Evolution of the Lap Desk

Something has always intrigued me about a blank sheet of paper. It calls out to me; it begs to be filled with something creative. I am by no means an artist, but the call still beckons. The same with a clean desk; it as well says “Create something with me”. This haunting is the beginning of my exploration of the perfect desk. A haunting that has lasted for decades.

It forced me to learn design, long before CAD, I learned things like perspective drawing, useful but painstakingly slow. Then back in the eighties, CAD began to peak my interest, and has since become my goto tool ever since. That is a topic for another blog.

So began the search for the perfect desk. It is hard to go back and see some of my earlier works. I have pretty much every one filed away on my computer. That may or may not be a good thing as some would just as well be forgotten. But as they say, we learn from our mistakes.

The first recorded image initially looked good. It was an interesting experiment. I bundled the four legs together and turned them on the lathe. Then reversed them in the assembly.

What you see here, is a rendered image from SketchUp. It turned out looking awkward so on to plan B.

I played with that style through a few versions, and did build one with a cherry top and ash base. But eventually it was time to move on.

Version 6 was a new twist; it incorporated a storage space beneath, and a little more style in the legs. But it was still too boxy, looking more like an end table.

Version 7 was more interesting, with a little more style in the legs. This one also was built again with cherry and ash. This is the beginning of the removable top in my desk evolution. The cherry top can be lifted to allow you to take it to your favorite armchair.

And so begins the slant-top style, my early attempts at dovetails and a breadboard top, also removable. This was version 10. I was disappointed with the breadboard, as it did not stop the wood from shrinking.

And so we come to the basic style that has become the mainstay of my design. This is another rendered image from SketchUp.

This is version 11, and there are at least six more of this basic style. Some have a gallery of drawers on top, but still in this style.

The evolution will continue, I want to experiment with mixing different woods to create some contrast. Stay tuned.