RGB Gaming Desk

Video - March 11, 2021

Warning! This video is less of a how-to and more of a process documentary. There’s a lot of talking, pontificating, thinking out loud, and general yappin’. I had to work through some challenges as I built the RGB top and I don’t pull any punches on the materials and tools I used to make it. I hope you enjoy this slightly different style of video.

You don’t have to spend too much time around Nicole and me to find out that we’re avid gamers. Whether it’s on consoles, mobile, or PCs, we’re nearly always playing something after the kids go to bed. And our gaming history goes back to the day we met, which I won Nicole over by showing her my shiny new Sega Dreamcast. A lot of time has passed since then and I just recently picked up a new PC from Doghouse Systems. They’re a sponsor of this episode by the way. Use the code WOODWHISPERER for a free SSD Upgrade. Because I had this new badass PC, I felt it was time to upgrade our gaming desks. Inspired by the trestle base designs seen in many modern metal and plastic gaming desks, I set out to create something more elegant and hopefully include RGB lighting in a way that’s tasteful. It was also important to me that the desk continue to look nice even if the RGB isn’t used, since as trends evolve I imagine one day we’ll all look back and thing, “WTF with all that RGB?!”

The desk features a set-back trestle base that allows for plenty of leg room. The top has lots of surface area for a big monitor, speakers, and any other peripherals you might need. At the back I installed a large tray for cable management. It’s as comfy as it is beautiful.

Looking for the video on keeping panels flat? Watch here!

Download the Free Plans

Stuff I Used

Pretty Pictures

Discussion

Claude Stewart March 12, 2021 10:49 am

I just watched this video and I thought it was very good. I enjoyed it more than some of your other ones. After all I’ve been watching since you started making them so I’ve acquired a lot of woodworking know how.

Reply
- Matt Presnak April 11, 2021 7:04 am
  
  Hi Marc-
  
  Once again beautiful work! Which manufacturer of dato blades are you using?
  
  Reply
  - Marc Spagnuolo April 11, 2021 9:02 am
    
    I usually use a Dadonator Jr.
    
    Reply
Steve Ready March 19, 2021 11:40 am

Just a few observations.

In your final LED version, with the LED strip which emits 360 degrees around the strip, your are loosing more than half of the radiance to the interior plexiglass as well as the other 2 sides of the strip (wood on top and whatever encapsulates, or not, the bottom). Better to line these light loosing sides of the strip with reflective material or white paint to throw more of the light to the table edge.

Also, it may not be an issue in your climate controlled house, but the thermal expansion of plexiglass is dramatically different from wood which is something I found out the hard way. I would expect some pretty severe internal stresses in your tables due to temperature variations. Maybe even from the heat given off from the LED strip. Wood is a pretty good thermal insulator and the heat energy primarily only has the plexiglass to dissipate to. Something to watch out for.

Reply
- Marc Spagnuolo March 19, 2021 12:41 pm
  
  No doubt there are better ways to build this top. Hopefully my message came across that this is something of an experiment. And after being commited to a path, I was trying to make the most of what I had to work with. Regarding brightness, I’m happy to report that the strip is already brighter than I need it to be.
  
  As for expansion, I’m more concerned about humidity than temperature. My basement is a pretty constant temp but we do have the occasional humidity fluctuation depending on the time of year, how much we’re running the heat, and how much snow melt there is. But plexiglass does have some ability to flex so my hope is that given the relatively static conditions, we won’t be in for any big surprises. But time will tell. And while the LED strip is surrounded by wood and plastic, it is also wide open to the environment on the underside. Furthermore, this isn’t the kind of light that stays on for days at a time. I turn it on for a couple of hours and then it’s off again. So I’m not too concerned about heat buildup from the LED strip itself.
  
  Either way, like I said in the video, I don’t recommend anyone build the top as I did. For most people, it’s not practical to build furniture just as a fun experiment.
  
  Reply
- Monna Dingman April 10, 2021 11:59 am
  
  I think you could probably get the diffuse light effect you were looking for by running a length of EL wire around a groove in the middle of the table top & skipping the plexiglass all together.
  
  Reply
David Wells March 21, 2021 11:31 am

Hi Marc,

Are you using Osmo’s clear Poly wax? The look and color are outstanding!

Reply
- Marc Spagnuolo March 22, 2021 11:39 am
  
  I’m using Rubio. Though Osmo could probably give a similar appearance if applied thin.
  
  Reply
glw January 21, 2022 11:22 am

I like this design – so much so that I’m building one myself. In the video, it appears that you put a chamfer on the edge of the top; is that correct? The drawings don’t show it but it seems reasonable to do.

Reply
- Marc Spagnuolo January 21, 2022 12:04 pm
  
  Not a chamfer but a roundover. Really, it’s a question of comfort. What do your want your wrists to come into contact with repeatedly?
  
  Reply
Greg February 25, 2022 1:05 pm

I liked your computer desk project so much that I made one myself. I’m sure you have nothing better to do than read long snarky unsolicited stories from viewers so here’s mine!

As I say, I love the design: minus the LEDs – I thought about it but then decided against it. I’ve used LED strips before and mine started to fade after a couple of years so I went old-school and decided it would be wood only.

I also decided to finally do a project right and actually buy some nice hardwood. Cherry is my favorite so off I went to the only hardwood dealer I know of in town (Tulsa): WoodCraft. I had a gift card so $100 got me almost enough for the top – although just barely.

I looked at the price of the 8/4 stuff and balked. Just like I always do – and started thinking of ways to cheap-out. I considered all sorts of ways in which I could spend weeks of effort in order to save a few bucks. I finally hit on an idea: I remembered that after the last ice storm (about 10 years ago), a walnut tree fell over in a friend’s neighborhood and he managed to use an Alaskan chainsaw mill to slab it up.

It’s not cherry but I’ve mixed the two species in cutting boards before and it didn’t suck. In fact, I liked the two together so I proceeded with my plan.

My buddy had a big pile of this walnut. He had in mind to make guitars with it but never did and I decided to talk him out of one slab. I was successful and got myself a slab 4.5” x 24” x 57”. I was excited – until I tried to move it. It must have weighed 150 lbs.

Us two fat old guys with bad backs had the devil’s own time getting it around from his back yard and into my Nissan Altima’s trunk. Then I had to man-handle it into my garage. That’s a poor choice of terms because my wife was helping. Then it was time to break it down.

I don’t have any tool that will go through 4.5 inches of anything (except a handsaw which I actually tried – for about 5 minutes before saying to myself: “well F- this!”. I sought out my brother in law who has a full-sized (non-battery) circular saw. We jury-rigged a guide and spent the afternoon attempting to saw down one side, flip it over, and saw down the other side and get the kerfs to line up. We almost managed it. We were never off by more than ¼”. I can hear your eyerolls from here.

Funny thing: the slab never seemed to get any lighter – perhaps because at each flip, we got more tired. But in the end, I had a bunch of walnut 2x4s. He has a small job-site table saw but this slab is bigger and heavier than it is so we didn’t use it.

Then I had to plane them. Luckily I have a nice planer whch, surprisingly, does not snipe the ends. I’ve never tried to figure out why, I just take it with thanks. That was a nice big job too since that wood is still heavy and there was lots of it. I was using my shopvac with a dust deputy attached to collect the chips and that filled several times. Fun fact: in the winter, the static builds up in and around that thing so when I take the lid off, little shavings jump out of there like popcorn. Ultimately I ended up with a 35 gallon trash can full of shavings and that’s just what I remember.

Then started the real woodworking. I had the customary and expected moment of blind fury at your use of a Festool Domino and then moved on with my life, opting for classical mortise and tenon joints. Never again – I remembered why I hate them. Tenons are no big deal; they are easy to cut. But digging out mortises – that actually fit – in wood that’s as hard as stone has cured me of the romance of hand-tool mortising. Of course that’s why the Domino was invented but I resent Festool’s attitude: “You want a solution – give us your first-born child! Bwa Ha Ha Ha!”. Halfway through that process, I bought a garden-variety doweling jig and actually completed the joinery in this century. Nobody else has to know.

I had one of those teeny sample-sized cans of Osmo Polyx and had experimented with it on walnut before and so used that and it turned out beautiful. The cherry top looks equally as stunning although I used some polyurethane on it since it’s a desktop and although repairing scuffed oil finishes is easy I’d prefer to have something a bit more coffee-proof. The two together look just as awesome as I’d hoped. I’m thrilled.

So… I just wanted to say thanks for the free plan – it turned out great even if I didn’t include the LEDs.

Reply
Ron R Carlson (meandmtf) March 22, 2022 10:10 pm

Hi Marc,
you’ve had the RGB Game Table for a while now. how is it holding up? did you have any issues with expansion or separation? my daughter is getting married soon (a year or so away). I would love to build this for them as they are both gamers, and would appreciate your design. If you had any problems, how did you deal with them?
Thanks for your generosity in teaching.

Reply
- Marc Spagnuolo March 24, 2022 10:46 am
  
  Mine are holding up fine so far, but I live in a very dry and fairly stable humidity environment. I did hear from one guy that built the tops for a friend. Apparently they kept the LEDs on almost constantly and the constant heat accelerated the drying around the lights. All hell broke loose. So it’s still a very risky design and if you aren’t sure about the humidity levels and the LED usage, you might not want to go through the trouble making it.
  
  Reply
Miles Williams August 21, 2023 8:05 pm

Have you had any issues banging your knees on the trestle? I guess as a gaming desk you don’t normally sit all that close.

As always thanks for the great content and the free plans! Love your work!

Reply
- Marc Spagnuolo August 22, 2023 9:18 am
  
  No it’s never been an issue, thankfully.
  
  Reply

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RGB Gaming Desk

Download the Free Plans

Stuff I Used

Pretty Pictures

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