Last year I started to rebuild my shack starting with new flooring and a new paint job. I also decided to do something about the radio desk which I was outgrowing.Adding a Kenwood TS-820S with matching VFO, speaker, and tuner to a Heath DX-60/HR-10 AM station meant that I had far too small of a desk and since there was not much available in the way of ready made stuff that suited me I decided to build my own. Some of you may remember a thread I started about converting an RCA broadcast TX to 80m AM that fizzled when the modulator blew up and fed 3100 volts back straight to the audio predrivers wiping out everything in it's path including the mod transformer. It was then that I decided to scrap the TX and look down the road at building an amp and maybe using the steel side panels to build an operating desk. The desk was finished this afternoon except for a couple pieces of trim yet to install.It is 74 inches wide by 32 inches deep with a shelf 12 inches above it measuring 74 wide by 16 deep. These were made from the 1/16 inch thick steel side panels from the old broadcast TX which are formed panels 1 1/2 inches thick. you can see them in this picture of the TX laying on it's side.
I had to cut down one end to allow a wood panel to be inserted in the end to finish the underside.You can see where I removed about a quarter inch from the right hand side.
Next I planed down some 2X4's to fit inside the panels to add some strength and attachment points for the legs and shelf and to allow something to attach the side trim panels too.
Here you can see where I removed the 1/4 inch or so of the steel panel to be able to insert the stained oak plywood panel underneath.
Inserting the oak plywood panel.
Plywood trim panel secured with screws thru holes that were already in the steel panels. The legs are 3/4 oak plywood stained with Minwax "Special Walnut" stain. The 1/4 inch plywood used for underneath is stained the same color.The black angle iron brackets are from an old bed frame cut to size and painted gloss black.The tie piece across the back is solid oak.
The finished product in the radio room awaiting the reinstallation of gear. The desktop does not sit on the file cabinets but rather about 1 1/2 inches above them.
Finished product with shelf installed. I used dowel pins on the bottom of the shelf legs to prevent the shelf from moving. The shelf is very heavy and strong because it has to support all the Kenwood TS-820S station gear plus future boat anchor stuff like the DX-60 transmitter and whatever else I may acquire.
All I have yet to do is cut and stain a couple pieces of oak trim to cover the ends of the panels of the desktop and shelf. I have some perfect oak planed to about 1/2 to 5/8 of an inch just waiting to be cut to size and stained. I will install them using furniture type fasteners that have a hex head and screw into a captive nut set into the ends. Time ran out today and I go back to work tomorrow but hopefully Saturday I will begin the process of laying out a new station configuration and possibly get started on the remaining trim pieces.
I had to cut down one end to allow a wood panel to be inserted in the end to finish the underside.You can see where I removed about a quarter inch from the right hand side.
Next I planed down some 2X4's to fit inside the panels to add some strength and attachment points for the legs and shelf and to allow something to attach the side trim panels too.
Here you can see where I removed the 1/4 inch or so of the steel panel to be able to insert the stained oak plywood panel underneath.
Inserting the oak plywood panel.
Plywood trim panel secured with screws thru holes that were already in the steel panels. The legs are 3/4 oak plywood stained with Minwax "Special Walnut" stain. The 1/4 inch plywood used for underneath is stained the same color.The black angle iron brackets are from an old bed frame cut to size and painted gloss black.The tie piece across the back is solid oak.
The finished product in the radio room awaiting the reinstallation of gear. The desktop does not sit on the file cabinets but rather about 1 1/2 inches above them.
Finished product with shelf installed. I used dowel pins on the bottom of the shelf legs to prevent the shelf from moving. The shelf is very heavy and strong because it has to support all the Kenwood TS-820S station gear plus future boat anchor stuff like the DX-60 transmitter and whatever else I may acquire.
All I have yet to do is cut and stain a couple pieces of oak trim to cover the ends of the panels of the desktop and shelf. I have some perfect oak planed to about 1/2 to 5/8 of an inch just waiting to be cut to size and stained. I will install them using furniture type fasteners that have a hex head and screw into a captive nut set into the ends. Time ran out today and I go back to work tomorrow but hopefully Saturday I will begin the process of laying out a new station configuration and possibly get started on the remaining trim pieces.
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