How to Create Your Own Oak Wood Home Computer Desk

An oak wood home computer desk is an essential item in most peoples' lives. In this age of technology it's hard to find a house that doesn't have a computer of some kind. A good looking desk to put your computer on is not only an attractive piece of furniture, but is vital when working on the computer for long periods of time. Why not make your own at a fraction of the cost.

With just a few basic carpentry skills, you can build your own oak wood home computer desk. The cost will vary depending on the quality of wood you buy. Even if you get the best quality wood available you can still have an oak wood home computer desk for much less than what you would pay in a store. It will probably be of a much better quality, too.

There are quite a few tools and materials you will need before you start building your oak wood computer desk. An essential item is an electric saw. The job will take twice as long without one. The other tools required are: an electric sander, power drill with bits, a level, a pencil, a ruler to make straight lines, wood glue, screws, L brackets, carriage bolts and locking nut sand keyboard runners.

There are a few materials needed for your oak wood home computer desk. You will need brushes, wood stain and varnish and of course, the oak wood itself. We recommend a 1 ½ inch thick plank for the top, another plank of the same size and a thinner plank for the keyboard tray.

How much wood you will need depends on how big you want the oak wood home computer desk to be. Think about the space where it's going to go, is it just for a computer or do you need space for a printer? Keep the design simple. All you need is a top, four legs and a place for the keyboard. Get a big enough plank of wood that you can cut all four legs out. You will need another piece for the top, and one more piece for the keyboard tray.

Cut the wood to the sizes you need. Make sure you cut the wood for the keyboard tray, so that it reaches both ends of the oak wood home computer desk. This is to ensure that the runners work properly. Once cut, sand all the pieces until smooth. This will be done much quicker with a power sander.

Now we need to attach the legs to the top of the oak wood home computer desk. To do this we use the L brackets, the carriage bolts and locking nuts. Sometimes the legs on your oak wood home computer desk will wobble. This is easily remedied. Use scraps of wood attached diagonally between the top and the legs to act as a brace. Screw these tightly into place.

Now get the keyboard tray and attach the sliders to each end. Make sure the screws are as tight as possible. A good tip here is to screw a bit of wood onto the back of the tray. This will prevent the keyboard from, falling down the back. Attach the opposite side of each slider to the legs of your oak wood home computer desk. Make sure that you attach the tray at a comfortable height for you. Your oak wood home computer desk can now be finished.

You are now ready to apply the wood stain to your oak wood home computer desk. Make sure you are in a well ventilated area when staining or varnishing. Use a damp rag to do this. Work in a circular motion, along the grain. Once the stain has dried, get a brush and apply the first coat of varnish. Give the varnish time to dry between coats. That's it, your oak wood home computer desk finished.

Congratulations! You have just made yourself an oak wood home computer desk. Your home now has a smart new piece of furniture. The fact that you made it yourself will make sitting at your computer even more pleasurable from now on.

Sources
http://www.christianet.com/laptops/smallcomputerdesk.htm

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/how-to-build-a-simple-computer-desk.html