How to Make an Inexpensive Desk

Convert a rectangular table - perhaps a sofa table or a dining table - into a desk by installing a keyboard tray under the top. You can usually push a two-drawer file cabinet or a roll-around drawer storage unit under the table top to keep the storage close by and the office footprint small.

Buy a rectangular prefabricated table top - sold at home centers - or a sheet of plywood (cut to desktop size; finish the edges with self-stick strips of wood or plastic veneer). Put a file cabinet on each side of the table top and, if you have a computer and want the keyboard at proper height, install a keyboard tray on the underside of the desktop.

Opt for a sawhorse-and-table top (or plywood-topped) desk. Screw the desktop to the tops of the sawhorses, which are placed at opposite ends of the desk.