How to Build Desk Legs

Sand the precut 30-inch long, 2-by-2-inch wooden legs for the desk. Precut wooden pieces are not sanded and prepared for furniture, so sand the edges and surfaces to eliminate cracks and splinters. Run your fingers across the legs and continue to sand if you feel splinters.

Turn the desk surface upside down, so the bottom is facing upward. Place one of the legs in the corner, so it sticks up in the air. Trace the outline of the leg directly on the desk with a pencil. Repeat this tracing procedure in each corner, until you have four squares to indicate the placement of the desk legs.

Draw an "X" in each of the traced squares on the desk. Use the ruler to ensure the "X" is evenly drawn and the lines are straight. Repeat this "X" pattern on each of the desk legs' ends that will face the desk once assembled.

Drill a hole in the middle of the "X" on all the sections on both the desk and the four desk legs using the drill and 1/2-inch drill bit. Ensure that the holes do not protrude the desk's surface. If the desk surface is only 1/2-inch thick, drill holes approximately 1/4-inch deep and drill holes 3/4-inch deep in the desk legs, so the 1-inch dowel fits.

Paint the desk legs, so they become the same color as the desk's surface. However, be creative or bold and paint them a different color to add a level of décor or modernism to the furniture piece. If you desire a wooden shade, use stain as your primary treatment. Use a paintbrush for either choice. Let the desk legs dry before continuing.

Add wood glue into each of the holes drilled in the desk legs. Insert a dowel into each hole. Apply some additional glue on the 2-by-2-inch surface surrounding the dowel on each desk leg. Turn the legs around and insert the other end of the dowels into each respective hole on the desk surface. Hold the legs in place for about a minute. Let the glue dry before turning the desk right-side up and putting it to use.