Desks! What I love and learn

Making desks has always been kind of an anchor for me and woodworking. Before I learned how to use a saw, I saw a desk that an older brother had made for his room. It was a really simple built-in: just a plank supported by overturned baseboard–or casing.

It wasn’t much, but it did transform the space (I think I was also enamored with it because he had bought one of the newest iMacs. You remember the first all-in-one computers that looked like a Volkswagen Beetle?). That was my first interest in building large furniture.

I don’t know that I can remember the first desk that I made, but I remember one of the largest.

This big guy was built as a corner computer hutch/desk. I came up with the design thanks to an executive set that my father-in-law owns. I modified his design to allow for a corner setup. The wood choices again came from a thrift mentality. I actually used MDF wood that I had used on another desk that I ended up not liking. The MDF is used as paneling inside of a pine frame. It’s a cheaper option and a very common board. For the drawer fronts I used pine again, and the same for the window pane frames.

I’m not overly fond of this particular build, but it has a lot of storage and my wife won’t let me sell or dismantle it, claiming that she loves it. So it’s in her office.

The desk below was actually built as a set with the corner desk. It is the executive style and was built with the same method described above. It now sits in my office. What I like about this desk is its surface space. I can put a lot on it; in fact, there are periods of time when I really have to refile my desk from the overbearing mail and projects that get heaped on it.

There are a few reasons why the set was split. One reason is that I like this piece a lot more than the corner piece. I feel like the drawers align better and therefore roll out easier. Second, not many houses are built to allow for both desks to occupy one space–just the corner desk in one room tends to be a little overbearing. (There are more pictures of the build below.)

This last desk is my recent build. This one was a Christmas gift for my son who is just starting to come home with homework. He loves it.

It is actually built around a lot of the same principles as the other two I’ve already talked about. This time instead of using an MDF panel wood, I used plywood with a pine frame. From the beginning of this project I wanted to try doing a two-tone. I just loved to color and pattern of the plywood and had to leave it so that it would stand out on the desk top. It is actually my favorite part.

Another fun part of this piece was putting in a few “secret” spaces, where my son could hide some things from “burglars” and his little sisters. (I didn’t picture all of those secret spots so that none of you could break in and find what he has hidden.)

This was my first time doing proper dovetail joints on the drawers. They worked out okay… I now know why you don’t usually see dovetails with plywood.

I enjoyed learning new configurations and how to dovetail and the two-tone colors turned out pretty good too. (More pictures show the build below.)

Corner Desk