Lean methodology means Doing More with Less. But embracing Lean doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice quality. With a little know-how and proper motivation you can real-life hack yourself some amazing things.
As a lean startup, we strive to spend capital wisely; one of those ways is to spend it on tools that make us as productive as possible. When you’re at your desk 8-12 hours a day (or more) working, having the right setup is crucial to maximize your productivity, so providing a comfortable seating and a quality desk is a priority for us.
We recently moved into a new location, and as a temporary fix, we’re using some folding tables for our desks, that belong to another team that shares our work space. The tables work, but they’re far from ideal: they fold up in the middle, so my computer monitor tilts to the side; the keyboard sits on the fold as well, which causes the keyboard to be off balance; and the table itself isn’t sturdy so everything has a nice wobble to it. The table dimensions, however, are perfect. For the uninitiated-I’m some what obsessive about my setup, for example the slight input lag in a wireless keyboards drives me bonkers, so having a screen that tilts off center is enough to send me into therapy.
I knew I wantedneeded a good desk to work on. Ikea-the mecca of cost effective furniture has desks that are reasonable priced, but fall short in quality. Enter the DIY Hacker.
I decided to build my own work station, sourcing quality materials and putting in the work to assemble it. Ikea sells some pretty great butcher block countertop slabs, and coupled with a pair of their desk legs, I was pretty certain this would make a pretty good desk. I could taylor the size to my specifications, and not have to spend a lot of cash to do it.
Difficulty: Moderate
Materials
Required
1 73 1/4″ x 39 3/8″ Slab of Ikea Numerar Countertop ($195)
4 Galant Silver A-Leg ($40)
1 Galant 63″ Frame ($40)
6 1/4 x 1 Lag Screws ($0.60)
6 1/4 washers $(0.30)
Optional
120,150,180,220 grit sandpaper ($5)
Wood Stain ($10)
Tung Oil Finish ($10)
Tools
6 1/4″ Circular Saw (w/ Rip fence is ideal)
Drill
Sand Block (Handheld Sander is better)
Measuring Tape
Clamps
Straight Edge or Fence (if no Rip fence)
Yellow Pencil
Framing Square
Safety Goggles
Mask
Paint Brush (for stain)
Drop Cloth
Shop Rags
Saw horses
Other:
A friend. Seriously the slab is ~120lbs, you’ll need at least one person to help
Making it Yours:
The cool thing about this project is that you have quite a bit of flexibility in customizing your desk. The counter tops comes in two different widths: 25 5/8 (which is standard counter top depth) or 39 3/8″. If you opt for the smaller slab, the cost drops to $129, plus you can forgo cutting it down.
As I mentioned above, the folding table’s dimension were perfect, so at a width of 29 1/2″, I opted for the larger slab. The countertops also come in three different wood types: beech, birch, and oak, each with a different stain. I ended up choosing Oak, because it had a more pronounced wood grain.
You can choose the size that best fits your work style, and build accordingly.
Since these are countertops, they’re not treated (counter tops are usually treated after installation), I decided to stain mine a rich darker color. We get a lot of sun in our office, so the dark would be a nice contrast. And since I consume a lot of caffeinated beverages at my desk during the work day, I was going to treat it with a finish to better protect the surface.
Since the bulk of the cost is the table surface, you could potentially save money by looking at Craigslist for anyone getting rid of butcher block, or checking out a reclaim store.
Building the Table:
I setup the two saw horses, and had my friend help me place the butcher block slab on top. We removed the packaging, and ensured the “bottom” was face up.
Cut it Out:
Since I opted for the larger slab, I needed to cut it to size. First I started with the crosscut (cutting against the grain), to reduce the length to 71″.
I measured where I wanted the cut to go, and added 1 1/2″ for the straight edge guide. If your saw has a Rip Fence, great, otherwise I highly recommend you use a straight edge to get a square cut. I clamped the edge like so, and proceeded to make the cut.
At 39 3/8″, the desk is too wide, so I ripped (cut with the grain) 9″ as well.
Note:
The slab is 1 1/2″ thick, so it’s very likely that your cordless circular saw (and possibly even your corded circular saw) will have trouble. You can rent a worm-drive circular saw from Homedepot for about $25 if you run into issues. However my Milwaukee v28 cordless circular saw is beast, and paired with the Diablo Finish blade, made short work of both cuts.
When you cut, cut at a nice even *slow* speed. Too fast and your saw will bind. Ask your friend to hold the piece to prevent it from dropping.
Staining the Underside:
The underside of the table isn’t too important, but I wanted to keep an even color with the top, so I decide to apply just a single coat of stain. To save time, I just sanded with 120 grit, wiped the saw dust, and applied the coat.
Once the stain had dried, I put the Galant frame down, and aligned it with the help of a measuring tape. Once the frame was in place, I scored some guide marks with a nail, along with all 6 holes.
I removed the frame, then used the drill to put in 6 small pilot holes.
The Main Table:
We flipped the table over, and then I began prepping for the stain. The stain directions call for staining with 120,150,180 and finally 220 grit paper, so I did. I also sanded down the hard edge that was created during the cross and rip cuts.
Once sanded, I wiped away the saw dust, and applied the first coat of stain, applying it against the grain, then wiping away excess with the grain.
After drying, I applied a 2nd coat of stain, again against the grain, then wiping excess off with the grain.
Assembling the Table:
Once dry, we loaded up the table top, legs, frame, and tools, and drove to the office. It made more sense to assemble it there, than in the garage, and try to move the whole thing around.
I had to adjust the size of the pilot holes. Luckily the cleaning crew left their Ghost Buster style vacuum cleaner, so I didn’t leave a mess!
At the office, we set the table upside down on the saw horses. I installed the Galant A-Legs to the frame, then placed the frame on the table. Using the lag screws, I screwed the frame onto the table top. I played with some different heights and after settling on the right value, we flipped the table back around.
To finish off the table and prevent damage, I applied Tung Oil, working it into the grain.
After the finish was dried (a few days), I placed my desk items on it, and wrote this post!
The desk is sturdy; my monitor doesn’t wobble, and I have plenty of surface space to spread out.