The front of the desk showing the pneumatic switchboard and organ pipes. |
The desk top composed of Bastogne Walnut, Ebony, and Pink Ivory woods. |
Air connectors connect from the small drawers in the back of the desk to the organ pipes in the front of the desk. |
The pnumatic logic board. This is an airpowered computer. It reads eight different sources of airflow which enter through the pipes on the top. The screws are adjusted to program the computer to accept any sequence, or tune. |
Adjusting these screws on the back of the computer changes the tune it reads. It is possible to program it to read thousands of tune combinations. All screws are made from lignum vitae wood. |
When the correct tune is played, air is allowed into this mechanism called the pendulum lock. This triggers a secret part of the desk to open up. |
Part of the pendulum lock. |
Each small drawer that makes a sound has a unique puzzle piece that can be removed. When it is missing the sound is disabled from the drawer. |
The mouth of an organ pipe. This can be adjusted to play any note within an octave. All organ pipes can be tuned to perfect pitch. |
The back of an organ pipe. When the pipe is adjusted to the right pitch this locks it in place. |
All large drawers have puzzles inside. You will need to solve these puzzles to open other drawers or find secret compartments. |
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A secret button opens the center of the desk revealing a checker pattern. If you find a way to rearrange it into a key pattern the center drawers unlocks. |
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I am considering my next large scale commission like this. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions. You can visit the for sale page for more details.
The Pipe Organ Desk
It is quite likely this is the coolest desk in the world!
The Pipe Organ Desk has been in the works for more than 3 years. It is entirely made from solid wood down to the last screw. It features an octave of functional wooden organ pipes. Should you play the correct sequence of notes or tune, a secret compartment opens up.
When you push in a drawer on the desk the air is directed to one of the organ pipes at the front of the desk, sounding a note. Some of the air is also directed into a pneumatic logic board. The logic board within the desk actually keeps track of the notes played. When it picks up the correct tune it unlocks a very special secret compartment. The logic board, can be reprogrammed to pick up any tune, so at any time the song may be changed to a new tune. It is powered entirely by air, and it is made entirely from solid wood.
Hidden in the desk are many other puzzles and secret compartments storing clues and scraps of information for anyone on a quest to play the correct song. This project has been an odyssey for me. I am refreshed to be nearing the end a long journey, having learned a lifetime of skills along the way.