DIY Executive Oak Desk for Home or Office

I decided to build my own desk for my home office. After pricing oak desks from various stores,

not only did most of the desks being offered today look cheap, the designs were for the most part, lame.

I was looking for an impressive looking oak desk without the flimsy look you see today.

I used 1” x 5-1/2” red oak boards S4S, for the drawer fronts, poplar boards for the drawer sides and ¾” Purebond oak plywood for the desktop and side panels.

In my opinion, this desk is comparable with the desks being offered for $2400 – $4400.

If you have even a little skill in woodworking, with patience, you can build this desk.

Just keep the drawers square, and make sure you sand the wood, 1^st using 80 grit, then 120 grit using a orbital sander if you have one. If not, use a sanding block. But make sure you sand all the wood.

It is up to you on what kind of edging you finish the front drawers with. I used a 1/2” shaft, Roman Ogee and I think it came out great.

I used a Minwax stain (Ipswich). After sanding, I used a micro-cloth to clean any dust. Then using a brush with even and overlapping strokes, cover one side of each side panel, the desktop, front drawers and the front supports. After waiting for 20 minutes, I wiped down the stain to remove all excess. Let the stain dry for 24-48 hours before applying 3 coats of polyurethane for an excellent finish.

The Kreg pocket screw jig worked great, and I used this to attach most of the wood together.

The full extension slides need to be measured out exactly, and the drawers need to be 12” in width exactly, so the drawers glide smoothly.

I set each slide back 1/8” from the front of the panels, and didn’t have a problem.

I attached each drawer front to the drawers using the 5-1/16” spacing for the handles.

Perhaps a little glue may have been used here, but I chose not to at this time. Maybe if I have trouble, I will revisit that.

Using AutoCad was extremely helpful with this project, and allowed me to get the measurements just right.

In the past, I’ve used drawings available from the various internet sites, but I did not find exactly what I was looking for, so this is a self-designed desk.

I am quite pleased with the results. I am not a woodworking professional, but I have completed many projects in the past with, in my opinion, good results. Although this project cost around $700.00, it is far less than the $2,000 to $4000 dollar range I have seen on the internet.

I purchased most of this material at my local Home Depot.

1.     Using a pair of sawhorses, layout the first 4’ x 8’ oak plywood sheet and mark-out the side panels #1 - #4 using the drawing on page 1. I noticed I had a little splintering on the bottom side of the plywood even using a finer tooth blade. However, there was no splintering on the top side of the board. Therefore, lay the boards “better” side up.

2.     Using a sharp circular saw blade for plywood, determine the best looking piece to use as the desktop. Then cut out the desktop and the first side panel board.

3.     Using the 2^nd plywood sheet, mark and cut the remaining side panels. Then lay out and mark the two back braces. Using page 5 of the AutoCad drawings, measure out the notches for all 4 side panels and cut them using the circular saw about a half-inch away from the end of each mark and finish with a hand saw or jigsaw to make a nice 90 degree cut. Be careful not to extend the cut beyond the corners. Take note that panels #1 and #3 are cut differently from panels #2 and #4.

4.     After completing the cuts, sand each piece with 80 grit sandpaper to remove splinters etc, and sand again using 120 grit paper. Some websites say to finish with 180 – 220 grit, but it is widely agreed that oak does not need to be sanded that fine.

5.     Drill the pocket holes to connect each side panel to the desktop. See page 5.

6.     Wipe down all the sanded plywood with a clean microfiber or cloth. They are ready for staining.

Once the wood has been sanded and you have selected the color stain you wish to use, lay out the wood on a clean, flat surface. (I used a Minwax brand, water based stain called Ipswich). You can look at the photo on page 5 to see the result.

It is best to apply the stain when the temperature is at least 48 degrees. Check with the manufacturer’s recommendations. Stir the stain, do not shake. Using a quality brush, apply a liberal coat of stain on the “good” side of each side panel as determined by the previous step when locating the notches.

Wait at least 20 minutes to allow the stain to be absorbed. The longer you wait, the darker the stain. After 20 minutes, begin at the 1^st piece stained, and using a micro-cloth and nitrile or latex gloves, wipe off the excess stain. You will see the wood grain becoming more pronounced. Cool.

After completing this, set aside the side panels and let dry for 48 hours.

Continue to follow the same procedure for the desktop and back braces. When installing the back braces, be sure to have the stained side facing the front of the desk. You may wish to stain both sides of all the pieces, that is up to you. The unstained sides for each side panel will never see the light of day.

The poplar project boards are 2’ x 2’, so if you have a table saw or radial arm saw, it is easier and more accurate using these tools. However, a circular saw can also be used. Just take your time.

Most of the drawer sides are the same 4” height,  Using the attached AutoCad drawing, page 3.

Drawers 4, 8 and 9 have different heights. Lay out and cut the drawer sides as shown. In addition, you have to cut a dado, or notch |_| using a dado blade if you have one, or by making a couple of passes with your table saw, make a ¼” dado cut along the inside of every drawer side, ¼” from the bottom. This will be used to support the drawer bottoms. When completed, sand all parts using 80 grit then 120 grit using an orbital sander.

DRAWER BOTTOMS - Using the ¼” Sandie plywood, layout the drawer bottoms. The measurements can be found on the AutoCad drawing, page 2. You may wish to consider assembling only 3 sides of the drawers in the next step then manually measuring each drawer and cutting each bottom in the event there are any measurements, let’s say, not perfect. This will ensure a more custom fit. The only problem using this method, is clamping a 3 sided drawer and keep it square. So dry-fit the last side if you choose this method. 

Once sanded, use the Kreg pocket jig tool (follow the Kreg directions) and drill two holes at each end of the SIDE drawers only, on the outside wall (non – dado) side.

Make sure to set the tool for ½”. Keep an eye on this setting. My tool drifted a little, even though it “clicks” in. I drilled each hole approximately 1-1/4” (32mm) from the top and bottom of the sides. You will not need to use the pocket jig for the front and rear sides.

Kreg recommends a 1” fine thread screw for this hardwood thickness.

Once the holes are drilled, wipe down the pieces and you can begin to assemble the drawers.

IMPORTANT.. Make certain that when assembling the drawers, the side walls are inside the front and back wall to maintain the 12” width. I missed that on a drawer and had to redo.

See AutoCad drawing, page 6 for details.

Apply glue to the ends of each side piece and screw in the pocket screws, making sure the corners are properly aligned and square. I made a jig for this. Finish three of the sides, insert the bottom, making sure the bottom fits into the dado and finish the 4^th side. Set each drawer down on a flat surface and ensure the drawer lies flat. Using a carpenter’s square ensure the drawer is square. This should not be a problem as long as when you cut the edges they were square. Let the drawers dry for 24 hours. Take the drawers outside and spray the shellac on the inside and outside walls. The spray shellac dries quickly, so they will be ready to be taken indoors in an hour or so.

Using a pair of sawhorses or your table saw, layout the 1” x 6” red oak and measure each front drawer, the front drawer supports and front moulding as shown on page 4.

For the front drawers, determine the type of edging you want (I used a ½” Roman Ogee router bit) and using a router, cut all the front drawer edges. (See page 5 for a pic of my drawer front)

Follow the previous procedures and sand all the wood. For the drawer supports, use the Kreg pocket jig (set for ¾”) and drill a single hole centered on each end.

Apply the stain as before and wait to dry. You should apply 3 coats of polyurethane at this point.

Find an open area to assemble the desk. Ideally the room where you will be placing it.

Spread out a sheet on the floor and place the desktop UPSIDE DOWN on the floor.

Measure 1” in from each side and draw a line from front to back. Get panel #1, a drill, square driver and the Kreg’s 1-1/4” screws ready, and apply a bead of glue to the top of the first panel. Turning the panel upside down, with the stained side facing outward, align the outer edge of the panel on the drawn line you made. Align the panel to the front of the desk (not the notch).

(I made a 90 degree jig made out of 24” long - 2” x 3” or 2” x 4” lumber for 2 reasons; one, to align the panels with the front of the desk, and two, to support each end panel to keep each one perpendicular, at 90 degrees to the desktop until the glue dries). Drive the pocket screws into the desktop, then push the jig against the panel for support. Wait for the glue to dry. See page 5 for temporary brace detail.

When the glue is dry install the 22” extension drawer rails at the specified height on panel #1 as described in the AutoCad drawing, page 6 . Install the extension rails on the remaining panels. Be sure to correctly orient the panels.

Install one side of each drawer support on panel #1 with glue and a single 1-1/4” Kreg screw, making sure the front of the support is flush with the front of the panel and using the measurements found on the AutoCad drawings, page 6. The oak banding which will be used on the front of each panel will be installed later, is 1mm thick. Allow for this to make the supports to be perfectly flush.

 Install the remaining drawer supports on panel #1 as shown on page 6.

Confirm the measurements for the rails and install the rails for panel #2 on the unstained side before setting it, making it easier to work with.

Measure out 13” from panel #1 and draw a line on the desktop. We need 13” because the drawers are 12” in width and we need to allow ½” for each rail. Be accurate!

Install panel #2 Refer to page 7. Measure and attach the other end of the supports to panel #2. Measuring 1" from the other end of the desktop, continue with panels #3 and #4. Make sure to use the temporary brace for each panel to ensure the panels are perpendicular to the desktop.

Confirm the panels are perpendicular to the desktop and Install the (2) back braces and the front molding. For the front molding, I used a countersink bit and drilled two for (2) screws at the front of each panel. Then apply wood putty and sand when dry. Another option is to install oak plugs.

The back braces can be installed the same way using 1-1/2” screws with the stained side facing front.

Optional – You may choose to install a ¼” rear panel for the back of the desk. However, I didn’t choose this option.

With help, set the desk on its back to prepare for the drawers and drawer fronts.

Apply the oak edge banding to all of the plywood edges using an iron. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for gluing and trimming.

Make sure the rail on the drawers are set back 1/8” from the front drawer side and the rubber end is facing the rear of the drawer. Mount the rails with (3) #6 x ½” screws. Set the rails on the first drawer and test the fit. As long as you have followed the drawings, the height should be good. Adjust if necessary. The drawers will be set back from the front of the desk, but that’s OK, we will rectify that when we install the drawer fronts. Apply 3 coats of polyurethane to all the desk parts.

After test fitting all the drawers, we are now ready to install the drawer front.

Depending on the drawer handles you have selected, measure the bolt hole opening spacing and center then handles on each drawer front. You will probably need longer machine screws than was provided with the handles. Mark out and drill the mounting holes for the handles, centered on each drawer front. I used the back of each drawer to align the handles, as the Ogee cut makes it a little more difficult to center.

Test fit the drawer fronts starting with one side at a time. Use a ¼” square dowel to separate each drawer front. Use a straightedge along the sides to ensure all the drawers are aligned and centered.

Holding each drawer in place, and using the holes already drilled, drill through the front drawers, into the installed drawer. Put the handle mounting bolt into the holes to keep it in place and continue with the other drawer fronts.

When done, proceed to the other side and repeat, ensuring both sides match and each drawer is aligned.

When done, raise one drawer at a time, and hold it in place with a pair of vise-grips and mount the handle to the drawers. Do not tighten completely yet, just snug.

When done with each side, lower all the drawers and check for conformity. If OK, raise each drawer and tighten completely. Repeat other side.

With help, turn the desk upright and place into position.

Install the rails for drawer #9. Then install the drawer.

I chose not to install a handle for the center drawer. That’s up to you.

Decide if the desk height is good for you. If you want to lower it a little, then turn the desk upside down and trim the bottom. When satisfied, Measure for the two, bottom trim pieces and using the router, finish the top and both sides to match the drawers. If you haven't stained and finished these pieces, do so now. Install a wooden strip between panel #1 & #2 and #3 & #4, behind the bottom trim piece then use (2) screws from the back of this support to fasten the trim.

You’re done! Enjoy!