Level: Beginner • Time: 1 day • Cost: $150

Creating your personal area appears to be a ceremony of passage for many first-time homebuyers. Albeit, its typically simple to grow to be disillusioned, overzealous and even unrealistic in regards to the quantity of labor it takes to rework your complete area. Coming from somebody who is consistently attempting to decipher a barrage of ideas and new undertaking concepts, discovering a place to begin is all the time essentially the most tough aspect.

After occupying my new dwelling for the higher a part of 6 months I figured it was lastly time to sort out considered one of my many deliberate tasks. For me, when beginning a undertaking, it’s crucial to do some pre-planning to assist keep away from your area from changing into a kind of deserted tasks that’s indefinitely incomplete. They are the undertaking(s)/room(s) in properties that grow to be closets for the undesirable and simply one other area to finally keep away from.

After a lot deliberation, deciding on the room I’m declaring as my workplace appeared like an apparent candidate. The room wanted to be an area I might spend prolonged durations of time in, and finally one which may very well be used as a creativity incubator (but additionally a spot to simply sit and be). The room is modest, roughly 160 sq. toes and outfitted with two home windows. Considering the dimensions of the area (or lack thereof), it’s essential to deal with not solely the problem of what to position inside it, however the place/the way you place it. This left me with conclusion that the primary wise items of furnishings an workplace wants are a correct work floor with an ample quantity of storage. Let’s get began.

Cutting Your Pieces
Start by chopping all of your plywood items to measurement. All that’s required for this undertaking is one 4’x8′ sheet of Baltic birch plywood. I like to start out by chopping my largest lengths/widths first. This method permits your sheet of plywood to grow to be extra manageable in measurement at a a lot faster fee. If you don’t have entry to a desk noticed, utilizing a round noticed with a straight edge and some helps will suffice.

With your elements lower to measurement, concentrate on the main points to show a collection of containers into one thing extra refined. I settled on rounded corners as a defining characteristic. Measure in 1 1/2″ from all sides to search out the middle of your arc.

Use a compass set to 1 1/2″ to put out the curve. Use the 1 1/2″ heart level as the middle.

When laying out your lower listing, it’s essential to think about the sequence wherein you narrow your particular person items. For instance; the shelf lengths are equal to the size of the desk so it’s clever to crosscut your sheet to the 42″ measurement, then proceed to chop the person items all the way down to their revered widths. This methodology and system of chopping ensures the general accuracy of your items whereas concurrently chopping down on the quantity of instances you want to alter your fence.

Cut near the curve with a jig noticed, ensure to remain within the waste aspect of the road.

Finally, refine the sting with a sanding block.

Once the tops are lower, I transfer onto the desk sides, dividers and shelf brackets. With the remaining materials leftover from the 42″ lower for the desk/shelf tops, I lower the ledger/mounting boards for each shelfs in addition to desk. There is an optionally available drawer that may be constructed from the leftover 3/4″ materials, nevertheless, I used scrap 1/2″ plywood that was laying round to maximise drawer area. Now that your items are lower, it’s time to maneuver on to the joinery.

Next, I add 1 1/2″ holes within the heart of every arc. Use the middle you marked beforehand and a 1 1/2″ Forstner bit in a drill press.

Cut List
No.Item Dimensions (in.)T W L

DESK
1 A Top 3/Four x 15 x 42
2 B Sides 3/Four x 14 3/Four x 20 1/2
2 C Shelves 3/Four x 12 x 14 3/4
1 D Ledger board 3/Four x 2 1/Four x 21 1/2
2 E Short ledger boards 3/Four x 2 1/Four x 12

SHELVES
2 F Top panel 3/Four x Eight x 42
Four G Sides 3/Four x 5 1/2 x 8
2 H Ledger board 3/Four x 2 1/Four x 30 1/2

Simple Joinery
The joinery used for this undertaking is so simple as counterboring holes, after which continuing to make use of screws adopted by 3/8″ wood plugs. I do know this can be a far cry from the right marriage of two exceptionally lower joints. However, the target of this undertaking must be mirrored in each the accessibility of its building in addition to its design. There is not any finite equation for the structure of the screws simply as long as they’re spaced evenly sufficient to make sure enough lateral stress. For the desk, I discovered heart on the width of the board, after which proceeded to measure 1″ in from both aspect. This gave me three factors of contact for each perpendicular intersection on the desk.

Pre-drill and countersink screw holes for all of your joints. You’ll be filling these holes with 3/8″ plugs, so ensure they’re deep sufficient.

I exploit pocket gap screws for the again ledger boards to maintain issues trying clear on the entrance.

When it got here to the structure of the screws on the shelf, I adopted my earlier technique by measuring 1″ in from the perimeters. The solely distinction right here is that the measurement started the place the contact level of the bracket met the highest. This is a results of the bracket being shorter in width than the shelf prime. Since the cabinets are a lot shallower than the desktop, two screw areas have been exchanged for the three. Now that each one your contact factors are laid out and drilled, it’s time to modify our consideration to the ledger boards. These have been put in final within the building utilizing pocket screws. By substituting pocket screws, this allowed for optimum floor contact with out the necessity for the screws having to be hid.

All within the Details
Now that each one our items are lower and have been laid out and drilled for all our joinery, it’s time to offer the plywood a character. Even although Baltic birch plywood is lauded for its many refining qualities, it typically instances nonetheless requires a level of manipulation to set it above the remaining. Inspired by Waterfall furnishings of the 1930s and 40s, distinctive rounded drops have been added to all the sides of horizontal surfaces. This characteristic not solely drastically softens the sting, but additionally permits the surfaces to behave as an natural ‘extension’ of which they’re mounted.

Add a small 1/8″ roundover to all uncovered edges. This will take just a little planning forward, nevertheless it’s simpler to do that to your elements whereas all the pieces is disassembled.

Another defining design aspect that was added is the usage of round cutouts that contour the exaggerated radii of the panel’s edges. These cutouts offset the flat opaqueness of the fabric and provides the piece a way of visible continuity. Once these two design components have been addressed it was time to decorate/profile the sides. Since plywood is susceptible to splintering, I like to offer the arduous edges both a 1/8″ chamfer or spherical over profile. This not solely saves your fingers and the piece, it visually enhances all the opposite design components included on this undertaking.

Assembly/Finishing
One of the good advantages of utilizing screws as joinery is the flexibility to work with partial constructions when making use of your stain/finishes. Since there are a few tight areas inside the desk’s storage, this accessibility was paramount. For the paint utility I went with a ‘furniture grade’ latex paint which is nice attributable to its low VOC depend in addition to remedy density.

With all of the prep work accomplished, it’s time for meeting. The desk and cabinets are simply screwed collectively (no glue). Assemble the understructure of the desk first.

Attach the highest to the desk.

With the cabinets, connect the tops to the helps.

Then, connect the ledger boards to the desk and shelf assemblies.

I first began by attaching each cupboard sides to the highest, together with all three ledger boards. This allowed for higher entry to the inside when making use of the paint. After the paint was utilized to the inside, I proceeded to connect the 2 horizontal dividers that make up the desk’s storage. After these have been in place, and the 2 cabinets have been assembled, I might proceed with the applying course of. Once the paint had cured, there was yet another liberty that wanted to be taken; one thing didn’t really feel proper.

Once you have got all the pieces assembled, add the wooden plugs to cowl uncovered screws. Add a dab of glue, and hammer a 3/8″ dowel in. Pay consideration to grain orientation to assist them mix in as a lot as potential.

I anticipate the glue to arrange for about 30 minutes, then come again and use a flush trim noticed to chop the dowel flush.

A fast hit with the sanding block and the floor is prepared for paint.

After concealing all of the layers of finely laminated birch in paint, the necessity to sand to it again felt imminent. Due to its core being freed from voids, exposing the sides of the plywood not solely highlights the fabric’s building, but additionally makes for a good way so as to add visible distinction to the piece.

Now that the piece is full, its able to mount in its new dwelling. The anchoring system you select can be contingent on the substrate to which it’s utilized. My house is stuffed with its authentic lath and plaster partitions, so toggle bolts have been my fail-safe to make sure a agency connection between the piece(s) and the bottom of the lath.