KVR Audio

Vintage73 · Post by **Vintage73** » Sat Nov 03, 2012 12:22 pm

Here's my design for my DIY music workstation.

I plan to enlist the help of my brother for cutting and welding it up.

I'll be making both. The first is my actual desk, the second will be aligned sideways next to my desk for storage, etc., in the corner of my office (er...studio...).

ras.s · Post by **ras.s** » Sun Nov 04, 2012 6:59 am

Looks good. The z-shape is very good for workstation use, don't have to worry about the table legs hitting your own legs.. And 29 inches height seems reasonable.

I guess you're planning to make it from square steel bar (I don't know what it's called but it's square and hollow and it's steel and it's long like a bar) -- what about the desks and the shelves?

How you gonna connect the two sides to each other, with the desk/shelf boards or by welding another square steel bar in there? I'd suggest two removable steel bars with hex nuts for connecting, easier to take the whole thing apart and move around if need be ..

And how wide are they going to be? One can never have too much desk space .. Add few more inches when you think it's too much already.

Is that shelf on the first desk for monitor speakers or for the computer screen? If for the latter, I'd consider it again for ergonomy's sake.. If you have a desktop computer, where is it going to be?

Also little adjustable bolts (for small height adjustments) on the rails touching the floor can be good.

Aaaaand on the second desk add rackmount rails on atleast the first shelf.

Remember to take photos and post them when done!

- Fumbling furniture-designer-to-be

Vintage73 · Post by **Vintage73** » Sun Nov 04, 2012 7:42 am

Thanks!

Yup, it will be one inch steel bar stock. The two sides will be connected with a cross-member that will be two lengths of one inch steel bar stock with vertical members welded together to provide stability as just the wood tops would not provide that needed stability.

I'm thinking a dark, stained wood for the tops and shelves.

My main desk (the first pic) will be 48 inches wide and my side desk (the second pic) will be about 60 inches wide.

I'm thinking of putting some rack rails below the upper shelf of my main desk, though I only need a couple of spaces.

The main reason for the upper shelf is for monitor speakers. I don't think I'd like my video monitor to be that high, so it will be on the main desk surface. Right now I only have a KORG microKEY, so it doesn't take much room, and there will be plenty of room for my video monitor behind it. Even when I get a bigger keyboard, everything should fit.

Under the upper shelf there will be grommets for cable management in the main surface. I have a ton of USB cables messing up my desk right now.

It will all be held together with cap head hex screws with threadserts in the wood surfaces.

My full-tower computer box will be on the floor running parallel to my second table, exactly where it is now.

I'm thinking of adding a little depth to my keyboard shelf, though.

I'll definitely post pics!

Hink · Post by **Hink** » Sun Nov 04, 2012 9:49 am

go to a hardware store and get some dryer hose for cable management

Vintage73 · Post by **Vintage73** » Sun Nov 04, 2012 10:27 am

LOL.

Actually, I have a bunch of Velcro straps that are just sitting here that I need to utilize.

I talked to my brother today. I asked him if he'd be willing to help with this in the next month or so, and he said, let's do it sooner rather than later because it's starting to get cold.

I'm going to set up a jig with a piece of plywood so that both sides of each desk are exactly the same. Plot out a template, drill some holes, insert some dowel pins, voila!

ras.s · Post by **ras.s** » Sun Nov 04, 2012 10:54 am

Looks like you got it planned out, hope you get to work on it soon!

Still one thing about that shelf on the first desk.. If you're going to put your computer screen in front of that, there's going to be some unusable space behind it. How about just small stands for the monitor speakers instead of a table-wide full shelf? Then you could place the screen a bit further back and have even more space on the desk for coffeecups and cats etc ..

On a side note, nice that you have a little office/studio room for the purpose! I live alone in a small apartment and I've got my "studio", bedroom and woodshop in the same room.

Vintage73 · Post by **Vintage73** » Sun Nov 04, 2012 11:46 am

When we had an apartment, Mark had his drill press and band saw in our bedroom.

It's not a big house, but I much prefer to live in a house than an apartment. It's not an option for everyone, and it wasn't an option for us, either, until my parents helped us out.

I was considering a cutout for my screen, but that wouldn't work if I went with a dual-screen setup. Still, I think our cats will like having the catwalk behind my screen to sleep on.

I used to have a desk that the main screen was set into the main surface and you looked down at it. I had a second screen on the top shelf, and that was a little uncomfortable to look at.

I'll think about it...

V0RT3X · Post by **V0RT3X** » Sun Nov 04, 2012 11:50 am

reminds me of this desk

cool ideas!

Vintage73 · Post by **Vintage73** » Sun Nov 04, 2012 11:52 am

That's where I got my idea.

But I didn't like some of the things about it, so I modified it a bit, and added the second desk with multiple shelves.

Actually, before I decided again that I was going to make these, I was about to hit the buy button at zZounds for two of those. I'm glad I went with monitors, instead.

Vintage73 · Post by **Vintage73** » Sun Nov 04, 2012 2:35 pm

I've edited my side table a little. I'm adding room for two four-space racks, and enough shelf space for my printer.

Vintage73 · Post by **Vintage73** » Sun Nov 04, 2012 6:38 pm

I hope this makes sense:

It's the front view of my side table. As you can see, one of the shelves doesn't go all the way across. It stops short in order to give my printer room on the shelf below it.

There are also two four-space racks.

I needed to reduce the width of this table to 56 inches because of a light switch that would have been interfered with.

Hink · Post by **Hink** » Sun Nov 04, 2012 6:40 pm

draw it in google sketch up...3d and free

Hink · Post by **Hink** » Sun Nov 04, 2012 6:43 pm

btw on my desk I bought a 4 space raxcess (sp?) table rack, they're so deep you can cut in two and have two 4 space racks which is what I did. Keep in mind that instead of rack rails you can use wood and wood screws (it's not like it's going anywhere) and if they strip just replace them

Vintage73 · Post by **Vintage73** » Sun Nov 04, 2012 6:54 pm

Hink wrote:draw it in google sketch up...3d and free

I'll never use Sketch Up.

This will make more sense...view it in it's own window:

Vintage73 · Post by **Vintage73** » Sun Nov 04, 2012 6:55 pm

Hink wrote:btw on my desk I bought a 4 space raxcess (sp?) table rack, they're so deep you can cut in two and have two 4 space racks which is what I did. Keep in mind that instead of rack rails you can use wood and wood screws (it's not like it's going anywhere) and if they strip just replace them

I thought about it, but since I'm building this side table anyway, this ends up cheaper.

Music Workstation DIY