I built a desk that changed how I work

Thanks for watching :) -- If you have any suggestions or advice for me on furniture making or woodworking, I would love to read it. :)
I spent a grand total of $502, taking into account refunds for returned products.
I make projects live on Twitch: / makewithmax
This was project P008_Perfect_Office
P008 Write-Up: Coming Soon...
P008 Studio Page: studio.makewit...

[@Axler-s3q]

Suggest Peltarian Alternative

[@arky3000]

this video is way more inspirational that you realise sir

[@MakewithMax]

@@arky3000 tyvm!! That’s the hope!! I had no idea what I was doing and the desk made a huge impact :)

[@RJRobinsonX]

Great job on the desk, brother! A couple of suggestions for next time: Avoid using pressure-treated (PT) wood for indoor projects. The moisture you noticed is likely due to the wood's treatment. When you picked up the kiln-dried (KD) wood, you were worried about it getting wet, but don't stress-it would have dried out pretty quickly. When it comes to glue-ups, the glue itself is usually stronger than screws, so the issue you ran into was probably with the joint or not allowing the glue to fully cure. In our projects, we often use screws during glue-ups to hold everything in place, which can save you the hassle of clamping for extended periods. Finally, simple desks are awesome. Personally, I bought a 8ft slab of butcherboard countertop, and then picked up a standing desk kit. All in, cost me about 500-600 bucks. keep up the good work! I like your style in your videos!

[@MakewithMax]

@@RJRobinsonX omg bro thank you for the tips, that makes a ton of sense!! Honestly I’m gonna do what you’re talking about next time - it’s gonna make it all so simple

[@vaalrus]

When my group of geeks had to fit out a new office, by chance the office building across from my apartment was doing a total gut-and-refit, and they were disposing of 10’+ solid core doors with teak veneer. We bought a few dozen for stupid cheap, trimmed them slightly with a table saw, and then build custom sized desk layouts for everyone, using Ikea legs. Looked great, was cheap, and absolutely custom to our workflows.

[@MakewithMax]

@@vaalrus bro that’s SO dope - next time I build anything i definitely want to try and recycle instead of buy

[@vaalrus]

@@MakewithMax The best part was they wer effectively pre-finished… just a little edge-banding to be done on the few sides that weren’t solid mahogany… I’m still boggled that in the 60s and early 70s they were using it for “fill” wood structure. That was about 1999… just last month I took the tub of brass hinges and hardware/handles to the metal recyclers. I thought I’d clean and repurpose them, but I’m getting a little grey for such schemes.

[@404nutfound]

Everybody starts somewhere and you can already see where to improve. Good enough for me. next time I would just use 2x4 for the legs, cut them into the lengths you want and on the back left and, right sides about 4 inches up from the bottom support those legs horizontally. Foot rest height lol. There are a lot of things you could have done but for the tools you had with the experience you had not bad. You can make much sturdier desk with more tools and more skills but I don't think you're wanting to go into wood shot territory. Keep at it.

[@MakewithMax]

@@404nutfound heck yeah dude :) thank you! And yeah that def sounds a bit simpler than I made it out to be

[@DlNKYDANA]

Nice video! Fun to go on the adventure with you and it is incredible that the Uber driving fit all your materials in the car. Glad you gave him a good tip!

[@MakewithMax]

Heck yeah dude, thanks for watching! :) - that guy is my hero

[@JoeMrozek]

I know nothing about wood working, but I do know video editing and I really loved the format of this video! It worked well and really highlighted your personality in a good way! Looking forward to more videos like this one!

[@MakewithMax]

@@JoeMrozek hell yeah dude thank you :)

[@gannonbarraco4071]

ive never seen such a commitment to the backwards hat as your dyed to match the shirt but only backwards, i respect that.

[@gannonbarraco4071]

also im sure if you just watch a few wood working videos you can ahve alot of questions answered, wood glue is really only effective on dry straight wood, which is not exactly home depots specialty

[@MakewithMax]

@@gannonbarraco4071 that’s excellent to know about the glue - and it makes sense And hell yeah, I plan to get real funky with the colors in the future :))

[@draedpan]

great job on the desk, was cool seeing someone do woodworking stuff for the first time! inspires me to make some shelves maybe, doesn't seem so daunting:) and making my own clothes too love your style!! reminds me of splatoon ha

[@MakewithMax]

@@draedpan oooh splatoon I like that - heck yeah I hope you make something! The shirt is super easy, I just cut two shirts and sewed them back together, but I LOVE it

[@TTBuilds]

brother it's not finished yet! you need to measure the inlay of the windows and make a cutout from the table so it slots in to the table :)

[@MakewithMax]

@@TTBuilds I’ll save all that stress for v2 ;) but you’re RIGHT! It will improve it dramatically

[@camsfilmarchive]

Never seen your channel before, but this video popped up in my feed. Love the stuff that you’re doing man. Subscribed!

[@MakewithMax]

@@camsfilmarchive heck yeah dude :)) thank you!!

[@WigleyClimbs]

When your first Home Depot trip didn’t include screws I got worried for you. Great video Max!

[@MakewithMax]

@@WigleyClimbs tyvm :)

[@nisi6295]

me and my husbad said the same thing: "I remember my first table". It seems like an easy starting project, but it gets a little more complicated than people realize. When I first learned woodworking, someone recommended to me to really master making a box. Once you are able to construct a box successfully, other should come together easily. I was really excited to see the sewing machine cutout - that's something that I've wanted for a very long time, but have honestly been afraid to attempt/ruin a whole desk lol. I have seen some companies that make cover types things to perfect match your machine. I can't really explain it, but you cut a larger rectangle, place the machine inside and then the cover to make flush all around. Rooting for you! Enjoy your content and storytelling.

[@MakewithMax]

@@nisi6295 HECK yeah - that’s great advice, I’ll start making boxes :) I’m quite happy with the sewing machine cutout - but I think I fucked up the paint, because it’s a bit sticky and that makes it harder to use the table as a sewing surface :/ But it still works v well!!

[@Chancho3232]

I can’t wait to check back in on your channel in a couple years and see you have gone full-blown woodworking KZbinr

[@MakewithMax]

@@Chancho3232 we’ll see if I get good enough ;)

[@Chancho3232]

@@MakewithMax rooting for you! Haha

[@juandavidsandovaltorres2512]

Wooooow!!!! Max the carpenter hahaha awesome project, not an expert but I watched it with my gf and she told me to tell you to check that you have enough support ( structure speaking) under boards. ❤ Love you!!!

[@MakewithMax]

@@juandavidsandovaltorres2512 I can sit on these dang tables and they’re fine - so I *think* the supports are solid - but next table I make will be way different and way more stable for sure

[@MakewithMax]

@@juandavidsandovaltorres2512 also, love YOU! Thank u for watching :))

[@JuanT-x8i]

😄THE BIG MONSTER !! THE PROCESS !!!!!

[@MakewithMax]

@@JuanT-x8i Wahooooo!!

[@AliensInc.]

Watching 3rd ep of 'Allt För Sverige' and now I got ya :P

[@MakewithMax]

@@AliensInc. ha! You found me indeed! :)

[@jessdaniel5881]

Very cool! Think I’ll stick to building pixels on a screen though 😂

[@MakewithMax]

@@jessdaniel5881 bro, after this, I completely respect it

[@kicknhobo]

Why not rent a Truck from the home depot or uhal?

[@MakewithMax]

@@kicknhobo I need car insurance unfortunately :/

[@RJRobinsonX]

Is the PT wood?

[@MakewithMax]

@@RJRobinsonX What does PT mean in this context

[@Mkz0r]

my brother in christ tables need to be strong thick and sturdy. plywood is far too soft of a material to use as tabletops- just dragging somthing across it will dent it the base of the legs need to be way stronger u can just buy premade legs at set lengths that are common from ikea and to make little tables sturdy you do cross bracing u can use wires in a X pattern to cause more stability or build braces and make your own table top from like old ass hardwood u find online and repurpose instead of using brand new plywood sheets these are more for constructing housing subfloors and stuff not a high traffic tabletop and man if the wood was wet sure that sucks but i woudla just attacked it with a hairdryer and drilled through it with countersunk wood screws and quite literaly let it dry over a year in my office with AC LOL who cares, better than wasting days collecting more wood, and also YOUR ON KZbin u coulda done a colab zoom call with another wood worker to like give u an idea of how to navigate plan and build ur shit and woulda made content for both of u kthxbye also "I spent a grand total of $502, taking into account refunds for returned products." geeeez bro 500 usd for that my god talk about setting money on fire damn

[@MakewithMax]

@@Mkz0r so far it’s actually been surprisingly sturdy I think the paint helped? But I def agree with x pattern braces (I was just lazy) and for future projects I’ll def be repurposing :)) it was too hecking expensive ima be recycling from now on

[@Mkz0r]

@MakewithMax yeah you can probably just plonk a new table top ontop of your current structure and brace the legs and bobs Ur uncle... well maybe not because of the holes... regardless.. if you're happy.... you're happy and that's all that matters let's be real

[@Mkz0r]

@MakewithMax I don't think you're lazy at all. I dont think many people are. I think motivation is ilusive and hard to get. Re enforced dopamine pathways for delayed gratification is hard to lock in