Here are the finished drawer banks, complete with paper trays and the old desk’s lock.
These paper tray fit neatly between the top trim pieces and slide back and forth on ‘Havana Gold’ felt. It’s mottled colors complement the drawer fronts and work well with the rest of the project, not that anybody will see more than a thin edge.
The paper tray frames in their rough state. Take note of the cardboard under them.
I had just finished applying the second coat of Odie’s Oil to the frames and rolled outside to throw something in the bin. I rolled back in a bit too wildly and bumped into the cardboard, knocking one frame to the floor.
These two bins are full of hardwood pellets thanks to my brother’s coworker who remembered we have a smoker. We used them to hold down a lamination of two thin pieces of plywood. One is something I had laying around. The other is the bottom of the old center drawer.
I thought it would be a cool finishing touch to show the sixty-four-year-old markings. Rather than apply Odie’s Oil and risk rubbing them away, I asked Dad to spray on a clear finish. Unfortunately, the finish diffused some of the lighter areas, rendering them illegible.
Here’s where the components from three eras come together. The desk is an IKEA piece left in my care/bequeathed/handed down to me over a dozen years ago.
There’s plenty of knee space with one set of drawers off to the left and out of the way. And there’s still enough room to access the window and to open the drawers. Plus, nothing is obstructing the heat vent.
This cart belonged to my grandparents. It rolled like the worst cart in the corral. The old casters looked pretty bad up close and their outdated bright brass finish wasn’t my style. The cart is in the same room as the desk, so I bought a set that matches those we used on the drawer banks.
