It’s insane when you see this kind of desk it mean it’s not so pro :
Look at the other, sort by price, theses are all in MDF… weird.
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they’re probably not that expensive to make, and studio furniture ends up in studios (usually), which are dry places. mass produced furniture will often use MDF and similar materials yet still seem to be expensive. worst case, if you go with MDF or particle board, you may have to replace it somewhere down the road. with that said, we have an ikea book case or two that have survived more moves that they should have, considering the materials and construction. good luck with whatever you choose, and feel free to ask questions.
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If I was building one I would definitely use multiplex wood and maybe MDF for some smaller racks - but honestly … nah … rather all in multiplex. I wouldn‘t even know how to finish MDF so it won‘t suck in all the colored liquids it could get in contact with.
I didn’t even know MDF was used for desks … would not buy.
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Yeah I already done desks and other thing in multiplex. It work well but multiplex board can be curved. My actual desk is made with multiplex and when I put a long machine like a keyboard on it, it have only 3 feets touching the desk.
That why I will make another one with particle board that is really plate.
Here’s the plans for the one mine was based on which might come in handy. Mine was
made wider to fit a 61 key synth on a slide out tray. I can measure mine if you’re interested.
Construction, it’s basically 3 parts. 2 rack mount sections with a top plate which goes between them. You could make similar one by buying a couple of those cheap 19" racks off ebay and a large desk top.
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Best decision I made was to abandon my DIY desk (and I can build quality stuff), and just order the biggest desk UPLIFT makes, plus some monitor stands.
Here was my DIY ideas
Here’s the best decision I made about all that
Eventually I’ll get my other turntable back too!
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I can’t buy desk, my space in the living room is so tiny I have to make everything fit just in place.
I’m a woodworker by trade and I wouldn’t choose mdf or particleboard/ chipboard for a desk, though it can be done. There are some really nice things about mdf but they don’t apply to a project like this. It’s super strong in some ways (I’ve built functional gear boxes out of it) and very weak in others. If you’re set up with safety gear/ dust extraction it can be easy to work with since it’s so uniform and flat. Its a sensible material for a production shop, from a financial perspective, where you make essentially the same thing over and over and have a cnc cutter doing a lot of the work. For anything that has to stand the test of time I’d avoid it. I would recommend decent quality plywood (or actual lumber if your tools and skills are up to the task).
That being said, if you really want to use mdf feel free to mine my brain for advice. You would want to approach the design differently than you would with other materials and finishing requires some uncommon techniques as well.
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Yeah you wouldn’t want to buy a smaller desk that fits, or get a custom sized top, that’d be too much effort.
Build one
Here’s a side desk I’m currently building.
I used a birch top from ikea which I cut down to size. The rest is just construction pine from Lowe’s which I planed and squared.
No screws or nails. I used a chisel and hammer to cut out openings in the legs to put the cross boards in. It’s super sturdy as is and I plan to add a slanted shelf to the top.
My other desk I used Baltic birch plywood and a birch top again.
If you want something that’s going to last use some hardwood or even softwood like pine.
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Nice one. Always like some hand cut mortise and tenon joints. Pure joinery was the foundation of woodwork back when using fasteners meant a trip to the blacksmiths shop to buy individually forged nails at a premium. Looks good.
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Not sure where you are but here in Australia we have a hardware chain named bunnings…they have a range of bench tops that are cheap durable and look great…maybe you would be better off with something similar where you are located…MDF is garbage
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Bunnings
HAHAHAHa…bogan, home improvement, world domination centres, for president of STRAYA…
Last time I bought a new home turntable (Project) 8 years ago, most brands were all about how glorious MDF was for making them. True or false?
Can’t say I’ve had an issue yet.
My first order when elected, chop down all the trees to prevent bush fires and build more bench tops and sheds.
If I understand correctly you’re talking about a turntable whose housing is made of mdf, right? That seems like a scenario where mdf would be fine. I don’t know if there would be any specific benefits to it but there might be, I’ve never considered that. There are applications where it’s fine. When I implied it doesn’t last in the long term I was thinking of more structural situations. I severely abbreviated my thoughts on the subject since it’s a discussion that could go on far too long. I’ve built a ton of stuff out of mdf (furniture, stage and scenery elements, museum exhibits, etc) that would probably last a long time in the right environments and with the right type of use but none of these things were subjected to regular heavy use. I’m curious about the turntable thing now, I’ll have to look that up. Thanks.
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Platter and deck apparently. It is cut thick though.
Here’s an update of the one I originally got.
https://www.project-audio.com/en/product/essential-iii/
also don’t forget to legislate that any garden or DIY activity must involve a diesel or petrol-fuelled machine at least half the size of the Bismarck as well.
Interesting. I just read the blurb. Seems like they’re using it because it’s not very resonant, which is true. Like any material it can resonate but it’s probably unlikely to do so in that kind of application, at least in any meaningful way. Cool idea.
I’m going to have to crunch some numbers regarding these properties in mdf. I’m always interested in material acoustics and stuff.
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That maybe explain why pro studio desk are built in MDF. Maybe a good idea would be to make the structure in wood and the platter and the top (where go monitors) in MDF.