Regular, talkie version

“Vow of silence” version

I grew up in the 80s and was really into computers. My dad purchased a TRS-80 Model III from Radio Shack when they were brand new (and Radio Shack was open). A few years later we swapped that computer for an Apple II, and before long I had a Commodore 64, which was my computer of choice for many years (and in some ways, still is). Most of my friends who also had computers all owned the exact same desk. If you’re from that era you might remember them and if not, you’ve probably seen them at garage sales (or sitting outside for big trash pick up). The desks had a hutch with storage above, a spot for a computer, monitor, and disk drives on the desk, and a couple of drawers.

Once though, I met a kid who did not own that same desk. When I walked into his room, he had wooden tables lining every wall. No shelves, no drawers, just tables covered in stuff. I had never seen a setup like that and it made a big impression on me. In my own computer room I have plenty of shelves (and bookshelves), but I also have (counting) six 4′ tables from Ikea lining the walls.

Originally for my van, I borrowed one of those tables and tossed it in my van. Those tables from Ikea are… “not robust.” They’ve wrapped in Formica (or an even thinner substitute) and literally filled with cardboard. There’s no wood inside, and while they work okay as an inexpensive computer desk, the one in the van did not survive. First of all, the heat inside the van literally caused the glue on the table to melt. The legs also failed; they screw into bases that were attached to the table. Not only did they constantly untwist and loosen, but eventually the mounts ripped out of the wood. These tables simply were not built to withstand the constant rumble and tumble of existing in a vehicle.

So, I built one.

If you watched my recent bed-building video, I basically took those same plans, modified the dimensions, and turned it into a desk. The desk is is 6′ wide, 21′ deep, and 30′ tall. When viewing other people’s videos I always feel like their dimensions are some hard rule — like, they came from some master book of vanlife builds or something. I’ll tell you how I got mine — I sat on my bed, held my bands out in the air as if I were typing on an imaginary laptop, and said “eh, that feels good.” I came up with an idea for a desktop extension and determined the right distance would be about 31″. Then I bought some 12″ flip-up brackets so I subtracted 12″ from 31″ and got 21″, which was the depth of the desk.

The heights of everything designed themselves. The wheel well is approximately 9 1/2″ high, so I made 6″ blocks for the bottom and then a 2×4 (3 1/2″) on top of that sideways for a brace, which allowed the long 2×4 runs that support the shelves enough room to clear the wheel well. That’s where the bottom shelf went, because it had to.

Eagle-eyed viewers may notice one odd thing in the video. Instead of using 2x4s all the way around on the top, on one end I used a 2×2. The reason was, I got this weird feeling that my new AllPowers battery wouldn’t fit through the gap on the bottom shelf, and I was right. It’s 1/2″ too tall… so, I used a 2×2 on one side which gave me an extra 1 1/2″ of clearance, allowing me to slide the battery in and out easily. It’s a good thing I did as the AllPowers battery has already failed and I have to mail it back for repair.

I spent more money than I wanted to on the plywood used on the top and for the shelf. I ended up buying sheets that were 2’x4′, which were easier to transport and handle but not much cheaper than buying 4×8 sheets of plywood. The sheets were finished and look great. They were so beautiful that I considered simply staining them, but that doesn’t go with my color scheme so instead I painted the frame of the desk gray and the plywood white. It looks great and will not look great forever. After a single use there are already signs of wear. I may pull it out and add a clear coat or something.

Along with storage, I plan to use the desk as a place to use a computer. I couldn’t get the desk close enough to me to make typing comfortable without making it impossible to walk between the desk and the bed, so my wife came up with the idea of those flip-up hinges. The good news is that they work. I flip them up, the distance is perfect, and they work as advertised. (The ones I bought claim to support up to 260lbs). The downside is that they made accessing things on the bottom shelf nearly impossible. When flipped down, they completely cover the shelf opening. When flipped up, I have to lay down on the bed to reach things or see the status of my battery. The hinges were a good idea, but either I’ll need to relocate my battery, or I’m actually considering removing them and replacing them with piano hinges. The shelf won’t be nearly as strong, but it’ll flip “up and back” instead of down. I’m still experimenting.

Anyway, that’s the building of the desk. There’s storage underneath it on the floor, there’s storage on the shelf, and the top is a big, huge, white work area. Love it.

PS: My vow of silence will not last long. I like talking too much! 🙂