Replies

1. 
   Dave45 | Apr 01, 2005 04:13pm | #1

   It didn't have a slant top, but I recently built a computer desk with a pull out keyboard drawer.  The "customer" (daughter and future son in law) told me the other day that they wish they hadn't asked for that feature since the drawer front is in the way when they have it opened up.

2. 
   adastra | Apr 01, 2005 04:26pm | #2

   That is a problem, isn't it? I don't know that I've seen drawer guides with that much extension.

   Two thoughts come to mind, could you mount the key tray inboard and have it extend from there, maybe even just hook it to the dropfront once its down. Or have the keytray on an assembly that pulls forward before extension, it could track on "battens" attached to the dropfront.

   sounds like custom fabricated hardware/mechanisms. This should have a big "gee whiz" factor if you can solve the issue.

   Good luck.

3. 
   WillGeorge | Apr 01, 2005 07:19pm | #3

   Just me..

   Why coulden't the hinged work surface be the work surface?

   Gee.. Pull the keyboard and mouse onto it.. Maybe a leather surface if you want to get fancy.. leather makes a good mousepad!

4. 
   Lilshaver | Apr 01, 2005 07:50pm | #4

   Maybe I'm not understanding your problem. A keyboard is about 8 inches deep. And a desk top is perhaps 18 to 20 inches mimimum. Mount the keyboard on whatever depth of shelf it takes to clear and use full extension slides that allow that. For instance if you used 16 inch drawer slides the keyboard ought to be sticking out about 6 inches too far.

   Now how you keep the free wheeling drawer slides/shelf/keyboard to hold still is another issue. But that can be solved also.

   Jeff

5. 
   Ecbntmkr | Apr 02, 2005 12:47am | #5

   Sorry I didn't see your previous post. I designed and built a slant top computer unit. See attached pictures. Unit is cherry, built in 4 pieces. First picture is unit closed. Second shows the printer on the right bottom bookcase, cpu on the left of the slant desk part, with surge power strip, drawer and file drawer on the right. Next pictures show slant top open with keyboard area open. Keyboard drawer has a fake front that hinges from the bottom and falls forward. Sorry, I forgot to drop the fake front when I took the pictures. Drawer/ keyboard unit rides on 24" full extension slides. Sorry about the dust and quality of the pictures. I saw your post, pulled out the camera, and replied. If you have any questions, let me know. Oh yeah, the one downside to my design is that it is somewhat annoying to reach under the slant top / keyboard to access the cpu or drawers in the bottom. I know you could just lift the slant top, but there always seems to be stuff on top of it.
   Eric

   
6. 
   adastra | Apr 02, 2005 06:12pm | #6

   I saw you got some good responses, I didn't think to ask if you are doing a fine furniture job or cabineture.

   Fine furniture warrants the time needed to do custom hardware or at least something like Blum Tandem runners.

   I had another thought, some of the desks I've seen use ledgers that pull out to support the desktop. You could incorporate that with the keytray pullout support. It would solve the reach issue when the desk is out since you would have to extend the ledgers to support the top and in doing so you would get the tray out to an accessible reach.

   Kind of a tray within a drawer that supports the top. Could probably do that idea with off the shelf hardware.

   Let us, or at least me, know how you end up building this. Curious which way you go with it.

   I've never researched a fall-front desk and now I'm curious.