>…is sponsored by MicroJig. Maker of the Grr-ripper Work safer, work smarter. Why is a raven like a writing desk? Of course this is one of the greatest unanswered
riddles of all time, put forth by The Mad Hatter, and of course, Lewis Carroll. My personal favorite answer to that riddle
is, “Because there is a B in both and an N in
neither.” I can’t wait to see how Ivan translates
that into the Spanish captions! Speaking of ravens, I made a writing desk. Mine is made out of maple and pine and it’s got two drawers for storing stuff. There’s something so quaint and sophisticated
about a writing desk. I’m gluing together these 1x4s to make the
legs. With those dry, I can cut them down into 1
½” legs. And I’m cutting all the legs to 29 ½”
long. The way I’ve made tapered cuts for legs
in the past is to make up a jig like this one. These are pretty simple to make, It’s just a plywood board with another plywood
board mounted at an angle,
So I would put my work piece in like this against this cleat at the bottom and lock
it into place. To make the cut, I would just run this along
my fence. But I gotta tell you, having MicroJig as a
sponsor is pretty cool because they sent me one of their MicroDial
tapering jigs, which, when I first saw it, looked overly
complicated and very intimidating. In reality it’s very simple to use and is
infinitely adjustable. And rather than having to draw that line out, I can set this rise over run scale. And just like my homemade jig, this has a
little cleat down here that grabs your work piece and pushes it through your saw. To hold it in place, I will use these Grr-rippers. I can make the first two cuts with this setup. To make the second cut, I’ll turn it on
its side and re-adjust my Grr-rippers. For the next two sides, I need to double the
angle to compensate for that cut. So that gives me tapered legs that are an
inch and a half square at the top, drops down five inches and then the taper
begins and goes all the way down to ¾” square. I find that the shorter pieces are a lot easier
and more accurate to cut on my crosscut sled. This is one of the rare times that I was able
to pre-cut most of the pieces for this project. The only ones I haven’t cut are the drawers
and the drawer fronts, which I will cut to size once it’s assembled.
For the plywood back and side panels, I’m going to drill pocket holes on all sides. I’m going to glue and screw these plywood
panels to the centers of these rails. I’m just going to line it up visually into
the center. I’ll hold it in place with a clamp while
I put the screws in. Now I can assemble the sides. Since my taper doesn’t start until 5″
down, I need to clamp this top part flat. I’ll turn it around and do the same thing
on the other side. I’ll attach the back panel the same way. Clamping this front rail on will help keep
it square while I put the screws in. The center divider is a little bit different.
It goes together like this. It’s got a little overhang on this side, and this block just lines up like that. To line up this middle divider, I’ve cut
two spacers that I can use to center it. This front rail goes on this little block
and screws into the two sides. I’m driving a single screw into this center
post. To use these side-mount slides, I need to
mount it to this plywood piece which sets in a little from the legs, so I
need to add a half inch spacer. I’ve made this ¾” spacer that’s going
to just sit on that ledge. This half inch spacer I’ve put glue on and
I’m going to stick it on and tack it to the side. Now I can take this spacer out and use it
on the next one. Now I’ll set that spacer on this one, and
attach this spacer. This one’s a little longer since there’s
no rear post. I’m using ½” plywood for the sides of
the drawers. I’m cutting rabbet joints on the ends of
the front and the back of each of the drawer pieces. And I’ll cut a ¼” rabbet along the bottom
of all 8 of the drawer sides. I’m setting up these drawers so that I can
cut the bottoms to fit. To install the drawer slides, I’ll put these
lower spacers in again. That ¾” plywood leave a little ledge that
I can set the slide on and get it into position. I’m using those holes that are kind of elongated
so that I can I can move this if I need to adjust it. Now I can take that spacer out. To install the drawers I’m going to shim
them up ¼” using ¼” plywood. And I can drop this in like that. Now I can pull it out a little bit more and
get the next hole. I’m adding some iron-on edge banding to
the drawer fronts that I cut out of plywood. Since the drawers are ¼” higher than the
frame, I’ve got an ⅛” sheet of plywood that
I’m going to use to shim up the fronts. And once I get that centered about how I like
it, I’ll clamp it down. And I’ll secure it with a couple of 1″
screws. I’ve take the drawers out because I want
to attach the top and I just realized a mistake I made. I cut these pocket holes so that I could screw
the top on from underneath. As you can see, these pocket holes are covered up by the drawers slides. When I was designing this, I thought I was
going to be using bottom-mount drawer slides So now I’m going to glue the top down. I’m making edge banding for the top cutting
¾” x ¾” strips. I’m going to use spray lacquer for the legs
and the underside parts. That will be a lot easier. And for the top, I’m going to use brushing
lacquer. I’ve you would like to make your own writing
desk, check down in the description for a free set
of plans. If this is your first time here to Woodworking
for Mere Mortals, welcome!! And you should know that I post brand new
videos every Friday on this channel and I’d love to have you subscribe. And I’d like to invite all of you to check
out and subscribe to my other channel, Mere Minutes, where I post two videos a week. And finally, if you have an answer to the
eternal question, “Why is a raven like a writing desk?” Leave it down in the comments! It will be fun to read all of those. Thanks everybody, I’ll see you next Friday.
Oh. To have all those fancy cutters.
what do you use if you do not have table saw
thanks for sharing your work with us! Happy Birthday
Wow Steve!. You're no longer the guy that makes picture frames and nick nacks out of off cuts. This was an awesome project. Great stuff!
Ps. As I'm from England, we have a saying …. "Should the Ravens ever leave the Tower of London, then the British monarchy will fall" so maybe the Raven is like a writing desk because both are mightier than the sword …. ( Words – Ravens …. Get it? )
Muito bom! Além de inteligente é super engraçado, parabéns!
Extra Fancy!!
Although this is a nice desk, a true writing desk would have an angle on the surface for less friction on the arm allowing for freedom of motion. This is especially useful when writing calligraphy scripts.
Hi steve, what is your day job? did you go to school for woodworking or are you self-taught?
hate to see so many pocket holes,
Would you give me the mesures of the wood please ?
Edgar Allen Poe wrote on both
I am totally going to try to make this project.
The answer to the riddle has to do with Edgar Allen Poe….
Great Training video, packed with Strategies
You lost me at "line it up visually".
Why wouldn't you use a dado for the drawer bottoms? It seems rabbets would be a lot weaker for that application.
hola pregunta vas a poner subtitulo a todos tus vídeos? saludos de Santiago de chile
can you show us how building wooden reading rest
Ivan did a good job
That micro jig thingy looks way too expensive for something a board and clamp can achieve.
Finally decided to start making this one. How many sheets of maple plywood did you you to make this?
GENIAL¡¡¡, MUCHAS GRACIAS POR LOS SUBTÍTULOS¡¡¡¡ había dejado de mirar los vídeos por que no se mucho de ingles y siempre entendía a medias jeee, saludos y gracias por la enseñanza.
000000000000😴😕
Because Poe.
This is more of a commercial than an actual tutorial…
nice pic bro
I wish i could create one, but those equipments are extremely expensive
Did anyone see that the miter saw is made by porter cable?
found the answer. "LEWIS CARROLL himself proposed an answer in the 1897 final revision of Alice's Adventures. "Because it can produce a few notes, though they are very flat; and it is never put with the wrong end in front!" The early issues of the revision spell "never" as "nevar", ie "raven" with the wrong end in front."
if you had to use the minimum of tools, which tools you would shortlist? thinking as of for DIY, with less access to professional tools
+Steve Ramsey
Why is a raven like a writing desk?
They both have Quills in them.
Thanks Steve, after seeing you fanny around with that microjig tapering jig, I will never buy one to replace a piece of scrap plywood. I do like your videos.
Because Poe wrote on both!
lindo trabalho Steve
Alot of people use pocket hole joinery,you shouldn't dismiss it.I think the whole point of Stevens channel is for people of all skill levels and abilities to build something,to create for your own pleasure.Pocket hole jigs are simple,affordable,and versatile.Its opened doors for many to create.
hey steve great video….i have two questions, 1: what is the reason to taper all the four sides of the table leg?, 2: im planning to make this, however i want to add a hutch on the top of the table…can you tell me weather if it is a good idea or not and give me some advice on how to make this and plz tell me how to join it to the top … plz ans me fast..
cheers👍
How is a raven like a writing desk? Poe wrote on both.
I am a high school teacher and I love your videos. Your explanations are perfect for that skill level but I hesitate to show them to the class because you don't wear safety glasses. Can you help me out with that???? other than that, keep doing what you are doing. I am learning a lot from the content and the way you present.
beautiful table, but the handle ruined it…
es como decir – separado de escribe todo junto y todo junto se escribe separado-
Steve –
Is there a specific reason that you didn't completely face-frame the drawer openings by putting a rail above them, similar to the rail that you have below the drawer openings? Thank you!
the answer is: Poe wrote on both.
A raven is like a writing desk because a desk is a rest for pens, and a raven is a pest for wrens
You do great work. How about keeping it simple for those of us who don't have a sponser who sends us hundreds of dollars worth of jigs.
Just one problem, I need a small Computer Desk, with drawers on the side, but I still find this helpfull:)
Yes okay Poe wrote on both, but moreover I believe that the true answer is Poe (or at least Poe as the speaker in the poem) was tormented by both! Anyone who has had aspirations of being a professional author, or even a student with a deadline, can relate to the torturous empty desk when one is experiencing writer's block. Much like the damn bird in the poem pecking away at the speaker's sanity.
what's the thing you use for the table saw?
Thanks for this video. I just finished my own version based on it. Turned out great. It's sturdy and just the right height.
whahjdhdjdhdjd its sponsor by…
the translation was accurate for that!!!…
Both were written on by Edgar Allan Poe.
Thanks Steve………………….straight to the point, makes a change from the YouTubes
where the "teacher" waffles on,
What kind of joint can i use in place of all the pocket holes? don't have all those kreg jigs.
Im 23 and a girl and i know nothing about woodworking and i Still watched with interest This video. Dear sir you have My respect.
Play online chess for FREE ~~~ https://lichess.org/
What are those clamps called on the jig?
Tables usually will only find pressure from the top, so screwing is kinda unnecessary. I like a lot more to use Dowels on top of tables or even chairs.
Basically is the only thing I like to do with Dowels, but for me they work better than anything
Why is a raven like a writing desk? One is written on and one is written about
why is a raven like a writing desk???? the answer is because they both have feathers. you have to go back in time and think of what they had then, not what we have now. back then people wrote with a quill feather and a bottle of ink. so a writing desk had feathers….like a raven.
How to make computer and printer table
I like pocket holes & i also like to put them on the show side.
Thanks, Steve
What's the selling price
Has the table top split yet? Since you didn't give it any room to expand?
NEWB QUESTION ALERT!!!! For the legs, he glued together 1x4s. WHy not just start with 2x4s?
I built one using your free plan and my daughter loved it.. ty for the free plan Steve Ramsey 🙂
Your just amazing
I'm trying to make an L shaped desk that matches my bedroom furniture
nice, nice, nice
Answer: "Because neither is ever approached at without caws."
A raven is like a writing desk because both are written on. Thanks for all of the wood working help!
Really like the way the desk came out. Color is great. Only thing found missing in the plans is a material and cut list. Both would be a nice touch. Also like the use of pocket holes. Great job. May build without the tapered legs though.
Any material list?
Very nice job. I use those drawer slides quite often in my line of work, excellent installation. You're a 10/10
Please the link of drawing is not working!
I wish you would slow down and explained how you did the tapered legs. I am building a desk myself and wanted to make tapered legs. I have seen many videos of people tapering lets and they all use the same method. but i have yet to find a single video that explains how to determine the rise and run for the taper. I wish you would have done that.
'Why is a Raven like a writing desk?'………."Because neither is ever approached without caws." 🙂
Because they can produce a few notes, which are very flat.
Love your channel so much ,,do post more videos
I don’t see a description nor plans. Watching on my iPad.
nice desk. i'm currently creating a computer desk out of oak and plywood. this helped me get some ideas. thanks!
Thats a cool jig and all, but I feel like very very few people will use that over a home made jig tbh lol
¡Buen trabajo Ivan!
If I had a father I would want him to be just like Steve Ramsey. Guy is just freaking full of awesomeness.
Steve it is a great project, but for a beginner like me it would be helpful if you had a material list and cut list along with the plans.
Why is a Raven like a Writing Desk? Because… MICROJIG, maker of the GRR-RIPPER, work safer, work smarter!
Porque hay una "b" en ambos y una "n" en ninguno.
Did you sand all the pieces prior to finishing? I was also wondering the dimensions of the trim that goes around the top and the plywood dimension for the top. I checked out the plans but it wasn't clear to me. I'm actually building this desk as a gift for my 6 year old daughter.
It took me nearly 2 weeks to complete the building of a bed frame. I take that to be because I ain't no carpenter. All the same I'm very grateful to this woodwork plan [ Check Details In My Channel ], it has really helped me do such a good project. The easy instructions were amazing.
I built 2 of your writing desks for my daughter's for Christmas. Made them out of Mahogany. Thanks for the blueprints. Worked out great.
This is a really nice desk!!!
How did they do drawers in the old days… before the fancy sliders?
Where is the link to the plans?
Because they both should be made to shut up.
cute little desk
Very nice
There's no reason why a raven is like a rabbit silly.
Love the desk… now for some home made paper, 'that' quill and inkwell to write at the writing desk… Great job!
They both produce flat notes.
Amazing channel!