Work Desk

One of our favorite things to do is build furniture. Our awesome sister-in-law kept us busy awhile back and we were loving it. She would send us what she wanted and we went to work.  

Off to Home Depot to get our supplies.

• 1 1/4” pocket hole screws
• 2 1/2” pocket hole screws
• Wood glue 
• 1 x 6 x 10’ Pine or whitewood board - 2
• 1 x 6 x 6’  Pine or whitewood board - 1
• 2 x 4 x 8’ Pine or whitewood board - 6
• Finish of choice

We started with making all our measurements and cuts. Then made the pocket holes. 

After that we needed to build the two sides for the desk. Once the sides were done we could attach the top and bottom horizontal back pieces. 

We then added the four diagonal pieces in between those two boards.  

Next, we added the top horizontal piece in the front, which completed the base of the desk. 

Once the top of the desk was completed, it was just a matter of connecting it to the base. I think people often undermine the strength of wood glue; so, remember to use some for extra strength and durability as you are connecting each piece.

It was then time for a good sanding. Depending on the workpiece, we like to sand up to at least 320 grit, but that is just our preference. 

Once that is done it's time to give it a little color. She was wanting a darker stain for it, so that is what we did. If I remember correctly, I think we used espresso for the color.

We ended up using the rub-on method for the stain instead of brushing it. So we dipped an old rag in the stain and rubbed it onto the desk. 

If you do it this way, I suggest buying some good plastic gloves that you can throw away after. 

I was very pleased with how this turned out, especially for being one of our first projects that we have built from common lumber.

We used the plans from Shanty 2 Chic as a guide when building the desk.