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• Step by Step constructioninstruction.

• A complete bill of materials.

• Exploded view and elevationdrawings.

• How-to photos with instructivecaptions.

• Tips to help you complete theproject and become a betterwoodworker.

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WJ007

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Computer Desk

Published in Woodworker’s Journal “From Start to Finish:Quality Plans and Techniques for the Home Woodworker”

WOODWORKER'S JOURNAL ©2007 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

COMPUTER DESK 81

Until recently, my computer, monitor, keyboard, mousepad andpower strip shared a 27" by 48" table-top with pens and pencils, files andpapers and an ever-changing assort-ment of stuff: oversized coffee cup, staplers, staple puller, loupe, tapemeasure, joint samples, loose paperclips, a Band-Aid® or two, a couple ofbrass screws…well, you get the picture.(And yeah, it isn’t pretty.)

For a long time, I’ve wanted toexpand my computer table to providemore room for papers and referencematerials. I also wanted to positionthings so I’d be more comfortable usingthe computer for long periods.

Having resolved to make a new desk,I looked on the web for ergonomic guide-lines. As well, I searched for examples ofother peoples’ solutions. I consideredstand-up desks, work-tables, and varia-tions of traditional desks. What I settled onis an eclectic mix of features that suit me.You should easily be able to stretch and/orcompress the basic layout to accommo-date the computer system you use, yourstature and your work habits.

The basic form is a traditionalpedestal desk. It’s deep enough toaccommodate a typical computer sys-tem, placing the monitor directly in front

A drawer lock bit (below) andcompression bit are two ofthe three special cutters theauthor used for this project.

Computer DeskSooner or later, a busy woodworking writer needs to get his desk organized. But what

if the current desk doesn’t cut it? Such was the plight of Bill Hylton, one of our regular

contributors. If you’re due for a new desk too, this project will give your router a good

workout—and trust us—the end result will be well worth the effort. Here’s Bill’s story.

The patented Burgess Edge is created withthese two, two-part router bits. Using thissystem to put hardwood edges ontoveneered panels has several advantages.

of the keyboard. The desktop is at typical tabletop height (291⁄2"), but themonitor sits on a platform several inch-es below that level, and it supports thekeyboard via a sliding, tilting, pivotingtray. Hiding behind a door in the leftpedestal is the CPU, standing on a sliding platform. In the right pedestalthere’s a file drawer for importantpapers, a drawer for CDs and such anda pencil drawer that matches one overthe top of the CPU door.

I used soft maple and maple-veneered plywood for all the exposedcomponents, Baltic birch plywood forthe drawer boxes and odds and endsof MDF, particleboard, and plywood forshims, templates, and jigs. Necessaryhardware includes cross-dowels and

connector bolts to join the monitor platform to the pedestals, Accuride®

slides for the drawers, a pair of cuphinges for the door and pulls for thedoor and drawers.

Tooling Notes I do a lot with routers. On this project,

I did everything from some panel-sizingcuts, to mortising, to edge-bandingusing my routers. Several specializedrouter bits were particularly useful, and I want to highlight them.


Computer Desk Exploded View

82 HOME PROJECTS

Flush Flush

Flush

Computer DeskElevation(Section View)

Computer DeskElevation(Front View)

Door(Front View)Drawer, Platform and Hinge Shim Locations

Drawer Pedestal CPU Pedestal

Place 1/4" shims(pieces 32)just behindthe frontlegs to helpmount the doorhinges.

Pedestal Exploded View


COMPUTER DESK 83

CL

Note: Theedge brace(piece 36) ishardwood.

Insideedge

Pencil Drawer(Side View)

Drawer(Side View)

File Drawer(Side View)

Drawer Corner (Top View)

Drawer Bottom (Section View)

Top Back Rail(End View)

TypicalBottom Rail(End View)

Monitor Platform(Top View)

Cabinet Button(Front View)

Bottom Front and Back Rail(Front View)

MATERIAL LIST – Pedestals & Drawers

T x W x L

1 Legs (8) 11⁄2" x 21⁄2" x 283⁄4"

2 Bottom Side Rails (4) 13⁄8" x 21⁄4" x 27"

3 Bottom Front and Back Rails (4) 13⁄8" x 21⁄4" x 141⁄2"

4 Top Side Rails (4) 11⁄4" x 11⁄2" x 27"

5 Top Back Rails (2) 13⁄8" x 11⁄2" x 141⁄2"

6 Top Front Rails (2) 7/8" x 13⁄8" x 141⁄4"

7 Loose Tenons (44) Hardwood

8 Side Panels (4) 3/4" x 27" x 211⁄4"

9 Back Panels (2) 3/4" x 141⁄2" x 211⁄4"

10 Bottom Panels (2) 3/4" x 141⁄2" x 27"

11 Drawer Slide Shims (9) 1/4" x 2" x 27"

12 CPU Slide Mount (1) 3/4" x 2" x 26"

13 Pencil Drawer Faces (2) 3/4" x 21⁄4" x 141⁄2"

14 Tray Fronts (2) 1/2" x 15⁄8" x 131⁄2"

15 Tray Bases (2) 1/2" x 131⁄2" x 205⁄16"

16 Pencil Drawer Units (2) Slides, Plastic Trays

17 Drawer Face (1) 3/4" x 73⁄4" x 141⁄2"

18 Drawer Front and Back (2) 1/2" x 61⁄2" x 131⁄2"

19 Drawer Sides (2) 1/2" x 61⁄2" x 261⁄2"

20 Drawer Bottom (1) 1/4" x 13" x 263⁄8"

21 File Drawer Face (1) 3/4" x 117⁄8" x 147⁄8"

22 File Drawer Front/back (2) 1/2" x 101⁄4" x 131⁄2"

23 File Drawer Sides (2) 1/2" x 101⁄4" x 261⁄2"

24 File Drawer Bottom (1) 1/4" x 13" x 263⁄8"

25 Door (1) 3/4" x 141⁄2" x 191⁄2"

26 Cleats (2) 3/4" x 11⁄4" x 193⁄8"

27 Platform Front/back (2) 1/2" x 11⁄2" x 12"

28 Platform Sides (2) 1/2" x 11⁄2" x 257⁄8"

29 Platform Base (1) 3/4" x 111⁄2" x 251⁄2"

30 Drawer Slides (3 pair) Accuride, 26"

31 Cup Hinges (1 pair) 120˚ Self-closing

32 Hinge Shims (2) 1/4" x 2" x 3"

33 Pulls (6) 13⁄8" Oval bronze

34 Backplates (6) 3" x 7/8" Bronze

35 Monitor Platform (1) 3/4" x 165⁄8" x 32"

36 Edge Brace (1) 3/4" x 47⁄8" x 32"

37 Apron (1) 3/4" x 31⁄4" x 32"

38 Connector Bolts (6) 1/4"-20 x 3"

39 Cross-dowels (6) 1/4"-20 x 3/8" Dia. x 5/8"


Technical Drawings

84 HOME PROJECTS

Identifyand orientthe frontand backlegs. Marklocationsfor the toprail mortises (except where the top front railsjoin the legs). The author chose pocket jointsfor that task.

Note: Usea pocket

hole jig tojoin thetops of

front legsto front

rails.

Leg Mortises(Front View)

PlatformRabbet Detail (Section View)

Leg Mortises(Side View)

Leg Contours

Bottom Side Rail (Front View)

Cleat(Side View)

Compression Bit: Cutting ply-wood in the home shop can be a chal-lenge. The sheets are big, heavy andawkward to maneuver in tight quarters.Some of the desk’s panels—like thedesktop and the pedestal sides—exceeded the capacity of my biggest

crosscut sled. In addition, the faceveneers are fragile, and when you sawacross their grain, they splinter and chip.

I dealt with these problems byusing a router and compression bit tomake critical cross-grain cuts. A com-pression bit has both up- and down-spiral cutting edges. It doesn’t lift thewood fibers from either face, so the ply-wood is left with crisp, chip-free edges,even on those cross-grain cuts. Spunwith a 2 HP router, it plows through3/4" thick plywood in a single pass.

To size the biggest panels, I set up a straightedge to guide the router,making sure it was absolutely square to the table-sawn reference edge. Theroutine isn’t quick, but with patienceand care, you can achieve excellentresults. I also used the bit on a numberof the primary template-guided cuts.

Even at $90, a compression bit is alot cheaper than a panel saw. And it’smore space efficient, too.

Drawer Lock Bit: I made all thedrawers and the printer platform frameusing the drawer lock joint. While itlacks the cachet of dovetails, it is effec-tive and a lot easier to master. It worksin plywood as well as solid wood. Onebit is all you need. It even makes thegroove to house the drawer bottom!

The Burgess Edge: Edge-band-ing panels cut from sheet goods—plywood, MDF, and the like—is prettysimple, but the results tend to vary.Tape is fast, but the adhesion, in myexperience, can be iffy. Using 1/8"strips of hardwood often yields colorand grain mismatches at the very margins of the panel’s face.

The patented Burgess Edge is produced by a special pair of routerbits. The doubled-bearing plywood bitfollows the surface veneers as it exca-vates the inner plies of the plywood.The insert bit shapes a solid wood infillstrip. Glue the insert in place, then trim


COMPUTER DESK 85

Before you begin the final pedestal glue-up,glue the loose tenons into the rail mortises.Be sure you orient the bevels properly.

The mortising jig the author uses has toggle clamps to hold the workpiece, stops to limit the router’s travel and a channel for the edge guide’swooden fence. The bit governs the mortise width, the plunge governs the mortise depth, and the edge guide positions the mortise on theworkpiece. When routing the end of a piece, the author uses a separate clamp to secure the work.

HorizontalSupport

VerticalSupport

Side toSide Stops

it. Look at the edged panel, and yousee the solid wood and just a knife-edge of the surface veneers.

This was the first time I used thisprocess, but I liked the results.

Build the Pedestals FirstThe construction of the pedestals

(pieces 1 through 12, see Material Liston page 83) is post and rail. The legsand rails are joined with mortise andloose tenon joints. Plywood panels arejoined to the legs and rails with biscuits.The first task is to construct these basicunits. (For all of these constructiondetails, see the Drawings on pages 82 and 83.)

Begin by laying out the legs in setsof four, as shown in the photo on theprevious page. Don’t be concerned withthe contours now—focus on the mortis-es, which are cut before shaping thelegs. Select and identify the front andback legs. You don’t want to be cutting

mortises or slots on the wrong sides. Twin mortises are used for the

bottom rails and a single mortise for the top ones. Because you mortiseadjacent faces of the legs, the mortisesdo intersect. The “outer” mortise of thetwins can be deeper than the “inner”one. When you make the loose tenons,

you simply bevel one end of each.Cut the mortises in both the legs

and the rails. I used a plunge routerwith a good edge guide and a shop-made mortising jig for this operation(see photos and drawings above), butuse whatever approach you are mostcomfortable with.

Once the mortises are completedand the tenons made and fitted, shapethe legs and rails. The rails have anarched bottom edge. The legs have areverse taper from top to ankle, and thefoot section cants outward from thatpoint. In the assembled pedestal, theinner surface of the leg is plumb.

To shape the legs, make a tem-plate and attach a fence and toggleclamps to it. This will allow you to band-saw the majority of the waste from theparts, then rout the final contour (seephotos, next page) on the router table.

The foot’s inner surface is theexception. On half the legs, the correct


86 HOME PROJECTS

Attach fences to the leg template, and mounta couple of toggle clamps on them to securethe leg blank. Band-saw off the majority ofthe waste, then template-rout the leg flushusing a bearing-guided bit.

the mortises in the rails. As you do this,make sure the bevels are correctly ori-ented, the longer tenon is in the correctmortise, and that you clean up anysqueeze-out. Any of these goofs willthwart you in the next assembly stage.

In the second stage, join thesesubassemblies to the legs and bottompanel. The last little job—completing the basic pedestals—is to attach the7/8"-thick top front rail with glue and apair of screws in pockets.

Building the DrawersThe desk has two standard drawers,

two pencil drawer trays and a slidingplatform for the CPU (pieces 13 through34). You’ll find Elevation Drawings for thedrawer construction on page 83. All butthe CPU platform have maple “show”faces attached to the drawer’s structuralfront with screws. The CPU platform isconcealed behind a door. To clear theopen door, this platform is narrower thanthe other drawers, and it is mounted dif-ferently (see Exploded Drawing).

The boxes for the two regulardrawers are 1/2" Baltic birch plywood,assembled with routed drawer lockjoints. The bottoms are 1/4" birch plywood.

The pencil drawers originated withdandy molded drawer side inserts packaged with a pair of slides. Since the inserts were not as wide as thepedestals, I made a Baltic birch plywoodtray for each one, attached the slides toit, then fastened the insert to the tray.

These drawers are mounted in thepedestals with Accuride slides. Drillmounting screw holes along the center-

lines of 1/4" MDF shims (which bringthe mounting surface flush with thelegs), then screw them to the side pan-els. Screw the case members of theslides in place next. Then screw theslides’ drawer members to the drawersides and install the drawers in thepedestals to wrap up.

The CPU platform is a 11⁄2"-highdrawer frame (front, back and sides),with a 3/4" rabbet all the way around.The platform base drops into this rabbet.

Because it is narrower than theopening, a mounting point for a slidemust be provided on the door-hingeside of the pedestal. This mount is sim-ply a 2"-wide strip of plywood that’sscrewed to the pedestal bottom. Cut itabout 1/2" longer than the slide, thenposition it against the pedestal back.

With the drawers in place, fit the“show” fronts to them next. The front tothe CPU platform is, of course, a door. I made it to mimic the appearance ofthe fronts on the two full drawers in the opposite pedestal. After fitting the191⁄2"-wide panel to the opening, kerf itto represent the gap between the draw-ers. To keep it flat, mount two cleats onthe back with sliding dovetail joints.Then mount it to the pedestal. You’llneed a 1/4" shim to mount the hingeplates to, as with the slides. Completethe drawers by mounting the pulls.

The monitor sits on a platformmounted between the pedestals, severalinches below the desktop. A keyboardslide and tray is screwed to its underside.When you pull it forward, the keyboardends up in its cutout. The monitor plat-form (piece 35) is a plywood panel with

feed direction on the router table wouldrequire cutting against the grain, guaran-teeing major tearout. To avoid this, makea tapering jig and saw this surface on thetable saw (see photos, next page).

The panels are biscuited to thelegs and rails. While they really aren’tnecessary for strength, the biscuitsmake it infinitely easier to assemble theparts and ensure that everything staysaligned. To get the appearance I want-ed, the side and back panels are offset1/4" from the inner edges of the legsand rails. Set up your biscuit joiner toposition the slots on the legs and rails,and use a scrap of 1/4" MDF as a shimwhen cutting the slots in the panels.You can also use the shim when cuttingthe slots in the rails for the bottom (so it will be flush).

Now that I’ve glued-up this project,with lots of biscuits, loose tenons andparts, I’ll tell you right now that it canget hectic. To simplify things, I recom-mend that you stage the work.

First, join the side panels to theside rails and the back panels to theback rails. Glue the loose tenons into


Glue the rails to the panels and the loosetenons into the rails. When the clamps are off, glue the legs to the back rail andpanel subassembly.

Saw the inside foot taper to avoid major tearoutproblems. Attach a cou-ple of fences to a scrap panel to make the jig quickly.Recycle the screws and panel after the legs are cut.

The drawer lock joint is agreat way to join plywooddrawer sides because it covers the plywood strata as shown in the drawing atleft. The author also cut thegroove for the drawer bottoms using thedrawer lock bit.

hardwood brace (pieces 36) and anapron (piece 37). Follow the drawingson page 82 for its shape and construc-tion details.

Use connector bolts and cross-dowels to attach it to the pedestals(pieces 38 and 39). The bolts penetratethe pedestal sides and extend into theedge of the platform. A blind hole forthe cross-dowel, drilled into the under-side of the platform, intersects the bolthole. You don’t see the fasteners, butyou can remove them to dismantle thedesk. Mount the keyboard slide, plat-form and swivel mousepad later (pieces40, 41 and 42).

Making the DesktopThe desktop (piece 43) is, of course,

the main working surface. Make two U-shaped cutouts in it (see the ElevationDrawings), one for the monitor, and theother for the keyboard. The desktop isplywood with hardwood edging (pieces

44). There are a number of ways you can edge the plywood, so use the onethat works for you. With the patentedBurgess Edge system that I used, doingthe cutouts was a bit involved. Makingcutouts in the desktop for the monitorand keyboard isn’t difficult. But cuttingthem so they can be edged with theBurgess system is. To pull it off, I used apair of templates, a maple frame assem-bled with half-lap joints, the right combi-nation of template guides and straightbits, and, of course, the Burgess-Edgebits. The first template of each pair is crit-ical, since it is used for three steps: thesecond template, the initial cutout, andfinal edge-trimming. To make this U-

COMPUTER DESK 87WOODWORKER'S JOURNAL ©2007 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

88 HOME PROJECTS

BURGESS BIT

The Burgess Edge plywood bit has twostacked, adjustable cutters that scoop out thepanel edge, leaving a knife-edge of hardwoodveneer.

With its center bearing and a little fineadjustment, this bit forms perfectly sizedhardwood edging with plenty of glue surface.

shaped template, drill out the inside cor-ners with a Forstner bit, then cut fromedge to hole, from hole to hole, andfrom hole to edge. Clamped to thedesktop, this template will guide yourrouter as you make the actual cutout,shown in the photo on the next page.

To make the second template,clamp the first to the blank, fit yourrouter with the appropriate templateguide and straight bit, and rout alongthe edge of the first template. Thenscrew this template to the hardwoodframe and rout around the outside, con-

touring the frame. With this done, rout the cutout with

the Burgess plywood bit and theframe’s edge with the insert bit. Nowthe frame should fit perfectly into thedesktop. Glue it in place and trim theexcess with a jigsaw. Finally, use the

QuickTip FInishing CarouselAn old retractable TV shelf with alazy Susan makes an ideal finishingjig. Secure a 16"-diameter plywooddisk to the top, and you’re ready togo to work.

Rotatingknob

LazySusan


COMPUTER DESK 89

The secondary template the author is holdingwas used to shape the edges of the infill framethat was assembled with half-lap joints. Thetemplate was screwed in place with about 1/2"of the frame exposed on three sides. Then itwas a simple matter of routing around the tem-plate to trim the frame to exact size.

The final, trimmed edge (on the inside of thethree-sided infill frame) is produced using themaster template and the same router, guideand bit combination that made the initial cutout.

Use your master templates (theauthor used agood size Forstnerbit to form thecorners) to formthe cutouts in thedesktop (far left).The templates will guide a routerfitted with a 3/4"template guide and 1/2" compression bit.Then, use the same templates to create sec-ondary templates (left). For this step, clampthe master to your plywood and guide arouter fitted with a 3/8" template guide and1/4" straight bit along the edge.

Machine the desktop cutout with the BurgessEdge plywood bit and the newly shaped infillframe with the Burgess insert bit. Apply glueand slide the frame into the cutout.

The Power Director (shown in photo) is mountedin a frame at the bottom of one of the gallerytowers. The frame is screwed to the side of thetower and a port is cut in the desktop for cables.A removable shelf hides wire clutter.

original template to trim the cutout,leaving a crisp edge on the desktop.

The desktop is secured to thepedestals with cabinetmaker’s buttons(pieces 45). I used a 1/4" slot cutter torout three slots in each top side rail forboth pedestals. With the pedestalsupended on the overturned desktop, Ialigned them and joined them with themonitor platform. Then I fitted a buttonin each slot and screwed it to the desk-top. (Later, when it was time to apply afinish and move the desk to its homelocation, I dismantled it, of course.)

Constructing the GalleryLast to be constructed is the

gallery (pieces 46 though 57). It featuresa long edge-banded plywood top, sup-ported by two shelf units. One has aslightly elevated platform that couldhold a small printer. Under it is a built-inpower strip.

The shelf units consist of plywoodpanels and tapered posts (a taper thatduplicates that of the pedestal legs; seethe drawings on the next page). Theside panels are drilled for shelf supportpins, so you have flexibility in the num-ber and height of shelves. Join theposts and panels with biscuits.

Assemble the units, then lay outand cut biscuit slots in their top edges.Now position the units on the undersideof the gallery top and transfer the slotlocations to it. Then slot the top andglue up the subassembly.

The frame for the power strip is adrawer box with plywood sides andback and a hardwood front. Cut anopening in the front for the power strip.I incorporated a truncated bottom as a mounting point for the power stripbracket, but left most of the area openso I could cut a port in the desktop forcables. The gallery covers the hole, anda removable shelf covers the frame.

Rather than attach the gallery permanently to the desktop, gravityholds it down and a half-dozen dowelsposition it. Drill holes for them in thebottom edges of the gallery, then usedowel points to transfer their locationsto the desktop.

When this is done, lay out and cutthe cable port in the desktop. Youshould also determine the best loca-tions for other essential cabling ports—in the pedestal side for the power cordsand monitor, keyboard, and mousecables, in the gallery for the print cablesand for the power strip cord.

After completing all the parts andassembling the desk, dismantle it toapply the finish. I used multiple coats ofWaterlox on the desk and a single coatof shellac on the drawers, pencil trays


Gallery Exploded View

90 HOME PROJECTS

Power Strip Frame Front(Front View)

MATERIAL LIST – Gallery

T x W x L

40 Premium Keyboard Slide (1) Adjustable

41 Keyboard Platform (1) Black

42 Mouse Pad (1) Black

43 Desktop Panel (1) 3/4" x 321⁄2" x 72"

44 Edge Banding (1) 3/4" x 1" x 300"

45 Cabinetmaker’s Buttons (12) 3/4" x 1" x 11⁄2"

46 Posts (8) 1" x 15⁄8" x 16"

47 Side Panels (4) 3/4" x 12" x 16"

48 Back Panels (2) 3/4" x 173⁄4" x 16"

T x W x L

49 Printer Platform (1) 3/4" x 127⁄8" x 173⁄4"

50 Edge Banding (1) 3/4" x 1/2" x 183⁄4"

51 Power Strip Frame Front (1) 3/4" x 3" x 173⁄4"

52 Power Strip Frame Sides (2) 1/2" x 3" x 131⁄2"

53 Power Strip Frame Back (1) 1/2" x 3" x 173⁄4"

54 Power Strip Frame Bottom (1) 1/2" x 4" x 163⁄4"

55 Gallery Top Panel (1) 3/4" x 15" x 65"

56 Power Manager (1) Black

57 Adjustable Shelves (2) 3/4" x 12" x 173⁄4"

Power cordaccess hole


COMPUTER DESK 91

With plenty of storage room and a place for your high-tech components, this computer deskcuts down on clutter and increases efficiency. And it looks great to boot!

Plywood Cutting Diagrams Side Panel and Post (Inside View)

Computer Desk Elevation(Top View)

Desktop Panel(Top View)

and CPU platform. The shellac merelyseals the bare wood from accidentalmoisture and imparts a little color to themaple and birch plywood.

Once the finish dries thoroughly,reassemble your new desk, install yourcomputer and cables and go to work. I sure did—writing this story!

One of the last tasks is to drill for the dowelsthat secure the gallery to the desktop. Itmust be done with considerable care.


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