At a glance
Finished dimensions
Overall sizes
- Overall
- 48 × 24 × 30 in high
- Between the sides
- 42-1/2 in
- Under the front rail
- 25-1/2 in to the floor
Materials
| Item | Quantity | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 3/4 in plywood | One 4 × 8 ft sheet and part of a second | Measure its real thickness before cutting dadoes |
| Hardwood strip | About 12 ft of 1/4 × 1-1/2 in | Top edging |
| Wood glue and screws | — | — |
Cut list
| Part | Qty | Dimensions | Material |
|---|---|---|---|
| Top layer | 2 | 3/4 × 23-1/2 × 47-1/2 in | 3/4 in plywood, glued face to face |
| Edging, front and back | 2 | 1/4 × 1-1/2 × 48 in | Hardwood |
| Edging, ends | 2 | 1/4 × 1-1/2 × 23-1/2 in | Hardwood |
| Side | 2 | 3/4 × 22 × 28-1/2 in | 3/4 in plywood |
| Back panel | 1 | 3/4 × 12 × 43-1/4 in | 3/4 in plywood; length for 3/4 in stock |
| Front rail | 1 | 3/4 × 3 × 43-1/4 in | 3/4 in plywood or hardwood |
| Top cleat | 2 | 3/4 × 3/4 × 20 in | Hardwood |
Tools
- Track saw or table saw
- Router or dado stack
- Jigsaw for the side reliefs
- Clamps, drill/driver
The design
Two 22 × 28-1/2 in side panels stand 2 in in from the top's ends and 1 in in from its front and back. Between them, 3/8 in deep dadoes hold a 12 in back panel, flush with the sides' tops and 1/2 in in from their back edges, and a 3 in front rail, 1/2 in in from their front edges. The back panel is what keeps the desk from racking side to side; the front rail stiffens the top's front edge. A 14 × 2 in relief in each side's bottom edge lets it stand on two feet. The 30 in height and 25-1/2 in under the front rail are design choices; check them against your chair.
Sizing to your plywood
- Measure the sheet and cut the dadoes to it; see the plywood thickness chart.
- Back panel and front rail length = 42-1/2 in between the sides + 2 × 3/8 in = 43-1/4 in. The 42-1/2 in comes from a 48 in top, 2 in insets and two side thicknesses: 48 − 4 − 2 × thickness. At 23/32 in plywood it is 42-9/16 in, so the panels become 43-5/16 in.
- Top: two 23-1/2 × 47-1/2 in layers glued face to face make it 1-1/2 in thick; 1/4 in edging all round brings it to 24 × 48 in.
Building it
Top, base and assembly
Break down the sheet
Cut the top layers, sides, back panel and front rail; plan the layout with the cut list optimizer and see how to use plywood.
Make the top
Glue the two layers face to face, keeping the edges flush, with plenty of clamps or weight; then glue on the end edging, then the front and back edging over its ends. Flush the edging to the faces.
Cut the sides
Cut the dadoes for the back panel and front rail at the top of each side's inside face, then the 14 × 2 in relief centred on the bottom edge.
Assemble the base
Glue the back panel and front rail into the dadoes and screw through the sides into them. Check the base is square by its diagonals.
Add the cleats and top
Glue and screw a cleat along the top of each side's inside face. Centre the base on the upside-down top and screw up through the cleats, the front rail and the back panel.
Finish
Sand and finish: how to sand wood, applying a wood finish.
Safety— Sheets and use
Breaking down full sheets follows woodworking safety rules and your saw's manual. No load rating is claimed; the desk is not for standing on.
Before glue-up
- Dadoes cut to the measured plywood thickness
- Back panel and front rail lengths worked from that thickness
- Sides marked as a left and a right
- Desk height checked against the chair
All the furniture plans are listed in the coffee table plan.
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Sources
A BenchRoot design; every dimension is on the drawing and in the cut list as final sizes, with plywood at its nominal 3/4 in. Desk height and knee clearance are design choices, not ergonomic standards. The design was not built or tested for this page, and no load rating is claimed.
- 1.
Chapter 11: Wood-Based Composite Materials: Panel Products, Glued Laminated Timber, Structural Composite Lumber, and Wood–Nonwood Composites. USDA Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory — Wood Handbook, FPL-GTR-282, 2021.
Used for: Plywood's strength and dimensional stability along its length and width from its crossed plies, which is why a plywood desk can be glued and screwed without allowing for seasonal movement.
About this project
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