X-Leg Desk with Drawer

Lay out all the leg pieces for both leg sets before gluing anything — a dry run catches a mismatched angle now, while it's cheap to fix.

Start with the two longest leg pieces. You're building two mirror-image leg sets, so keep track of which is which. Attach the 17-1/2" leg fillers to the bottoms of the long pieces with 1-1/4" finish nails and wood glue, taking great care to line the edges up flush — that's what creates the illusion of a single solid leg and saves sanding later.

Do the same lamination for the shorter full leg pieces. The middle angles are all 20° off square; the top and bottom angles are 35°.

Position one short leg and one long leg crossing in the middle to form an X. Check the bottom spread measures exactly 23-1/8" before gluing and nailing down. Build the second leg set as a mirror image.

Fit the long top leg piece with its matching short filler piece and nail down.

Position the notch supports into the notch formed where the crossed legs meet, and glue and nail down.

The side aprons sit to the inside of the leg assemblies. Attach the back apron as positioned in your reference. For a drawerless desk, add the front apron the same way now.

The bottom stretcher is a 1x3, attached the same way as the back apron.

If you have a pocket-hole jig, drill 3/4" pocket holes in the aprons before step 7 and attach the desktop through them with 1-1/4" pocket hole screws. Otherwise, nail and glue the desktop down with 2" finish nails.

Build the drawer box from the sides, front, and back, and attach the plywood or hardboard bottom with 1-1/4" finish nails and wood glue. Check the drawer is square and overall 1" narrower than the desk's drawer opening.

Attach the drawer slide members to the bottom side corners of the drawer box, and the matching cabinet members to the inside of the desk, following your drawer slide manufacturer's instructions. When closed, the drawer should sit slightly inset on the desk front — that's the intended look, not a fit problem to chase.