A Do-It-Yourself Desk Idea

Place two identical two- or three-drawer filing cabinets in the area where you want the desk to be. Space them a few feet away from each other, allowing for enough room for a chair and some leg room between them. Small bookcases can also be used for this purpose -- simply face them away from each other, facing outwards from the ends of the desk. These will form the base for the desk.

Measure the overall length and width of the desktop area by measuring across the area from the outsides of the cabinets or bookcases. The width of the desk is determined by the depth of the cabinets (from front to back).

Mark the measurements onto a piece of plywood or wood board at least 3/4" inch thick. Cut the board to those measurements using a saw.

Sand any rough spots away on the board using 80-grit sandpaper. Sand again using a finer grade sandpaper -- 200 grit or above -- to bring the board to a smooth finish. The finer the sandpaper, the smoother the finish. Apply paint or polyurethane if desired.

Place the board on top of the cabinets or bookcases, making sure the edges of the board are lined up with the cabinets.

Screw the desktop down onto the cabinets or bookcases using 1" or 1-1/4" screws, depending on the thickness of the board used. These screws can be countersunk and putty applied to the holes to hide them if desired.