Introduction: Minimalistic Desk
My little Ikea Corner Desk work wonders, but it was ok when I used to live in a little apartment, now I have more space and I decided to build my self a minimalistic desk - kind of-, out of a door panel and some pieces of wood (from a Lade Ikea Bed) that I used to build 2 work horses, at a very low cost.
Step 1: Materials
I save from the street a Lade Bed from Ikea, at least the wood pallet, great for all sort of stuff, and I also found a door panel in craigslist for free. this are the mayor components of this project.
7 Pallets (from the Lade Bed) for each work horse (2 work horses=14 pallets)
some other scrap pieces of wood.
1 Door panel, - hollow doors are the best-
4 Machine screws 1/4" - 3" long - bolts and washers
Drywall Screws - Assorted sizes
7 Pallets (from the Lade Bed) for each work horse (2 work horses=14 pallets)
some other scrap pieces of wood.
1 Door panel, - hollow doors are the best-
4 Machine screws 1/4" - 3" long - bolts and washers
Drywall Screws - Assorted sizes
Step 2: Work Horses
Work horses are a very easy and cheap solution for a desk, and in this case they are the main pieces of construction. I could bought some but I barely spend a dime building this two. This is what i did:
First of all keep in mind the hight of your desk surface, usually desk tops range from 27" to 30" , I use 29" for the top of my. I subtract the thickness of the panel 1-1/2" which gives me 27- 1/2" for the top of the horses. The length of the top piece (horizontal) is 28", the same depth of the door panel. I set back the legs 2 - 1/2" from the edges, (see note 1 in the pic).
Keep in mind the angle of the legs, which will be roughly the same as the hight 27 - 1/2".
For this I attached a piece of 1 -1/2" x 3/4" under the main runner of the bench between the two legs to get the angle. (see note 2). At the bottom of the horse I got 8 - 3/4" between the legs (see note 3).
Next I drill a 3/8" hole on the horizontal piece, at roughly 1 - 3/8" from the top , and also in the two pieces for the legs to drive the 3" machine screws, keep in mind that the machine screws are 1/4" dia, but the legs are in an angle, that's why we need a 3/8" hole to bare some room for the screws (see note 4).
When I fixed the hight of the work horse tighten the screws and every thing was in order I put two drywall screws into the 1 - 1/2" (the angle piece) to secure them, see images.
At this point the horses are still a little bit wobbly.
At the bottom of the legs I put a 7 - 3/4" piece from 2 1/2" from the floor to secure the legs, and also as support for the 2 last pieces of pallets (shelves).
When everything is in place and secure, the work horses were very stiff. From here the rest is very straight forward.
First of all keep in mind the hight of your desk surface, usually desk tops range from 27" to 30" , I use 29" for the top of my. I subtract the thickness of the panel 1-1/2" which gives me 27- 1/2" for the top of the horses. The length of the top piece (horizontal) is 28", the same depth of the door panel. I set back the legs 2 - 1/2" from the edges, (see note 1 in the pic).
Keep in mind the angle of the legs, which will be roughly the same as the hight 27 - 1/2".
For this I attached a piece of 1 -1/2" x 3/4" under the main runner of the bench between the two legs to get the angle. (see note 2). At the bottom of the horse I got 8 - 3/4" between the legs (see note 3).
Next I drill a 3/8" hole on the horizontal piece, at roughly 1 - 3/8" from the top , and also in the two pieces for the legs to drive the 3" machine screws, keep in mind that the machine screws are 1/4" dia, but the legs are in an angle, that's why we need a 3/8" hole to bare some room for the screws (see note 4).
When I fixed the hight of the work horse tighten the screws and every thing was in order I put two drywall screws into the 1 - 1/2" (the angle piece) to secure them, see images.
At this point the horses are still a little bit wobbly.
At the bottom of the legs I put a 7 - 3/4" piece from 2 1/2" from the floor to secure the legs, and also as support for the 2 last pieces of pallets (shelves).
When everything is in place and secure, the work horses were very stiff. From here the rest is very straight forward.
Step 3: The Panel Door As a Desktop
The panel door as a desktop is a great work surface, the dimension of my is 6'-0" by 28", plenty of space, I add a trim of 2" x 1/4" around the sides just to make it look better (see Note 5).
I attached a scrap of wood under the panel just to keep the work horses in place and symmetrical, (see Note 6).
And the desk it pretty much done.
I attached a scrap of wood under the panel just to keep the work horses in place and symmetrical, (see Note 6).
And the desk it pretty much done.
Step 4: Final Product
Finally, I redo my studio with my new desk, I reuse the keyboard tray from the corner desk and I put it in the new one. all the materials where recycle besides the 4 machine screws, I spend around two days working on the benches and no more the $5 in materials..
Step 5: Final Note: Wine Corks
Just a little note here, I use wine corks and double side tape as padding for all the furniture around my place, way more cheaper than the ones from the store. Salud! or cheers!