Home-Built Maple-Block Desk

After years of living with a flimsy pressboard desk, I resolved to build a sturdy and attractive desk for my home office. (I decided to build my own because most commercially available desks are either shoddy or not especially functional.) After a great deal of web searching and soul searching, I settled on building a desk with maple butcherblock tops and heavy-duty steel legs. I’m very pleased with the results. The maple tops of the three-desk set that I built are so beautiful that I am inspired to keep them free of clutter, which means that I always have a ready space to work. My wife liked them so much that she had me build a set for her office, too.

For other do-it-yourself types, I have briefly described my materials and methods below.

Materials

1. I used 1.75″-thick industrial benchtops from Michigan Maple. My tops are 24″ deep, and they vary in width from 4′ to 6′. The Michigan Maple website lists various suppliers. I ordered from L. L. Johnson Lumber, where a 6′-long work top can be had for $185. These tops will get a few dings and scratches during shipment, so I wouldn’t expect them to look perfect, but they are still beautiful.
2. I found high-quality steel legs online at Legs and Bases. I chose the 2T legs, because they are fairly minimalistic but very sturdy. Given that the butcherblock tops are heavy — a 6′ top weighs about 80 lbs. — you should be sure to choose a sturdy leg set. My desks are strong enough that I can sit on them with no worries.
3. I used stainless steel lag screws to attach the legs to the desktops. Avoid using cheap hardware, because the heads might snap off. I used screws that were .25″ in diameter and 1.5″ long, with a hex head. (I purchased these for about $20 at Fastenal.)

Tools

I was able to build the desks with just a few simple tools: a pencil and square, a hammer and awl, a drill with a 7/32″ bit, a utility knife, and a ratchet set for driving the lag screws.

Procedure

1. Assemble the desk legs according to manufacturer instructions. Center and square the leg mounting brackets on the bottom of the desk.

   

2. Use the hammer and awl to mark the center of each mounting hole on the bracket.

   

3. Drill pilot holes for each screw. Given that the maple is very hard, the pilot hole needs to be unusually large. After much trial and error, I found that I needed a 7/32″ pilot hole for the 1/4″ lag screw. (With smaller holes, there was simply too much resistance.) I taped my bit to mark the screw length. Be careful not to drill clean through the top!
   
4. Use a utility knife to clean up the edges of the holes to allow for a flush mounting of the leg brackets.
   
5. Use a socket driver and ratchet to drive the lag screws. Be careful that you don’t over-tighten the screws. Simply snug them tight. Otherwise, you will either damage the wood or snap off the screw head.
   
6. After installing the legs, turn the desk upright and enjoy!
   
7. You can also add a keyboard tray. I used a very nice tray from Biomorph Desks. I’ve also had good luck with tray systems sold by Avid.
   

If you do happen to build a desk along these lines, please leave me a comment!