MacWorkstation™ from rusty Office Desk & Shop Scraps

[Trash80toHP_Mini]

Ran across three old polaroids . . . so I scanned 'em:

I found a beat-up old office desk that was headed toward the dumpster in the big industrial building where my shop was located in the old building office. It was very handy being on the loading platform next to the truck bays, with literally thousands of square feel of space that was mine for the use after 5 pm! The desk was a classic mid-century design and we needed a nice reception/workstation for the newer, larger NYMUG clubhouse back in the day. The office manager had a really crappy desk, so I fabbed a desktop, monitor shelf and a hanging vertical stand for her IIx w/cabling access at the back and cooling vent openings cut in the floor and out of a scrap piece of matte clear plexi that I then bent 90 degrees to wrap around the frame, which enclosed the front leg. Just pine/plywood scraps and most of a sheet of ugly gray formica leftover from a job.

I used the CGA Monitor for the evil Tandy 1000sx, my IIx RocketPad and my beloved, long since deceased and lost, DataDesk Mac 101 as props for the pictures.

It wasn't a big deal to make because it was a surprise, so there was no hurry or worry, just did a little here and there during downtimes. Between the desk and a couple of other things I did, it won me the "Golden Apple Award" that month though!

 

[Unknown_K]

Did that affect cooling at all?

 

[Trash80toHP_Mini]

Nope, all the cooling slots were open to the air as shown and through another hole in the base of the vertical Mac IIx holder.

 

[Unknown_K]

Those IIx are kind of rare these days, nice machines too.

 

[LC_575]

There's one in my school's basement. It's highly yellowed, doesn't boot and smells funny (like my rotting IIcx).

Haven't gotten a chance to bring it home, not like i'd be able to though.

 

[Bunsen]

Nice plexi mod! Was the desk leg set back like that already?

 

[Trash80toHP_Mini]

< Dredges up post with unanswered questions while he roots through old threads looking for . . . somethingorother . . . : >

< meanders off on yet another tangent . . . ) >

Thanks, you noticed the bend around the corner of the CPU housing!

IIRC, the legs remained in the same position, only the desktop was enlarged to protect the IIx.

< meanders off again . . . wondering just what it was . . . >

 

[Byrd]

Nice setup. I'll have to post a pic of my "new" desk, I was putting up with what was no more than a solid card table + queen anne bedside table as my primary source of working on computers. Needles to say, it was not that great

I forgot to bid on a desk on eBay, there were no bids but emailed the seller and they had it sitting outside ready for destruction. Paid $10 as they were so nice, got it home, and it's perfect - it even matches my G5 Hackintosh case complete with brush aluminium edges, and also has enough space for my TAM for audio and gaming duties

Next up I'm going to make some classic Mac icon prints (like Susan Kare) ones for the wall, the study is then finally complete

JB