I’m so pumped to show you guys our latest free woodworking plans! I have just started redoing my entire bedroom. It’s the only room I have yet to build furniture for! My next project will be the king bed, which I CANNOT wait to share! Today I am sharing the first half of my new DIY Desk… Check it out!
Here is the desk finished with the additional pieces!
For the free plans for the side cabinets click HERE!
For the free plans for the bookcases that sit on top of the cabinets click HERE!
And wait until y’all see the other half… Well, the other 2/3 I should say. I was needing a desk space with a bit more storage, and I designed this Truss Desk collection. You can build the desk alone, or you can add on some extra pieces that I will be showing you really soon.
Thanks so much to our good friend Jay of Jay’s Custom Creations for putting all of our original plans and ideas into printable plans for our readers. Y’all should check out his site… He has lots of great tips, ideas and plans of his own! I will walk you through the build below, and you can download and print the free plans by clicking HERE or the button below!
So… Let’s get started! Before we do, let’s first talk about this supply list guys.
Six 2×4 and three 1×6 boards is all the wood you need to build this desk. I LOVE that!
I did use my K5 Kreg Jig
for the entire build. You don’t have to hang around here long to know about our love for this tool. Ashley and I both currently use the K5 model. You can find it on Amazon HERE!
For those of you wondering what the heck a Kreg Jig is, you can check out our quick video HERE where we break it down just a bit and explain it’s awesomeness.
The base of this desk has several 10-degree cuts. I made these using my Ridgid Miter Saw. They go into the Kreg Jig like this to make the pocket holes. For the base, I used 1.5″ pocket holes and attached everything with 2.5″ pocket hole screws.
You can see below where I placed my pocket holes for the back of the desk. The pocket holes for the back will face the back keeping you from having to cover them if it is up against a wall.
Now for the sides. You will build two sides that look like the photo below. I randomly placed my pocket holes by how much they would show. I knew I would be adding some other pieces of furniture around this desk, so I chose to place the pocket holes where they would be most covered. You can place yours in the same way.
Once both sides and the back are built, you are ready to attach it. I used my Kreg Right Angle Clamp to help me on this part. You can see it fits into a pocket hole and holds the pieces close together while I add the other pocket hole screws. It’s like having an extra hand which is never a bad thing! 😉 You can see this clamp HERE on Amazon!
This is a shot of the inside of the desk once I had it all joined together…
And another shot of the back…
Some of my pocket holes were on the inside of the desk as I mentioned.
At this point, the base is constructed and ready for the top. Here is mine upside-down and ready to go!
I also used my Kreg Jig for the top, but I changed the settings. Because the thickness of the top is much less than the legs, I used 3/4″ pocket holes on 4 of the 5 boards. Each of the 4 boards have pocket holes running up one side.
I attached those pieces using 1.25″ pocket hole screws through the pocket holes and into the other board.
Once the top is all attached, you are ready to attach it to your base. I just laid the base on top of the desk top. I used 1.25″ pocket hole screws through the pocket holes on the apron boards and into the top to hold it all together and I was DONE. So stinking easy!!
I used one of my new fav stain combos for the finish! I started by staining the whole thing with Varathane wood stain in Weathered Grey. You can find this at Home Depot! It only requires one coat and dries in an hour… Yes please!
I wanted mine to look a bit more distressed, so I used Rust-Oleum decorative glaze on top of the stain once it dried. You just brush this stuff on and then wipe the excess off. Work on one side at a time as it does dry pretty quickly. You can also find this at Home Depot.
Here she is all set up!
I’m so pumped to share the rest of it and the whole room with y’all soon! Let me know if you have any questions at all!! I would LOVE for you to share and PIN this with all your friends!
Thanks so much for stopping by! Happy Building!
~Whitney
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I just finished the desk! It was my very first build! Based on other comments, I shortened the height to 30”. I stained the top black and the body a creamy white. The first top I built had to be scrapped. I made another one with the help of a friend using dowel joinery. The only other problem I had was that 1 1/4” pocket hole screws weren’t long enough to secure the top on. I had to go buy 1 1/2” screws. I also added a hole for a desktop grommet to plug in his electronics. It came out great! Thank you!
Do you have the plans for the storage cabinets
Thanks Whitney & Ashley, Great design. I needed to build a student desk for my grandson, came across this plan and was impressed by it’s simplicity though I was also intrigued by the Kreg jig. I built this while waiting out the path of Hurricane Dorian. Your videos and the videos/instructions provided with the Kreg tool were extremely helpful. I substituted a piece of pre-finished 1/2″ plywood for the tabletop, was a little more expensive but gave me the finished look I wanted. Also added a power/charging adapter plate available from a big-box retailer that provides two 110VAC power outlets and two USB charging outlets, along with a RJ45 ethernet jack. Then also added a couple nice trim pieces to the front edges of the legs as well as the desk front. Loved the weathered gray stain and glaze. BTW, the grandson loved it so much I will be building the nightstand/cabinet next.
Hi! Thanks for the plans and inspiration. I just finished building this desk. I modified the size to fit a specific space in our home. Finish is weathered gray stain and white chalk paint, then distressed it before adding a clear coat. I also modified it and added a drawer.
I knew a few of them from before, but this list is very helpful.. It will take some time to browse through. Yep, will bookmark it.
Love this desk. Wondering if it would be possible to adjust it to bar height (to fit barstools) so we could use it as a homework/craft table? I’d build two of these and put them back to back…thanks for the advice.
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Can you give me the size of cuts I need to make after I buy the wood needed? I’m new to DIY and not following the instructions…!need a few more details. Thanks!!
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