Introduction: DIY Office Organizer

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About: I teach Grade 8 and DIY as often as I can. Trying to empower others to find their creative side and build/create with whatever they can!

Need a way to organize all the papers piling up on your desk or in the office? Look no further than this easy to build DIY Office Organizer! It took me only a couple hours and all I used was scrap plywood in the shop. Dimensions are 41" x 15.5" X 12" (WxHxD).

Step 1: Materials

For this project I used:

  • table saw
  • miter saw
  • nail gun (16 ga) + nails
  • speed square
  • tape measure
  • wood glue
  • pencil
  • 3/4 inch plywood (carcass)
  • 1/4 inch plywood (dividers)

Step 2: Cut the Carcass

Parts of the Carcass (all 3/4" ply) include:

  1. 1 top piece
  2. 1 bottom piece
  3. 2 inside uprights
  4. 2 outside uprights

The process is pretty simple and straightforward:

  1. Cut the top, bottom, and uprights to size on the table saw
  2. Cut the angle on the uprights on the miter saw
  3. Cut the "dado" in the uprights on the table saw

**Note** the outside uprights only have dados cut on the inside of each upright and is a deeper cut than the two inside uprights.

Measurements:

Top = 41" L x 11 7/8" W

Bottom = 41" L x 7 3/4" W

Uprights = 11 7/8" W x 14 1/4" H

= 45 degree miter from 4" down to 7 3/4" across the top

Dados = 1/4" thick spaced out to your liking

**Dado Note**

If you have a Dado Stack then this is easier, but if not just execute two passes on the table saw with a 1/8" thick kerf. This part takes some math so plan it out on a scrap piece first to ensure you are correct. I used this method to complete mine.

Step 3: Assemble the Carcass

  1. I placed the top and bottom pieces beside each other and marked lines where I wanted each of the uprights to go. The two end uprights were of course flush with the outside of the top and bottom pieces. The middle uprights were evenly spaced in between to create 3 sections. I made my left and right sections 12 3/4" inside to inside, which left my middle section 12 1/2" inside to inside.
  2. I added a bead of glue to the end of each upright and attached them with nails and the nail gun. I did the two outside uprights to the bottom first, then the two inside uprights to the bottom, then nailed the top down in the same pattern. I would recommend using a spacer at this step if you have some scrap wood laying around.
  3. OPTIONAL I also attached a back out of 1/4 ply, but this is not necessary, especially if you know the back is up against a wall.

Step 4: Cut the Dividers

Once you have the uprights all in place, it is back to the table saw to cut the dividers to size. These measurements depend on where you put your uprights and how deep you cut your dados. The old adage of measure twice cut once applies here. So measure and then cut accordingly. Once you have the dividers all cut up, slide them into place!