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How to add desk stability?

Desk Help (please be kind & treat me as not knowing anything):

Hi all, I built a desk in November 24; and I am wanting to stabilise it/stop shaking; prevent sagging from a large monitor & stop the legs from ripping out when moved (as the desk is not thick enough to have longer screws for feet).

Please note - this was a first furniture building project - I am very amateur and can access tools if needed but assume I have basic power-tools & others.

Materials used; and a few ideas I have had (but not committed to yet are below). Please note it is varnished and was sanded etc when originally built. I am planning on re-doing this as well due to it being too hot when applied.

I used:

Specrite 1800 x 600 x 18mm Brown Acacia Multi Use Panel as the DeskTop &

The legs are no longer online but are similar to these (picture of legs attached - dimensions are: 700mm x 110mm x 110mm)

I have stained and sanded it back upon first building.

Some thoughts about how to fix my desk are:
New legs & Mounting Plates (I need the legs to be adjustable and ideally be around 700mm to start with).

- Please note I do not know much about mounting plates; and have only discovered whilst trawling on here.

I have a piece of wood cut that I am thinking of gluing/clamping underneath where the legs are going; then redrilling whatever legs I go with; into them to provide more surface area so the screws are long enough not to pull off when the desk is moved and hopefully provide some stability. This may include mounting plates?

I have bought 2x X-brace's but have not done anything with them yet as they will not do anything to stabilise if there is nothing to bolt to?

Questions are:
Will the wood mounting on the underneath be a good idea for the feet fixtures?

Will the X-brace do anything without a centre-structure/beam?

Will I need new legs and mounting plates?

What support do I need to add to prevent sagging and help with stability?

Tips/Tricks for general desk building as an amateur and varnishing/sanding tips please..

Thanks all!

Aleisha

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Accepted answers

MitchellMc

Hi @aleisha8099,

Gluing and screwing would be preferable to screwing alone.

You could potentially use 1200mm pine, but then your legs would have to be 1200mm apart. I wouldn't suggest bringing the legs any closer together than they already are. You could have the 1800mm timber cut to 1500mm, so it doesn't extend right to the end of the table.

You would have to try the braces to see if they resolve your issue. I'm unsure whether the wobbling was caused by the shorter screws or by the legs themselves. I would first fix the legs, then determine whether the bracing is necessary.

Mitchell

All comments

MitchellMc

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @aleisha8099. It's sensational to have you join us, and many thanks for your question about increasing a desk's stability.

First, don’t worry about asking questions here. You’ve come to a very welcoming community, and helping people get into DIY is exactly what we do. You are clearly thinking about this carefully and already on the right track, so give yourself credit. The issues you are experiencing, such as wobbling, sagging, and screws pulling out from the 18 mm desktop, are very common for first-time builds, and the approaches you are considering are exactly how you start fixing them.

One effective solution is to add long braces along the underside of the desk. Instead of just adding short braces between the legs, use two longer pieces of timber, such as 140 mm by 19 mm pine, running the full length of the desk, one near the front edge and one near the back. Screw these in place with screws close to the combined thickness of the top and brace, roughly 37 mm, spacing them every 30 cm or so, and position the end screws so they do not interfere with where the legs will attach. This does two things. It adds extra thickness so you can use longer screws for the legs, helping them hold better, and it adds rigidity to the desktop to prevent sagging. I'd suggest these 35mm timber screws. As we have 37mm ensure you do not overdrive them into the pine timber as they could penetrate the top.

You can then reattach your legs with the longer 35mm screws.

For additional stability, make sure the desk is pushed firmly up against any walls. You can also attach L-brackets under the desk at the rear and fix them to a wall stud or masonry. This will ensure the desk doesn't wobble, though the braces and longer screw should take care of most of that anyway.

If you want to use the X-braces you bought, you could still add them, but they may be tricky to attach depending on your leg spacing. Start with the long brace method first and see how stable the desk is before trying to fit the cross braces.

For refinishing the top, lightly sand any small bubbles or distortions in the existing varnish. You do not need to remove it all. Then apply a final coat of the same product. This will tidy it up and give it a smooth, durable finish without having to redo the whole desk.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell

AlanM52

Hi @aleisha8099,

This is the first thing to focus on:

RE: I need the legs to be adjustable and ideally be around 700mm to start with.

With a open mind please watch this video and then checkout this product.

I'll be back...

Cheers

J-P

@aleisha8099 - would a third leg in the middle help (if optics is not a problem)

aleisha8099

Hi Mitchell,

Thank you so much for the insight. I will try the braces across the length of the desk. I was planning on glueing these first then screwing - but from your recommendations this isn't needed?

Also with the wood length - the desk is 1800, would the 1200 pine braces be fine?

Unfortunately I am a renter so i cannot permanently fix the desk. So the braces would stop the wobbling side-to-side but back-and-forth may still be an issue - so the L-brackets may need to be used, or is this redundant?

Thanks

Aleisha

MitchellMc

Hi @aleisha8099,

Gluing and screwing would be preferable to screwing alone.

Mitchell

aleisha8099

Hi Mitchell! Made some great progress! Braced as you said and changed the legs.

Added a lot more stability lengthwise and no more sagging.

But the instability front to back is still a major issue. Possibly due to the size of the desk vs legs and placement?

Any suggestions?

I am yet to refinish the top (next task with further bracing..)

MitchellMc

When you mention front-to-back instability, is this the table rocking @aleisha8099? If so, it's likely due to its thin depth from front to back. With additional weight on the table, it will help stabilise it.

Will that drawer be sitting under the table? You could use a couple of downpipe clips, or suitably sized half-saddles to attach the legs to the side of the drawer.

Well done so far, and many thanks for the update.

Mitchell

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