Amy’s Desk part 2

With the inlay panels finished, the next logical step was to build the pedestals. These are fairly simple, but they have some complex curves and cutouts that had to be sized appropriately.

It started with the frames to go around the plywood panels I’d made. Rather than just straight frames, these are curved at the top and bottom. It was a pretty simple process — I just cut those rails about 3/4″ wider than the stiles, and made a template on the CNC for consistency.

Once the curves were cut, I then went to the table saw and cur a rabbet the exact width of the plywood panels, leaving just about 1/4″ of the curve to overlap (and hide the top and bottom edges of) the panels.

Next, I had the CNC cut the top cross pieces in front and back. Each has a cutout measured for the outlet strip that I will mount to the inside — it’s neater than making my own boxes, and allows for more outlets. These are a full inch thick, so the cutouts needed a heavier bit than usual; I used a 3/8″ endmill, and the cutouts are just squares with rounded corners.

For the bird’s mouth at the front bottom of each pedestal, I made the part in Vectric and cut it all on the CNC. It was a straightforward profile cut with a 1/4″ spiral bit, no big deal. For the rear bottom I just cut a straight piece; there’s no need to get fancy with the back.

I put it all together for final fitting, and they looked pretty good.

Before assembly, I laid out lines for where my drawer slides would go and marked the hole locations, but didn’t drill anything yet. These lines will make my life easier later, but still leave me the option to move the drawer slides if necessary without leaving holes behind.

Then I went ahead and glued the pedestals together and applied finish. Admittedly this was to protect the parts from gathering dust in the shop as much as any other reason.

Next: the desktop.