I am fitting a new desk top for younger son's study. I needed to
allow computer cables to go from underneath to the desk top
and vice versa. I had just spend several days sanding and sealing the
slab of pine and didn't want to cut a hole in it. The slab butts against a
stud wall. Musing (as one does) I realised that a double cavity wall
socket box set in the plasterboard, with the longest side vertical, and
equally above and below, would have room for several cables. I'll
trim a blanking plate to seal off the hole.

Just thought I'd share that with you...

--
__________________________________________________ ___

Peter Scott

Scanned using Norton 2005 before sending
__________________________________________________ __

I am fitting a new desk top for younger son's study. I needed to
allow computer cables to go from underneath to the desk top
and vice versa. I had just spend several days sanding and sealing the
slab of pine and didn't want to cut a hole in it. The slab butts against a
stud wall. Musing (as one does) I realised that a double cavity wall
socket box set in the plasterboard, with the longest side vertical, and
equally above and below, would have room for several cables. I'll
trim a blanking plate to seal off the hole.

So you prefer to cut a hole in the wall, rather than the desktop..........

Surely a far better idea (if you really couldn't bear to cut the top) would
have been to fit some sort of spacer, to hold it 1/2" away from the wall.

In article ,
says...
I am fitting a new desk top for younger son's study. I needed to
allow computer cables to go from underneath to the desk top
and vice versa. I had just spend several days sanding and sealing the
slab of pine and didn't want to cut a hole in it. The slab butts against a
stud wall. Musing (as one does) I realised that a double cavity wall
socket box set in the plasterboard, with the longest side vertical, and
equally above and below, would have room for several cables. I'll
trim a blanking plate to seal off the hole.

So you prefer to cut a hole in the wall, rather than the desktop..........

Surely a far better idea (if you really couldn't bear to cut the top) would
have been to fit some sort of spacer, to hold it 1/2" away from the wall.

Plaster walls are easy to patch up, so why not knock holes in them?
There are already plenty of wires and stuff running through the walls, a
few more won't make much difference.

"Rob Morley" wrote in message
t...
In article ,
says...
I am fitting a new desk top for younger son's study. I needed
to
allow computer cables to go from underneath to the desk top
and vice versa. I had just spend several days sanding and
sealing the
slab of pine and didn't want to cut a hole in it. The slab
butts against a
stud wall. Musing (as one does) I realised that a double cavity
wall
socket box set in the plasterboard, with the longest side
vertical, and
equally above and below, would have room for several cables.
I'll
trim a blanking plate to seal off the hole.

So you prefer to cut a hole in the wall, rather than the
desktop..........

Surely a far better idea (if you really couldn't bear to cut the
top) would
have been to fit some sort of spacer, to hold it 1/2" away from
the wall.

Plaster walls are easy to patch up, so why not knock holes in them?
There are already plenty of wires and stuff running through the
walls, a
few more won't make much difference.

Well, seeing that a modern 'office' desk is *always* going to need
some form of cable management system I can see no reason to start
knocking holes in building walls what so ever - what happens when the
room furnishings get re-arranged...?

:::Jerry:::: wrote:
"Rob Morley" wrote in message
t...
In article ,
says...
I am fitting a new desk top for younger son's study. I needed
to
allow computer cables to go from underneath to the desk top
and vice versa. I had just spend several days sanding and
sealing the
slab of pine and didn't want to cut a hole in it. The slab
butts against a
stud wall. Musing (as one does) I realised that a double cavity
wall
socket box set in the plasterboard, with the longest side
vertical, and
equally above and below, would have room for several cables.
I'll
trim a blanking plate to seal off the hole.

So you prefer to cut a hole in the wall, rather than the
desktop..........

Surely a far better idea (if you really couldn't bear to cut the
top) would
have been to fit some sort of spacer, to hold it 1/2" away from
the wall.

Plaster walls are easy to patch up, so why not knock holes in them?
There are already plenty of wires and stuff running through the
walls, a
few more won't make much difference.

Well, seeing that a modern 'office' desk is *always* going to need
some form of cable management system I can see no reason to start
knocking holes in building walls what so ever - what happens when the
room furnishings get re-arranged...?


sounds to me like people trying to solve a non problem. Computer desks
are placed 1/2" from the wall to allow the cables to go down.... why
wuold you need any socalled cable management system?

I guess it helped sell some products, but isnt in any way needed.

If you want to neaten things up, mount some sockets on the underside of
the table at the back, and make some very short IEC leads. Preferably
including a double headed lead or 2. And get rid of the wallwarts
powering accessories, just run them off the PC PSU with molexes.


NT

"Peter Scott" wrote in message
...
I am fitting a new desk top for younger son's study. I needed to
allow computer cables to go from underneath to the desk top
and vice versa. I had just spend several days sanding and sealing the
slab of pine and didn't want to cut a hole in it. The slab butts against a
stud wall. Musing (as one does) I realised that a double cavity wall
socket box set in the plasterboard, with the longest side vertical, and
equally above and below, would have room for several cables. I'll
trim a blanking plate to seal off the hole.

Just thought I'd share that with you...

....so you cut a hole in the wall so you can pass cabled past a desk top...
....next you will be telling us you have bricked up your windows so you dont
have to close the curtains...


__________________________________________________ ___

Peter Scott

Scanned using Norton 2005 before sending

....that explains it then...

wrote in message
oups.com...
:::Jerry:::: wrote:
snip

Well, seeing that a modern 'office' desk is *always* going to
need
some form of cable management system I can see no reason to start
knocking holes in building walls what so ever - what happens when
the
room furnishings get re-arranged...?


sounds to me like people trying to solve a non problem. Computer
desks
are placed 1/2" from the wall to allow the cables to go down....
why
wuold you need any socalled cable management system?

Well, for one thing a desk being tight to the wall tends to stop
papers etc. failing down the back of said desk. the other thing is
that having a desk away from the wall often just looks plain ugly!


I guess it helped sell some products, but isnt in any way needed.

If you want to neaten things up, mount some sockets on the
underside of
the table at the back, and make some very short IEC leads.
Preferably
including a double headed lead or 2. And get rid of the wallwarts
powering accessories, just run them off the PC PSU with molexes.


Can you run a monitor off molexes then?...

ISTM that first you suggest that people are making a mountain out of
a mole hill and then suggest doing just that yourself!

"Sparks" wrote in message
.. .

"Peter Scott" wrote in message
...
I am fitting a new desk top for younger son's study. I needed to
allow computer cables to go from underneath to the desk top
and vice versa. I had just spend several days sanding and sealing the
slab of pine and didn't want to cut a hole in it. The slab butts against
a
stud wall. Musing (as one does) I realised that a double cavity wall
socket box set in the plasterboard, with the longest side vertical, and
equally above and below, would have room for several cables. I'll
trim a blanking plate to seal off the hole.

Just thought I'd share that with you...

...so you cut a hole in the wall so you can pass cabled past a desk top...
...next you will be telling us you have bricked up your windows so you
dont have to close the curtains...


Coooo....

Just wanted to share an idea that someone might find useful and what
happens?

Gaps held apart by door-stops! Papers tumbling down behind desks! Am I alone
in liking smoothness and style? Must be because I come from a generation
that used some of the ideas of the Bauhaus. Imagine a smooth pale pine desk,
lovingly smoothed and sealed until it gleams. Imagine sliding your paper
across
it and resting your elbows. See it butted against a matt wall glowing softly
from
the light flowing in from the nearby window. Just the right atmosphere for
intellectual meditation. The indoor equivalent of a Zen garden.

What do you want to do? Drill a bloody great hole in it. Ugh!

Peter Scott

"Peter Scott" wrote in message
news

snip

What do you want to do? Drill a bloody great hole in it. Ugh!


Who said anything about drilling holes in the top! Have you never
heard of desks that have a rear cable management try and were the
desk top slides forwards to allow access? At worst it means a couple
of 1 x 2 inch cut outs on the rear edge... :~)

Anyway, what's the problem with a hole in a desk top, seeing that you
don't seem to mind bashing holes in your house walls!

On Sat, 8 Oct 2005 22:56:47 +0100, "Peter Scott"
wrote:



Just wanted to share an idea that someone might find useful and what
happens?

Gaps held apart by door-stops! Papers tumbling down behind desks! Am I alone
in liking smoothness and style? Must be because I come from a generation
that used some of the ideas of the Bauhaus. Imagine a smooth pale pine desk,
lovingly smoothed and sealed until it gleams. Imagine sliding your paper
across
it and resting your elbows. See it butted against a matt wall glowing softly
from
the light flowing in from the nearby window. Just the right atmosphere for
intellectual meditation. The indoor equivalent of a Zen garden.

What do you want to do? Drill a bloody great hole in it. Ugh!

I find it amazing that you got such criticism for this project, as if
you've committed a criminal offence :-)

--
Frank Erskine

I am fitting a new desk top for younger son's study. I needed to
allow computer cables to go from underneath to the desk top
and vice versa. I had just spend several days sanding and sealing the
slab of pine and didn't want to cut a hole in it. The slab butts
against
a
stud wall. Musing (as one does) I realised that a double cavity wall
socket box set in the plasterboard, with the longest side vertical, and
equally above and below, would have room for several cables. I'll
trim a blanking plate to seal off the hole.

Just thought I'd share that with you...

...so you cut a hole in the wall so you can pass cabled past a desk
top...
...next you will be telling us you have bricked up your windows so you
dont have to close the curtains...


Coooo....

Just wanted to share an idea that someone might find useful and what
happens?

Gaps held apart by door-stops! Papers tumbling down behind desks! Am I
alone
in liking smoothness and style?

Whats 'smooth and stylish' about a big hole in the wall?

Must be because I come from a generation
that used some of the ideas of the Bauhaus. Imagine a smooth pale pine
desk,
lovingly smoothed and sealed until it gleams. Imagine sliding your paper
across
it and resting your elbows. See it butted against a matt wall glowing
softly

Then see the bloody great chunk missing from the softly glowing matt wall!

Given that you have to cut something somewhere, surely better to have a few
notches out of the back of the table, hidden by the computer anyway, than to
have a bloody great 3" x 6" hole in the wall!

"SimonJ" wrote in message
...

Given that you have to cut something somewhere, surely better to have a
few
notches out of the back of the table, hidden by the computer anyway, than
to
have a bloody great 3" x 6" hole in the wall!



What is wrong with cutting holes in walls.
Its easy.
You can achieve a neat finish.
You can hide tons of cable.
Its easy to fill the hole if you move.

Unlike cutting the table, where it requires a lot of effort to fill the hole
later.

"dennis@home" wrote in message
.uk...

snip

What is wrong with cutting holes in walls.
Its easy.
You can achieve a neat finish.
You can hide tons of cable.
Its easy to fill the hole if you move.

Well, yes, most people are going to do that, how many re-decorate the
week before moving - more likely the new owner will end up finding
bloody great holes in there 'new' walls! Also, what if you just
simply want to move the desk, a simple job turns into a
re-decoration.


Unlike cutting the table, where it requires a lot of effort to fill
the hole
later.


It's a desk FFS, it's always going to need holes for cables of some
sort, even if it's just a desk lamp and the hole doesn't need to be
that large anyway - in a domestic environment anyway.

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember "Peter Scott"
saying something like:

Gaps held apart by door-stops! Papers tumbling down behind desks! Am I alone
in liking smoothness and style? Must be because I come from a generation
that used some of the ideas of the Bauhaus. Imagine a smooth pale pine desk,
lovingly smoothed and sealed until it gleams. Imagine sliding your paper
across
it and resting your elbows. See it butted against a matt wall glowing softly
from
the light flowing in from the nearby window.

Majestic herds of wildebeest thundering across the plain...
--

Dave

:::Jerry:::: wrote:
wrote in message
oups.com..

Well, seeing that a modern 'office' desk is *always* going to
need
some form of cable management system I can see no reason to start
knocking holes in building walls what so ever - what happens when
the
room furnishings get re-arranged...?


sounds to me like people trying to solve a non problem. Computer
desks
are placed 1/2" from the wall to allow the cables to go down....
why
wuold you need any socalled cable management system?

Well, for one thing a desk being tight to the wall tends to stop
papers etc. failing down the back of said desk. the other thing is
that having a desk away from the wall often just looks plain ugly!


I guess it helped sell some products, but isnt in any way needed.

If you want to neaten things up, mount some sockets on the
underside of
the table at the back, and make some very short IEC leads.
Preferably
including a double headed lead or 2. And get rid of the wallwarts
powering accessories, just run them off the PC PSU with molexes.


Can you run a monitor off molexes then?...

ISTM that first you suggest that people are making a mountain out of
a mole hill and then suggest doing just that yourself!

take yer pills Jerry. What a thread!

NT

In uk.d-i-y, wrote:
If you want to neaten things up, mount some sockets on the underside of
the table at the back,

Agreed.

and make some very short IEC leads.

Too inflexible and frankly too much trouble for my taste - I simply fold
the excess and secure it with cable ties.

Preferably including a double headed lead or 2. And get rid of the
wallwarts powering accessories, just run them off the PC PSU with
molexes.

Again, rather too much trouble to solve a non-problem - wall warts can't
be seen under the desk, and anyway a lot of them here are for phones and
routers and other stuff that I don't want switched off when the
computer's switched off. Under this desk there are [counts] 34 thirteen-
amp sockets, with 13 wall warts.

My hint for neatening things up is to use self-adhesive cable clips on
the underside of the desk, to run wires from A to B invisibly and
without touching the floor. Also, as suggested above, bunch up any
excess cable and secure it will cable ties. I have a lot of gear here
and the wiring is pretty-much invisible. Look at the underside of my
desk, though, and there it is, all (fairly) neatly laid out and tangle-
free.

--
Mike Barnes

"Grimly Curmudgeon" wrote in message
...
We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember "Peter Scott"
saying something like:

Gaps held apart by door-stops! Papers tumbling down behind desks! Am I
alone
in liking smoothness and style? Must be because I come from a generation
that used some of the ideas of the Bauhaus. Imagine a smooth pale pine
desk,
lovingly smoothed and sealed until it gleams. Imagine sliding your paper
across
it and resting your elbows. See it butted against a matt wall glowing
softly
from
the light flowing in from the nearby window.

Majestic herds of wildebeest thundering across the plain...

Aaah! Someone else with a finely honed sense of atmosphere!

Peter Scott

"Mike Barnes" wrote in message
...
In uk.d-i-y, wrote:
If you want to neaten things up, mount some sockets on the underside of
the table at the back,

Agreed.

and make some very short IEC leads.

Too inflexible and frankly too much trouble for my taste - I simply fold
the excess and secure it with cable ties.

Preferably including a double headed lead or 2. And get rid of the
wallwarts powering accessories, just run them off the PC PSU with
molexes.

Again, rather too much trouble to solve a non-problem - wall warts can't
be seen under the desk, and anyway a lot of them here are for phones and
routers and other stuff that I don't want switched off when the
computer's switched off. Under this desk there are [counts] 34 thirteen-
amp sockets, with 13 wall warts.

My hint for neatening things up is to use self-adhesive cable clips on
the underside of the desk, to run wires from A to B invisibly and
without touching the floor. Also, as suggested above, bunch up any
excess cable and secure it will cable ties. I have a lot of gear here
and the wiring is pretty-much invisible. Look at the underside of my
desk, though, and there it is, all (fairly) neatly laid out and tangle-
free.

Every situation will need a different solution. Yours are fine and I
have done similar myself. Thanks

Peter Scott

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember "Peter Scott"
saying something like:

lovingly smoothed and sealed until it gleams. Imagine sliding your paper
across
it and resting your elbows. See it butted against a matt wall glowing
softly
from
the light flowing in from the nearby window.

Majestic herds of wildebeest thundering across the plain...

Aaah! Someone else with a finely honed sense of atmosphere!

Tell you what though; if I was knocking a hole in the wall for the
cables, I'd be inclined to make more of a feature of it. Sometime when
the desk is no longer there, the niche in the wall can be a display
space for a small trophy; like an Allcomers' Cup for wood polishing,
perhaps.
--

Dave

Mike Barnes wrote:
In uk.d-i-y, wrote:
If you want to neaten things up, mount some sockets on the underside of
the table at the back,

Agreed.

and make some very short IEC leads.

Too inflexible and frankly too much trouble for my taste - I simply fold
the excess and secure it with cable ties.

I have a lot of kit - if a lead is too short later, I plug another in.
May not suit the kind of folk that dont have more IEC leads around tho.


Preferably including a double headed lead or 2. And get rid of the
wallwarts powering accessories, just run them off the PC PSU with
molexes.

Again, rather too much trouble to solve a non-problem - wall warts can't
be seen under the desk,

no. I find the 2 problems a
1. they overheat when something lands on them
2. they fall out of sockets, especially upside down ones.


and anyway a lot of them here are for phones and
routers and other stuff that I don't want switched off when the
computer's switched off.

yes, more for computer accessories, ie speakers, scanners, printers,
etc.


Under this desk there are [counts] 34 thirteen-
amp sockets, with 13 wall warts.

My hint for neatening things up is to use self-adhesive cable clips on
the underside of the desk, to run wires from A to B invisibly and
without touching the floor. Also, as suggested above, bunch up any
excess cable and secure it will cable ties. I have a lot of gear here
and the wiring is pretty-much invisible. Look at the underside of my
desk, though, and there it is, all (fairly) neatly laid out and tangle-
free.

This thread reminds me there are many solutions, each with its own pros
and cons. And all are better than stripping the wire back and taping
them all together with no plugs or sockets, as is standard practice in
some countries.


NT

In uk.d-i-y, wrote:
Mike Barnes wrote:
In uk.d-i-y, wrote:
and make some very short IEC leads.

Too inflexible and frankly too much trouble for my taste - I simply fold
the excess and secure it with cable ties.

I have a lot of kit - if a lead is too short later, I plug another in.
May not suit the kind of folk that dont have more IEC leads around tho.

The other objection I have is durability - I much prefer those moulded plugs to
rewirable ones. Mind you anything that reduces the volume of IEC leads in my
storage crates would be a good thing.

Preferably including a double headed lead or 2. And get rid of the
wallwarts powering accessories, just run them off the PC PSU with
molexes.

Again, rather too much trouble to solve a non-problem - wall warts can't
be seen under the desk,

no. I find the 2 problems a
1. they overheat when something lands on them
2. they fall out of sockets, especially upside down ones.

1. not much lands on them when they're upside-down :-)
2. if any of mine fell out of a socket I'd regard that as a fault

[...]

This thread reminds me there are many solutions, each with its own pros
and cons.

Agreed.

--
Mike Barnes

"Grimly Curmudgeon" wrote in message
...
We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember "Peter Scott"
saying something like:

lovingly smoothed and sealed until it gleams. Imagine sliding your paper
across
it and resting your elbows. See it butted against a matt wall glowing
softly
from
the light flowing in from the nearby window.

Majestic herds of wildebeest thundering across the plain...

Aaah! Someone else with a finely honed sense of atmosphere!

Tell you what though; if I was knocking a hole in the wall for the
cables, I'd be inclined to make more of a feature of it. Sometime when
the desk is no longer there, the niche in the wall can be a display
space for a small trophy; like an Allcomers' Cup for wood polishing,
perhaps.
--

Or perhaps a gold-plated flea on a stand for nit-pickers

Peter Scott

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember "Peter Scott"
saying something like:

Tell you what though; if I was knocking a hole in the wall for the
cables, I'd be inclined to make more of a feature of it. Sometime when
the desk is no longer there, the niche in the wall can be a display
space for a small trophy; like an Allcomers' Cup for wood polishing,
perhaps.
--

Or perhaps a gold-plated flea on a stand for nit-pickers

With an old-fashioned polished brass surround magnifying glass mounted
on a plinth next to it.
--

Dave

"Grimly Curmudgeon" wrote in
message news
We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when
the
drugs began to take hold. I remember "Peter Scott"
saying something like:

Tell you what though; if I was knocking a hole in the wall for
the
cables, I'd be inclined to make more of a feature of it.
Sometime when
the desk is no longer there, the niche in the wall can be a
display
space for a small trophy; like an Allcomers' Cup for wood
polishing,
perhaps.
--

Or perhaps a gold-plated flea on a stand for nit-pickers

With an old-fashioned polished brass surround magnifying glass
mounted
on a plinth next to it.

Or perhaps a clockwork animation, like those that some cobblers have
in their windows, a couple of men with hammers and chisels together
with their company board - "Joe Bodgit & Son"!...

":::Jerry::::" wrote in message
eenews.net...

"Grimly Curmudgeon" wrote in
message news
We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when
the
drugs began to take hold. I remember "Peter Scott"
saying something like:

Tell you what though; if I was knocking a hole in the wall for
the
cables, I'd be inclined to make more of a feature of it.
Sometime when
the desk is no longer there, the niche in the wall can be a
display
space for a small trophy; like an Allcomers' Cup for wood
polishing,
perhaps.
--

Or perhaps a gold-plated flea on a stand for nit-pickers

With an old-fashioned polished brass surround magnifying glass
mounted
on a plinth next to it.

Or perhaps a clockwork animation, like those that some cobblers have
in their windows, a couple of men with hammers and chisels together
with their company board - "Joe Bodgit & Son"!...


Cobblers? Chisels? Hmmm! So the word bodge means something
you don't approve? Perhaps the Uxbridge English Dictionary for
new meanings for old words??

Peter Scott