Wesley’s Christmas Desk

Keeping kids organized is a full time job ;0). With so many moves and furniture never fitting the same in the new house, it’s been easy to put off making/buying furniture for each kid that wasn’t temporary in nature. The basement still needs some updating…I keep putting it off in hopes we will be able to do more than a facelift one day. In the mean time, kids are getting older and need something now.

We shuffled things around a few months ago after finally peeling all the paper off one room and getting it repainted. Once that was done we moved Wesley into what was the sewing room….he’s been asking for carpet ever since :0).

When I helped him move from his corner into this room we threw out four bags of trash and took two boxes to be donated. Even after all of this it was apparent he needed more storage and organization to not have a complete mess all of the time. He’s 11, so while he can meticulously sort and organize his legos, the correct use of a laundry basket seems to mystify him.

I didn’t get many, or any pictures actually of the desk in progress, too many interruptions from the kids and a deadline :0). They are all built all out of two side sanded plywood, painted with what was left in the paint cupboard, and trimmed out with whatever I had in the shop. In this case was the first batch of air dried oak I stacked this spring to finish drying.

I had planed some of the boards to 3/4” and set them aside to build something with…but ended up using them for this desk. I ripped 1/2” strips off the boards and sanded the saw marks out then finished them with walnut colored Danish Oil. Once the desk was painted with left over shed paint I used a pin nailer and glue to add the trim.

For the top I bought a 6’ bitch butcher block counter top from Home Depot, going for indestructible for this kid. One of the first things out of his mouth was, “I can attach a vice to this!” I used Walnut Danish oil to finish it and applied two coats, it could use more, but you know, deadlines ;0).

It wouldn’t be enough to lift the desk by the top, but I had Wes line up the top how he wanted it and attached it with 3 L-brackets where the wouldn’t be seen in the back.

I planned his desk around the Rejsa organizing bins from IKEA and was relieved when everything fit like it was supposed to :0). I always get nervous that I’ve missed something in my measurements somewhere.

There is one more shelf I didn’t make enough trim for, it will go above the shelf I did get up…and some day we’ll paint walls and carpet the floor. In the meantime he can pound away at whatever he wants to at his desk :0)

Don’t forget to hit the follow button, or like my page on Facebook “Girl with a Hand Plane” for more projects and tips!