In my quest for the ultimate all singing all dancing office desk, I’m thinking about how to engineer the writing surface. Traditionally leather is used, recessed into part of the surface, or covering the whole surface.
Are there other materials that could be used (leather is expensive, hard to get and degrades).
Any experience out there with materials that look good, feel good, fix to solid wood and wear well?
Replies
Corian ?
Seriously, do you want to look at the desk or write on it? If the latter, leather is ideal cause it is a soft enough support that you can write on a piece of paper – even air mail paper. Getting a biro to work when the paper is sitting straight on a timber top can be difficult. You could try a two pack epoxy gel coat – after curing it should be almost indestructable – maybe someone can comment on what it is like as a writing surface.
A really *great* writing surface is the material used on drafting boards called Borco. It has one side in a light ivory and the other in a pale green. But it's not much to look at compared to a nice leather. Like the question already posed: do you want to look at it or have a long lasting, almost indistructible writing surface?
Look for Borco at places that sell drafting supplies.
...........
Dennis in Bellevue WA
[email protected]
Edited 10/19/2003 9:43:14 PM ET by DENNIS
Granite... Heavy, but REALLY nice
Thanks Guys
To be good tp work on, but to look good.
Leather is the obvious choice, and that may be where I end up.
Meanwhile (the table is still just a pile of boards) I'm interested in what else may do the same or a better job. I'll look into the drafting-table material. Any experience anywhere with vinyl, or other 'fabric' possibilities?
How about making the desk out of any wood/material that appeals both to your sight and your pocket book and adding something similar to the leather writing pad shown in this link?
http://www.levenger.com/PAGETEMPLATES/PRODUCT/PRODIDPG.ASP?Level=2-3-3&PageID=289-1508-1043&Category=293-294-18&special=search&C=18&L=3&ID=SearchClicked&i=3
Just a thought!
Thanks again
Ive ordered a sheet of Borco, in ivory/pale green, which looks on the screen just the product I'm after. Leather is nice, but conventional. Corian would be interesting, but too hard to inlay/insert and maybe too obtrusive. Granite! Cool, but too clattery and 'hard edged'.
Some project background. Should have put this up front. The desk is for my office. I'm a district mayor in the south of the South Island of New Zealand. Because I'm making it for me, I can be as indulgent and as innovative as I like (there's no-one to tell me otherwise!). I'm using 4 inch/100mm diameter willow driftwood from a local hydro lake as the legs (I think - maybe they won't work - I opened another string on that subject - rustic furniture - a few days ago and got some excellent guidance and the address of a real magician and am still debating whether rustic, even something on the edge of rustic, will work).
The top is of local recycled gold-rush era bank floorboards of a beautiful native timber called kauri. It's an unusual shape - sort of like a map of Australia. There will be a secretaire sitting above one corner with a skinny eye-level 13 in flat screen TV, radio, tape and DVD etc, to keep me plugged in to the media. It's going to be way cool!
Edited 10/20/2003 9:06:10 PM ET by kiwimac2
You're the mayor where?
You've got to be a bit more specific than "south of South Island NZED" If you're not careful we'll start refering to you as the "Clinton–Gore boss man"
Not THAT far south!
Central Otago
http://www.macpherson.co.nz
http://www.codc.govt.nz
http://www.centralotagonz.com
VERY nice part of the world. Dunedin is my favourite NZ city and the "Rail Trail" is on my list of things to do when the sprog is a little older. To date have only travelled through Central Otago having always stayed just outside the area.
borco (and maybe alvin?) also makes a clear vinyl surface pad for use on light tables, etc. it has a nice matte surface that is almost completely clear when placed on something- like scotch tape. you could make a pretty wood or stone top but still have the perfect resilient writing surface. maybe inset it flush with a surrounding frame?
m
borco (and maybe alvin?) also makes a clear vinyl surface pad for use on light tables, etc. it has a nice matte surface that is almost completely clear when placed on something- like scotch tape. you could make a pretty wood or stone top but still have the perfect resilient writing surface. maybe inset it flush with a surrounding frame?
m
(posted twice because i didn't know whether to use kiwimac or kiwimac2)
For those North Americans wondering about the Clinton-Gore reference above, in Southland NZ there are townships called Clinton and Gore, and the highway between them is known (and has always been known) as the Clinton-Gore Highway.
This was pointed out to your past president and his vp, and I seem to recall it had some sort of acknowledgement.
Local wags like to call it the Presidential Highway.
Kiwimac2 is my day-time email location (where I should be working, not responding to Knots posts!)
One thing I neglected to mention about Borco - like all vinyl, it tends to shrink slightly and might curl on you. The 'traditional' method for attaching it to drafting boards, at least around here, is with thin, say 1/2" double backed tape just around the perimeter.
Sounds like a way cool desk!
...........
Dennis in Bellevue WA
[email protected]
Thanks. I bought more than I need, so I can experiment. Does it glue?
http://lonseal.com/lontop-g1.html
We used to put lontop on our highend office desks. High tech product with a great look and feel. Better than leather for a writing surface.
Thanks
I'm looking at it. BTW the address in your post seems to be dead - this one works:
http://www.lonsealspecialty.com/lontop-g1.html
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