Madame Lady Lou: The Door Desk

I am an individual who loves crafts and who is starting to sew my own clothes, as well as an online student, so needless to say I need a very LARGE DESK. For months now, I have been forced to transform my kitchen dining table to a work area. This has been frustrating since we eat at the same table. So my husband offered to help me. I took him up on it!

We live in a very small apartment in VA Beach with an even smaller deck, which my husband turned into his wood shop for the day. Somewhat not a good idea for the deck is made out of wood and the wood chips and sawdust, from cutting the wood, seeped through the cracks to the deck below us. Our neighbors beneath us were very understanding and the circumstance created an acquaintance between us. This was quite an adventure but we had so much fun!

Here are the instructions we used for our door desk:

First, find a vintage door from a habitat for humanity store, antique shop or thrift store. My door I used was full of character and some of the paint was starting to peel, a characteristic I love.

Next, scavenge out a piece of glass about the same size as the door or smaller. Key element here is smaller, for it is far easier to cut wood than glass. We found a screen door that only had a white trim around it which was easy to take off.

Then, cut the door to fit the glass if need to.

Next, make saw horses for the legs. (You can even use small bookshelves for legs.) My husband used the template and instructions from the http://artofmanliness.com/2011/09/15/how-to-build-a-quick-and-easy-sawhorse/ (Later, we are thinking about adding shelves to the sawhorses for more storage area.)
If you want to paint the sawhorses then do so now, before assembling. We want to paint ours a matte black.

Finally, assemble the pieces together. Stand up the legs after completion and place the door on the legs and the glass on the door and now you have a door desk with plenty of work room. I love it!!!

Materials (instructions for sawhorses from http://artofmanliness.com)

Here are the materials Tim recommends for his sawhorses. It’s enough to make a pair.

Six 32½-inch 2x4s (for the I-beams)

Eight 30-inch 2x4s (for the legs)

Twelve 3-inch wood screws

Thirty-two 16D galvanized nails

How to Build a Sawhorse

Building a sawhorse is super easy. It makes for a great starter project for the man who has never really worked with tools, but wants to become handier around the home.

Note: This is one way to build a sawhorse. I know there are plenty of other ways to do it. This plan is great for everyday use in a typical suburban garage. If you plan on using your sawhorses for heavy work, you might try another design.

1. Measure and Cut Your Timber

The 2x4s I bought came in lengths of sixteen feet, so I had to cut them down to the needed sizes. Here I am measuring and cutting 32½-inch pieces for the I-beams and 30-inch pieces for the legs. Remember to measure twice and cut once!

Here I am using a portable compound miter saw to cut the timber. You can use a hand-held circular saw or even an old-school handsaw.

Ready to be turned into a sawhorse

2. Build I-Beams

Take three of your 32½-inch 2x4s and screw them together in an "I" formation. I found it helpful to drill a pilot hole before driving the screws in. Drive three wood screws right down the middle on top and bottom of the I-beam. Place two of the screws near each end and drive the other one right in the middle of the I-beam.

http://artofmanliness.com

3. Nail the Legs to I-Beam

Butt the end of the 30" 2x4s into the top of the I-beam like so. Hammer two nails at the top of the leg so that they go into the middle I-beam piece. Nail two more nails into your leg so that they go through the bottom I-beam piece.

If you've done things correctly, you should form a box pattern with your nails. Notice my hammer dings in the wood. I need to practice.

Repeat for each leg.