Building a corner desk

This step by step diy woodworking project is about building a corner desk. If you want to learn more about building a basic desk, we recommend you to pay attention to the instructions described in the article. There are so many designs and plans to choose from when building a corner desk, so make sure you take a look over the related woodworking projects that are featured on our site.

Before starting the actual construction project, we recommend you to plan everything, as to save money and to keep the costs under control. Adjust the size and the design of the desk to suit your needs. In addition, we recommend you to invest in high-quality materials, such as pine, redwood or cedar, as they have a nice finish and are highly durable, especially in a humid environment.

If you don’t have a rich expertise in woodworking field, you should ask a friend to give you a hand with the project. There are many things that you could go wrong, so make sure you plan everything and invest in quality materials. Select the lumber with attention, making sure the components are perfectly straight and in a very good condition. Use a carpentry square to check if the corners are right-angled. See all my Premium Plans in the Shop.

Made from this plan

Materials

A – 4 pieces of 3/4″ plywood – 21″x21 3/4 long, 2 pieces – 21″x28 3/4″ long FRAME
B – 1 pieces of 1/4″ plywood -23 1/4″x29″ long BACK
C – 2 pieces of 1×4 lumber – 22″ long, 1 piece – 24 3/4″ long TRIM
D – 1 piece of 3/4″ plywood – 11 3/4″x21 1/2″ long, 2 pieces of 1×8 lumber – 20″ long, 2 pieces – 18 3/4″ long DRAWER

2 pieces of 3/4″ plywood – 4’x8′
1 piece of 1/4″ plywood – 2’x3′
1 piece of 1×4 lumber – 8 ft
drawer pull
slides
2 1/2″ screws
1 1/4″ screws
glue, stain
wood filler

Tools

Safety gloves, glasses
Miter saw, jigsaw
Chalk line, tape measure, spirit level, carpentry pencil
Drill machinery and drill bits

Tips

Apply several coats of wood stain to the wooden components
Fill the holes with wood filler and smooth the surface

Time

One Day

Part 1 : Storage unit plans
Part 2: Corner desk plans

Building a desk unit

Building the frame of the desk

The first step of the project is to build the corner desk unit. In order to get the job done in a professional manner, we recommend you to pay attention to the instructions described in the diagram. Drill pocket holes on both sides of the horizontal components and secure them to the side walls with 1 1/4″ screws. Make sure the corners are square and leave no gaps between the components before inserting the screws.

Attaching the back

Cut a piece of 1/4″ plywood at the size described in the diagram and attach it to the back of the desk unit. Make sure the corners are square and insert 1 1/4″ screws/nails into the frame.

Building a drawer

Build the frame of the drawer out of 1×8 slats and the bottom out of 3/4″ plywood. Drill pocket holes at both ends of the side components and inset 1 1/4″ screws into the perpendicular components. Drill pocket holes along the edges of the bottom component and secure it to the frame with 1 1/4″ screws. Add glue to enhance the rigidity of the frame.

Fitting the drawer

Fit the drawer inside the frame of the unit and secure it to the sides of the frame using metal slides. Check if the drawer opens and closes properly, before attaching the face and the handle.

Fitting the drawer face

Fit the face to the drawer, making sure you leave about 1/8″ around the edges. Drill pilot holes through the drawer and insert 1 1/4″ screws into the face of the drawer. Leave no gaps between the components, in order to get a professional result.

Fitting the trims

Last but not least, we recommend you to take care of the finishing touches. Fit the trims to the bottom of the unit. Fill the holes with wood filler and let it to dry out for several hours. Afterwards, smooth the wooden surface with fine-grit sandpaper and vacuum the residues.

Thank you for reading our project about building a corner desk and we recommend you to check out the rest of the projects. Don’t forget to share our projects with your friends and LIKE us, by using the social media widgets. SUBSCRIBE if you want to be the first that gets our latest articles and to help us create more free plans.

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