80/20 Home Office Desk

[mercifiknow]

I like the industrial design look. Always have. My current desk is wood-ish. Thinking about maybe going with Aluminum extrusion desk. Does any have thoughts on using the 80/20 website to design it. I’m thinking 30” wide and 7’ long. Not sure about height.

Needs cable management and possibly use a glass top. Not sure about drawers.

Thoughts? Pricey?

 

[ericm]

Pricey?

Probably. But if that's what you want, go for it. The glass top may be pretty expensive too, especially if it's thick.

 

[joe_pinehill1]

if its what you like, and you have the money go for it!

 

[CV428]

It's extremely pricey, even if you go with the lightweight profiles.

A system I designed about 12 years ago had cabinetry built into the frame for an industrial PC and other controls hardware- it was close to the 30"x84" figure you're looking at. It was around $1800 for the lower frame, with gasketed acetal inserts. It also depends on how fancy you get. A good rule of thumb for 4040 profiles is roughly $1 per linear inch, plus end connection hardware, caps, gussets, panels, etc.

 

[loganb]

You can sometimes find good deals if you're in a major industrial/mfg area on surplus mfg equipment being scrapped that was made from 8020 profiles. FB Marketplace, industrial auctions etc....bad side is there will be others there knowing what the scrap value of the material is as well and can take some time to find a suitable size/configuration

 

[qdvuu]

I like the 80/20 idea. I've wanted to build a light duty tech bench this way, including locking casters. Gives you lot of flexibility in the future for moving and even disassembling if needed. I use Nite Ize gear ties for cable management on my lab benches at work. Instead of desk drawers I like rolling file cabinets (lots of those at the used office furniture stores).

 

[Stuart in MN]

Our fearless leader Ryan built a workbench using 80/20 and posted several videos about the design and construction, they may be good inspiration for a desk build. https://www.youtube.com/@thegaragejournal6584/videos

 

[duneslider]

80/20 works great but it isn't cheap.

You may find other brands of the same type stuff at slightly less expensive pricing. Automationdirect is one place that I frequently buy from and they have some sizes of the material in black which is nicer looking in my opinion. They cut it to order as well and have a pretty quick turnaround, usually faster than my local 80/20 place. ITEM is another brand and if they happen to have a local dealer/supplier to you you might get some good deals on cut pieces.

 

[RMERR]

I like 80/20 stuff too. As mentioned, it is pricey. I have a large workbench 30 X 80 that I bought used and made a few mods and added a plywood top. Also a few small stands, racks and dividers. I still have a large stockpile from 4 different lots on CL & MPL over the years that supplied almost all the parts, occasionally ordering a few more brackets and hardware from 80/20. If drawers are desired, find a tool chest/s with what you want and build around it. If you're in a good sized market area these do show up on the used sites and can save a ton of money.

 

[no704]

Where u located? Have a fair pile of that stuff at work. Not sure they would sell it. It’s very handy to have around.

 

[Rccrawlerguy]

You could use their website to design it. Then buy the parts from amazon, temu, or aliexpress.. Save some money..

 

[cody1325]

You can sometimes find good deals if you're in a major industrial/mfg area on surplus mfg equipment being scrapped that was made from 8020 profiles. FB Marketplace, industrial auctions etc....bad side is there will be others there knowing what the scrap value of the material is as well and can take some time to find a suitable size/configuration

Need to check into that.

Aluminum profile is pretty popular stuff for building sim racing cockpits. My cheap Chinese wheel stand is a pain in the rear to move, and I'd probably be better building a full cockpit for my wheel and pedals out of the stuff. But, it's insanely expensive stuff.

There's a sizeable business that mostly deals in industrial salvage/scrap a few minutes from my place, and maybe I need to check up there while inquiring about shipping containers.

 

[mercifiknow]

sorry haven't posted in a while. work became a nightmare and lost track of time. I did look at the website and they did have some examples to work with. I'm going to look into the FB MP myself but think that it might be a bust as I'm not in an area that is heavy (or moderately heavy) in industrial salvage/scrap or related fields. I think it be above my pay grade...but will look.

 

[gahrajmahal]

Merci, back in the 90’s I worked with the aluminum extruded product produced by Bosch. My desk was stuck into a weird corner with a bump out, it was made with the extrusion. I made it quickly during lunch and used the inexpensive threaded fasteners like Barrel Nuts to connect the corners. Then just put plastic ends on or make your own from wood to keep costs down. Menards sells Masonite shelving with coating on both sides for the top, or teach yourself a new skill and cover your wood desk top with Formica. You will end up with a highly adaptable work space that is very rigid once assembled.

 

[zendriver]

They are local to us

They designed a rolling frame for a backdrop, theatrical curtain for our kids show choir some years back. It had to be designed for school kids to assemble and disassemble quickly.

They have the stuff,Tomake about anything. It’s not cheap when most customize building usually is it.

Give it a try

 

[The Metric System]

For ~10 years I had a desk in my garage that was made of 80/20; it was built by a local factory for use by the floor supervisor and ultimately wound up being raffled off for free.

It was well-designed and well-built and had all the proper desk things. Sliding drawers, hangers for file folders, etc.

It was cool, but not an especially useful desk. It was very angular, and all the dimensions were just a bit off vs what they should be due to the thickness of the extrusions. The pinch-style fasteners that hold the aluminum together had a bit of play and squeak to them.

IMO the main benefit of framing systems like this is that they are very quick to build and endlessly reconfigurable. In an industrial environment where time is money this is a big deal, but it's not very significant for use.

 

[wolfhawk73]

Merci, back in the 90’s I worked with the aluminum extruded product produced by Bosch. My desk was stuck into a weird corner with a bump out, it was made with the extrusion. I made it quickly during lunch and used the inexpensive threaded fasteners like Barrel Nuts to connect the corners. Then just put plastic ends on or make your own from wood to keep costs down. Menards sells Masonite shelving with coating on both sides for the top, or teach yourself a new skill and cover your wood desk top with Formica. You will end up with a highly adaptable work space that is very rigid once assembled.

Rexroth. I work for a Bosch subsidiary. There are miles and miles of it in the plant. The extrusion is expensive, but the fittings are EXPENSIVE.

 

[RichieP_MechE]

I used aluminum t-slot extrusions to make my workbench earlier this year. I found tnutz.com to have the best pricing on extrusion and fittings. Still expensive, but I'm very happy with the result. Due to the reconfigurable nature of 80/20, a couple months after I built this, I added a stowable shelf for my new laser cutter.

 

[Jeff95TA]

I used aluminum t-slot extrusions to make my workbench earlier this year. I found tnutz.com to have the best pricing on extrusion and fittings. Still expensive, but I'm very happy with the result. Due to the reconfigurable nature of 80/20, a couple months after I built this, I added a stowable shelf for my new laser cutter.

I also used tnutz.com to build a small table for my garage. I got the black version and picked up a piece of leftover granite for it. Maybe it's a Pittsburgh Mech E thing!

 

[Sweetcorn]

Post pics when you get it built!

I also like the industrial look. I picked up a very used Lista bench and refinished and painted the drawers/cabinet/frame it to a dark gray color my wife likes and put a butcher block top on it. It gets a ton of compliments.

 

[qdvuu]

The pinch-style fasteners that hold the aluminum together had a bit of play and squeak to them.

Looks like it could have used some reinforcement at joints. Here's a good way to avoid this:

Flat Plates for Corners

There are lots of bits and pieces available to ensure stability. After all, the extruded aluminum approach to benches and equipment platforms is the de facto standard in engineering labs and physics labs where high precision is often mandatory.