Source: https://p.atrick.org/2013/01/14/building-my-desk-part-one-the-frame Author: Patrick Marsceill Published: 2013-01-14T16:15:00.000Z # Building My Desk — Part One: The Frame Published on January 14, 2013 Over the last week and a half, I designed and constructed a new desk for my home office. If you [follow me on Instagram]() you might have seen some of the progress photos that I’ve been posting. I wanted to document my experience building this thing and what learned along the way. This was not only one of my favorite construction projects from a process perspective, but also my favorite finished product. _First, a little backstory_… A few years ago, I saw [this post on Apartment Therapy]() about constructing shelving from steel plumbing pipe. I instantly latched on to this idea and added it to the list of projects that I wanted to take on in my then—new house. If you’re a home-owner, you know that this list quickly gets re-prioritized in favor of things leaking, mold growing, and whatever else requires immediate (and usually expensive) repair. Needless to say, the pipe-shelving project had been in the back of my head for a few years. About a month ago, I stumbled upon [Jessica’s blog]() through a link that someone posted on Twitter about some of her work at Engine Yard. I then found my way to [this very detailed post about how she constructed a standing desk](), using similar materials and construction methods as the shelving unit mentioned above. This immediately got the gears turning in my head and I spent a few days imagining how I could construct something like this. ![Plans for my desk]() Plans for my desk Unlike Jessica’s desk, I didn’t want mine to be that of the standing variety. I did some research and found [a few photos of other sitting desks that people had made out of plumbing pipe](). Based on these photos and Jessica’s design, I sketched out some plans borrowing ideas from both. Next, I took an inventory of everything I would need to execute this plan and headed off to [Lowe’s](). As Jessica noted, Lowe’s will cut and thread the pipes for you right in the aisle. They also have pre-cut and pre-threaded pipes from about 1 inch through 20 inches in length. ### Parts required to build the frame All parts galvanized steel, 1” diameter and the fittings made by Mueller #### Fittings: - 5 x Flanges - 11 x “T” Joints - 6 x Elbow Joints - 4 x End Caps - 16 x ‘close’ pipe nipple - 1 x 4” pipe nipple #### Pipes: - 4 x 21.5” - 2 x 28” - 4 x 18” #### Finishing Products: - 1 bottle of spray degreaser, citrus scented - 1 can of Rustoleum spray metal primer - 1 can of Rustoleum matte black spray paint When I got home, I decided to clean all the parts and quickly assemble the frame (without measuring or really tightening anything) just to make sure I had all the pieces I needed. The saw and the pipe threading machine at Lowe’s gets the pipes pretty greasy, so I used some spray degreaser and rags to clean each piece and remove any stickers. ![The frame primed and ready for paint]() The frame primed and ready for paint The next weekend, it was time to prime and paint the frame. I reconstructed the frame and measured all the fittings, legs, and connectors to ensure I had a symmetrical table before it was too late to turn back. I put on one coat of primer, let it dry for about 2 hours, and then one coat of spray paint. This actually used up the entire can of paint and if I could do it again, I would have bought another can for a second coat. ![The frame painted]() The frame painted