Building my own gaming desk

durfsmurf · Post by **durfsmurf** » Wed Aug 12, 2015 9:35 am

I was following some posts in Reddit about gaming desks, someone suggested I ask here.
I'd like to build my own desk but don't have a workshop. Someone on /r/battlestations suggested something called the "fitz kits console" (it won't let me link here apparently) but I was just wondering whether people here had experience with pipe desks and could make recommendtaions.

miltonite · Post by **miltonite** » Wed Aug 12, 2015 9:49 am

What kind of desk are we talking about? Is this a PC desk or like a tabletop game desk? (although I am not sure why you would want to play tabletop games at a desk all alone)

Also I am going to ask, Are you a bot?

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Wed Aug 12, 2015 9:58 am

Looked it up. Looks like a real product, with Reddit discussion going back a couple of years.

Link

Looks like you could make some interesting (PC) gaming desks with this.

durfsmurf · Post by **durfsmurf** » Wed Aug 12, 2015 10:08 am

miltonite wrote:What kind of desk are we talking about? Is this a PC desk or like a tabletop game desk? (although I am not sure why you would want to play tabletop games at a desk all alone)

Also I am going to ask, Are you a bot?

Lol I'm not a bot... although that's just what a bot would say.

And yeah I meant a pc desk, not tabletop gaming. I was just wondering if someone had an idea for easy ways to build a custom desk. I first looked at trying to piece together various Ikea parts, but the closest Ikea is like 2 hours away from me.

wonderpug · Post by **wonderpug** » Wed Aug 12, 2015 10:22 am

durfsmurf wrote:
miltonite wrote:What kind of desk are we talking about? Is this a PC desk or like a tabletop game desk? (although I am not sure why you would want to play tabletop games at a desk all alone)

Also I am going to ask, Are you a bot?
Lol I'm not a bot... although that's just what a bot would say.

Just to be sure, can you write down what word you see here?

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Wed Aug 12, 2015 10:54 am

durfsmurf wrote:I was following some posts in Reddit about gaming desks, someone suggested I ask here.
I'd like to build my own desk but don't have a workshop. Someone on /r/battlestations suggested something called the "fitz kits console" (it won't let me link here apparently) but I was just wondering whether people here had experience with pipe desks and could make recommendtaions.

10 posts at minimum before you can link yourself. And we currently have an issue where naked links get scrubbed, so make sure to use the [URL ] button.

Zarathud · Post by **Zarathud** » Wed Aug 12, 2015 11:16 am

Klee Klamps and industrial butcher block.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Wed Aug 12, 2015 11:23 am

Kee Klamp?

AWS260 · Post by **AWS260** » Wed Aug 12, 2015 12:14 pm

Klee Klumps.

LawBeefaroni · Post by **LawBeefaroni** » Wed Aug 12, 2015 12:36 pm

durfsmurf wrote:
And yeah I meant a pc desk, not tabletop gaming. I was just wondering if someone had an idea for easy ways to build a custom desk. I first looked at trying to piece together various Ikea parts, but the closest Ikea is like 2 hours away from me.

It depends what you're trying to do. I just have a flat desk for gaming but then I just have a box, monitor, keyboard, and mouse. My only customization are hooks to hang headphones and a gamepad on.

OTOH, a friend of mine uses 4 huge monitors, a touch screen, midi controllers, music keyboards, a mixing board, etc. He has a ton of those Fitz Kits things (or something similar) as well as multiple sliding drawers for the keyboards. He even has LED lights embedded all over the place so he can see the mixing controls without having to have the lights on.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Wed Aug 12, 2015 12:51 pm

If I had the money, my gaming desk would look like mission control meets the Enterprise.

As it is, my gaming desk looks like 15-year-old pressed wood desk from OfficeMax with a peeling surface and chipped corners.

The Fitz Kits do look cool, though.

stessier · Post by **stessier** » Wed Aug 12, 2015 2:29 pm

If you use multi-monitors, this one looks pretty cool - and it costs about as much as my boring Staples wood/laminate desk.

As for the original question of making one myself, sorry I got nothing.

Edit: Oh, the desks don't come with the wood tops - you have to buy those separately. Bet that adds a fair bit to the cost.

LawBeefaroni · Post by **LawBeefaroni** » Wed Aug 12, 2015 2:36 pm

stessier wrote:If you use multi-monitors, this one looks pretty cool - and it costs about as much as my boring Staples wood/laminate desk.

It doesn't come with the wood though. Probably and extra $100 or so.

durfsmurf · Post by **durfsmurf** » Wed Aug 12, 2015 4:56 pm

stessier wrote:If you use multi-monitors, this one looks pretty cool - and it costs about as much as my boring Staples wood/laminate desk.

As for the original question of making one myself, sorry I got nothing.

Edit: Oh, the desks don't come with the wood tops - you have to buy those separately. Bet that adds a fair bit to the cost.

Ok, after looking at that listing I actually poked around Reddit more and apparently there is a subreddit for it, /r/fitzkits. It looks like the pieces of wood they say to get are around $50 total, I think. I probably won't paint or stain them at first.

I like the Kee Klamp as well (what the above posters mentioned) but it looks like it would cost like $500 for a similar amount of parts.

I was originally looking at black plumbing pipe, it's around $190 for pipe for the frame, although i'd have to also get a pipe threader and something to keep the pipe from tearing up the floor. It just seems like more hassle than I feel like dealing with. I've never installed plumbing before so I've never cut/threaded iron pipe.

Cylus Maxii · Post by **Cylus Maxii** » Thu Aug 13, 2015 11:13 am

I'm currently gaming on a folding plastic banquet table. Once we get the basement re-arranged I will also be building a PC gaming desk. Right now, I think I'll be doing a pipe desk, but out of black plastic pipe vs. metal. Heck, I may use white PVC Schedule 40 pipe since I will likely paint it anyway. The top will probably be some center island surface materials from IKEA kitchen. Alternately, I may go whole hog ordering a more expensive custom hardwood butcher block top.

Zarathud · Post by **Zarathud** » Thu Aug 13, 2015 11:43 am

I picked up an industrial workbench butcher block from Home Depot that is solid and much less expensive than "countertop" surface quality. It wasn't sealed as well, but I'm not preparing food on it.

Holman · Post by **Holman** » Thu Oct 22, 2015 8:20 am

My computer desk is a door-sized slab of oak that I sanded and stained 20 years ago, set on two sturdy plastic sawhorses. Works great and still perfect.

Giles Habibula · Post by **Giles Habibula** » Sat Nov 07, 2015 4:06 am

durfsmurf wrote:... I've never installed plumbing before so I've never cut/threaded iron pipe.

Having owned a drycleaners many years ago, I have cut and threaded a lot of black pipe (iron), and unless you've got a nice workshop with a solid vice, I wouldn't recommend it. Even with a good vice, the cutting is relatively straightforward, but the threading is a LOT of work. And the larger the diameter pipe, the amount of work increases exponentially. Anything over 1" diameter is going to be a beast to thread. And even a manual threader is fairly expensive. There are also power threaders, but they are very expensive, so I've never used one.

That said, if you have your measurements ready, you could probably find a plumbing shop to do all of that work for you (cutting and threading), and it wouldn't cost that much.

Zarathud · Post by **Zarathud** » Mon Nov 09, 2015 11:49 pm

The nice thing about the expensive Klee Klamps is that threading is not necessary. And it's solid as hell.

Moliere · Post by **Moliere** » Sun Mar 17, 2024 6:24 pm

Blackhawk wrote: ↑Wed Aug 12, 2015 12:51 pm my gaming desk looks like 15-year-old pressed wood desk from OfficeMax with a peeling surface and chipped corners.

Pressed wood from Office Max? Check. 15 years old? Probably closer to 20, but check. Peeling surface? Check. Chipped corners? Every one of them.

Blackhawk wrote: ↑Wed Aug 12, 2015 12:51 pm The Fitz Kits do look cool, though.

It looks like this website has gone out of business since this thread was created 9 years ago.

Any updated information on where to buy a nice gaming desk? I am looking for an L shape that can handle the gaming desktop with 2 monitors on one side and the work laptop with 2 more monitors on the other side. I would guess shelves for the controllers and other computer paraphernalia would be a nice upgrade instead of the portable shelf on the floor.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Sun Mar 17, 2024 11:46 pm

I replaced that monster L-shaped desk a couple of years ago. It lasted 20 years, and while the top was awful by the end, it was an inch thick, rock-solid, and weighed a ton. It easily held two gaming PCs on opposite 'wings', one with two monitors from back in the CRT days. Today I have a plain old fashioned computer desk. No monitor stand, no keyboard tray, no drawers, just legs and a flat surface, rectangular, about 2 1/2' by 4 1/2 feet. I use a clamp-on monitor arm for my two monitors (which I highly recommend for any desk these days.)

I don't remember anything about that link (nine years is a long time), but it seems to have been run by this guy. Here's an example build.

I have no idea what the good sources for desks are these days, but my impression is that if you want a good quality larger desk, you may need to get away from computer desks/office supply stores/gaming companies and look for products marketed to businesses. Cheap and visually impressive seems to be the rule these days.

Moliere · Post by **Moliere** » Thu Mar 21, 2024 10:40 am

Key features
Bundle includes: 72W Narrow Desk Shell, 71W Hutch for Narrow Desk Shell, 60W Return Table, 16W Add-On Pedestal with 3 Drawers, Keyboard Tray and CPU Stand
Commercial-grade particle board work surface is compliant with TSCA Title VI and has a durable melamine finish that resists scratches, stains, and wear
1-inch thick desktop with shock resistant PVC edge detail provides a sturdy surface to work on
L-Shaped Desk surface offers space to spread out, and 2 grommets and 1 rubber strip for efficient wire management
Pedestal features 2 box drawers and 1 file drawer that accepts legal, letter, and A4-size paperwork; one lock secures bottom two drawers
Hutch has 2 large storage compartments behind 2 flip up doors and 2 large paper shelves
Keyboard tray on ¾ extension ball-bearing slides allows for utmost comfort and flexibility when working
Fully reversible unit with a finished back; assembly required (2 people recommended)
Backed by the Bestar 10 Year Manufacturer‘s Warranty; Credenza, Return Table, and Hutch meet ANSI/BIFMA quality standards for safety and performance
North American made with local and imported parts

I don't look forward to the assembly next week.

Moliere · Post by **Moliere** » Tue Apr 16, 2024 4:20 pm

The long piece under the hutch arrived broken so I had to wait 2 weeks for a replacement to be sent. I probably spent close to 15 hours assembling this desk, mostly by myself. The directions were tolerable, though tedious. I am still rearranging the office space with the new desk. Overall I am happy with the results.

Kurth · Post by **Kurth** » Sun May 19, 2024 11:04 pm

Moliere wrote: ↑Tue Apr 16, 2024 4:20 pm The long piece under the hutch arrived broken so I had to wait 2 weeks for a replacement to be sent. I probably spent close to 15 hours assembling this desk, mostly by myself. The directions were tolerable, though tedious. I am still rearranging the office space with the new desk. Overall I am happy with the results.

That looks nice, but does the hutch on the one side give you enough clearance for the monitors you wanted to mount there?

miltonite · Post by **miltonite** » Sun Jun 23, 2024 4:57 am

I just got a new desk and now use my older desk as my work desk. I have them configured in a L shape. I really need to fix up the cables, they are a mess currently.
The new desk is a butcher block from a local hard ware store. One side has legs that were made from a 2x4 and the other side is secured onto a section of the 2x4 that is secured to the wall. This desk is huge and bomb proof. The butcher block is 39"x74".
My brother is the one the built it. He had to assemble it in the room. There is no way we could have gotten it in my office fully assembled.

Octopus Overlords