Well I've teased you long enough... here's some shots of the finished desk.

Suzanne was really happy about this piece. All in all, it was an enjoyable project, and a chance to dip my toe back into furniture making again.

In my last few posts I've been talking about a desk I'm making from rustic wood and black pipe. I've been remiss in keeping you updated! So here are a few process shots in two slide shows.

Now that the frame is assembled, let's talk about the wood. You wouldn't think these pieces were very inspiring, would you?

One more post coming up... The Big Reveal. Stay tuned!

A friend of mine heard about my commission to build a desk and loaned me this tool. Can you guess what it is?

I'll give you two hints: it has a very specific use; and for the most part it has been replaced by a machine and nobody uses this old-fashioned version any more. Leave a comment if you think you know what it is...

My client Suzanne recently commissioned me to create a custom rustic/industrial desk. At this busy time of year I don't usually take on complex projects like this, but Suzanne's idea was so interesting that I just had to accept the commission.

She recently bought a new house, and she wanted something nicer than the fold-down shelf which currently serves as the kitchen desk:

Although her house was built to look old-fashioned, the building itself is actually fairly new. For this reason, she wanted a rustic piece of furniture in her kitchen to give it more of an old fashioned appeal.

Here are her inspiration photos from Houzz.com (clicking the photos will open them on the Houzz website):

Basically the idea is to use rustic wood for the desktop, shelves and drawer front on the new desk. The legs of the desk will be made from the black pipe which is used to run gas to oil/propane heaters. To fit the small space, the unit will be fairly tall and narrow. As you can see, I'll also have to work around her security system interface.

In the next few posts I'm going to talk about what kind of wood I'm using (including some reclaimed pieces!) and how the black pipe will be cut and assembled. I'm really excited about this piece. There's a lot of opportunity for creativity and invention.