Cylinder Desks predated the more popular Roll-Top Desk. Like the Roll-Top it has pigeon holes and drawers which are hidden when the cover is closed. The name is the result of the "cover" being a section of the surface of a cylinder; its a solid curved laminate which rotates on two hubs over and in back of the pigeon- console. The roll-top desk is a more efficient design do to the fact that the tambour "cover" follows the shape of the upper console as it opens thereby allowing for a larger size and selection of holes and drawers. The positioning of the drawers and holes of the cylinder desk has to be centered in the arc of the cylinder necessitating the construction of a "pull-out" writing surface, another complicated construction made obsolete by the invention of the tambour door. The Cylinder Desk pictured here is one I designed for a customer in Hawaii and is based on photos of a period piece. This desk is constructed using more contemporary dimensions; its larger than the period piece allowing for the use of a modern office chair and the insertion of contemporary files drawers, though this particular customer opted not to have file drawers included in the design.
Constructed of cherry, baltic birch plywood, bending plywood, and ebony (the drawer pulls and knobs) it breaks down into four sections including two drawer consoles, the lower back panel and the cylinder pigeon hole console. The piece was crated and shipped from Vermont to Hawaii.
This is my first blog post. I am hoping to generate interest in my business Jas. Becker Cabinetmaker, Inc. Please take a look at my website http://www.jasbecker.com and feel free to email or call with any questions concerning this or any other piece you see. I work in a variety of styles, woods and finishes. I would be happy to work with you to design and or to price something entirely different. Do not feel limited by or to what you see; more than half my work is custom, items I have not built before.
