In part 2 of the build, I got started making the monitor stands.
I used some scraps of ply I had in the workshop, and they were varying thicknesses – so I needed to compensate by cutting some of the panels 3mm wider to keep both stands looking consistent.
I cut and assembled a simple plywood frame consisting of two side panels and a top panel with glue and nails. Then I cut a back panel, which I cut a 35mm hole in the centre of for cabling as the inside of the speaker stands would be used for devices such as external hard drives, etc.
Then I started cladding the monitor stands with the remaining offcuts of the floorboards that I had. These were cut to size, and glued and brad nailed to the ply.
I also added a mitred trim to the front of the monitor stands to keep them looking consistent with how the desk top looked.
I cleaned up the stands with the hand plane and sanded them on my bench top belt sander, followed by my random orbit sander.
Then I applied the same finish to the stands as I had for the desk top – walnut stain, and three coats of spray varnish, wet sanding in between each coat.
I added some adhesive backed felt feet to the bottom of the monitor stands – these would help to minimise vibrations from the speakers and also protect the desk top from scratches.
The next job was to fit the Ikea Lerberg legs to the underside of the desk top. The Lerberg legs do not come with any fixtures or fittings, and I originally thought about simply drilling some holes and screwing them to the bottom but then I realised that if the floor was uneven where the desk would be sitting, or if the desk gets moved at any point, the screws would eventually end up tearing out of the plywood.
So instead, I cut some bracing pieces out of some pine (reclaimed bed slats) to encase the top of the legs. These pieces were glued and screwed to the bottom of the ply wood, and the legs simply push snugly in to the bracing to support the desk while also allowing for some movement.
That was the desk completed, and the client seemed very happy with it.
I enjoyed the build (apart from my belt sander breaking!!!) and it took around a day and a half of my time in total (spread out over a week or so) to complete. The cost of materials was around £40 in total – the Ikea legs were a bargain at £5 each, the ply was around £18 a sheet, and the varnish and stain came to around £16
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