How to make an L shaped desk?

I am trying to make an L-shaped desk for my gaming setup with a place for my computer tower to sit off the floor. I have already thought about what came to mind but I've never done this before so I was hoping someone might have some insight to what I'm trying to do? I've picked out all the pieces I think I'll need to create it but I feel like I'm missing something. I'd like to try and keep the budget under $500.

Top of the desk - https://www.bunnings.com.au/specrite-2200-x-600-x-26mm-beech-laminated-panel_p8330041
I'll then cut that into two pieces one being 1550mm by 600mm and the other piece will be 650mm by 600mm. However, to use this part as the bottom part of the L it needs to be cut in half at 650mm by 300mm so I have two pieces. One will be used as the bottom of the L and the other part I have no use for at the moment but I will keep just in case.

Then as the legs, I was thinking of using https://www.bunnings.com.au/specrite-1800-x-600-x-18mm-timber-multi-use-pine-panel_p0419624 two of these panels cut into three pieces each. They will be cut into two 700mm by 600mm and one 400mm by 600m each. Then, one of the 400mm by 600mm pieces would be cut into 300mm by 600mm to act as the floor of where the tower will sit. The height of the desk will be 700mm to accommodate enough space to fit my legs comfortably and maybe even my dog haha.

Also get a third one of these panels https://www.bunnings.com.au/specrite-1800-x-600-x-18mm-timber-multi-use-pine-panel_p0419624 to act as support at the back and hold the legs and top together. It would need to be cut down by about 36mm to fit perfectly in between the legs (so cut down to 1774mm by 600mm). I know that it wouldn't touch the ground but would this be fine?

I was thinking of using either these 10mm dowels or these 10mm dowels in the 26mm thick desk top to connect the L parts together then using 6mm or 8mm dowels in the legs and tower holder along with wood glue in places to hold it together better. I don't want to use wood glue everywhere so that I can take it apart easily so I can take it with me when we eventually move.

I'm not sure if I need to use screws as well and if I do what kind of screws and how should they be put in? Any ideas are welcome as I haven't bought the pieces yet. Also, should I stain or paint any of the pieces? At this point I was thinking of staining them to be a bit darker somewhere close to a dark brown so that marks and dirt doesn't show up as much, I know that marks aren't easy to hide but it's my own fault if it happens. Thank you so much!

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MitchellMc

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @kidphantom1. It's sensational to have you join us and many thanks for your question on creating a computer desk.

Thanks for the detailed description. From what you’ve written, it’s a bit hard to fully visualise the desk and exactly how everything will fit together. Some of the measurements and cuts could be interpreted in different ways, so a simple sketch of your proposed design would really help us understand how you plan to construct the L-shaped desk and position the computer tower.

Regarding your construction questions: you will definitely need to use screws in addition to glue. Glued joints alone won’t be strong enough for a desk that will hold a computer and other equipment; they can snap under weight or movement. You don’t want screws going through the top surface, so the best approach is to use L-brackets underneath the desktop to attach the legs and side panels. Make sure the screws aren’t so long that they penetrate through the panels. This setup will add significant rigidity to your joints while still keeping it fairly easy to disassemble if needed. Dowels are also an option, but typically you can get away with screws and brackets, which can be less fuss to install.

For connecting the L parts of the desktop, using 10mm dowels with wood glue should work, and the same goes for the legs and tower holder with smaller dowels (6–8mm) plus occasional glue. Just ensure your dowel holes are accurately aligned so the pieces fit snugly.

As for the back support panel that won’t reach the ground, that’s generally fine. Its main purpose is to tie the legs and desktop together and provide lateral stability, so it doesn’t necessarily need to sit on the floor. However, if it were to it would add support to the back, so perhaps a small legs there would help.

Regarding finishing, staining the panels a darker brown is a good idea. It will help the pine match more closely with the beech laminated desktop and hide minor marks and dirt. A clear coat or poly finish over the stain will also help protect the surfaces from spills or scratches.

Budget-wise, your panel and material choices seem reasonable for keeping under $500, especially if you can repurpose offcuts where possible.

If you can sketch out your design with all measurements and how the pieces join together, it’ll be much easier to give more precise guidance on dowel placement, screw positions, and any additional bracing that might be needed. I'd also be happy to create a rendering so we can take a closer look at it.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell

kidphantom1

Thank you so much for the quick reply @MitchellMc! I created this sketch to help me visualise what the desk would look like from the top and front. Please let me know if you can't read any of numbers and I can let you know what they actually say.

A question I do have; should I use L-brackets AND dowels or would you recommend just the L-brackets? And if so, what L-brackets should I use along with what kind of screw should I use? I'm not opposed to doing more work if it means a sturdier and better overall finish to the desk.

Would you recommend poly finish over clear coat? What kind of poly finish or clear coat would you recommend?

Please let me know if you'd like me to do a quick sketch of any other parts of it and I'll be happy to.

MitchellMc

You’d probably get away with just using L-brackets rather than dowels @kidphantom1, but it really depends on how strong you’d like the joints to be. L-brackets with a good quality wood glue will give you plenty of strength for most setups. If you expect to move the desk around often, then adding dowels would give you a bit of extra durability and help keep things tight over time.

For the brackets, something around 50mm x 50mm would be ideal for most of the joints. I’d suggest fixing them under the desktop and along the side panels, and also in the section where the computer will sit. That extra bracing adds a lot of rigidity to the frame. Use screws suited to the thickness of your material — generally atleast 5mm shorter than the timber thickness so they don’t punch through.

On the finish, polyurethane is essentially a clear coat. A water-based polyurethane (like Cabothane Clear) will give you a natural look without yellowing too much, while an oil-based version will add warmth but can darken over time. If you’re happy with the colour of the timber, you can just apply the poly directly. If you’d like to stain, do that first and then seal with the clear coat on top for protection.

Your sketch looks great. It really helps to visualise the build. I've put together some renderings for you.

Mitchell

kidphantom1

Thank you so much @MitchellMc!

Due to how the picture was laid out and me not explaining it properly the rendering isn't quite what I had in mind but does help quite a lot with how it would actually look once completed. My original plan was to have the tower at the inner left corner and place a leg on the very end of the bottom part of the L shape with dowels in it to keep it in nicely as I don't plan to put too much weight on that part, and should I maybe add an extra bracket or something to ensure that the bottom L part can hold a bit extra weight just in case? Would everything still be fine and work well enough if the tower was placed into that corner?

For those L-brackets would these screws be appropriate or would a countersunk screw like this one be better? And for attaching the desk top to the L-brackets should I use a longer screw since its 26mm thick versus the only 18mm thick legs? Also, does the material the screw is made of or coated in matter as much? I'm sorry about all the questions this is my first time DIYing anything even close to this. Thank you so much for all your help!

MitchellMc

Hi @kidphantom1,

That sounds fine. You'd want the countersunk timber screws as the other are for metal. I'd jump up to these 20mm screws for the top. The coating on the screw doesn't make much of a difference. It's mainly just the look of them.

Mitchell

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