Hi all,
I am trying to design a built-in desk for a 80″ wide nook in a living room. The people I am working with want to be able to hide the desktop behind doors. I considered a roll-top but have never built one before. I pulled up the article from the FW archives which is helpful, but I am concerned about the width. Is 80″ too wide? Also, has anybody tried the method of interlocking pieces instead of a felt backing?
I designed a desk using pocket doors instead but they can only go up to 48″ wide (I added two narrow cabinets on the side). I am not happy with the drawing though. It is too big and I am forced to make the front flush to accomodate the pocket doors (there is another shelf up top). So, I am back to thinking about the roll-top and thought I would ask the experts in the Knots community.
Thanks,
Justin
Replies
80" is pretty wide! I don't know if you'd get sag or not. I've never built one but I've finished hundreds of them over the years. Although I've never heard of the interlocking style you mention. All the tambour I've ever worked with had the cloth backing.
Another option which I just saw a week or so ago on the Antiques Road Show is basically a fake tambour. What was apparently done was to make a curved solid "tambour" and v-groove the surface so that it looked like tambour but was really just one solid piece. Of course you'd have to take that into consideration when designing the sides and back of the unit since that solid top would not manuever around as tight of corners as tambour would. But it'd definitely be strong enough to span 80".
Many a year ago, I made a 52" wide roll top desk. The tambour was 3/4 by 1/2 (5/16 maybe) half round out of oak. The backing was heavy canvas. It has since become the family computer desk, meaning that the top is always open. After about 15 of being open, the tambour has sagged noticibly.
So, either use thicker tambour, or design a narrower opening.
Just my two cents.
Hi Justin ,
I have repaired a few tambours over the years that had a sort of interlocking joint between them , also there were holes drilled through for a small diameter cable in 2 or 3 locations .The slats were close to a 1/2" thick , the ends were tenoned narrower to fit the groove .
Like a full round on one and a cove on the other to allow them to bend .
Your opening is very wide although with the cable system you could control the sag but ,,,,, that would be a heavy rascal to pick up and a guillotine on the way down .
would it be possible to place a pocket door like a garage door ? I have done that on a desk . How about break the opening into two openings ?
if you could get down to 60" perhaps 72" you'd be assured it would work .
good luck dusty
How about 2 side moving tambours?
Just a thought
If you end up making one narrower than 80", I might have a tambour you could use. Salvaged out of a 1920's or so roll-top desk, maybe 60" wide? Yours for shipping. Going out to storage today, so can get measurements then.
forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
I made a rolltop with interlocking tambers about 20 years ago. Long before you could buy the tambers from Rockler. It was pretty easy. The slate were joined together with picture hanging wire and I've since replaced that with nylon bowstring material. I used a tool sold at Sears that had three cutters to profile the slats. But now I believe you could find router bits to made the profiles. The slats were about 3/4" wide X 1/2" thick one side had a rounded indentation and the other side had a rounded end. The tambor was about 56" wide and it's never sagged. If you need more information email me at [email protected] and I'll try and draw a picture and be a little more specific on the width & thickness.
Joe
Edited 4/6/2007 9:29 am by GalenaJoe
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