Adding a drawer to a rimu(?) desk

Forums › Home Workshop DIY › Adding a drawer to a rimu(?) desk

neb

11294 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#253057 23-Jul-2019 18:31

I've been asked to add a slide-out computer keyboard drawer to a writing desk made of what I'm guessing is rimu:

(the colours in the photo aren't quite right, but it looks like rimu).

Problem is that it's not that easy to source, I need a slab about 450x600, I was thinking of getting rimu veneer and running lipping along the front where the edges are visible, but you typically need to get 2400x1200 panels ($$$), and I'm not sure where I'd get the lipping wood from. The lazy alternative is to just chop up some of the solid pine panel I have and stain it to match the rimu, so I'm wondering how much effort it's worth putting into getting the real stuff...

mdf

3513 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#2282346 23-Jul-2019 18:54

Whereabouts are you?

neb

11294 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2282348 23-Jul-2019 18:56

mdf: Whereabouts are you?

Auckland, North Shore.

mdf

3513 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#2282353 23-Jul-2019 19:14

Hmm, a tad far for poking through the big pile o' offcuts occupying the garage to see if anything matches. You can still get rimu though, and it's not that expensive in the type of quantities you're talking about. Though if it were a really for a keyboard, your buddy might be better off with an actual keyboard tray that adjusts both up and down as well as in and out. Mrs MDF has one of these and really likes it - she needs a keyboard at the right height or else starts getting RSI issues.

https://www.pbtech.co.nz/product/MOASTT4157162/StarTech-KBTRAYADJ-Under-Desk-Keyboard-Tray---Adju

neb

11294 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2282358 23-Jul-2019 19:24

mdf:
Mrs MDF has one of these and really likes it - she needs a keyboard at the right height or else starts getting RSI issues.

https://www.pbtech.co.nz/product/MOASTT4157162/StarTech-KBTRAYADJ-Under-Desk-Keyboard-Tray---Adju

Ooh, excellent point! It's for Mrs. Neb, she was inspired by a desk I have with a slide-out keyboard drawer but that one looks a lot better, you can adjust the angle which is important for her use.

Only potential problem is that it says max weight 2kg, can you rest your wrists on it while typing? How well has the somewhat Rube-Goldberg-looking positioning system held up over time? A quick Google turned up others, e.g. this one which might be more sturdy since it's on slide-out rails. The Kensington also looks good.

RunningMan

8955 posts

Uber Geek

#2282359 23-Jul-2019 19:24

What dimensions do you need? Can you glue bits of d4s together to get the width you need?

neb

11294 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2282361 23-Jul-2019 19:27

RunningMan:
What dimensions do you need? Can you glue bits of d4s together to get the width you need?

450 deep, around 600 wide, but pending Mrs.Neb's say-so I think MDF's solution will be the better one.

mdf

3513 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#2282733 24-Jul-2019 11:08

Had to wait until Mrs MDF was in the office to confirm the brand she has. Hers is an Ergotron Neoflex, which has the one arm design. She loves it - and she types like she is hammering nails with her fingers so seems pretty robust. Goes up and down as well as in and out. I'd imagine if you did lean on it with your body weight you'd possibly end up on the floor though.

Quic Broadband

Move to New Zealand's best fibre broadband service (affiliate link). Note that to use Quic Broadband you must be comfortable with configuring your own router.

neb

11294 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2282970 24-Jul-2019 17:03

Yeah, that was the one Mrs.Neb had settled on as well. It does look like the best of the lot, but it's also the priciest and out-of-stockiest - Ascent has it, but it's $229. Thanks for the info on its sturdiness, that was one concern, with the sliding tray I was going to use full-length Hafele drawer runners which would make it fairly stable, or at least as stable as the one on my desk.

pctek

807 posts

Ultimate Geek
Inactive user

#2289671 4-Aug-2019 15:55

neb: I've been asked to add a slide-out computer keyboard drawer to a writing desk made of what I'm guessing is rimu: (.

Is it rimu? Not veneer over something?
Doesn't look it, not the grain at edges going the other way.

However if it is actual solid rimu, no way would I be happy with stained pine added to it.

Keyboard trays tho, I've always hated them...

neb

11294 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2290163 5-Aug-2019 13:24

pctek:
Is it rimu? Not veneer over something?

Oh yeah, it's just veneer over MDF, if it was solid rimu I wouldn't be messing with it :-).

Keyboard trays tho, I've always hated them...

It's for Mrs.Neb, I wouldn't want one either but she's used one at a former workplace and is quite happy with it. I have a standard slide-out drawer/tray on mine which is at just the right height for me, complete with 25-year-old IBM keyboard, but to each their own.