The Woodware Diamond Armoire Computer Desk is a large cabinet enclosing a computer desk. The term diamond refers to the cross-section shape of this particular design which fits into a corner of a room. The doors can be closed completely hiding the computer and then swing wide against the sides of the Armoire when open. A built-in keyboard tray pulls out for ease of use. Diamond Armoires are large enough that a TV and other electronic equipment can be included with the computer to make an entertainment center.
An Armoire (sounds like: arm-war) is simply a French word originally meaning arms cabinet but now simply a wardrobe. They are usually large closet-like pieces with two tall doors to hold clothes. Many examples are very formal and ornate, but some American versions have simple, clean lines.
Recently the Diamond Armoire has been adapted to hold televisions and other electronic equipment either in the living room or bedroom. These usually feature doors to hide the equipment when not in use. The Diamond Armoires can be as big and solid as needed yet still be consistent with the earlier styles.
The Woodware Diamond Armoire goes a little beyond this to provide everything needed for a roomy, low-stress computer desk. And it does hide everything away when not in use, even the a separate television set. This piece comes apart into to parts and each will fit through a standard interior doorway.
The piece can be either in light or dark wood. The inside can be painted and a color accent can be painted on the outside. The lines can be left simple or ornamentation can be added. You are free to suit your own tastes. You can even add an interior light.
You can build the Woodware Diamond Armoire with the equipment found in a home woodworking shops. It is a major project and so is not a good first project.
If you are a person who wants to neatly store your computer away and only have floor space in the corner of a room, then this is the desk especially for you. The following information and instructions will help you build the Diamond Armoire Desk. Consider them suggestions and not commands. Always keep in mind: this is your desk.
All the materials can be bought at your local home improvement store for about $780.00 in American hardwood. It is 60 inches wide, 28 inches deep, and 84 inches tall. It extends 44 inches into the room from the corner and the doors swing 17 inches out.
This design includes fourteen detailed sketches that are critical to you successfully building this desk. Here is where to get all the ordering information.
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You can make this desk by:
After you download the sketches, these notes will help you understand them. The Diamond Armoire Desk is a large cabinet that can be separated into two pieces.
This front view shows the doors closed. Note that the cabinet is deep enough for even a large monitor and moderated sized television. Also the computer sits in the base in the tower configuration. A moderate sized printer can sit beside the monitor.
These sketches show ornate hardware and crown molding at the top. You can choose simpler, antiqued hardware if you like.
This sketch shows the desk from the side. Note the the keyboard pulls out on a moving shelf. The height of the monitor shelf, 25 inches, sets the division between the top and bottom sections.
This sketch is very like Sketch #1 except that the doors are open. Note the size of the opening.
Notice the unusual treatment of the hinges. The doors need to swing through 270 degrees. The hinge edge of the doors and the side panels are beveled at 45 degrees. This lets the door swing all the way open to lay flat against the sides.
The shelves in the top section may be adjusted up or down to suit your equipment. The legs leave an open space in the center for your shoe toes.
The Diamond Armoire is made in two pieces that are jointed just above the keyboard shelf. Removing a few screws allows you to take the unit apart for moving. The crown on the top is also easily removed.
This sketch shows three top views that defines the diamond in the pieces name. The fine dotted lines represent the edges of pieces that are hidden behind solid parts.
The Bottom shows the bottom plywood piece with strips of hardwood on the front and front sides. The feet are shown as hidden lines. The sides and back are not shown.The cable holes are made with a hole saw in a drill and should be at least 1.5 inches in diameter. This allows the easy run of connectors and cables.
The Middle shows the keyboard shelf with the top section removed. The keyboard shelf runs on heavy-duty drawer slides. The space behind the kebab shelf is open but the wings are filled with small plywood shelves. The back and back sides are doubled up with plywood pieces that tie the top and bottom sections together.
The Top looks down on the top of the piece. The top pieces is identical with the bottom and made of plywood with hardwood edging. The crown molding is assembled as one unit and attached to the top with screw blocks but no glue.
The eight doors and side panels are made as standard cabinet doors. These consist of stiles along the sides, rails across the top and bottom, and a floating panel in the center. This construction requires a router table and router bits designed for this purpose.
The crown is build up from a piece of crown molding, hardwood trim strips, and pieces of secondary wood. Good wood is used only where it will be seen.
This sketch shows the panels for the front sides. These are make the same as the door panels but are of a different width. Note the 45 degree beveled front edge and 45 degree beveled strips that go along the opening. This assembly provides support for the 270 degree hinges.
The joints at the four corners of each panel are the keys to the entire construction. There are many ways to make a good stile-and-rail joint. Each takes its own tools and skills. This sketch shows four different joints that you could use. I am sure you can do a good job on at least one of them.
The tenons are easy to cut on a table or radial arm saw. Note the small step to fill in the outer part of the insert channel.
The mortis holes are a little more difficult. You may be able to get access to a special drill stand that does just this one job. You will need a 1/4-inch square bit.
You can cut the mortises with a special chisel. These are now available from woodworker's mail order houses for about $12.00. You will need the 1/4-inch size. Be sure to leave the stiles two or more inches long so that you can cut away from the weak end. You can trim them later.
This is the type of joint you will want if you want to make a classic Diamond Armoire.
The bracket looks like a patch job unless it is let-in to the wood. This is quite easy with a knife and a sharp chisel. During glue-up, place the brackets exactly where you want them but screwed to the surface. After the glue is set, carefully outline the bracket with a knife (utility knives work well). Remove the bracket. Run the knife over the first cuts again then slop the knife in from the waste side for a third cut. This will leave a 'V' shaped channel with a straight edge on the good wood side. Then simply remove the waste wood to the depth of the bracket and replace the bracket.
This sketch shows how to cut the top, bottom, and keyboard shelf from one sheet of .75" fir plywood. The top and bottom are shown without their hardwood trim. There is no easy first cut for this piece.
This sketch shows the plywood lay out for covering one back section and a fixed shelf. The first cut can be made at the wood store to make the piece easer to get home.
This sketch shows the layout for the back and one back side. Note the 45 degree beveled sides of the back.
This sketch shows the layout for the fixed shelves. The shelves are supported by wooden blocks shewed to the back and side panels.
This sketch shows the construction of the fixed shelves, the keyboard shelf, and the wing shelves.
This sketch shows the hardwood trim for the bottom, top, and wing shelves. Four small strips go at the top and bottom of each opening for the doors to close against.
This sketch shows the feet pieces and the strips for the crown molding. Cut the shape of the feet to suit yourself. The crow molding is easiest to build as one long piece that you then cut into three beveled pieces. Take care there you do not put fasheners in the area of the cuts.
If the desk is to be used by a tall person, you may want to increase the height of the legs by 1/2 or even 1-inch.
Also shown are screw blocks. Most are 3 inches long and have screws in two directions. A few are larger and have a 45 degree beveled edge. These brace the back and support the fixed shelves.
The Diamond Armoire is made of hardwood panels made of rails and styles with panels of thin hardwood-laminate plywood. The rest of the exterior is made of the same hardwood.
The back, interior liner, and shelves are made of 3/4-inch plywood with matching hardwood trim. The parts are assembled with glue, wood screws, and finishing nails.
A classical Diamond Armoire would be done in a rich hardwood like walnut or mahogany or even an exotic tropical wood like rosewood. These woods would require fancy fixtures in antiqued brass. The cost of the material will be high but the value of the finished piece will be even higher.
An American version can legitimately be built in less showy woods (a wardrobe). These woods include oak, ash, hickory, and even pine. A few small, tight knots add interest but you cannot cut the rails and stiles from knotty wood. This style should have steel or iron hardware preferably antiqued.
The cost estimate below is for red oak with fancy hardware but no lamp. You could do an American version for a hundred dollars less or an exotic version for several hundred more.
Example 46 bf @ 7.50 /bf Red Oak ------- Subtotal: $345.00
Plywood:
Wood Subtotal: $503.00
Ornamental subtotal $95.00
Fasteners:
Construction Hardware Subtotal: $ 134.00
Finish Subtotal: $40.00
This is only an estimate (made in the spring of 1996). The price may vary in your area. Getting a good price on the hardwood is critical to keeping the price down. You can choose plain hardware and even antique plain pieces yourself.
This desk was designed so that it could be build by an amateur woodworker with a modest home shop. It is not a good first project as making the doors requires some skill. It requires the use of a radial-arm or table saw, table router, and common hand tools. A biscuit joiner is also helpful.
This is not intended to be a detailed step-by-step construction guide but rather a number of points to consider. It is your desk and you can build it to suit your likes.
Look over the desk drawing as decide what you are going to do:
The rails and stiles are the keys to this project. You can make them as simple boards with a channel cut with a table saw or make you can make fancy ones, if you have the tools.
Stile and rail panels have been a mainstay of cabinet making for many years. There is a large selection of tools specifically for this purpose. You can use (1) a table or radial arm saw with a dado cutter, (2) a special pair of router blades and a router table, or (3) antique speciality planes. Use what you have.
Sketch #7 shows four possible joints. Choose the one that suits your tools and skills. Some of the joint styles require extra length for the rail pieces.
The channel should be a loose fit to your insert material and have a little extra depth. In the finished panel the insert should be able to move slightly as the frame expands and contracts. This saves the joints and lets this piece of furniture last 75 years.
The hinge-side of the side panels are cut to 45 degrees, planed so the exposed edge is exactly .75 degrees and fitted with a strip of hardwood also cut at 45 degrees. This is done to accommodate the 270 degree hinges.
The inserts shown are made of hardwood. The boards come less than 6 inches wide and are edge glued with biscuits. The inserts are then cut to size and the edges routed to fit into groves in the styles and rails.
You can a decorative inlay to the door panels. These inlays are available at reasonable prices from mail order houses as a unit glued to a backing.
You simply tape the inlay to the panel and very carefully go around it with a sharp knife. You set the inlay aside and rescore the knife line more deeply. Then make a third pass with the knife, cutting a grove out of the veneer you wish to remove. You then carefully cut away the waste wood with a sharp chisel. The plywood glue dulls the chisel quickly so you will need to touch it up often. You then glue the inlay in the recess.
Practice this procedure on scrap wood first.
On assembly be sure that the joints are tight, the frame is square, and that the insert is not glued in place.
The screw blocks and stiffeners are best added to the panels during the trial assembly later.
The base and top are pieces of 3/4-inch plywood with 1 1/4-inch strips of hardwood around three sides. The hardwood strips are best attached with biscuits but use a wooden spline or just nails and glue. If you use nails, be sure to predrill the holes.
The base gets the feet on its underside and the top gets the crown on its top.
The back and back sides are pieces of 3/4-inch plywood. Some of the edges need to be cut at a 45 degree bevel. This is most easily done by first cutting the pieces square but a little big and then trimming it off at 45 degrees.
The keyboard shelf is made from .75 fir plywood with hardwood trim on the front edge. You should wait to trim it width until the cabinet is assembled and the drawer guide hardware is installed. The exact drawer guide you use may require some custom fitting.
You will need a heavy-duty drawer guide pair with steel ball bearings and very few plastic parts.
The shelves are pieces of 3/4-inch plywood with wood strips on the front and a stop block at the rear. They sit on screw blocks attached to the back and side panels.
The crown is made up of pieces of molding, strips of good wood, and pieces of secondary wood. You can use strips of the plywood for secondary wood. The exact dimensions will depend on the molding you choose.
You may build up a fancy molding out of several smaller ones. If you cannot get or make the molding match your hardwood, you can consider painted clear pine molding. The molding can be a striking color accent.
You may find it easer to assemble the crown in one long piece and miter the whole thing into three pieces. Be careful not to put fasteners in the wrong place.
The entire crown may have to be removed to move the Diamond Armoire through a door way. It is attached to the top with a few screw blocks and no glue.
It is easiest to mount the doors before the cabinet is full assembled. You can clamp matched pairs of door and side panel together. You will have to fit the doors by plaining the them down a little on all sides.
Carefully mark and chisel out wood from the door and panel for the hinges.
After you have made the panels and other parts, mounted the doors, and cut the back, it is time to assemble the entire Diamond Armoire without glue. You can make any fit adjustments at this time while still being able to back up.
Start at the bottom and work up. Install the back and side panels (with doors) to the base. Use a Drill Mate drill and wood screws through the screw blocks.
When you have the bottom section the way you want it, build the top unit right on top of it. Fit the shelves last.
Fit the latches, door pulls, and hooks. A wide selection this hardware is available from mail order houses.
Remove the hardware and bag it. As you remove the wooden parts, mark the glue areas. Mark all the parts in pencil on hidden areas. Give the location and the direction of the front.
Sand all parts.
You may finish your desk any way you like. I recommend: oil stain, a spit coat of shellac, and many coats of tung oil finish for the exterior. I would use a sealer and oil-based paint for the interior.
You can finish the panels, inside and out, before final assembly if you like. Mask off the few areas that will be glued on reassembly.
Work with the stain color that you have chosen. Practice on a piece of scrap wood (solid and plywood). Do not start on the panels until you are satisfied. Do not hesitate to write off an $8 can of stain and go purchase another of a different color.
The outside of the back plywood needs a simple stain and sealer treatment.
A spit coat made of one part 3-pound shellac to five parts shellac thinner makes a good wood sealer.
If the plywood inserts and the hardwood take the stain differently, you can apply a spit coat to only the one that stains darkest (usually the plywood). This will limit the stain penetration to more closely match the finishes. This also works for end grain.
A spit coat can also be used between applications of stain and as a general sealer after staining.
I like a modern tung oil finish such as:
Formby Tung Oil Finish
These are applied with a cloth pad rather than a brush. This desk will take at least two 16 oz. bottles; three will be better. Follow the instructions on the bottle carefully and apply a liberal number of applications on all work areas. The toughest finish is needed on the keyboard shelf directly in front of the user.
The user needs to face a bright, but non-glare, color around the monitor. Painting the interior adds enormously to the enjoyment of this piece. The color can be off-white, or light gray, or even a robin's egg blue. Something restful to the eyes is best.
The interior should be sealed and painted. You may need two color coats. The front edges of the upper shelves should be taped off and finished like the exterior. The entire keyboard shelf is easily removed and finished like
All that is left is to reassemble the desk, and install the computer cables.
Do not glue the top and bottom sections together. Also do not glue on the crown. You will probably need to touch up the inside paint after reassembly.
Detailed cabling instructions and plans for a remote power switch are given in our Web page under Freebies. Make up several cable tie mounts and be ready with mounting screws and tie wraps. The remote power switch is optional but is really helps the desk user.
Determine which leg will be closest to the wall outlet. Screw the remote switch box and surge suppressor to the inside back close to that leg cable hole in the wing area. Route the switch cable up to the monitor shelf.
Install a generous number of cable tie mounts to the back where cables will run. You may also need some at the back of the two upper shelves.
Dress the cables neatly base and table legs using tie wraps. Do not pull the tie wraps too tightly, the cable should be able to slide back-and-forth a little. Trim off all the tie wrap ends. Black tie wraps look best and last longest.
Thanks again for using a Woodware Computer Furniture Plans. We very much want to know how you are getting along with your project and would be happy to answer any questions by email.
If you send us a picture of your finished desk, we would be happy to put it on our web page. We need pictures of desk with real people standing beside them.
Don't forget to order the sketches.
Woodware Designs, jriley@charm.net