Hey guys, I am Sarah. Every week I comb through hundreds of DIY videos preparing projects for our weekly Maker show, Maker Break. Along the way, I find some good projects… and some GREAT ones, And right now, I’m going to share them with you! This is Sarah’s Top 5 DIY Kid’s Desks.
Now I would like to start this one off with the DIY desk pods that Rob built for his kids over on Maker break, however I think that may be biased so I will leave it off my list, but will make sure to link that in the description just in case you are interested! *WINK* Moving on to the listicle!
#5 is The Wood Whisperer
Like most of you with young / school aged children Mark and his wife Nicole are doing some remote learning in their homes and needed a study space for their kids. Not knowing how long they would need these desks he built them with a simple design concept so if in a few months they’re no longer needed he could get rid of them without any tears. He used ½ a sheet of plywood, and one 2×4 for each of these desks. One design he used his circular saw to cut down the plywood and constructed the box portion of the desk. Next he cut down the 2×4’s on the miter saw and sanded them down, then carefully glued and screwed the legs together. Finally he attached the box to the legs and used his router to make sure all of the edges are nice and smooth. He also did a more difficult version of the same build and included that into this video as well!
#4 is Darbin Orvar
Linn wanted a simple modern looking desk with a little bit of detail on the top. Even though she only used one piece of wood for the top she wanted it to look like she used multiple boards. So she used some masking tape and different stains to create a fun color variation. Next she cut down more plywood for the legs, and braces. Once they were assembled in this easy frame design she primed, painted them, and added the legs to the top. For some extra detail she took strips of wood and painted it a pretty metallic color and used a nailer to attach it to the top. After some wax polish and steel wool to take off some of that shine this desk was ready to use! If you are designing this for one of your kiddos however, you might need to shorten the length of the legs. But this was too simple and pretty not to include.
#3 is Wes Hamstra
Wes was commissioned to make a small desk and chose to use mostly Heart maple with the exception of some baltic pine plywood for the drawer. He quickly got to work milling down the heart maple boards, ran them through the planer, and router table. Next he glued four boards together for the top and clamped them up to dry. Using his table saw he cut the top down to size and got busy working on the drawer and legs. Once he got the carcass done he finished up the drawer box, attached the slides and added that to the desk. All that was left was to screw the top on the base of the desk and this was done. So simple, but so pretty!
#2 is Abbotts At Home – DIY
I am really excited about this one! Stephanie used 2×2’s and pocket hole joinery to construct the entire base of these little desks, being sure to glue and screw them together. Next she added the moulding panels using glue and her nailer, then added moulding to the outside to really give it a more luxurious feel. Plus like she said, moulding just makes everything better. The next step was to add the bottom piece of plywood, fill in all of the nail holes with wood filler, sand it down, and paint it. Then she built the drawers, added them to the desk, and attached a pretty piece of birch plywood and this gorgeous little desk was ready for some serious learning!
#1 is Mr. Build It
Alex goes back in time to bring the vintage school desk that I am too young to remember, into his shop and give it modern design! He starts work on the top writing compartment of the desk and uses a couple fine tips and tricks to make identical cuts a little easier. Once he was happy with the dry fit of the desk top he shifted focus to the lid. He used pocket holes so that the joinery would be hidden from the outside of the desk. Next he moved onto the chair portion of the desk and used his bandsaw and belt sander to help get the frame of the chair done. He attached the backrest and the seat of the chair again using pocket holes. Next he built the base of the writing desk and a T-support piece. Alex used lots of glue and screws to assemble the seat, to the base and the top compartment to the base. When he attached the lid he used a piano hinge and little rubber stoppers to make sure it has a soft close to prevent any slamming or pinched fingers. The final steps are paint, stain and finish!
As promised, here is the link to Rob’s Study Pod he built for his kiddos.
That’s it! I hope you liked my list, but if you find a version of this project you think should have made the list add it to the comments below! Alright, do me a favor and like this video and if you are not already subscribed to Belts and Boxes please do that now, and hit the bell so you don’t miss any of our shows that come out during the week! You can catch me every Friday at 5pm for the Power Tool Week In Review with Rob, and every Saturday at 6pm for the next episode of Maker Break! See you then!