I wanted a new desk for myself but didn't want to spend an arm and a leg. I got inspiration for this design from

https://www.instructables.com/id/Solid-wood-comput...

https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B01LYNFFCO

I liked the second level that my current desk has, but wanted a wider desk with some storage. So I came up with this design.

Step 1: Design

To get the most bang for my buck I designed the desk with as little waste as possible (actually there was 0 waste from the 4'x8' sheet). This was designed and built with a 29" desk height, I have seen others at 26" so pick your favorite.

Here is the model and design in sketchup.

https://3dwarehouse.sketchup.com/model/e2685e11-0d...

Step 2: Get Lumber for $11!

I was going for a desk as cheap as I could, so I headed to my local Menards. Against the back wall they have a scratch and dent section for sheet lumber. There was a piece of shelf particleboard in the $20 section, but didn't have a price tag on it. I brought it to the front told them it was $20. Then, the cashier called over his manager and then he called the lumber guy and the lumber guy said $10, WIN! When I brought it home I measured the board and it was actually 4' x 8' 1". Lucky the big gouges were on the 8' 1" side so trimming off that one inch removed the big imperfections in the sheet. I also got a stick of lumber for cross support, you could really use whatever you got, a stick of wood or sheet material.

4'x8'x5/8" Shelf Particleboard, scratch & dent for $10
1"x4"x4' Stick for cross support ~$1

Caveat: you got all the necessary tools and some screws already.

Circular saw
1/8" pilot drill bit
Drill
Impact driver
Tape measure
Square
Box of 1 5/8" phillips drywall screws

Step 3: Assembly

Screw it all together. If you want to be extra sturdy you can glue all the edges, but I wanted the option to take it apart when I move.

I built the desk on it's back
Pilot drill all the holes
Put 3 or 4 screws in every 2' joint
Use a carpenter's square or the 3:4:5 rule to get the legs square
The 2nd level support is just screwed in from the bottom on the center support. The sides are held in place with dowels
Sand the rough corners/ edges or whatever you want

Finishing Step Options

Sand the rough edge, and call it a day
"Fill the cut edges with elmers glue. Then when dry, you can easily paint over it..." -aaahotdog
Buy ~20' of edge banding, glue it one, then cut off the extra