Stack and Store Lap Desks

The other lap desk in this catalog folds; this one STACKS. Each desk is a three-sided box — 1x12 sides, 1x4 rails across the back and front underside, 1x12 top — open at the front so legs slide under, with hand-hole handles jigsawed into the top. Built to the same footprint, they nest into a tidy tower by the couch, which is the entire product: one desk per kid, one stack per living room, zero arguments about whose is whose (label them; there will still be arguments).

Five cuts per desk. The 1x4s screw to the 1x12 sides, the top lands with even overhangs, glue everywhere, fifteen screws. The handles are the only tool trick: drill a starter hole at each end of the marked handle slot, connect the holes with the jigsaw, and sand the opening until it's kind to small fingers — the same technique as every toolbox tote, at homework scale.

Because laps are soft and kids drag these by the handles, round every edge and corner past 'smooth' to 'friendly.' Finish with something wipeable — these will meet markers, cereal, and glitter glue, likely simultaneously. A different paint color per kid turns the stack into a rainbow and settles ownership disputes at a glance.