DIY Metal & Wood Corner Desk

If you’ve been following along, you’ll know that my other half and I are moving into a new apartment together! Which means that I’m not-so-secretly stoked to have another space to build projects for. First up on the list is a small office space for our bedroom. So, I used some lumber I’ve been hoarding to create a metal and wood corner desk for our new space! I had a blast getting to use the welder again for this project – but, if you don’t weld, no worries! I’ll show you how you can make your own desk legs out of wood as well!

How To Build A Metal & Wood Corner Desk

This project is sponsored by DAP Products and may include affiliate links. For my full disclosure policy, click here.

Want to see this build in action? Check it out on my YouTube channel!

I wish I could say that we were moving into the Taj Mahal, but the reality is that our new apartment is right around 550 square feet, which means there isn’t a dedicated office space. Luckily, our bedroom is pretty spacious, so we’re splitting into a work space as well as a sleeping space for the time being.

We wanted something that was unobtrusive but was deep enough to fit a laptop and a microphone for recording music and voiceovers, and a metal & wood corner desk totally fit the bill!

I used really rough lumber for this project and had to mill for what felt like an eternity. But, you can totally make this happen with common board and skip that entire process!

What I Used:

Woodworking Tools
Miter Saw
Circular Saw (& Straight Edge Guide)
Table Saw (Optional)
Planer (Optional)
Biscuit Joiner (Optional)
Sander & Sandpaper
Wood Clamps
Carpenter’s Square
Tape Measure

Metal Working Tools
Circular Saw (& Metal Cutting Blade)
Angle Grinder (& 60 Grit Flap Disk)
Welder
Welding Table

Materials
(3) 1 x 4 x 8′ Boards
(4) 1 ¼ x 1/6 x 72″ Square Metal Tubing
(can be swapped for 2 x 2 x 8′ boards)
DAP Weldwood Carpenter’s Glue
DAP Rapid Fuse
Metallic Pigment (Optional)
Metal Primer
Black Metal Spray Enamel
Threaded Inserts & Fasteners
1 ¼” Plastic End Cap
½” Plastic Plugs
Tung Oil

The Steps:

1. I used boards that were in rough shape for this project, which meant that my first step was to mill them and make them usable. So, I ran them through the planer and also through the table saw to clean them up. This process was extensive, so if you want to see it in action, make sure to check out my YouTube video!

2. Next, it was time to glue up my desk panel. I did this with a biscuit joiner and an ample amount of DAP Weldwood Carpenter’s Glue.

3. I then clamped the boards together and let them dry overnight.

4. While the boards dried, it was time to cut my metal. I did this using a circular saw with a metal cutting blade.

If you’d like to use wood for this section, you can swap the metal tubing for 2 x 2 x 8′ boards and cut them using a circular saw or miter saw. I cut my legs at 31″ tall and 28″ wide, so your pieces would have to be cut as follows:

(2) Top Brackets @ 25″
(4) Legs @ 31″
(2) Bottom Brackets @ 25″

5. Next, I welded my metal pieces together to form two legs.

If you are swapping your metal for wood, you can join them together using pocket holes, dowels, or wood glue.

6. Once the legs were welded, I drilled holes in the metal to create openings for the fasteners to hide inside the tubing. I drilled a ½” on the underside of the top tube, and a smaller opening on the topside (the size of this opening will be determined by the size of your fastener).

7. Next, I primed and painted the metal legs. If you are looking for a paint that looks like metal for your wooden legs, check out this hammered spray paint that I used on my pallet wood nightstand!

8. As the legs dried, I removed my panel from the clamps and cut it to its final shape using a track saw.

9. I then sanded the entire panel and filled any voids with DAP Rapid Fuse and metallic pigment. I then let it dry and sanded it flush.

10. I then finished it with a tung oil.

11. Once the panel was dry, I installed threaded inserts into the top using a little bit of DAP Rapid Fuse to keep them in place.

12. I then attached the metal frame to the top with fasteners that were installed into the inserts.

13. I finished the desk by installing end caps on the bottom of the tubing and plastic plugs into the screw openings.

Then it was time to install the custom piece of furniture into our new space!

I’m really excited about the way this turned out (and also even more stoked that I got the welder back up and running again)… and yes, I totally staged an empty corner in our apartment for this one until we can figure out where it’s staying. No shame.