Back to school and homework blues? Ya, me too. Maybe a cute new desk and bench combo for your cute kiddos is just what you need to make homework a little more tolerable.
As with all of our plans, you are building at your own risk and you should have a firm understanding of building in general before you attempt many of our plans (some are easy as pie and perfect for beginners). With that, go forth, have fun, take lots of pictures and share them in a showcase on the site or on social media with the hashtag #builtTDCtuff and we will share our faves! Be sure to tag @thedesignconfidential on Instagram / FB and @thedesconf on Twitter / Pinterest. If you are a blogger and you post about your build, don’t forget to include a link to your post on your showcase here. Don’t forget… for all of our newer plans, clicking on the images will let them expand to enormous sizes with much greater clarity. The older plans may need updating so please let us know if you need one fixed!
Two of these back to back make a fabulous work table or play table, and four of these would be out of this world!
- Tape Measure
- Saw – Jig Saw, Circular, Table, or Miter Saw
- Drill
- Multi-Square and Carpenter’s Square
- Sander
- Kreg Jig – if you build frequently, invest in this one.
- Nail Gun – optional
- Household Iron if using edge banding
- Half Sheet 3/4″ Plywood or MDF – 4′ x 4′
- 7 – 2×2 at 8′
- 2-1/2″ Pocket Hole Screws
- 1-1/4″ Brad Nails
- Countersink Drill Bit
- Pocket Hole Plugs – Paint Grade, Pine, Oak – optional
- Clamps
- Safety Gear
- 3/4″ Edge Banding – optional
- Wood Filler
- Wood Glue
- Sanding Supplies
- Paste Wax
- Finishing Supplies
- 7 – 2×2 at 32″ – Desk + Bench Rails
- 2 – 2×2 at 29 1/4″ – Desk Legs
- 10 – 2×2 at 10″ – Bench Frame + Supports
- 4 – 2×2 at 16 3/4″ – Bench Legs
- 2 – 2×2 at 18 1/2″ – Connectors
- 2 – 2×2 at 26 1/2″ – Desk Legs
- 4 – 2×2 at 15 1/2″ – Desk Frame
- 2 – 3/4″ Plywood or MDF at 35″ x 13″ – Bench
- 1 – 3/4″ Plywood or MDF at 35″ x 18 1/2″ – Desk
Build the leg unit for the desk portion of this project. Cut the legs and rails to length and drill your pocket hole in the rails (horizontal pieces) with your Pocket Hole Jig set for 1 1/2″ material. Join using glue and 2 1/2″ pocket hole screws.
Build 2 Bench Leg Units. Cut your legs and rails to length and place your pocket holes in the rails (horizontal pieces) with your Kreg Jig set for 1 1/2″ material. Join your pieces using glue and 2 1/2″ pocket hole screws.
Secure all leg units together by attaching the connector pieces to them. Place your pocket holes to the insides so they aren’t as obvious. Create pocket holes in the connectors using your pocket hole jig set for 1 1/2″ material. Join using glue and 2 1/2″ pocket hole screws.
Create the Bench Shelf and Attach the Front Desk Legs. To create the shelf, cut your plywood or MDF down to size, then cut a 1 1/2″ square from each corner using a jig saw, router or table saw. Secure the shelf using glue and 1 1/4″ Finish or Brad Nails.
Create pocket holes on the top and bottom of one edge of the Front Desk Legs using your Kreg Jig set for 1 1/2″ material. Secure in place using glue and 2 1/2″ pocket hole screws.
Place pocket holes for 1 1/2″ material on both ends of the Desk Frame Pieces. Attach the Desk Frame Pieces using glue and 2 1/2″ pocket hole screws in the pocket holes you added to the Front Desk Legs in the previous step and the pocket holes on one end of the Desk Frame Piece that you create in this step. Create pocket holes on the Bench Rails using your Kreg Jig set for 1 1/2″ material. Secure in place using glue and 2 1/2″ pocket hole screws.
Place pocket holes for 1 1/2″ material on both ends of the 10″ Bench Supports and 15 1/2″ Desk Supports. Secure the Desk Rail to the Desk Frame Pieces using glue and 2 1/2″ pocket hole screws in the pocket holes you created in the previous step. Then secure the Bench and Desk Supports using glue and 2 1/2″ pocket hole screws.
Create the Bench and Desk Tops and secure in place using glue and 1 1/4″ Finish or Brad Nails. If you are plan to finish the edges of your shelf and tops, apply edge banding once you have secured these pieces.
Fill any Screw, Nail or Pocket Holes, Sand and Finish as Desired. For Finishing Tips and Tricks visit my Finishing School
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