Making the PERFECT Studio Desk! Part 2: The Build

[@SumedhVaishampayan]

You are a legend Leo. This is way better than any other desk build (even a desk sold by a manufacturer).

[@natevirtual]

"INSPIRING" you wrote. Indeed it was!! Now I want to make my own desk. Thanks for putting this out there!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@LeoMakes]

Thanks for watching!

[@gittin_funky]

@@LeoMakes Hey Leo - are you fusion 360 plans available on patreon, thanks

[@officialWWM]

You did an outstanding job of this. It looks great!

[@obshaky]

Wow. So dealing with design, CAD, woodworking, electronics, CNCing it yourself feels like growing your own goats, leather work them yourself to make your own drums and sampling them yourself with the device you, of course, also built yourself. it's very MetaDIY which is awesome and inspiring so thank you for sharing this amazing project.

[@maurolimaok]

This kind of "table" would be a huge success with the people of ham radios and ham shack! Beautiful piece, in all details.

[@LeoMakes]

Thanks for watching (and the kind words)!

[@viktornoren4324]

I really want to se the assembly of the keyboard tray. Or did I miss it? :).

[@JasonWelchMusic]

Me too!

[@seazenbones6945]

Love it. Great job and many thanks for sharing such a well produced video .

[@LeoMakes]

Thanks for the kind words (and for watching!)

[@mattshannon4578]

Use a “down flute” end mill cutting the first several passes. Then finish with an up flute. The down flute will help with the de-lamination. We use this technique to cut through the masking on clear plastics.

[@HOLLASOUNDS]

In 2002 We had one of these machines at the small fireplace manufacturer. We made individual fires them by hand using band saw and router saw, but the bulk orders where cut by the machine. The machine could only cut a shape out using a single thin drill bit relatively basic and no router. The material was thick sheets of compacted glass fibres, the exact same heat resistant material used in American space shuttle.

[@CodyMWI]

Nice work man!

[@pommedapi3847]

amazing video, well done, all in all 5 stars. great job ! Love the scratch test part "I know myself" very clever, learned a lot. One question for the keyboard tray, what type of wood (it seems to be very light) and how thin is the tray? thank you!

[@andrwwaugh]

great video, awesome hearing your thoughts during the design process, helps clarify a few things that have been sending me around in circles when planning my desk ideas! I'm keen to upgrade from cinderblocks with cheap shelves of melamine in front of some random regular desk and want something that can be sit-stand, have a keyboard shelf and have enough room for my synths and things I use most! Love what you've done with yours!

[@LeoMakes]

I’m glad it was helpful! hanks for watching.

[@ghassanm3]

I like your videos Leo, always make me think outside the box! Keep'em coming!!

[@LeoMakes]

Good to hear from you, Gus!

[@klinkske]

it looks PRO. I bet it would be big bucks to buy it from a shop. Very very nice work

[@georgegyulatyan3263]

Nicely done!

[@JohnParkMakes]

Love this, great build, thanks for sharing it.

[@LeoMakes]

Thanks for watching!

[@florianbeck4283]

CAD is really awesome! When I moved the last time, I planned on partly buying and partly building new furniture. So I ended up modelling my whole room in CAD, to plan everything out. That's just super helpful, and building is pretty easy if you can just grab all the measures from CAD. I didn't have the luxury of a CNC router, though.

[@LeoMakes]

Ja, I always do 2D models before moving into a new space and sometimes I go 3D if vertical space is really a concern. Google Sketchup is good for this! (Fusion 360 is probably overkill in most cases) And yes, having a CNC router is totally a luxury. I got it when I started this channel to learn CAD/CAM. It's nice to learn on your own machine but I've seen many maker spaces that have high quality CNC routers now (better than this one). So you don't even need to own your own machine and still have access to a good machine. It's an amazing time to be a maker / engineer / fabricator / etc!

[@florianbeck4283]

@@LeoMakes I started with 2D cutouts, too, then switched to Fusion. I've used Sketch-up in the past, but the parametric design and timeline are super useful features especially when planning out things and making changes to the design afterwards. Right, actually I'm a member at a local maker/science space, so I would actually have the possibility to use the tools there. But especially for learning and trying out new stuff, having tools directly at your hand is super convenient. And also in general, that's the reason why I still have a quite well equipped work bench in my room to spontaneously tinker around. Any way, it's definitely super useful to have all these tools at reach.

[@LeoMakes]

​@@florianbeck4283 Totally agree on the parametric design. It's cool to change one parameter (like a hole diameter or "lean back angle" on the modules) and watch the entire desk update with all constraints being maintained. It would have been a nightmare before but now you can just play with it until it looks/feels right. Magic! :)

[@Vocalisto]

@@LeoMakes how much did this CNC Machine costs? Where can I buy it?

[@LeoMakes]

@@Vocalisto It depends on what size machine you want and if you want a self-build kit or a ready-to-run kit. Have a look here for more: stepcraft-systems.com

[@Sendrim]

Very nice and clever design! I have a similar project going on and found your videos when gathering inspiration. I had locked myself into using 19" rack mounts but maybe i could do some sort of combination with the euro racks. Hmmm 🤔

[@LeoMakes]

Glad it was inspiring! 19” is nice and easy to make but you’re definitely not limited to that if you want something a little “extra” as far as design or number of HPs. Best of luck with your own build!

[@odenpro]

You can use denatured alcohol if you milling aluminum.

[@benoftroy]

perfect studio desk (for me too!)

[@nth7485]

This is awesome, thanks a bunch for sharing! Did you buy the wood while living in Sweden, if so where did you buy it from? The standard hardware stores doesn't necessarily carry the type of birch plywood suitable for furniture, from what I've seen.

[@ryanmiralles1199]

Theres one thing missing in this video: How did you install the piano tray?

[@play3.046]

super nice work

[@Mdeanmartin]

Loved the video!

[@BrunoFerreira17]

Hello Leo, Awesome video and lovely setup. I'm aiming to build a similar aesthetic standing desk and I just wanted to know if you could tell me the dimensions of the "work table" and the "upper table" - I have a pair of Adam T5V (which are almost 30 cm width) and have some doubts to which size should I go for the "upper table" (I'm aiming for a table top of 160 cm by 80 cm). If you have any tip, I would appreciate. Thank you!! Best, Bruno

[@lprophit]

hey im really inspired by your desk are you sharing your cad files for the eurorack anywhere?

[@AlchmstDsgn]

Leo… would you sell these parts for the customer to assemble?

[@noel101082]

Nice build. In malta getting rails is nearly impossible. Since the lockdowns building stuff is very very pricey.

[@LeoMakes]

Oh, that's a bummer. I had similar problems getting rails here due to Brexit. Here's a tip: I've seen people use plywood as "rails" and drill small wood screws (around M3 size) directly into the "rails" that hold the modules up. I know it's not ideal since it's wood but if you don't move your modules around too often, it might work out until things start to open up again and then you can replace them with real rails? Just a thought.

[@noel101082]

@@LeoMakes yes that's what I resorted to with my 19" stuff.

[@sekritskworl-sekrit_studios]

Hi! Are you able to share your plans, by chance?

[@RodneyD]

glad I ran across this video. I have an electric desk and I'm doing the same build. One difference... I have the 8361a genelecs

[@LeoMakes]

Ahh lucky you! 8361 are glorious but make sure your desk can support all that weight. Also, with 8361s, you might be pretty close to the minimum seating distance to the speaker. It all depends on the size of your desktop. Just some things to consider (worst case, you can always move the speakers on stands just behind the desk) Good luck with your build!

[@RodneyD]

@@LeoMakes Yea… they’re already on stands. I building it with 2 bays (10 units per bay). I’m going with more of a mastering style desk. The slope will be a little lower that yours. What is the degree of your slope for the rack gear??

[@DATApush3r]

I want build a desk like this but for 19" audio gear. I just don't know where to start as I don't have many wood working tools but a CNC machine would be awesome. Your desk is EPIC!

[@LeoMakes]

Thanks for watching! To be honest this could easily be done without a CNC as the cuts are simple enough to do with a table saw and other typical power tools. CNC is fun and interesting but definitely not a requirement. Best of luck if/when you decide to make your own desk!

[@tonydotnottingham]

Thanks for sharing your process!

[@LeoMakes]

You're very welcome! Thanks for watching!

[@memoryvice398]

Wow! I didn't know you have your own CNC machine! Would have been impossible back in Hornstull. 😆

[@LeoMakes]

Chad! Long time no see! Believe it or not, I had this machine in my old flat. It's true. You can actually see it here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rJTFamdsg9GWeM0 Then again, is anyone really surprised I had a CNC in a small flat? :)

[@memoryvice398]

Oh, sure enough! It actually is smaller than I thought, once I see it in scale at the old apartment. For some reason, in this latest video here, it looks huge!

[@LeoMakes]

Yup. Wide angle lenses!

[@mrCharlesG]

Well done!

[@J_NASH]

Great video, design and explanation. How high is the shelf that you have the speakers on?

[@LeoMakes]

The shelf is elevated 20cm above the desktop. Thanks for watching!

[@J_NASH]

@@LeoMakes Thanks for the reply

[@tchip-bc1gp]

hey i would like to do same it's perfect for my need, still didn't shared or sell the files ? thnks

[@rasmusdahlvik2079]

masking tape on the plywood can help it from chipping when routing.

[@Jcgalllo]

Leo would you be willing to supply the CNC Files?

[@dubquery]

Thank you for sharing. I’m not into CAD yet, but search for a table like this. Are you sharing the project files via Patreon so that someone can plan from there?

[@LeoMakes]

I wasn't planning to do this, but if the Patreon club is interested in this, I'll see if I can make it happen!

[@StreamingUnderground]

Hi Leo are you still working as I tried to look for your other work but could not find anything the stuff you have is amazing. I am just getting into this so looking for as much help and information as I can find. I'm also from the UK

[@LeoMakes]

Thanks for the kind words (and for watching). Yes, I’m still at it but KZbin is a hobby and the research for these videos takes a really long time. I don’t know how some of these other makers churn out interesting KZbin vids so regularly. Hopefully I’ll have something worth sharing in the coming months.

[@papirico2227]

May I ask How much was the total Of the desk itself Plz THANK YOU FOR THIS VIDEO SIMPLY BEAUTIFUL!!!!!

[@saxhorn1508]

Whose rails are you using? And did you shift from lipped to flush? Also, a newbie question - why Intellijel instead of PulpLogic for your 1U modules? Thanks - great build.

[@LeoMakes]

These are flush rails (no lips) as I think it looks neater. I had some of these rails left over from a big group buy I did years ago but I needed more for this desk and exploding-shed.com in Germany had exactly the same ones (those guys are totally awesome, BTW--highly recommended). The PulpLogic vs. Intellijel is a good question! The two formats are not physically compatible (one is slightly taller than the other!) so you have to pick one or the other. I like PulpLogic and I have several of their 1U "tiles" in my portable case but I went with Intellijel here because 1) they have more of the utility modules I wanted and 2) they use the same exact power and connectors as standard 3U Eurorack modules (PulpLogic has a different connector). With Intellijel 1U, I just need one power distribution board inside the desk and the ribbon cables can connect to anything in the desk (1U or 3U), which is nice.

[@saxhorn1508]

@@LeoMakes Afraid of that. Alas, exploding-shed doesn’t ship to the US. Thanks for the quick response, though.

[@LeoMakes]

@@saxhorn1508 Bummer. I'm not sure who to go to in the US for rails and DIY stuff. Perfect Circuit in California has always been awesome to me but I am not sure they sell rails and stuff like that. If you find a good place, please let me know too. People ask me about good US stores for DIY modular and I never know what to tell them!

[@saxhorn1508]

@@LeoMakes Yep, they do sell rails - Tiptop Audio Z rails. I bought my first set there (I live in Long Beach, maybe 35 miles from them). Good store. A little over $50US for a pair of 104HP with inserts.

[@saxhorn1508]

@@LeoMakes By the way, for the DIY’ers it is fun the take published circuits (like from Music From Outer Space, Erica Synth, Yusynth…) and using EasyEDA and JLC PCB (or similar) crank out your own modules. Start with the basics and combine and customize. And you can get the designs from Mutable Instruments and Music Thing Modular if you also want to learn how to program micro controllers. A bunch of connected hobbies, not counting woodworking and the odd sheet metal fabrication. All the more reason to build a desk like yours!

[@vbz7153]

Awesome video! I’ve been wanting to build my own desk and your video has inspired me. Do you think this desk would be possible to build without the CNC router? Thanks!

[@LeoMakes]

Absolutely. The cheeks for a desk like this are not that complex and can be cut with power tools. The CNC makes it easier but it’s definitely not a requirement. Thanks for watching!

[@vbz7153]

@@LeoMakes what tools would you recommend? A router, circular saw, and a jigsaw?

[@LeoMakes]

Yes, exactly. A table saw or track saw are always really nice for making super-straight cuts but there are workarounds (guide rails) if all you have is a circular saw. Good luck with your build!

[@vbz7153]

@@LeoMakes definitely let me know if you plan on uploading the dimensions, would help me out a bunch!

[@oneshoe6938]

amazing

[@nrosko]

what cnc machine do you use?

[@nrosko]

'step craft d' sorry i missed that.

[@LeoMakes]

Correct. D series 420 model.

Sell CNC files

[@jazzbeats8168]

wow I could see patch cables going everywhere

[@zerostyle]

Build me one please!