This site — DIY’s High — is on a mission to grow the “DIY as a hobby” community.
So today: a desk DIY, which is a perfect first DIY project.
This article shows how to build a desk that even a complete beginner can pull off.
Recommended for anyone who wants to build a workspace desk but doesn’t own any tools.
- No special tools required
- Wood is cut at the home improvement store
- Legs are off-the-shelf metal legs — just bolt them on
- Total cost: under 10,000 yen (~$70)
Want a desk that’s exactly the size you want for your home office? With this approach, you can build it in half a day for under 10,000 yen.
I’ll also include a worked example of the desk I actually built.
Build Steps
Here’s the simple desk DIY in steps:
- Decide your desktop dimensions
- Buy and cut the wood (head to the home improvement store!)
- Buy desk legs from Amazon
- Bolt the legs to the desktop
That’s it.
The key insight: use off-the-shelf legs and have the home improvement store cut the wood for you.
Sounds doable, right?
Tools and Materials
The plan assumes the home improvement store cuts the wood for you, so you don’t need a saw.
Tools
The only must-have tool for assembly is a screwdriver.
Sandpaper is nice to have for cleaning up the cut edges and the surface.
- Phillips screwdriver (#2)
- Sandpaper (#240, #400)
About Phillips screwdrivers
Phillips drivers come in sizes #0 (small) through #4 (large) to match the screw size.
For weekend DIY, #1 and #2 cover most cases.
Here, a #2 driver (which fits 3–5 mm shank screws) is all you need.
(A #1 will almost work for 3 mm screws but won’t fit cleanly — not recommended.)
I personally use the cushion-grip electrician’s-style driver shown below — comfy in the hand.
About sandpaper
Lower grit numbers = coarser. Higher numbers = finer.
Coarse #40–100
Medium #120–240
Fine #280–800
Extra-fine #1000+
For this build, #240 (cleaning up cut edges) and #400 (smoothing the surface) is plenty.
A multi-grit pack like the one below is a good starter.
Cutting wood yourself (optional)
If you want to cut the wood yourself instead of having the store do it, you’ll need:
– a hand saw,
– a jigsaw (power), or
– a circular saw (power).
For this simple desk build, a hand saw is fine.
If your future projects start to involve a lot of cuts (a shelf, etc.), a hand saw will eat your whole afternoon. At that point, a power saw — jigsaw or circular saw — is dramatically faster and more accurate.
For beginners, a jigsaw is the safer power-saw to start with.
Materials
- Wood (glue-laminated panel recommended)
Pick up wood at the home improvement store.
You can buy online too, but seeing the wood in person makes it easier to find a finish you like.
(Personal aside: home improvement stores are basically Disneyland for me 😄)
● Glue-laminated panel recommended
You can choose between solid (single-piece) wood and glue-laminated panel (multiple boards edge-glued together).
I recommend glue-laminated panel — it warps less and offers great value.
● At least 15 mm thick
For a desktop, my rule of thumb: 12 mm tends to warp; 15 mm or more is safer.
My example uses an 18 mm panel.
How to Build the Desk [Steps 1–4]
Let’s go through the four steps.
Step 1: Decide the desktop dimensions
First, the size of the desktop you want.
Pick a width × depth that suits you.
● Reference: standard office desk size
A typical office desk is:
Width: 120 cm (47″)
Depth: 70 cm (28″)
I used to have a 100 × 50 cm desk for working from home, and it felt cramped.
I only run a single monitor, but even so, having more width and depth made the workspace feel much better.
Step 2: Buy and cut wood at the home improvement store
Got your dimensions? Take the measurements with you and head to the home improvement store.
Buy a glue-laminated panel
Most home improvement stores have a glue-laminated panel section.
Find a wood you like the feel of.
I often grab pine glue-laminated panel — bright color and reasonably priced.
Have the store cut it for you
Most home improvement stores will cut wood you’ve purchased, often as a paid service. (My local store charges roughly 50–100 yen per cut.)
Ask the staff.
Desktop is ready!
Step 3: Buy legs on Amazon
Order legs on Amazon (or Rakuten — or grab them at the home improvement store).
Legs like the ones below come with mounting screws — beginner-friendly.
If you’re feeling ambitious, you can also build the legs yourself!
Imagine recreating the look of these metal legs out of square wood stock — that would be amazing. Give it a try if it sounds fun.
Step 4 [Done]: Bolt the legs to the desktop (and sand)
Final step: bolt them together and sand.
Joining the desktop and legs
Screw the legs to your cut desktop.
Use the screws that came with the legs.
The legs typically come with two options: regular wood screws (permanent), or threaded inserts (“oni-me nuts” / barbed-flange threaded inserts) that let you remove the legs later.
The simple route: just use the regular screws.
Threaded inserts require a power drill.
→ The example I built below uses threaded inserts.
Sanding (final step)
Last, sand to finish.
1. First pass — #240 (“medium”) sandpaper, especially the cut edges
2. Final pass — #400 (“fine”) to finish the surface
As mentioned earlier, #240 medium → #400 fine is a good two-step.
That’s it — done!
If you want to add a finish…
I kept this build deliberately simple, but a stain or varnish finish looks great.
If the desk might get wet, varnish dramatically increases durability.
A water-based varnish is the easy choice.
○ Water-based varnish, clear gloss (reflects light)
○ Water-based varnish, clear matte (no shine)
I usually go with matte — it preserves the wood’s natural feel better.
I also have a Japanese article on oil-stain (Watco Oil) finishing if you want to go that route. (English version forthcoming.)
That’s the simple desk DIY.
You can build it without any power tools, so it’s accessible to anyone.
It’s a basic build, but it captures the core appeal of DIY: making something exactly your size, in exactly the wood you want. Highly recommended.
[Worked Example] My Home-Office Desk Build
Here’s the desk I actually built using this approach.
I made the legs removable.
(Example) Step 1: Desktop dimensions
My previous home-office desk was 100 cm wide × 50 cm deep, which felt cramped. So this time I went with the standard office desk size:
Width: 120 cm
Depth: 70 cm
(Example) Step 2: Wood from the home improvement store
I went with radiata pine glue-laminated panel.
Pine glue-laminated panel has a bright color and is easy to work — I use it often for DIY.
Stock size: 91 cm × 182 cm × 18 mm thick.
Cost: 6,000 yen including tax (~$40).
(Example) Step 3: Legs from Amazon
Bought metal legs on Amazon. Leg height: 68.5 cm.
(Example) Step 4: Bolt the legs to the desktop + sand
Time to attach the legs.
The legs come with both regular wood screws (permanent) and threaded inserts (removable). I’m going with threaded inserts so I can disassemble later.
First, mark the screw locations.
The threaded inserts and matching screws:
Drill the specified pilot hole with a power drill before installing the threaded insert.
For reference, I’m using a HiKOKI cordless drill/driver.
After the pilot hole, screw the threaded insert in with an Allen key.
Threaded insert in place:
Bolt the legs on:
Legs attached:
Final sanding pass — #240 medium first, then #400 fine.
Done!!
Going with the larger size for my home office worked out well — even as a single-monitor user, more desk surface just feels better.
If reading this made you think “maybe I’ll try this” — please do! DIY is fun.
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