Pack Flat Plywood Desk

Recently I was in the market for a new desk.

I wanted to make a desk that was able to be disassembled and packed flat, made from few and easily obtainable supplies with simple tools.

The desk can be created from the following supplies:
1 4'x8'x3/4" A-1 plywood sheet
2 4' 3/8" steel rod
2 3/8" nuts
2 3/8" wingnuts
8 washers
8 screws
Some woodglue

You will need the following tools:
Tape measure
Circular saw (or other saw for making large cuts in the plywood)
Screwdriver
Coping saw (for cutting the notches)
Several clamps

I also recommend a squaring device such as a speed square.

Divide the plywood into 4 pieces measuring 2'x4'. You could have the lumber yard do this for you, or use your own tools.

Two of these will be for the top and bottom of the desk and two will be for the sides. I recommend using the smoothest and most regular surface for the top of the desk.

There needs to be a notch in the top and bottom of the sandwich you will build. Measure out a notch that is 6 inches from the front and the back of the desk and 1 1/2" deep. Use your coping saw to cut this. Repeat until both the top and the bottom of the sandwich have the notches cut on both sides. You will have cut four notches when this is complete.

Measure and cut out two of the corners of each leg. Since I'm using 3" high boards for the sandwich and the top and bottom of the sandwich are 3/4" thick I need the depth to be at least 4 1/2". I wanted to be sure things fit snugly and didn't mind the overhang so I made mine 5 1/2" deep. The width of each cut should be 6". This makes the tab match up with the notch you cut in step 2.

You'll need four 3" x 24" spacers for the inside of the sandwich. Unless you are making a desk that is about 4' tall you can cut them from the legs.

You could do this step earlier, but I waited until after I was done cutting the notches and tabs just in case I made a mistake and had to change things.

At this point you should also cut your desk to the height you want it to be. Since you're making it yourself you can customize it to your chair and your liking. Just make sure you cut the legs to the same height.

Clamp, glue, and screw the two outside spacers to the bottom of the desk. Make sure they are flush with the edge. Next, clamp and glue the two inside spacers to the bottom of the desk. You should not need to screw them in. After the glue has dried clamp and glue the top of the desk to complete the sandwich. Screw the top of the desk to the outside spacers.

Chances are the legs of the desk will not fit into the sandwich on the first try. Use a file to remove materials from both pieces until the legs slide in and out easily.

Filing is a major pain. Not only is it labor intensive and time consuming, it can damage the veneer. If I was doing this again I would have spent more time or gotten another tool to do the cuts to make them more accurate. More accuracy on the cuts would have make the filing portion a piece of cake.

Drill two holes in each leg so that the rod can be installed. I put the holes about halfway between the top and bottom of the leg and about one inch in from the back.

The rod I used was 3/8" in diameter.

Sand all surfaces on the desk to make them smooth, clean and regular. Use your favorite paint or varnish to seal the desk. Do this while it is disassembled. I used clear matte polyurethane. I also didn't sand off much of the numbers/plywood markings because I kind of liked them.

When your finish is dry insert the legs into the sandwich and insert the rods into the legs. Use nuts and washers on the insides of the legs and a washer and wingnut on the outside to tighten and secure the legs.

Originally I wanted to have two 48" threaded rods as the extra support. I couldn't find any at my hardware store so i had to get four 24" ones and two couplers. This turned out to be great because it made it much easier to put the piece together.

Once assembled the desk provides a large sturdy surface for working. It's ability to pack flat will help me greatly the next time I move. It's pretty sparse and simple to make but I think it could become a platform for people to build specialized workspace furniture for.

Thanks for checking out the Instructable. Please let me know if you have any questions.