Buy Roll Top Desk Kits
GUIDECRAFT Child's Wooden JR Roll-Top Desk (Children's Wooden Secretary Desk & Chair Set) This child-sized wooden rolltop desk is classically styled just like an adult desk. Use it for role-playing with friends or homework after school. The desk is available in Espresso, White or Light Oak finishes and has loads of room for toys or school supplies. Just like a full-sized roll-top desk, this kid's desk has two file drawers to hold papers and folders, pigeon holes, a pencil drawer and several storage compartments.
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Featuring a lap drawer. writing board and a utility drawer, this multi-purpose desk comes with its own matching chair. The roll-top looks great and keeps the desk and contents clean. Some assembly required.
Roll-top desks feature a flexible "door" or tambour made from several wooden slats which, when pushed or pulled, glide along side tracks to open or close the desk. These door slats adhere to a backing material such as canvas, which keeps the slats moving along together rather than wiggling free from the door track assembly. Over time, the backing material may tear, decay or come unglued from the slats, resulting in a roll-top door that doesn't function properly. A new backing cloth can be glued onto the slats after removing the assembly from the desk.
Set a piece of canvas or tambour replacement cloth atop your work surface. Open the roll-top portion of the desk, looking inside for straps or screws which hold the top onto the rest of the desk. Remove the screws with a slotted screwdriver. Lift the roll-top portion of the desk and slide out the tambour, or slatted door, setting it cloth-side up on top of the replacement cloth.
Mark the position of the old cloth, as compared to the slats, on the replacement cloth and on the slats, noting the top and bottom edges as well as the left and right sides. This is important because the cloth needs to be narrower than the slats to ensure the slats can move along the desk tracks. Also mark the basic outline of the slats onto the new cloth so you know how to align them later. Push the tambour assembly to the side and remove the new cloth from the work area.
Pull the old cloth off the slats. If it doesn't come up easily, apply water to the cloth with a sponge; the water loosens hide glue, which is typically used for roll-top desk cloth, especially on antique desks. Wait a few moments, then lift the cloth again. Once removed, wipe down the slats with a damp sponge to remove the rest of the glue. Allow them to dry completely.
King Louis XV of France, also known as Louis the Beloved, was interested in a stylish and secure writing station that could be shuttered and locked. He asked his cabinetmaker, Jean Francois Oeben, to create such a desk for him. Oeben worked on the design for the last three years of his life. His successor, Jean Henri Reisner, spent six more years (1763-1769) perfecting it. More than a century would pass before the roll top desk would make its mark in the furniture design community.
European furniture makers brought the idea of the roll top desk to the United States during the 19th century. At the time, letter writing was the primary form of long distance communication, which made the design of the roll top desk perfect for every office.
The design elements common to roll top desks easily supported the daily correspondence of the time. The small drawers, pigeonholes, and shelves provided storage for writing utensils, fresh paper, ink, envelopes, and stamps. The most attractive element of the roll top desk was the slatted wood cover called a tambour, which rolled down and locked. This attractive feature concealed any clutter or work in progress.
Pedestal desks feature a rectangular top which rests on two cabinets that contain stacked drawers. Each stack of drawers is called a pedestal. This pedestal base is featured in the Amish Mission Roll Top Desk.
Named after the London residence of the Prince of Wales, Carleton House desks have various nooks, crannies, and drawers, much like roll top desks. The writing area rests on legs instead of a pedestal for a more elegant, refined look.
Like roll top desks, tambour desks feature slatted doors. However, the slats on a tambour desk are perfectly straight and close from left to right rather than top to bottom. When closed, the slatted doors on a tambour desk do not conceal the desk top.
The roll top desk fell out of favor in the early 1900s with the introduction of sleek glass and steel desks. Larger quantities of documents also made the small stacked drawers and mini-shelves impractical. The need for more storage saw roll top desks replaced with filing cabinets.
Roll top desks were also known as curtain desks during their rise to fame. Today, the design of these desks reconnects us with the past, which has caused the roll top desk to become a sought after antique.
Hello Beth, I have inherited a roll top desk from my father. I would like to know the history or the desk. I reside in Allentown, PA. My father resided in Reading, PA. These locations are close to Amish country. There is a stamped 1821 on the desk. I do not know if this is the date the desk was made or the number for each desk that was made. The roll top desk has open pigeonholes drawers, and other unique features. I even have the key to lock the roll top desk. If I could attach a picture, it might help you. Thank you, Mark
Thank you for your inquiry. Unfortunately, we are not able to provide you with information about the desk you inherited. However, an antiques appraiser in your area may be able to provide you with details. Just make sure to do some research on having furniture appraised, and make sure you work with someone reputable if you decide to go that route.
Hi Irene,Thank you for your question. You are correct! Those curved pieces have a significant function. They are curved pencil trays that line the central shelves and cubbies. Here is a helpful video that outlines parts of the roll top desk. Enjoy your new desk! =C_LaJI4HbR4
Ms Rice, I am a Furniture Medic. I do Repairs, Refinishing and Custom Builds. I am Refurbishing an antique Roll-Top Desk made by the Indianapolis Cabinet Co. The tambour slats have separated in several places and on inspection, the roll top tambour was made by sandwiching the membrane inside of opposing slats. Do you know how to repair this, or perhaps someone I can contact for advice?
Hello Bobbi,We are not sure what a double sided post office desk would be worth. It depends on when and where it was made and what materials it was made with. We would recommend you take it to a local antique dealer to inquire.Thank you for your question and for visiting us on Timber to Table.
The Amish 54" Computer Rolltop Desk with Flat Sides provides a great combination of workspace and storage for your home or business office. The beauty of the design will attract you to this desk even when there is work to be done!
A rolltop desk provides you with privacy. The option to close the solid wood top comes in handy to tidy things up in a hurry without losing your place with your project! Shelves and drawers of varying sizes are provided to hold all the office supplies you need.
This solid wood desk provides room for all your computer equipment and keeps it housed in the gorgeous solid wood of your choice. The left pedestal opens to space for your CPU tower with built in shelves for computer software CDs. A pullout writing board extends to provide more workspace and a pullout keyboard tray helps you sail through tasks at your desk.
The materials for this roll top desk can be purchased from a mill dressed and sandpapered so the hardest part of the work will be finished. The wood must be selected to suit the builder and to match other articles of furniture. The following list of materials will be required:
Instead of cutting a groove for the roll top curtain, one is made by fastening a 1/2-by 3/4-in. strip 7/8 in. down from the edge and on the inside of the panel. A thin 1/4-by 1-3/4-in. strip is bent to form the shape of the edge and fastened with round-headed brass screws. A 1-in. piece is fastened at the back and a groove cut into it as shown by the dotted line into which to slide a 1/4-in. back board. The top is a 12-in. board 54 in. long.
As both pedestals are made alike, the detail of [65] only one is shown. The partitions upon which the drawers slide are made up from 1-in. square material with a 2-in. end fitted as shown. Dimensions are given for the divisions of each drawer, but these can be changed to suit the builder. The detail of one drawer is shown, giving the length and width, the height being that of the top drawer. The roll top curtain is made up from 1-in. pieces 3/4 in. thick and 48 in. long, cut in an oval shape on the outside, tacked and glued to a piece of strong canvas on the inside. The end piece is 2 in. wide, into which two lift holes or grooves are cut and a lock attached in the middle of the edge. A drawer lock can be made as shown and attached to the back panel and operated by the back end of the roll top curtain when it is opened and closed.
At this point in the construction of the parts they can be put together. The sides of each pedestal are fastened together by screws passed through the 1-in. square pieces forming the partition and into the sides of the panels. When each pedestal is put together the lower back panel is fastened to them with screws turned into the pieces provided as stated in making the end panels. The top board is now adjusted with equal edges projecting and fastened in position with finishing nails. As the top panels cover directly over where the nails are driven, the heads will not show. The upper back panel is fastened to the curved ends and the whole top held to the top board with cast corner brackets that can be purchased at any hardware store. The top [66] should not be drawn together too close before the 1/4-in. back board is put in the grooves and the roll top curtain placed in position. Detail of Pigeonholes 041b061a72