It’s great to have an excuse to break out the power tools, and even better if you find a project that will give you more storage or work space. These sawhorse desk plans, which are available for a variety of skill levels, offer both.
Title photo from Shanty 2 Chic
This is a desk at its most basic: a few planks of wood stretched across a couple of sawhorses. High-end retailers have been selling this type of desk for a while, but the beauty of this design is that it’s easy to configure or modify a DIY version to fit your needs and skill level. Here are a few different styles of sawhorse desk that would make a good project for anyone from a DIY novice to an old pro.
A Sawhorse Desk Using Brackets
This video from Home Made Simple shows an easy way to build sawhorses using brackets that you can find at most hardware stores. If you don’t have the tools to cut down and attach a lot of wood, these are a great option. (Or if you like the industrial look of the brackets.) You can have wood cut to length at most hardware stores, so something like this could be done with very few tools.
The Basic Build-From-Scratch Desk
There are complete instructions for building this version (photo from Shanty 2 Chic) from Ana White here. It requires a bit more cutting, assembly tools than the last plan. You could also take much more liberty with a design like this, changing the dimensions and size of wood used to fit your aesthetic.
A Custom Sized Desk To Fit Your Space
I created this long desk in my home office, using the existing chair rail, one DIY sawhorse, and planks for the top, which was easiest and most economical solution to create that much workspace in my own home. It’s less complex than the previous design from a build standpoint, but required more comfort building in the moment, without a plan.
You could modify the dimensions on these plans to suit almost any space. Metal, reclaimed, or IKEA sawhorses are all options for the base, and almost any plywood, planks, or other reclaimed materials can be used for the top.
While you’re probably ensured a better result from following the exact directions on a plan, I like to think of them more as guidelines. Understanding how pieces should fit and be fastened is a great first step, but once you get the gist I recommend modifying and experimenting with different parts of the build to make something that truly fits your space.
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