Modern Desk

I made this modern desk using walnut for the legs, a spalted maple desktop, and Blum soft-close drawer slides. The desktop was made using two slabs of spalted maple attached to the carcass with dados. This is the perfect DIY desk project for any woodworking enthusiast.

A lot of thought went into the design of this modern desk and how the desk would sit in an open space or butted up against a wall. With more people working from home offices, a custom desk is in pretty high demand. This piece is unique enough that it's sure to be a talking point in anyone's home office, but it still fills the need for function from the user. This project's build process includes many steps, but I tried to be as thorough as possible in the video to explain each one. I enjoyed trying some new techniques in this build that boosted my confidence for other projects moving forward. New skills and techniques are what make better craftsmen (or women). And if you have any questions, I'd be happy to answer them in the comments. Enjoy the build!

Supplies

• Hardwood Lumber of your choice
• Plywood
• Table saw
• Track saw
• Jig saw
• Band saw
• Miter Gauge
• Crosscut Sled
• Dado Stack
• Drill
• Screws
• Drawer Slides
• Dominos or Dowels
• Wood Glue
• Router and Bits
• Sander and Sand Paper
• Finish

Step 1: Mill the Lumber for the Legs and Cut Out the Legs

1. Rough cut some 8/4 lumber to rough length for the legs.
2. Mill the boards using a jointer and planer.
3. Cut a clean edge on the final rough side at the table saw.
4. Rip the boards into blanks.
5. Rough cut out the miter cuts for the legs.
6. Cut the miter angles at the table saw using a miter gauge.
7. With the first angle cut, use the template to mark a final length for the top of the leg.

Step 2: Assemble Desk Legs

1. Mark out the placement for the dominos.
   • You can use dowels here.
2. Plunge the mortises.
3. Glue up the leg joints.
   • Use blue tape and CA glue to attach the off-cuts from the leg miters to get even clamping pressure.

Step 3: Route the Legs

1. Attach the template to the legs and route in the rounded corners of the legs.
2. Remove the template and follow the cut with a flush trim bit to remove the remaining material.
3. Repeat the process for the outside curves.
4. At the router table, round over all of the edges of the leg assemblies.

Step 4: Mill the Slabs for the Desktop

1. Cut one edge using the track saw.
2. Plane the slabs.
   • I used a drum sander here to remove any uneven spots since these boards would not fit in my planer and they were already pretty flat.
3. Square up the other edge at the table saw.

Step 5: Assemble the Desktop

1. Plow mortises using a domino into the boards.
   • This will help keep the boards aligned during glue-up but isn't 100% necessary.
2. Apply a liberal amount of glue and join the boards together.

Step 6: Make the Desktop

1. Cut the ends of the desktop square with a track saw.
2. Use a jigsaw to cut away the bulk of the material for the curved front.
3. Use a flush-trim bit in the router to cut away the remaining stock by following the template.
   • Being that the top is pretty thick, I did this in two passes.
4. Cut the first half of the curve then flip the template and cut the other side.
5. Clean up the glue joint with a card scraper.
6. Mark out the placement for the dados.
7. Connect your router to a track saw guide rail and plunge four ⅛” dados into the bottom of the desktop.
8. Use a chisel to clean up the rounded cuts left by the router bit.
9. Chamfer the bottom edge using a 45 degree chamfer bit to lighten the look of the desktop.

Step 7: Make the Drawer Carcass

1. Use a crosscut sled at the table saw and cut the sections out to rough length.
2. Cut in the miters for the bottom.
   • Sneak up on these cuts and match them to the exact width of the 2 farthest dado cuts in the desktop.
   • Use blue painter’s tape to avoid tear out.
3. Cut the miters in the oversized ends of the carcass.
4. Using a dado stack, cut dados for the vertical partitions for the shelf supports.
5. Plow dados into the vertical supports for the middle shelf.
6. Cut a rabbet into the back of the carcass.
7. Glue the carcass together.

Step 8: Assemble the Drawer Carcass

1. Cut the vertical partitions to their final dimension.
   • They are a quarter-inch shorter than the carcass ends to allow for a secure cap to be attached to the back of the desk.
2. Assemble and glue.
3. Cut out the center shelf.
4. Glue the center shelf in place.

Step 9: Make the Stretcher

1. Cut out the stretcher to size.
2. Mark out the placement for the dominos being sure to measure from the center and foot of the rear leg.
   • To cut in the dominos, I used a strip of plywood and some double stick tape. This allowed me to reference the square strip and plunge the mortise accurately.
3. Plunge the mortises into the stretcher.
4. Using a trim router, put an ⅛” round over onto the four edges of the board.

Step 10: Attach the Edge Banding

1. Cut the strips just proud of the plywood's thickness.
2. Use a pull saw to cut the vertical pieces to length.
3. Glue the edge banding into place using blue painter’s tape.

Step 11: Assemble the Legs and Desktop

1. Glue the leg to the desktop and carcass.
2. Pre-drill and drive in 5 screws into the legs for added strength.
3. With the glue dry for the first set of legs, glue and attach the stretcher and the remaining legs.
4. While the glue dries, use a forstner bit to drill a hole for cable management.

Step 12: Make the End Cap for the Desk Back

1. Rip the board to width.
2. Using a sacrificial fence, cut a rabbet around the cap's bottom.
3. At the crosscut sled, cut in a rabbet onto the two sides.
4. Glue and clamp it in place.

Step 13: Make the Drawer Faces

1. Rough cut a chunk of lumber for the drawer fronts.
   • I used an off-cut from the desktop.
2. At the bandsaw, re-saw the chunk into 2 pieces.
3. Sand the pieces to the same thickness.
4. Trim the boards down to their final dimension at the crosscut sled.

Step 14: Make and Assemble the Drawers

1. Install the drawer slides
2. Cut some plywood for the drawer boxes.
3. At the bandsaw, cut the notch for the slides in the rear panel.
   1. I completed the notches with a pull saw.
4. Cut the groove in for the drawer bottoms at the table saw.
5. Cut the bottoms from ¼” birch.
6. Assemble the boxes and glue and pin them together with some 23 gauge nails.
7. Attach the drawer hardware.
8. Cut the drawer pulls at the bandsaw.
9. Using a 32nd-of an inch shim and double stick tape, clamp the fronts into position.
10. Pre-drill and drive in two screws.

Step 15: Finish the Desk

1. Add an eight-inch round over to the top edge.
2. Sand all pieces through to grits to 180.
3. Then water pop the grain and sanding one more time with 180.
   • This is what I recommend doing when finishing with a hard wax oil.
4. Finish the desk with the finish of your choice.

Enjoy your new desk!