---
title: 'DIY Desk For People NEW To Woodworking (All Steps And Cut List)'
source: 'https://youtube.com/watch?v=uhWpruzMWas'
video_id: 'uhWpruzMWas'
date: 2026-06-28
duration_sec: 420
---

# DIY Desk For People NEW To Woodworking (All Steps And Cut List)

> Source: [DIY Desk For People NEW To Woodworking (All Steps And Cut List)](https://youtube.com/watch?v=uhWpruzMWas)

## Summary

This DIY tutorial walks beginners through building a simple desk from scratch. The host provides a complete cut list, demonstrates pocket hole joinery, and shows assembly of the frame and top. The video is designed for those new to woodworking.

### Key Points

- **Cut List for Lumber** [0:27] — Six 12-inch, seven 18.5-inch, and two 27.5-inch 1x2s; six 30-inch, one 27.5-inch, and one 18.5-inch 2x2s.
- **Pocket Hole Placement** [0:55] — All boards except the 30-inch 2x2s need two pocket holes on each side; some 1x2s also get centered holes for top attachment.
- **Marking Uprights** [1:27] — Marks at 3 inches and 15 inches from bottom on the 30-inch 2x2s guide shelf placement.
- **Back Side Assembly** [1:34] — Back side assembled with 30-inch uprights, 27.5-inch 2x2 at 3 inches, 27.5-inch 1x2 flush top, and 12-inch 1x2s at marks.
- **Front Side Assembly** [3:04] — Front side mirrors back but omits bottom 2x2 on large opening.
- **Shelves Installation** [3:57] — Four 1x8 boards cut to 21 inches, notched to fit around 2x2s, glued and nailed.
- **Table Top Construction** [4:43] — Two 4-foot 1x12 edge-glued boards joined with glue and pocket screws, attached with overhangs: 2" sides, 1.5" front, 1" back.
- **Finishing Steps** [5:57] — Fill blemishes, sand, then paint or stain.

## Transcript

today on diy man i'm going to walk you
through a step-by-step build of this
nice little desk
let's start the desk by cutting out some
one by twos and two by twos
i'll put the materials list in the
description below
also don't forget that you can save a
ton of money by cutting up those two by
fours into those small lumber pieces
for the one by twos we need six that are
twelve inches
seven at eighteen and a half inches and
two at
twenty seven and a half inches next for
the two by twos
we need six at thirty inches one at
twenty seven and a half inches and
one at eighteen and a half inches now
i'm gonna make some pocket holes and
some of these boards with my craig
r3 jig this is probably the best thirty
dollars i've ever spent
we're going to need to put two pocket
holes on each side
of all of these boards except the thirty
inch two by twos
[Music]
also on two of the eighteen and a half
inch one by twos
two of the 12 inch one by twos and the
two
27 and a half inch one by twos we'll
need to put two pocket holes in the very
center
these are going to be to attach the top
later on
let's make a few marks on the 30 inch
two by twos
we need to make one mark that's three
inches up from the bottom
and then another mark that's 15 inches
up from the bottom
i'll start by laying out the back of the
desk
the 30 inch two by twos are going to
make up the uprights
the 27 and a half inch two by two will
be three inches up from the bottom
then that twenty seven and a half inch
one by two will be flush with the top
these are 12 inch boards now we'll just
attach these with one and a quarter inch
pocket
screws the bottom of the lower boards
will be flush with the top of that three
inch mark
then the bottom of that middle board
will be flush with the top of that 15
inch mark
the top one by twos are just flush with
the top of those 30 inch two by twos
as you can see i laid a piece of quarter
inch plywood underneath those one by
twos
next on the bottom left we'll attach
that eighteen and a half inch two by two
then we'll put one of the eighteen and a
half inch one by twos
up at the top there those last six
eighteen and a half inch one by twos
will go flush with the top
on that 15 inch mark then on that three
inch mark from the bottom
as you can see i'm still using my
quarter inch plywood to set these back
from the edge of the two by twos
just a quarter of an inch
here's a quick look at the desk before
moving on
as you can see for these top boards i
use the ones with the pocket holes in
the center
like i said this is going to be to
attach the table top here in a little
bit
now let's put the front side together
just remember this side is going to be
the exact
opposite of that other side one
exception is that this side doesn't have
a two by two on the bottom side of that
large opening
once again i'm offsetting those one by
twos
and the bottoms of those boards are on
the tops of those marks
now for the fun part let's put these two
sides together
it's actually kind of starting to look
like a desk now
[Music]
here's what the basic frame should look
like once it's completed
[Music]
let's cut four 1 by 8 at 21 inches
let's mark the two corners on each of
these four boards that's going to sit up
against these two by twos
i'm making my marks so that when i cut
out the notches on the one by eights
the edges will be flush with the edges
of the one by twos
let's cut those out real quick
[Music]
then we'll just install those with wood
glue and a small nail gun
this 18 gauge brad nailer that i'm using
came as a three-part
set i use these things all the time and
they're actually a really good quality
for the price
i have a link in the description if
you'd like to check out the reviews on
amazon after this video
now let's cut up our 1 by 12 or our 12
inch edge glued lumber
into two 4 foot pieces
let's put these two boards together with
a little bit of wood glue and four or
five pocket screws
[Music]
now we'll just attach the top using wood
glue a couple nails
and those four pocket screws from the
bottom
the left and right sides should overhang
two inches
on each side if you use edge glue lumber
like i did
the front should overhang an inch and a
half and then the back should only
overhang an
inch now if you use normal one by
twelves the front and back should both
overhang a half an inch
[Music]
here i am flipping it over and
installing those screws from the bottom
this will also help prevent the 1 by 12s
from warping
next fill in all your blemishes with a
little bit of wood filler and sand it
down really good
once your desk is sanded down it's ready
to paint
stain or do whatever you want with it
if you do build this desk though would
you share your photos with me
on my handmade diy projects facebook
page
also if you're new here please consider
subscribing
and be sure to smash that like button if
you got value out of today's video
also if you're needing a chair to go
along with that desk
i've got the perfect video for you
check it out in the description and i'll
see you next time on diy man
[Music]
you