DIY Video Editing Desk

Need a better workspace? A computer throne? Somewhere to edit projects for hours? I have a perfect solution for you! This ultimate computer desk will be your ticket to becoming more productive and an awesome addition to any workspace. Be sure to watch the video first to see how it's done, and follow the build instructions as needed. Enjoy!

Supplies:

• 25FT of 1" steel square tube (I purchased 3 10FT pieces from my local metal supplier
• 24FT of 2" x 12" (I purchased two 2" x 12" 16 footers & get them to cut both pieces in half so you can transport them)
• 8FT of 2" x 8"
• Screws/Glue

Rough Cost: $80 - $100

Step 1: Prepare Metal Leg

First things first. You will need roughly 25 feet of 1" steel square tube. The metal I used was 1/8" thick. This will be cut up then welded together to make your industrial looking metal leg.

• 25FT of 1" steel square tube
• 4 straight cut pieces cut into 26 1/2"
• 4 pieces cut into 26" with 45-degree angle cuts on both sides
• 4 pieces cut into 6" with 45-degree angle cuts on both sides
• Clean your cuts with a grinder/sanding wheel

Step 2: Put Together Metal Leg

After all your cuts are made, it's time to put it together. Stay safe, and use proper eye-protection and gear for welding.

• Tack weld a rectangle together using the 6" and 26" pieces
• When the rectangle is square weld it up on one side of the rectangle only
• Repeat these steps to make the second rectangle
• Take one of your rectangles and drill 8 holes through it so you can mount it later on (top piece on leg)
• When both your rectangles are welded and square, weld the 26 1/2" pieces to make a flat metal box
• Tack in place and make sure it's nice and square (I used a magnetic welding square)
• Weld it all together
• Clean up your welds with a grinding/sanding wheel

Step 3: Build Tabletop/Waterfall Pieces

Now we need to put together the wood portion of the desk. This is made from 2" x 12" and 2" x 8" to get the proper width. Technically you could make this with 2" x 6" to avoid any trimming but your measurements might change a bit. I also like having more wood to work with since the trimming cleans up the edges nicely.

• You will need two 2" x 12" pieces cut at 60" with an end cut at 45-degrees
• You will need one 2" x 8" piece cut at 60" with an end cut at 45-degrees
• You will need two 2" x 12" pieces cut at 30" with an end cut at 45-degrees
• You will need one 2" x 8" piece cut at 30" with an end cut at 45-degrees
• Plane all your boards to remove any blemishes and square up the edges
• Make sure all the wood is planed to same thickness
• Plane the edges of the 2" x 12" and 2" x 8" to get a square/tight glue-up
• Glue up the 60" pieces keeping the 2" x 12" on the outsides and the 2" x 8" sandwiched in the middle
• Make sure the 45-degrees cuts are flush (you can trim off the other side later to flush up if needed)
• Add pocket holes or doweling if you wish to assure some strength
• Repeat the assembling steps with the 30" cuts keeping in mind to match up the wood grain to maximize the waterfall look

Step 4: Assemble Wood Table Top

You should now have two slabs of wood. Your tabletop piece is 60" in length and your waterfall leg portion is 30". Let's clean these up and remove any dried glue or unwanted surfaces. I used an orbital sander and a hand planer to smoothen it all up.

• When the glue has set and dried plane the top surface until it's your desired smoothness
• Sand it all to remove any rough surfaces
• Assemble the slabs together using the 45-degree cut edges
• I used an air nailer for the initial part to keep it square as I glued/screwed
• Make sure it's nice and square
• You can use your welded steel leg to prop up the table as you work on it
• Plug screw holes with wood plugs/wood filler

Step 5: Trim Wood Top/Waterfall

My desk is 26" deep which is ample for a desk. With the 2" x 12" and 2" x 8" glued together, you have some trimming to do.

• Use a square or straight edge to get an accurate cut line
• Measure out 26" on the top and sides for you to cut
• Use a circular saw to trim

Step 6: Make Metal Risers

To make the riser shelf that your screen and speakers sit on, we need to make the metal risers that mount it to the desk.

• Cut four straight cut 9" pieces of 1" square tube
• Cut four straight cut 6" pieces of 1" square tube
• Clean your cuts
• Drill two holes on each 9" piece (these will be your mounting holes)
• Tack weld your little rectangles together so they measure 6" x 11" (make sure holes are on top and bottom)
• Make sure they are square and flush prior to finishing your welds
• Clean up your welds (mine were nice and clean so I just used a steel brush)

Step 7: Make Riser/Shelf Boards

No need to follow exact instructions depending on if you want a wider bottom shelf etc.

• Cut one 2" x 12" piece at 60" (this is your top shelf piece)
• Plane it and sand it to match the look of your desk
• Cut one 2" x 12" piece at 30" (this is your bottom shelf piece)
• Measure a 4" strip along your 30" piece
• Cut the strip off at 45-degrees (these pieces make up the bottom shelf portion)
• Drill as many cable holes as desired along the 4" strip piece (I drilled five 3/4" centered holes)
• Sand both pieces nicely prior to screwing together
• Pre-drill screw holes along the 4" strip (so you can screw together on the 45-degrees cut)
• Screw the two pieces together making a right angle shelf piece
• Sand it again to make sure it's smooth and beautiful
• Test out if it fits!

Step 8:

Step 9: Burn, Stain & Oil

You can finish this bad boy as you'd like. Maybe you want a lighter stain like Early American or perhaps you want to whitewash it. Totally up to you. This is what I did...

• Take a propane torch and char the entire visible surface on all the wood pieces you'd like
• Stain the edges of the table top, waterfall portion, and shelf with Minwax Ebony stain
• Use Minwax Espresso stain everywhere else and feather it into the Ebony
• Feathering the two stains creates a little bit of depth in the color and makes it look really nice
• Feather the stains shortly after one another so it doesn't completely dry
• After you've stained it as you'd like, finish it off with some Danish Oil (it brings out the colors even more)
• Feel free to add some Poly to protect even more!

Step 10: Paint Metal

• Clean your metal with mineral spirits
• Spray paint black (or any color you'd like)
• Apply Poly to protect

Step 11: Assemble Desk

Find an incredible spot to put this beauty. Bring all the pieces into your spot carefully and assemble!

• Put felt feet on anything touching the ground to protect your floor and provide easy moving
• Mount the metal leg to your wood top by screwing through the pre-drilled holes (I have 8 screws mounting it)
• Mount the risers to the desktop first (use a ratchet with a screw-head to make it easy)
• Pre-drill the holes and use the tips of the screws through the risers as markers for drill
• Mount shelf to riser/desk
• Setup your new dream desk!