DIY Plywood Desk with Pipe Frame: Plans to Build Your Own

DIY Plywood Desk

Are you interested in building your own plywood desk?

This article will show you how you can easily build your own desk, even if you don't have any building experience, or don't own any power tools.

All you need is a sheet of plywood, a few Kee Klamp fittings, some pipe, and an Allen Wrench to assemble the frame, in order to build this plywood desk.

Follow along, as we cover this fantastic desk built by Paul, the fittings you'll need for the desk frame, and the steps to assemble it:

Project Details

Building with hardwood plywood can be a great alternative to working with standard hardwood. All you really need to do is cut the plywood to your specific length and you're on your way. It also looks great and comes in a variety of finishes like Oak and Birch.

DIY Plywood Desk

The desk you see here was built by Paul of Industrial Design in New Zealand. Paul crafts beautiful tables, and other pieces of furniture, from industrial, vintage, and upcycled parts. Be sure to check out more of his work here.

Plywood Desk

Plywood Desk Plans

This particular desk is 60" long, 35" wide, and 29" high. But, you can make the desk any dimensions you like.

Here are a few more desks, that Paul created, that use the same design:

Plywood Desk

DIY Plywood Desk

Now, let's take a look at the fittings you will need to assemble the desk frame:

Fittings & Pipe Needed to Assemble the Plywood Desk Frame

 

Now that you know what fittings and pipe you will need, let's move on to how to assemble the desk.

How to Assemble the Plywood Desk

To assemble the desk, follow the diagram below and the proceeding steps. As with any project that uses Kee Klamp fittings, the exact order depends on how you would like to approach the assembly process. However, we have provided the recommended order of steps.

Plywood Desk Plans

  1. We recommend building the desk frame in sections. You'll start by building both ends of the frame and then joining them together. Using two Side Outlet Elbow fittings (top) and two 90 Degree Elbow fittings (bottom), assemble each end of the frame as pictured in Step 1. The pipe will slide into the open socket on each fitting. You will then tighten down the set screw, on each fitting, to secure it to the pipe.
  2. Once, that is complete, you should now have a section as pictured in Step 2. Repeat the same process for the other side.
  3. Now, you should have the two ends completely assembled. These will be joined together by two lengths of pipe. Slide the pipe into the open sockets on the Side Outlet Elbow fittings, and tighten down the set screw, to secure it in place.
  4. You should now have a frame that looks like the example in Step 4.
  5. Now, you can attach your plywood top. Cut this down to your desired dimensions before attaching it to the frame. If you don't have the tools to cut the plywood board down to size, Home Depot or Lowes should be able to do this for you when you buy the sheet of plywood.
  6. The plywood should be placed over the table frame as shown in Step 6.
  7. You can leave the desk as is if you like. But, the top may slide around. To lock it down into place, you can use the Sheeting Clip. The Sheeting Clip will slide over the pipe, and allow you to screw into the bottom of the plywood, to keep it in place.
  8. Place a Sheeting Clip at each end and screw the clip into place.
  9. Once, you have all four Sheeting Clips attached, then you are finally finished! You have a complete plywood desk with a pipe frame.

If you have any trouble assembling the desk frame, don't hesitate to reach out to our projects team for help (projects@simplifiedbuilding.com). Our team is experienced in working with Kee Klamp projects and can help you out with yours. We also offer free design assistance. Finally, we do offer a few desk & table frame kits for a simpler approach, try browsing our selection to see if there is a fit for you.

Specs:

  • Width: Configurable (Standard 60")
  • Depth: Configurable (Standard 29")
  • Height: Configurable (Standard 35")

Assembly:

  • clock One Lunch Time
  • wrench Allen Key, Hardware to Attach Plywood to Frame

What's included:

All of the pipe and fittings needed to assemble the table frame.

What's not:

Tabletop, Hardware to Attach Plywood to Frame, Tools

Now It's Your Turn

Let us know in the comments below what you thought of this project. Did you like it, hate it, want to see more of it? Let us know.

Better yet, if you build one yourself, let us know and send in your pics. We'll add it to this blog post so that everyone can see your awesome creation.

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Simplified Building Team

Our experts will help you select the items you need to create your project.

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