How to Craft a Desk

Positioning

• 1

  Sand the surface of the door, to make sure that it's smooth enough for a writing surface and not just for an entryway.

• 2

  Gather all the pieces for the side frames and sand them. Each side is comprised of two legs, a side brace and a short skirt.

• 3

  Assemble both side frames. Lay one short skirt across the top of two legs. The top edge of the short skirt should be flush with the tops of the legs. The butt ends of the short skirt board should be flush with the outer side of each leg.

• 4

  Squeeze carpenter's glue to all the joints on the side frames, and put them together. Secure each joint temporarily with two, 1 1/2-inch finishing nails each. Let the glue dry overnight.

Assemble Side Frames

• 5

  In the morning, remove the nails, drill holes and connect the lower brace to the legs with No. 8 screws. The top of the brace should be 8 inches from the floor.

• 6

  Drill guide holes and bolt the short skirt to the top of the legs with the 3-inch carriage bolts, washers and nuts.

• 7

  Get help to stand up both completed side frames. Temporarily hammer on the long skirts with 1 1/2-inch finishing nails. Nail into the places, the outer sides of the legs, where you will later screw in the 6-inch carriage bolts. The long skirts run the length of the desk surface.

Finishing Steps

• 8

  Adjust the legs so that they're plumb and the desk is square. Use a level to even up the long skirts.

• 9

  Remove each temporary nail. Drill bolt holes, and bolt the long skirt to the outer sides of the desk legs.

• 10

  Crawl under the desk and mark the underside of the desktop. Position it where there will be equal overhang, on both ends, over the short skirt. Remove the desktop, and just screw in two pieces of scrap wood within the pencil marks. The gee-gaws will keep the desktop from shifting. The top doesn't have to be firmly bolted.