Rolltop Computer Desks
Roll-tops popular in the 1870s
Q: I would like to learn anything I can about my antique barrel-top desk that was purchased back in the 1960s in San Antonio, Texas. There are no labels or marks. It stands about 51 inches tall by 33 inches wide. The original wheels are wood. It appears there was a (gallery on top), but now only the finials remain. Please tell me its age, who the maker is, where it was made and its value.
—W.H., Lutz
A: This oak cylinder-front desk is a transitional piece dating from around 1890. It was factory-made, probably in a Midwest furniture center such as Grand Rapids, Mich., or Rockford, Ill. Cylinder desks were extremely popular beginning around 1870.
Cylinder fronts were made in America during the Hepplewhite, Sheraton and Empire periods. Early cylinder desks are relatively rare; the quarter-round cylinder was used mostly on expensive desks. During the Eastlake period, it was used on most desks.
The machine carving, gallery, mirror and use of oak are cues to a date later than the Eastlake period, only by a decade. The castors are replacements or additions. If the desk had originally been equipped with castors, porcelain ones would have been used.
Late cylinder desks are fairly common. Cylinder desks eventually would be replaced by the roll top desk — not nearly as handsome, but perhaps more useful. This particular desk would retail for about $750.
Q: For years I have wanted to find out about a figurine that was in my grandmother's house before I inherited it. It has been in the family for 65 years, but no one has been able to identify it. I cannot decipher the name on the base. It is a lady's head, about 15 inches tall, and appears to be painted ceramic. In recent years, I have tried to research it on the Internet, but to no avail.
—S.C.M., Highland Springs, Va.
A: It is a chalkware bust of the literary character Scheherazade. Her name is on the base, although it is hard to make out despite the large embossed letters. It was made by an unknown maker in the Art Nouveau style around 1910.
Scheherazade is the protagonist of "One Thousand and One Nights," also known as "Arabian Nights," tales believed to date from the ninth century. She used her cunning to save her neck by telling 1,001 stories to the king, surviving 1,001 nights.
A misleading term for molded plaster objects, the word chalkware was first used in the 19th century. Plaster of Paris traces its roots back thousands of years to when the Egyptians used gypsum plaster to cover the pyramids. The name plaster of Paris refers to gypsum deposits in France, once the biggest exporter of plaster.
Rolltop Computer Desks - News
A second bedroom serves as Norman's office and contains a rolltop desk, an entertainment center and an armoire that hides computer equipment. In the master suite, a multi-level tray ceiling is a signature of homes in the neighborhood.
If the desk had originally been equipped with castors, porcelain ones would have been used. Late cylinder desks are fairly common. Cylinder desks eventually would be replaced by the roll top desk — not nearly as handsome, but perhaps more useful.
rolltop computer desk | documents, accessories, putting, provided ...
Rolltop computer desk
Rolltop computer desks are usually made of wood like solid oak or cherry. In addition, roll top desks are sometimes fitted with wheels so that they can be moved around the house. When the top is rolled down, such a desk looks like a normal piece of furniture, and can even be converted into a coffee table. They have raised panel slides or solid ply backs, and can be fitted with additional storage files and other drawers. A door can also be fitted for the CPU and the printer and slots can be provided for putting other accessories like CDs, documents, and web-cams
They also have a large selection of draws to store away books and important papers. Some desks are equipped with secret draws that are only accessible by the owner. The owners are the only ones who know how to open or even get to these draws.
Rolltop Computer Desks - Bookshelf
Traditional Furniture Projects
Many years have passed since that visit, and I now realize that the greatest asset of a roll-top desk is not all the storage areas provided by the drawers ...Popular Mechanics
IM HOW TO GET DESK PLANS If you've misplaced your March 1 980 issue, plans for the roll-top desk — along with the chair drawing at right — are available ...PC, the independent guide to IBM personal computers
The Rolltop is nearly twice as long as a common 50-disk file such as the ... Most people don't have enough room for a separate computer desk that puts the ...Popular Mechanics
HOW TO ORDER PLANS If you would like to build this desk from full-size plans detailing the pedestal and rolltop units separately, you can order a set of two ...Popular Science
Roll-Top Typing; Desk TYPEWRITER SHELP RABBET 5UPPORT BLOCKS ... flaps . and pull up a chair GRANDPA'S roll-top desk inspired this compact typewriter stand. ...Useful Information Directory
Rolltop Desk Works
Hand made hardwood furnishings for the home and office in traditional styling and craftsmanship since 1976.
Learn about Roll Top Desks at RolltopDesks.com
Learn about different styles of desks. ... Whether you are looking to contain your computer with a roll-top computer desk design, or looking to incorporate a letter-writing ...
Roll top computer desk in Desks at Bizrate - Shop and compare ...
Buy Roll top computer desk from top rated stores. Comparison shopping for the best price.
Rolltop Desks and other Office Furniture Products ...
Browse all Rolltop Desks and other office furniture products at OfficeFurniture.com.
rolltop computer desks, solid wood rolltop desks, oak ...
Countryside's rolltop desk and computer desk is solid hard wood. We have a large amount of desks, computer rolltop desk, roll top desk, student desk, ...