Small Computer Desk (2 of them!)

[Sean Wright]

I had been away from any major projects for a long, long time. Last year both of my sons (9yrs old and 12yrs old-at that time) complained that they didn’t have a good place to do their homework in their bedrooms. So, that got me thinking, I could use this as an opportunity to do a bigger project. I started digging around online. I found a plan on Kreg’s site, the “Small Computer Desk”. I showed my kids the desk, and they both liked it. So I at the beginning of last summer I set out to build 2 Small Computer Desks. The deadline for completion was the first day of school in September. It was close, but I made it (desks moved into their rooms the evening before their first day)!

The desks are made from select pine, and plywood, (nothing special) right from HD. The Joinery is all pocket hole joinery, using the Kreg Jig. The pine was finished with a wipe on polly. The plywood was finished using white semi-gloss latex paint. Total cost per desk less than $150.

It was a fun build. Using stops for the cuts made the batch cuts for the 2 identical desks easy, and very consistent.

A couple neat features of these desks are:
The top rail across the back will hold a thiner book/magazine/tablet or cell phone. There are openings to allow for a charging cord for those devices if used.
Also there are 2 compartments (see the finger holes on the right and left sides of the desktop). These are deep enough to hold pencils/pens/markers/or even a box or crayons.
Then there is a hole for a laptop charging cord centered in the top rail.

I don’t have any pictures of it, but I branded both with my “hand crafted by” brand on the bottom of the front rail.

https://www.buildsomething.com/plans/PB3DC397A2732E8EE/Small-Computer-Desk

 

[larry merlau]

nice work sean, now whats next on your list

 

[Ted Calver]

Great looking desks, Sean. How have they held up since the kids got them?

 

[Sean Wright]

nice work sean, now whats next on your list

Larry, Thank you. Its been mostly turning of small bowls, as of late. I also have a pinewood derby car that my younger son and I are working on.

Great looking desks, Sean. How have they held up since the kids got them?

Ted, Thank you. The desks are holding up well. there are a few dings in the pine, and some marks on the painted plywood top, but structurally they are sound.
The joinery being pocket holes, it probably doesn't qualify as "fine" woodworking. This was more of a "get back to woodworking", practical project.

 

[Vaughn McMillan]

Great-looking desks Sean, and nice to see your name pop up. Don't be a stranger. We'd be glad to see some of those small bowls and Pinewood Derby cars, too.

 

[Rennie Heuer]

They look great - would be very hard to tell they are made with off-the-shelf components from HD! Well done!

 

[Sean Wright]

Great-looking desks Sean, and nice to see your name pop up. Don't be a stranger. We'd be glad to see some of those small bowls and Pinewood Derby cars, too.

Thanks Vaughn, the bowl pictures are up now .

They look great - would be very hard to tell they are made with off-the-shelf components from HD! Well done!

Rennie, Thank you. They came out better than I expected. I was more worried about how the finish and the paint would turn out, than the actual build itself. For me, doing the finish on any project is my last chance to mess up a good looking piece.

 

[glenn bradley]

They look great - would be very hard to tell they are made with off-the-shelf components from HD! Well done!

I agree. It was surprising to read that. Great use of commonly available materials. If they are getting dinged and marked up that means they are getting used which is the best compliment of all.