Replies

1. 
   JohnWW | Jul 09, 2009 01:37pm | #1

   It is only a problem if the sections were joined together very solidly which they shouldn't need to be.

   John White
   Shop Manager for FWW Magazine, 1998-2007

1. 
   msteroftheuniverse | Jul 09, 2009 06:33pm | #2

   Thanks. I find the answer surprising but enlightening. Is wood movement on a desktop which will be about forty inches wide and probably 5/4 not that much of a concern because properly acclimated hard maple is stable enough for it not to be a significant problem or because I've generally overestimated the problem of wood movement?Masteroftheuniverse

1. 
   JohnWW | Jul 09, 2009 07:58pm | #3

   A forty inch wide top could be expected to move almost an inch between winter and summer in a climate like New England where the humidity is high in the summer and very low in the winter, so wood movement needs to be considered, though it will be somewhat less in more reasonable climates.The question is whether or not the wood will be allowed to move freely or not. If the tops are just butted against each other, which would be the easiest way to assemble the unit, then each top can move freely. You can attach them together in a couple of places along each seam with a cleat that spans the joint, something like a piece 2" wide and 6" long with just one screw in each end so the cleat can pivot to accommodate shrinkage and expansion.The assemblies that support the top, legs or cabinets will also need to allow for wood movement.John W.

2. 
   forestgirl | Jul 10, 2009 05:16pm | #4

   Master, I'm not sure I have the image in mind of your layout, but a question I would have, totally aside from that of wood movement, would be "How useful is the space in a corner that is that deep?"  A deep, deep corner space might be kinda awkward to use in real life.

   forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-) 
   
1. 
   msteroftheuniverse | Jul 10, 2009 06:39pm | #6

   This is for my computer room/office and it does take up a lot of space. I had something similar but smaller before and this room is much larger and single-purpose. It wouldn't suit very many people but is exactly what I've always wanted. I write and do graphics and would like hundreds of reference books and CDs and magazines and files filled with articles and so on just a roll of a chair away. That aside, I'll give another shot at the description.The area will be U shaped (in life, an inverted U, because the corner is to the far left as you walk into the room but we'll ignore that). Actually, almost four sided but the fourth side is short and I haven't mentioned it previously so as not to complicate things.The two counter areas are in the corner of the room, with book/dvd shelves filling the walls from counter top to ceiling. Under the counters will be filing cabinets and kneeholes.The actual desk is not against the wall; you might think of it as the left left of the U and see it as extending toward the center of the room from the wall. The bottom of the U and the right side are the areas against the walls. The bottom right area in the U would be the corner.I agree that a deep, deep corner might not be that useful, and butting two bookshelves together into a corner is always a problem, but
   a) the unit(s) are large and the corner is not that significant a percentage of the area,
   b) I'm thinking of not continuing the shelves all the way into the corner but ending them short and making another computer work station there (the main one, with graphics CRT, will be on the desk, and a smaller one, probably a space saving iMac, will be on the fourth short counter, but a second iMac would be useful),
   c) if I butted the two bookshelves together the hollow space that they would create in the corner could hide my plan to take over the world,
   and
   d) into each life a corner must fall.
   I think you're right that the area deserves some serious consideration.It would be better looking and slightly easier to use if the desk and the two counters were on the same level, but this is a "what I've always wanted" utilitarian custom project so form follows function. (For instance, all three surfaces being the same height means that the desk top wood could run all the way to the wall, and the counter against the wall could butt against it, or the counter could be extended along the wall the the desk top could butt against it. Either way they form a corner of the U and a level surface, but the first would look better and - because it doesn't affect function - I'll go with that.)I appreciate your interest. Thanks.
   MasteroftheUniverse

3. 
   RalphBarker | Jul 10, 2009 05:59pm | #5

   I like John's suggestion of "loose" connections between the three primary components, so things have room to move between seasons. You might consider "managing" that movement such that it is directed to the rear of the component into a space between it and the wall, which could be used for cables and such.

1. 
   msteroftheuniverse | Jul 10, 2009 07:17pm | #7

   I like the idea of leaving space at the rear of the counter for top expansion (and cords). Thanks.I'm not sure I have the knowledge to understand John's suggestion of the swivel cleat. I think I understand the cleat but not how it will function in this situation.If the counter against the wall butts against the desk top (which itself will butt against the wall) the expansion (movement) I would be most concerned with would be that of the desk. It would expand and contract across its width pushing into the end grain of the counter top. I wouldn't expect too much expansion of the counter top lengthwise into the desk but there might be a little (if I understand wood movement.)John says movement of one inch, which I take to mean half an inch on both sides. Half an inch into the end of the counter and possibly, what? an eighth of an inch movement toward the desk for the counter top and ....? Does that immoveable counter top resist so the desk top moves the full inch in expansion away from the counter top? Does the rest of the desk (almost all of which will not be butting against a counter top) move evenly and smoothly, too, or does something give or rack along the way?Or am I worrying too much about the whole thing?I had planned on slotted cleats between the cabinets under the desk and the top but I'm too ignorant of the subject to yet fully understand the desk top and counter top movements. Master of the Universe

1. 
   RalphBarker | Jul 10, 2009 07:48pm | #8

   I believe your picture of the expansion across the width/depth (cross-grain) is correct - it would go outward from the growth centers of the boards making up the top. However, if you anchor the front edges of the components and use moderately loose cleats to attach the tops to the underlying structure (loose enough so the cleats can move in the tracks in the interior edges of the aprons), the vast majority of the movement will be directed to the rear edges. How much goes in each direction would depend on how much top overhang there is, which would control the placement of the anchor points. Practically speaking, leaving the three components free-standing, and just butting them against each other would be sufficient, I'd think. If you really need an unbroken surface, I'd shift to using veneered furniture-grade ply for the tops, edged as appropriate with hardwood.