Building a Cheap and Quick Desk

[Ziggy]

Boring intro (skip if you just want to see the pics):

So I needed a new computer desk for my basement, but I'm not really happy with any computer desks on the market nor do I want anything rickety. To get a desktop with the dimensions I prefer and have it be a solid piece of furniture would cost way more than I'm willing to pay for something that's going in my (mostly unfinished) basement. So, I decided to make my own desk!

The goal was to be relatively fast to build (I'm a few years behind schedule), as cheap as possible, yet be sturdy. So, I decided to modify the plans to a workbench. Mathias Wandel has an awesome YouTube channel and I've always liked the workbench that he makes in this video. Very simple to build, yet very sturdy. Obviously I came up with my own length, width and height for it. But I also wanted a little more clearance underneath on the front side for leg room. Mathias uses two 2x6 for the rails, but I had a 2x8 on hand so I decided to use that for the back rail and then a 2x4 for the front rail. I figured this would give me a little more leg room on the front side and perhaps the 2x8 would help keep everything nice and stiff.

I also added T nuts and elevator bolts to the bottom of each leg. Not only does this allow me to be off by a small margin and not matter at all, but my unfinished basement floor is not any where near level. The elevator bolts are absolutely required to make sure the desk it level and doesn't rock. Ever get the rocking table at a restaurant? It's super annoying!

Anyway, I usually take pics of things as I build them. So I figured I'd share my build process here. This is very easy to build with minimal tools, and can easily be scaled to make a variety of things. You could add 1/4" panels to the sides and back and close it in if you wish. You could shorten it up and add a bottom and middle shelf and use it as a TV stand. If you don't fill the screw holes for the two rails, it can easily be broken down and wouldn't take up much room to store, so you could use it as a temporary table for any number of things. Or, of course, use it as Mathias intended!

Here's the 2-by material all cut and ready to go...





I ripped a piece of wood to get a 1" spacer, and this was pretty annoying to assemble until you get a few pieces joined...





First side finished...





Both sides done...





Got my two rails all set up to cut the dados...





The 2x8 I had was lying around for a while and developed a nasty cup, but would work for my purposes. It made cutting the dado a bit of a challenge, but it came out good enough...





Got everything sanded and stained, and just waiting for it to dry. I hate having to wait, but I love the way it smells...





So the desk top I cheated with. I used a piece of 3/4" plywood and some Pergo flooring that I had leftover. The Pergo flooring is perfect for a desktop, and it was a real time saver. Alternatively, you can just use a nicer piece of plywood, such as one that has an A grade side, and then stain and clear coat it. Since I already had the Pergo flooring, I didin't want to pay extra for better plywood. It also saved all the drying/curing time if I had to finish it myself.

Anyways, I cut the plywood to size then started laying out the Pergo on top of it...


My plan was to cut the lengths oversize and then use the flush trim bit in my router to cut it to the exact size as the plywood. But I figured since I was going to flush cut it anyway, no sense in first cutting it to length. I just let the Pergo at the factory lengths and hang over the sides, then used the flush cut bit to trim and flush cut in a single step. The Pergo was attached with 3/4" 18 gauge nails (from a nail gun). I suppose I could have glued it, but this was easier and you really don't notice the nails.


Then I used a round over bit, which you really need for comfort...





I stained the sides of the plywood and Pergo. Alternatively, you could use edge banding.





I took a scrap piece of 2x4 and measured where I wanted the screw holes to mount the rails. I put in the screws so the points were barely sticking out, then I was able to just line it up on the rails and whack it with a hammer to part the drill locations. It's so much easier to measure once and make a jig than it is to measure each time.





Installing the front and back rails...







Now putting the top on and completing it. Since I have a pocket hole jig, and this is plywood, I decided to just use pocket holes to attach the top since it was the quickest and easiest way to do it.














We don't have a thumbs up or like system, so LET ME KNOW if you like this by posting a reply (you can simply post a thumbs up GIF or something if you don't know what to say). If there is interest, I can post more of this sort of thing. But I wont know if you don't tell me!

[MrPopo]

This desk is far too fancy. A solid core door, some 4x4s, and angle brackets is all you need.

[marurun]

I love almost everything about this, especially the use of flooring for the surface. Not a fan of the deep front, though. As someone with short legs that would drive me nuts.

[Nemoide]

Props on building the desk; it looks good!

[Ziggy]

This desk is far too fancy. A solid core door, some 4x4s, and angle brackets is all you need.

LOL, but a solid core door would have actually been a good option for the top, if I had one on hand. They're so expensive though, even from a surplus store, that unless you can find one on the curb or have one that you took down they would be too expensive to use for this purpose. That's actually what Mathias is using for the top in the video I linked. It makes a great top for a workbench. And even for a desk, if it's a nice enough door it would be perfect. Even the door knob hole would be conveniently located, most computer desks have holes around here to pass wires under the desk.

I love almost everything about this, especially the use of flooring for the surface. Not a fan of the deep front, though. As someone with short legs that would drive me nuts.

IIRC it's 32" deep (and 6' long, if anyone was curious). Yeah, it's pretty deep. But that's exactly what I wanted. For a few years, my computer "desk" at work was actually a ULINE packing table that was similar dimensions. I really grew to love the size of it. There's so much workable area to do stuff with and still not have your desk be cluttered. I could have a few to-do projects sitting on the desk and still have usable space. In lieu of a proper keyboard drawer, I pull the keyboard closer if I'm typing but can push it back further if I want the space for something else. I've come to really prefer that over the keyboard drawer. I can still reach over something to type, or just pull the keyboard closer. It sounds weird, but it works for me.

In the case of my basement, I'm trying to set up a space to record music and this desktop size will definitely come in handy for that. Mostly so I can fit the computer keyboard and a MIDI keyboard on top, or whatever other gear I might need on there. But that's the best part of building your own desk, you can make it exactly the way YOU want it!

I think I might add a monitor riser. Right now I'm using two old monitors, they're 17 or 19" so not the largest screens compared to what I'm use to these days. It would be nice to have something a little larger since they sit further back, but I'll be using these for now since I'm doing this on a shoestring budget. The height they're at now is fine, in an ergonomic sense, but I think it might be a little more comfortable if they were a few inches higher. Then the space underneath them could be used to store things.

Props on building the desk; it looks good!

Thanks!

[prfsnl_gmr]

This is awesome, ziggy! Really great work.

[marurun]

I guess I didn’t mean deep as in back to front. I meant the lip of the table. It extends down a couple inches. Good for banging knees when you’re not careful.

[BoneSnapDeez]

I love almost everything about this, especially the use of flooring for the surface. Not a fan of the deep front, though. As someone with short legs that would drive me nuts.

Just hit the gym and get longer legs bro

[Ziggy]

I guess I didn’t mean deep as in back to front. I meant the lip of the table. It extends down a couple inches. Good for banging knees when you’re not careful.

Ah, you mean the leg clearance under the desk? This is something I've wrestled with. Since I didn't want a keyboard drawer, I wanted a comfortable height for the desk top but I also wanted enough leg room underneath. After building it, I have to admit that there's less leg space than I thought there would be, but it doesn't seem too bad. There's at least as much leg space as there is with my keyboard drawer on the computer desk I have upstairs.

I was also thinking that if it really bothers me, I might be able to get away with taking that front rail off. I think it'd still be sturdy enough with the 4x8 as the back rail. It spans 6' though, so I'd be afraid of it sagging over time. My other thought was to use another 2x4 for the front rail but turn it to the smaller dimension so it'd be half the thickness. Or, maybe I could just take the current front rail off and rip it in half.

But I'll worry about it if and when it bothers me. The comfort of the leg clearance is a little less than I thought it would be, but it doesn't seem like it's going to be a problem. And I've only been using a folding chair with it so far. Once I get a proper office chair with wheels, I'm sure it'll be even more comfortable. If it ends up being a bother, then I'll try something else. I didn't fill the screw holes for the rails, so I can easily modify this desk.

This is awesome, ziggy! Really great work.

Thanks!

[marurun]

I love almost everything about this, especially the use of flooring for the surface. Not a fan of the deep front, though. As someone with short legs that would drive me nuts.

Just hit the gym and get longer legs bro

More like hit the rack in the torture chamber. Maybe they can stretch another inch out of my limbs.