Project: Reclaimed Barnwood Desk - Building Up

Previously, I had ripped the boards to a smaller width, laid them out on the carcass to get a feel of how they would look, and established a game plan.

Continuing on with the build it was time to start gluing the boards to the carcass. This would prove to be a bit challenging because I didn't plan to use pin nails or screws to keep the boards flat to the carcass, and I also didn't have deep throated clamps.

(Above: I cleaned out my box of spring clamps for the glue-up)

You can see, as I moved along with gluing the boards on, I had to get creative with my clamping.

(Above: Weights, or anything heavy, work well for this)

I also had to plane some of the board edges to get them to fit, since when I ripped the boards it was far from accurate. Planing the edges also gives the desktop a more 'handmade' feel.

(Above: A good selection of planes and chisels are always helpful)

As I continued gluing boards on I put a bevel on the edges to minimize glue squeeze-out (and also minimizing the need for me to chisel/scrape glue squeeze-out after the fact.)

(Above: Get rid of excess glue before it becomes a pain in the ass)

Now that all the boards were glued to the carcass top, I had to do some planing to get rid of the rest of the glue, and do a basic leveling of the desk top.

(Above: You can see the high spots getting taken down first)

Lastly, I had to trim off the excess wood from the edges to get them flush and square.

(Above: A circular saw and an edge guide are a decent table saw alternative)

Oh and I also wore some safe footwear - barefoot. Not smart, I know, but it would be my own fault if I got hurt.

(Above: Barefoot = not the safest)

That's all for now, the next stages are planing the top flat, filling any knot holes and cracks with epoxy, some high-level sanding, and some pre-finish sanding. But that will be another day.

Thanks for reading, and stay tuned for more!