Furniture

Small Space Desk

This is the perfect beginner desk build and is a great way to add a desk to a small space.

About this build

This is the perfect beginner desk build and is a great way to add a desk to a small space.

Tools

Essential

Optional / nice to have

Materials

Overall cost: $$. Lumber prices vary by region, species, and season, so we give a band rather than a figure we would only be pretending to know.

Cut list

Part	Qty	T × W × L
Desk Top	1	3/4" × 16" × 29"
Desk Bottom	1	3" × 16 3/4" × 26"
Desk Side	2	3/4" × 4 1/2" × 16"
Desk Back	1	3/4" × 4 1/2" × 26"
Desk Top Dividers	2	3/4" × 3 1/2" × 17 1/2"
Desk Bottom Supports	2	1 1/2" × 1 1/2" × 16"
Desk Legs	4	1 1/2" × 1 1/2" × 28 3/4"
Desk Front	2	3/4" × 3 1/2" × 7"
Desk Drawer Front	1	3/4" × 3 1/2" × 12"
Desk Drawer Box Sides	2	3/4" × 3" × 14"
Desk Drawer Box Front and Back	2	3/4" × 3" × 9 1/2"
Desk Drawer Bottom	1	1/4" × 11" × 14"
Desk Front Rail	1	3/4" × 1" × 26"

What to buy

Buy 9 boards at 8 ft.

3" × 16 3/4"

1 board

1 1/2" × 1 1/2"

2 boards

3/4" × 16"

1 board

3/4" × 4 1/2"

1 board

3/4" × 3 1/2"

1 board

3/4" × 3"

1 board

3/4" × 1"

1 board

1/4" × 11"

1 board

Assumes 8 ft stock, a 1/8" saw kerf, and buying each part at its own width. Change the board size or kerf on the full board plan →

Instructions

11
Attach the sides to the legs with 1 1/4" pocket screws and wood glue.
22
Attach back to the legs using 1 1/4" pocket screws and wood glue.
33
Attach front dividers using 1 1/4" pocket screws and wood glue. A clamp really helps here.
44
Attach the top dividers to the front dividers you just attached in step 3. Using 1 1/4" pocket screws and wood glue.
55
Attach the top using figure 8 fasteners. Use a forstner bit to drill the holes for the figure 8 fasteners. Make sure the forstner bit is a little larger than the figure 8 fastener.
66
Notch out the bottom of the desk with a jigsaw, then attach using 1 1/4" pocket screws and wood glue.
77
- Attach drawer slides and then build the drawer box using 1 1/4" pocket screws and wood glue. The pocket holes should be facing front as shown in the diagram below. This will hide the pocket holes when you attach the drawer front.
- Attach the drawer bottom with wood glue and 1" brad nails.
88
- Slide the drawer box on and attach the drawer front. Using double sided tape, push the drawer front against the front of the drawer box.
- Pull the drawer out and using 1 1/4" screws, drill from the inside of the drawer box to attach the drawer front.
99
Attach the bottom supports between the legs using 2" pocket screws and wood glue. Make sure the bottom of the supports sits 7" up from the bottom of the desk legs.
1010
Attach the front divider using just wood glue and clamps. Let dry for an hour.
1111
Sand and apply the finish of your choice!