Desks and Study Tables

from the Plesums Woodworking Site

©2008 by Charles A. Plesums, Austin, Texas, USA

Desks come in all sizes and shapes... we have built many types, but not the traditional office type desk (yet). If you want something standard, the office supply or furniture stores can provide something from a factory that is probably cheaper than we can build it. But if you have a special size or space requirement, or want a combination of features that you can't find in a store, or want something especially beautiful and durable, we can help.

Cherry Writing Table

This customer wanted a Shaker-style writing table out of solid cherry wood. It was to be normal desk height - approximately 30 inches, but 24 inches deep, and 42 inches wide, slightly smaller than the normal 30 x 60 office desk size.

Two fairly large but discrete dovetail drawers were installed on the same "long" side with premium full-extension bottom mount (hidden) metal slides and closing dampers - the drawers close softly and don't slam. A finger pull was provided on the bottom edge for opening the drawers without drawer pull hardware. $950 in Cherry, with two drawers and premium drawer slides

Murphy Desk

The Murphy desk was originally designed for a guest room/office, used in conjunction with a Murphy Bed. When the room was a guest room, the Murphy Bed was down, and the desk was folded away. When the room was an office, the desk came into the middle of the room, using the same space as the bed. "Vases and baskets" were used for pens and desktop items, and stored inside the closed Murphy desk (there can't be a pencil drawer if the desk folds up). The file drawers were in the cabinets beside the desk, so were accessible when the desk was closed. The original Murphy desk was a "partner desk, usable by two people at a time. We have also built a smaller "one person" Murphy Desk, shown here. These units are built from Walnut wood. Murphy desk unit, with approximately 24x48 inch desk, $1,400 Murphy desk unit with large 36x60 inch desk, $1,950

Student Desk

This desk was built for an adult living room with space constraints, but it was narrow and with a single set of drawers, like a student desk. It was also extra deep so the computer printer could be placed at the back of the desk, out of the way. This desk included casters to move the desk, and a storage shelf underneath. The center drawer had a tip-down front for use as a keyboard or laptop computer tray. The wood is Pecan $850 with all features

Library Desk (work table)

The large oak library included a table that was, in fact, used as a desk by the owner. The table was 30 by 60 inches, and had a drawer much like a traditional center desk drawer. The owner's laptop computer was a frequent occupant of the space, but would disappear when entertaining. $750 in Red Oak

Two Person Desk

Someone asked us to design a 2 person desk. As the design grew, with lots of drawers on both sides of the desk, the total number of drawers reached 18 (that is a lot, but not when you think of it as two desks - then the number of drawers is reasonable). However, with 18 drawers (which are a major factor in the cost of a desk), a 36 by 66 inch top (overhang at one end where the computers would stand on the floor), and pecan lumber, the desk was going to cost around $2,500 - far over the customer's budget.

We liked the design so much that we are planning to build one for ourselves. Of course, you know the story of the cobbler's children... it may be a while before the desk is done and pictures are available.

Designing your desk

• A standard office desk is 30 by 60 inches, and has drawers in two pedistals, on both the left and right of the knee space. Some desks are only 24 inches deep, used where space is a problem and there aren't a lot of papers or equipment on the desk.
• A student desk is often smaller, such as 30 by 45 inches or 24 by 45 inches, with drawers on only one side, either left or right of the knee space
• The drawers in an office desk are about 13 inches wide, so file folders can be placed across the drawer and papers can be placed cross-wise in the drawer. Home desks sometimes have narrower drawers so papers are put in the drawer lengthwise, allowing a slightly smaller overall desk size.
• A "partner" desk traditionally was 36 inches deep (or even larger) so people could sit on both sides of the desk, but still easily share documents.
• An "executive desk" may be wider than 60 inches, and may be 36 or more inches deep, with an overhang so visitors have knee space if they pull up to the desk to review or sign documents.
• Personal computers and printers were initially built into special desks, but the size, shape, and power (heat) issues have changed faster than the desks. Generally I like to recommend that the location of computers be considered, but that special compartments NOT be built - the desk will last far longer than the computer components that fit the special spaces.
• Most desks are 29 to 30 1/2 inches high, similar to dining room and game tables. If you prefer a lower level for your keyboard or laptop computer, the center drawer can be made into a computer tray.
• Drawers are a major decision when designing a desk. Too few drawers, and you probably won't enjoy working at the desk. But adding lots of drawers drives the cost up rapidly. Planning the number and type of drawers may be the hardest part of the design.

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©2008 by Charles A. Plesums, Austin, Texas USA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.