Oak Crest Roll Top Desk

[cogar]

I figured that's what it was, ..... but one never knows for sure.

I had trouble imagining a "factory mechanism" that caused 2 dowel pins to "drop" when the "slider door" or tambour was opened up the 1st time.

And I am still dubious about it.

[eagle37]

I figured that's what it was, ..... but one never knows for sure.

I had trouble imagining a "factory mechanism" that caused 2 dowel pins to "drop" when the "slider door" or tambour was opened up the 1st time.

And I am still dubious about it.

I have resolved the problem of the roll top desk top.  The best piece of advice was from "Fred" who pointed out that the "table" of the desk is part of the top, not part of the base.  So, I climbed inside the pedestals and lo and behole, there were strips of wood to which the "table" part of the top was screwed.  The top is off.  And, as for the doubting Thomas, there were indeed dowels at the back of the pedestals.  They are part of the locking mechanism that enages when the tabour is raised and they drop onto a lever. From that point, whenever the tambour is lowered, the drawers lock.  Actually, very clever.  Cutting between the base and the top would have had no effect whatsoever.  Thank you all for your interest. Particular thanks to Fred.  It was that piece of information that led to the resolution of the problem.

Rev. Edward Frost (eagle37)

[konniem56]

I am glad that helped you I found it on a answer forum and thought I sounded right I am very glad you get to move it    it was posted a long time ago

[eagle37]

To assemble there were two dowels in the top which dropped into the base when the Tambre was raised.  .

And what is a Tambre?

Its a commune..or municipality in Italy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tambre

I misspelled. The word is tambour--and its the "roll" part
of a roll-top desk.

[mart]

Youy mean the problem is solved ??  I just got home a short time ago !!  He says the same thing that was in the link I gave you earlier,, if I am reading correctly,, that after all the screws are removed the desk and top just lift off the pedestals !!

[cogar]

And, as for the doubting Thomas, there were indeed dowels at the back of the pedestals.  They are part of the locking mechanism that enages when the tabour is raised and they drop onto a lever.

Well now, Rev. Edward Frost (eagle37), you gave the "doubting Thomas" good reason to be a Judus, to wit:

Can someone tell me how to removed the top of an Oak Crest Roll Top desk?   To assemble there were two dowels in the top which dropped into the base when the Tambre was raised.  I have no idea how to reverse this action.

You implied you assembled it, ..... which threw me "off track", ...... and given the fact that dowel pins are often used to affix top portions to their bases I took your word for it and assumed that was how your desk top was affixed.

Anyway, you learned 2 things, .... how to remove the top ..... and how to reverse the action of the dowel pins.

So, you had a pretty good day at the Forum and none of the lions growled at you.

Cheers

[bigwull]

You come away with some Belters  Cogar....you,re worth a watching......LOL!

[eagle37]

Quite right.  Not only did I IMPLY that I had assembled the
desk I actually said I did: trouble is, it was over twenty years
ago and, as us old guys say, I sometimes have trouble
remembering what I had for breakfast (actually not: it
seldom varies :-).  I also said that the dowels held the top
to the base, which is not the case.  They are part of the
locking system, linked to the tambour.  Well, I made some
new friends (I hope) and may come back to ask how to
put the desk back together again :-).  Nah.  Thank you
for your patience.  All's well that ends well. 

Edwardsad

[bigwull]

Quite right.  Not only did I IMPLY that I had assembled the
desk I actually said I did: trouble is, it was over twenty years
ago and, as us old guys say, I sometimes have trouble
remembering what I had for breakfast (actually not: it
seldom varies :-).  I also said that the dowels held the top
to the base, which is not the case.  They are part of the
locking system, linked to the tambour.  Well, I made some
new friends (I hope) and may come back to ask how to
put the desk back together again :-).  Nah.  Thank you
for your patience.  All's well that ends well. 

Edwardsad

How to put it together again....do yourself  a favour...buy a cordless drill and a box of posi-drives...then the next time you move it will just be a reversal of what you did,nt do last time...