Projects

Soldering 101 – How To Get Started In Soldering

October 15, 2019

Learn about the new RYOBI ONE+ 18V soldering station and how you can get started in soldering with simple projects that are a ton of fun to put together.

I suppose you could say that I’ve been living under a rock, but I honestly never really knew that soldering was a hobby or that it was so much fun! I’m partnering with The Home Depot today to share about the new RYOBI 18-volt ONE+ Hybrid Soldering Station as well as share a quick crash course in how to get started in soldering.

What is soldering?

Soldering is the act of joining two metals together with another metal filler, which has a low melting point. It’s most often used in electrical components. Think circuit boards.

I knew that soldering was a skill that was worth knowing and that it can be useful to repair wiring on circuit boards, etc., but I didn’t know that there were so many cool projects that could be done with it. A quick Google search will yield all sorts of soldering projects ranging from beginner to advanced skill levels. It’s a great hobby for older kids to pick up as it teaches them not only a valuable skill, but also how electrical components and circuits work.

RYOBI 18-volt ONE+ Hybrid Soldering Station

The RYOBI 18-volt ONE+ Hybrid Soldering Station is a really great soldering kit for a soldering novice. The hybrid station allows you to use any of the ONE+ 18V batteries or you can also grab an extension cord and plug it in. I found that one 3ah battery allowed me to put together a project that took approximately 2 hours to assemble, and I still had battery life left over.

The controls on this soldering station are super simple. Push the knob to turn the soldering iron on. Turn the knob to adjust the temperature from 400 degrees to 900 degrees. The soldering station comes with two different tips, a sponge to keep your iron clean, and a holster to hold the soldering iron when not in use.

Building A Soldering Project

RYOBI soldering station with soldering kit

There are dozens of different types of soldering project kits online, ranging in both price and complexity. I found a smart car project kit online that I knew my kids would love, so I purchased it for about $10. All of the pieces on the table felt a bit daunting, but the instructions that were sent with the kit helped break it all down.

Soldering project with RYOBI soldering station

The soldering station comes with several feet of solder to get you started and we used this on the kit. We found that the solder melted best when the temperature was set somewhere around 600-700 degrees. When the light turns green, you know it’s heated up and ready to go.

Soldering is fairly simple. Melt a bit of solder onto the board where you want to make a connection between the board and the metal wire. When the temperature is at the proper setting the solder sort of does all of the work itself, forming a nice weld around the wire and to the board.

13 year old soldering a smart car project

By this time, my oldest son, who is 13, had made his way out of his room and away from his video games and discovered what we were doing. He found it completely fascinating and with a crash course from my husband, was assembling the remainder of the kit himself. These types of projects are great for teens, as they not only learn a new skill, but also learn how circuits work as well as how to pay attention to detail. You can’t cut any corners when it comes to circuits. If anything is put in incorrectly, the whole thing won’t work.

He worked on the project for about 2 hours and was so proud of himself when he finished. Full disclosure, the project didn’t work. We figured we had gotten a dud, so I ordered another one. It turns out that the lesson on attention to detail starts even before the project begins. We had mixed up some of the resistors and it caused the whole thing to not work. No surprise there. Once we realized our mistake, the second one went together perfectly.

RYOBI soldering station with homemade smart car

This little car is so much fun to play with! Between the flashing lights and the custom tracks you can make with electrical tape, it kept my boys busy for quite a while. Knowing the mistake we made with the first one, we are going to fix the other one so they can have two to play with.

With our new RYOBI 18-volt ONE+ Hybrid Soldering Station, we found a new activity we can do as a family and my kids can’t wait to see what else we can build with the different project kits available. I think I may even include a kit or two in their stockings this Christmas.

If you’re looking for a soldering station for wiring repairs, or you’re looking to take up the hobby of soldering, head over to The Home Depot website or in stores to check it out. You can even order online and have it waiting for you when you get to the store!

DISCLOSURE: I acknowledge that The Home Depot is partnering with me to participate in the promotional program described above (the “Program”). As part of the Program, I am receiving compensation in the form of products and services, for the purpose of promoting The Home Depot. All expressed opinions and experiences are my own words. My post complies with the Word Of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA) Ethics Code and applicable Federal Trade Commission guidelines.

Organization, Projects

How To Install A Dust Collection System

October 3, 2019

Learn how to install a dust collection system for your own garage or workshop space with this simple and cost effective method.

For years I’ve been thinking and planning out the idea of an amazing dust collection system in my workshop. Something that would make my life easier and my productivity higher. My old method just wasn’t working and it drove me crazy. I’m partnering with Rockler Woodworking and Hardware to show you how I improved my time in the shop with their Dust RIGHT 1250cfm dust collector and how you can do the same!

It doesn’t need to be complicated

I’ll be honest, the reason it took me so long to finally get around to this is because I had this idea in my head that this needed to be complicated. In my head, it would be a ton of ducting running all through my shop. I’d need to plan out everything to the letter. The intimidation factor of that was so high that I just kept putting it off. Not to mention how much it was probably going to cost in materials. Besides, if you have been following me for any amount of time, you know I HATE to have things permanently stuck in one place.

Yes, I understand that a wall mounted dust collector goes against what I just said. This is the one exception! While the dust collector is static, the tools I use are all mobile. If I want to move them I can! That’s because the helpful experts on Rockler’s support team suggested an entirely different plan altogether!

Watch the YouTube Video

I’ve put together a YouTube video showing the entire process of setting up my new dust collection system.

What you’ll need:

While everyone’s needs for dust collection are different, here is a list of the supplies I ordered for mine:

How to install the dust collector

Before getting started installing the dust collector, unbox all of the pieces. Gather you’ll tools and supplies needed to begin. The dust collector and canister filter come with detailed instructions.

Decide where you would like the dust collector mounted. Make sure there is an outlet nearby. For a finished wall, you’ll need to use 2×4 cleats. Find the studs and mark the center point on each of them. Measure at least 65″ from the floor and mark the studs at that location. Measure 12″ down from each of those three studs and mark the center point of the stud there. Drill 3/16″ pilot holes through the wall and into the stud.

You’ll need two 2×4 cleats cut to 36″ long. Find and mark the center of the 2×4. Measure and mark 16″ each direction from that center mark. Measure 8″ in each direction and make a mark as well. These marks will be where the dust collector mounts. Drill 5/16″ pilot holes in the three marks for the studs. Drill 3/16″ pilot holes for the marks where the dust collector mounts. Use a 1″ forstner bit to drill countersunk holes approx 1/4″ deep in the larger pilot holes for the studs.

Attach the cleats to the wall with 4″ x 5/16″ lag bolts and washers. Use the pilot holes in the wall as a guide for mounting. Ensure the lag bolts are driven tightly into the wall studs.

Drive the included 3″ x 5/16″ lag bolts into the cleats, leaving them out about 1″.

Add the vibration dampening shims to the lag bolts, then (with help) hang the dust collector from the lag bolts. Tighten the bolts to the cleats.

Installing the canister filter

To install the canister filter, use the included foam tape and wrap it around the outlet port. Attach the flange with the included bolts. With assistance, line the holes on the canister filter up with the flange. Attach with the included bolts and tighten. Attach the agitator arm to the top of the canister and ensure it can rotate in both directions. Apply foam tape to the bottom of the canister then fit the bag over and clamp in place with the strap clamp.

Setting up the hoses and fittings

Attach the Y inlet to the dust collector. Secure the blast gates to each inlet, then attach the hoses with hose clamps.

To keep the quick change handle and hose out of the way, I installed a docking port kit. I first attached a backer board to the wall, centered on a stud. At the top of the board, I installed the docking port with the included screws. Below that, I installed the hose straps, making sure they were level and centered on the board.

I attached tool ports to my drum sander, belt sander, joiner and bandsaw. These allow the quick release handle to be easily moved from tool to tool.

With all of the ports attached, I then moved my tools to their new locations. I built mobile bases for my drum sander, bandsaw and joiner to allow ease of movement when using the tools. They are also set up in a much better way to allow for increased productivity when moving from tool to tool.

Dust Collection System Layout

This corner of my shop is now so much cleaner and more efficient with the layout. The table saw is set up with its own dedicated hose, then the quick change hose is easily able to be moved from it’s dock to a tool or the floor sweep.

The quick change shop and tool set also comes with spring clamps that I installed on the wall. These keep the floor sweep and bench nozzle up and out of the when when not in use.

I used to dread using my large tools because hooking them up to dust collection was difficult. My new quick change handle makes the job so much easier. The floor sweep and bench nozzle make cleaning a breeze. I know they’ll help me to keep my shop floor and tools dust free from now on.

Special thanks to Rockler Woodworking and Hardware for partnering with me on this project. If you’d like to set up your own dust collection system, I highly recommend putting together a general plan, then contacting their support team. They will answer any questions for you and will also have helpful suggestions on the best way to go about doing it. Like I said before, my plan was far more complex than it needed to be. I am so glad I contacted the support team and they lead me in a much better direction!

DISCLOSURE: I was provided product and/or compensation for this post. All opinions and ideas are 100% my own.

Fall, Halloween, Projects, Seasonal

DIY Rustic Wooden Pumpkins

September 20, 2019

Learn how to make your own DIY rustic wooden pumpkins with this simple tutorial. These wood pumpkins are a quick and inexpensive project for all skill levels.

With the weather finally dipping into the double digits, I’m beginning to slowly pull out my fall decor. I always add a little to my decor each year. This year I decided to make some DIY rustic wooden pumpkins. I’m partnering with The Home Depot to show you how I made them using the RIDGID Octane 18V Jigsaw and RIDGID Octane 18V Compact Router.

Watch The YouTube Video

I originally built these wooden pumpkins to put out on my front porch. I then realized I loved how they look on my faux fireplace mantle. I’ve put together a video on how I made them. You can also follow along below for the step by step.

How To Build Wooden Pumpkins

These wood pumpkins are a super quick and easy project that you can build in just a few minutes (not including dry time of the stain). I purchased cedar fence slats at The Home Depot and used some scrap wood for the back supports. I love the rough look of the cedar and it lends really well to the rustic, distressed look of them.

Step 1

The number of fence slats you need to buy depends on the number of pumpkins you want to make. I purchased 5, but I really could have just gotten away with 3 of them for these two pumpkins.

I cut the slats into thirds on my miter saw, not really measuring too much. You can just eyeball it.

Step 2

Once I had my slats cut to size, I sanded them down with 150 grit sandpaper. Next, I glued and nailed the boards together. I used a piece of scrap wood for this, but you can also use a 1×2 board. I added a thin bead of glue to the edges of each of the slats, plus to the supporting boards in the back.

Step 3

Once the panels were built, I grabbed a pencil and drew out a pumpkin shape. You don’t have to be an artist for this and I didn’t stress too much about them being perfect. Pumpkins come in all shapes and sizes, so just draw out whatever you like!

Step 4

I grabbed my RIDGID Octane 18V jigsaw to cut out the pumpkin shapes. It worked so well and cut so smooth through these panels. The jigsaw has a variable speed dial but also a variable speed trigger. This gives you ultimate control over your cuts. The line start feature allows you to have more control when starting cuts. It increases in speed once the blade is fully engaged in the material. With a brushless motor, there’s more power and also extended life of the tool.

Step 5

Once the pumpkin shape was cut out, I quickly moved the battery over to my RIDGID Octane 18V Compact Router, which I fitted with the included round-over router bit. I used the round-over bit to soften the edges and prevent any splintering in the wood. I loved the weight and feel of this compact router. I’ve used it several times on other projects and it never disappoints. It’s equipped with soft-start technology which prevents it from catching the material and creating any gouges. One of my favorite features is the on/off switch on the side of the router. Once I’m finished using it, I can easily just move my finger up and switch it off without having to move my hand placement at all. For me, that’s a huge plus for not only ease of use, but also safety. Another plus is that the jigsaw comes with two different edge guides. The square one shown as well as a round one. So basically a guide for every project!

Step 6

Once the edges were rounded, I gave the pumpkins another light sanding and then a coat of stain. I let the stain dry for several hours before moving on to the next step.

Step 7

You can certainly finish these pumpkins any way you like. I grabbed a bottle of white furniture wax to give the pumpkins a bit of a whitewashed look and get the white wax into the deep grooves of the wood. I wiped the wax all over the pumpkins and then buffed them.

Step 8

I still felt like the pumpkins needed a little something more, so I grabbed some white paint and a foam brush. I dabbed the brush on a paper towel and added some dry brush strokes to the entire pumpkin. Once the paint was dry, I went back over the pumpkin with some 220 grit sandpaper to further distress the paint. The wax coat underneath makes sanding the paint away even easier and provides a nice smooth finish to the pumpkins.

DIY Wooden Pumpkin Fall Decor

I am absolutely LOVING how the DIY rustic wooden pumpkins turned out and even more because I found a place for them inside! That means I get to look at them all of the time! I’ll probably also put together a post in the next couple of days on how I put together this fall mantle. It was super easy and quick, just like these pumpkins!

If you’re interested in checking out the RIDGID Octane Jigsaw and Compact Router, make sure you head to your local Home Depot store. You can even order them online and have them waiting for you for store pickup!

Fall, Projects, Seasonal

DIY Fall Centerpiece

September 17, 2019

Learn how to make this simple DIY fall centerpiece that is perfect for your fall table. This fall centerpiece only requires a few tools and can be customized any way you like and used for any season.

Do you have a favorite season? I think fall might be mine. I love all of the smells (give me pumpkin spice everything!) and the crisp mornings. While we don’t exactly have seasons here in the desert, I love to bring those seasonal colors into my decor. This DIY fall centerpiece is one of those projects that is perfect for any season, but is especially great for fall.

How To Make A Fall Centerpiece

In this tutorial, I will show you how to build a fall centerpiece with just a few tools. It’s a perfect project if you’re just learning to use tools and want to add your own DIY home decor.

For this project, you’ll need:

1×6 board
1×4 board
wood glue
miter saw
1 1/4” brad nails
18ga brad nail gun
220 grit sandpaper
Stain or paint of your choice

Build The Box

Cut a 1×6 down to 24″ long for the base. Cut two 1x4s at 24″ for the sides. For the ends, cut two 1x4s at 4″ long.

Glue and nail the pieces together with 1 1/4″ brad nails and give it a light sanding to take away any rough or splintered areas. Paint or stain the box in your favorite color. This was stained with Minwax stain in Provencial.

How To Make A Simple DIY Table Runner

To add a little something extra to the centerpiece, make a DIY table runner. Since I stained the box the same color as the table, I knew I needed to put it on a table runner. I bought a 4’x5′ drop cloth from Lowes for around $5. I took the ~~easy~~ lazy way out and just cut a 12″ wide section across the drop cloth. This yielded a 12×48″ table runner.

I wanted to have a chevron design, so I just made up a quick pattern with painters tape. There isn’t any specific method that I used. I just cut the tape pieces and stuck them together at 90 degree angles across the runner. Like I said, I was going for easy here. I mixed 1 part fabric medium with two parts of Martha Stewart metallic paint in copper and then dabbed it on with a sponge.

I peeled up the paper and, voila! I made sure to peel the tape up in one piece, so I could just stick it down when I painted the other side of the runner.

Here’s the end result!

How To Style A Fall Centerpiece

Here’s the finished centerpiece. I used quart-sized mason jars with 3″ pillar candles. The candles were a bit too tall, so I just cut an inch or so off of the bottoms of them with a chef’s knife.

To fill in the box, you can use just about anything. Fill it with acorns, leaves, cinnamon sticks, mini pumpkins, etc. I chose to fill it with some acorns I had collected as well as oak leaves. The leaves were a beautiful gold color when I picked them, but turned a yucky brown color a few days later so I decided to paint them to give them a little bit of a metallic flair as well.

This DIY fall centerpiece is such a quick and fun project that you can customize in so many ways. Whether you love the stained look, the chippy paint look, or all natural! Throw some handles on the ends for a little something extra. Swap out the filler when the seasons/holidays change. The possibilities are endless!

Blog, Furniture Projects, Printable Plans, Projects, Projects for the Home

DIY Trophy Shelf and Hat Rack – Multi-Purpose Project Challenge

August 26, 2019

Learn how to build a DIY trophy shelf and hat rack with these easy to follow plans and tutorial. These shelves serve a dual purpose with the addition of a hat rack.

It’s the end of the month, which means it’s time for another DIY challenge! This month’s project them is multi-purpose projects. These are my favorite types of projects as you often get a little more bang for your buck when a project serves dual purposes. I’m partnering with DAP Products today to bring you the tutorial and video (coming soon) for this DIY trophy shelf with a hat rack. You can also find the projects for all of the other talented bloggers participating at the end of this post!

How To Build A Trophy Shelf and Hat Rack

My youngest son has started growing his collection of hats and has been wanting a place to not only hang them but also wanting some shelves to display his sports trophies and medals. I decided that combining his two wants into one project would be a perfect use of space and materials.

Download the printable plans to get the full materials and cut list for this project as well as step by step diagrams.

Build The Frames

Cut the 2×2 pieces for the frames, drill pocket holes into the shelf supports, then begin assembling the frames. Use wood glue on each end of the shelf supports and then clamp in place. Attach with 2 1/2” pocket screws. Clean up any glue squeeze out with a rag.

Speaking of glue, I love using DAP wood glue for all of my projects. Now I love it even more with their new and improved bottles. The wide, beveled tip allows for even distribution of glue and the special cap ensures that you won’t be clogging up the tip with dried glue.

Build The Shelves

For the shelves, cut the boards down to 33”, then rip them down to 4 1/4” wide. Apply a bead of glue on the edge of one of the boards to make up a shelf. Set a clean board against the glued edge and clamp together. I didn’t have enough clamps, so I glued up all three shelves at the same time with the same set of clamps.

Fill the pocket holes

I’ll be painting the frames, so I wanted to fill the pocket holes so that they’d be completely hidden. I used DAP PlasticWood-X wood filler to do so. With deep holes like this, the wood filler needs to be applied in coats. I applied the first coat and sanded it down when it was dry.

I applied a second coat and made sure the pocket holes were completely filled. I then sanded down the filled holes again. What I love about PlasticWood-X wood filler is that it starts out pink and dries to a natural color. This made it easy for me to notice that my wood filler wasn’t completely dry yet as I was sanding the second coat. I set it aside and let it dry, then finished sanding.

Paint the frames

I wanted the frames to look almost like metal, so I painted them with two coats of matte black paint.

Finish The Shelves

Once the shelves are dry, sand them down with a belt sander, followed by 220 grit sandpaper. I got a little ahead of myself and stained the shelves before notching the corners. Two of the shelves will have 1 1/2” x 1 1/2” notches cut out of each corner. You can do this with a bandsaw or a jigsaw.

Cut the backers for the hat rack and drill 3/4” pocket holes into each end. I stained the backers and let them dry, then finished all of the pieces with two coats of wipe on polyurethane.

Router keyhole slots

To hang the shelf unit flush on the wall, a keyhole is best. I used a keyhole bit on my compact router for the keyhole slots. I set up a fence with some scrap wood to make sure the slots were straight and marked my start and end points.

Attach the shelves to the frame

Drill two 3/32” countersunk pilot holes into the underside of each of the shelf supports. Attach the top shelf first with 2” wood screws. Clamp the middle and bottom shelves in place, then attach with 2” wood screws.

Attach the hat backer and hooks

Clamp the backer boards for the hat rack in place and attach with 1 1/4” pocket screws. Measure and place the hooks, drill 1/16” pilot holes then attach with 3/4” screws. The hooks I purchased for this were too long, so I had to purchase 3/4” #6 screws to attach them. They don’t come in black, so I used a Q-tip to paint dab black paint onto the screw heads after I drove them in.

Hang the shelves on the wall

To hang the shelves on the wall, determine the height you’d like it hung. We have 8’ ceilings and I hung the shelf unit 19 1/2” from the top of the shelf to the ceiling. I measured and marked where the screws would go into the wall and drilled 3/16” pilot holes, then drove 1 1/2” Wall Dog Screw Anchors into the wall. I left them out of the wall about 1/4” and hung the shelf unit on them with the keyhole slots.

Trophy Shelf and Hat Rack

I loaded the shelves up with his trophies and autographed footballs as well as his hats. I love the look of this shelf unit so much against his brick paneled wall!

Honestly, this trophy shelf project started out as something totally different. I had an idea for the hat rack portion of it and talked myself out of it, but I’m definitely glad I did! I love this look so much more! And once again, it serves two purposes of giving my son a place to display his trophies and a place to hang his hats. I love multi-purpose projects! For more projects, DEFINITELY make sure you check out the links of the other bloggers participating below!

The Created Home

Anika’s DIY Life

Her Toolbelt

Ugly Duckling House

DISCLOSURE: I was provided product and/or compensation for this post. All opinions and ideas are 100% my own.

Blog, Furniture Projects, Printable Plans, Projects, Projects for the Home

Gaming Computer Desk – How To Build Your Own

August 16, 2019

Learn how to build this modern industrial gaming computer desk following the step by step tutorial and printable plans. This table is great for PC gaming as well as just a regular office desk.

My oldest son recently purchased a gaming PC and has been wanting a proper desk for it. He’s been using it at his desk area in our den, but the space was super cramped. He really only had one request. He wanted it to be long enough that he could have space to track his mouse further. I’m partnering with BuildSomething to show you how to build this gaming computer desk. I’ve got the step by step tutorial for you here and you can head to BuildSomething for the printable plans!

Watch the YouTube video

What is a gaming PC desk?

A gaming PC desk is really just a basic desk. The only real difference I noticed was that the PC tower usually sits on top of the desk. Gaming PCs have a bunch of fancy lights on them and everyone wants to be able to show those off. I knew that I needed to make the desk a bit on the longer side to not only accommodate the tower sitting on top of it but also to accommodate the longer gaming mousepad. I added a shelf to it so for the monitor to sit on and for the keyboard and mousepad to slide under when it’s time for my son to use his desk for homework.

How to build a gaming PC desk

I’m going to show you the step by step on how to build this desk; however, you can find the printable plans, materials list and cut list over on the BuildSomething website. Let’s get started!

Before we get into this, I want to note that I purchased rough-cut knotty alder for this project and milled it down to the dimensional lumber sizing. You can use dimensional pine for this project if you don’t have the means to mill down all of your lumber.

Build the desktop

To build the desktop, I cut all of my pieces down to just over 60″ long. I glued them up and clamped them together. You can also use pocket joinery along with the glue, but I’ve found this to not be necessary when I’ve got good clean edges to glue up.

I let the glue dry overnight, then used my Kreg Adaptive Cutting System to square up the edges and trim the final desktop down to size.

I filled all of the knots in the wood with epoxy that I tinted with black acrylic paint. Filling these knots gives the desktop a smooth surface where my son won’t have to worry about his pencil going through the paper if he is writing over a knot.

Once all of the epoxy was cured, I sanded the entire desktop down, starting with 80 grit sandpaper on my belt sander and then moving to my orbital sander, working my way up to 220 grit to smooth it all out.

Build the side panels

The side panels are made up of 1×6 boards (5 on each side). I lined up all of the boards and marked the locations for my pocket holes. This helps me to make sure I don’t add too many or too few, plus I’m able to ensure I don’t add a pocket hole where there could be a knot in the wood.

I drilled 3/4″ pocket holes into the sides of the boards and then glued and attached them together into a large panel with 1 1/4″ pocket screws.

Once the panels were assembled, I drilled 3/4″ pocket holes into the top edges so they can be attached to the desktop.

I squared up the edges of the panels on my ACS, just like I did with the desktop, then cut them down to size.

The drawers for the desk sit flush with the front edge of the desktop, so the front of the side panels also need to be trimmed to be 3/4″ narrower than the desktop. Measure the desktop width and subtract 3/4″ to get the width for the side panels. The side panels should be approximately 26 3/4″ wide.

I wanted the backing of the desk to be inset and flush with the back edge of the cabinet, so I used my router, fitted with a rabbeting bit for this. The rabbeted groove is 1/4″ deep and 1/2″ wide.

Build the cabinet

The cabinet bottom is 3/4″ baltic birch. I drilled 3/4″ pocket screws into the long ends and attached it to the side panels with wood glue and 1 1/4″ pocket screws.

I cut a piece of 1/4″ baltic birch for the back of the cabinet and attached it with wood glue and 3/4″ narrow crown staples. You can also use brad nails for this step.

Attach The Hairpin Legs

I don’t even know the proper way to say it, but I felt like if I built the desk with wooden legs on the one end, it would look a little too heavy. Not weight wise, but just bulky. I knew that hairpin legs would be a much nicer look. Plus I’d been looking for a way to use the legs my friends at Rockler Woodworking had sent me.

I attached the 28″ hairpin legs 1″ in from each edge. I drilled 3/32″ pilot holes, then attached them with the included screws. I did this before attaching the cabinet because I wanted to be extra sure that when I cut the 4×4 legs for the cabinet that they would be the correct size I’d put in my plans. Lucky for me, my calculations were correct!

Attaching the legs

The plans call for 4×4 legs, which I “built” by milling down my 8/4 knotty alder to 1 3/4″ thick, ripping the pieces down to 3 1/2″ wide, then gluing the pieces together to make my own 4x4s. I cut them to 4″ in length and attached them flush with the corners of the cabinet with wood glue and 2 1/2″ wood screws.

One trick I’ve learned over the years is to lightly round off the bottom corners of the legs. It helps to prevent any chips in the wood as the furniture gets used.

Attach the cabinet to the desktop

Attach the cabinet to the desktop. Run a bead of glue along the top edges of the cabinet sides. Set it in place with the outside face being flush with the edge of the desktop. Clamp and attach with 1 1/4″ pocket screws.

Building and attaching the shelf

To build the shelf, attach two 1×6 boards together with wood glue and 1 1/4″ pocket screws. Do the same for the 4″ risers. The risers also get 3/4″ pocket holes in the top edge to attach them to the shelf.

Clamp the shelf to the desktop, 4″ in from the left side. Measure and mark the location of the edge of the vertical pieces as well as where they end (10″ in from the back edge of the table). Use a square to draw a line under the table top that marks where the edge of the vertical pieces are. Knowing that you have 3/4″ to work with, use that as a guide for where to drill pilot holes and then attach the shelf with 3″ wood screws.

Finishing the desk

Finish the desk with your desired paint or stain color. The stain color I used is Provincial (Varathane), followed by four coats of wipe on poly.

Install the drawers and drawer faces

Once the finish is dry, install the drawers. I used 18″ side mount drawer slides, which I installed with my Kreg drawer slide jigs.

To install the drawer faces, pre-drill the holes for the cabinet hardware. This is done in the drawer face only. Position the drawer faces on the front of the cabinet and drive 1 1/4″ screws through the pre-drilled holes, into the fronts of the drawers. Even stacks of playing cards help to ensure that you have an even gap between all of the drawers (approx 1/8″).

Pull the drawers out and drive 1 1/4″ screws through the inside of the drawer to fully attach the drawer faces in place. I did this after attaching the hardware, which is not the correct way to do this and I realized my mistake after the fact.

Once the drawer faces are attached, finish drilling through the holes you pre-drilled for the hardware. Attach the drawer pulls. With the drawers being 3/4″ thick, you’ll likely need to purchase longer screws for your hardware. I purchased 1 3/4″ #8 machine screws for this.

Attaching LED lights

According to my brother, gamers are all about lights and that the gaming computer desk should have lights on it. I found these LED light strips on amazon for about $14. The lights are meant for backlighting for TVs, but I knew they’d be perfect for the desk. The strips are in about 20″ sections that plug together so I used two sections for under the shelf.

There’s an adhesive backing on the light strips, so I just peeled it away and stuck the lights to the bottom side of the shelf. The only downside to the lights is that they only come with a USB cord, so you’ll either need to find a plug for them, or use a power strip with USB ports. The cord is also not very long, but it was just right for the outlet location against the wall.

Gaming Computer Desk Setup

I couldn’t be happier with how this gaming computer desk turned out! My son seemed to feel the same way. He immediately got it all set up and then started texting pictures of it to his friends. He’s now going to start saving up for a gaming pc chair, though if he waits long enough, maybe we’ll get him one for Christmas;)

If you’d like to build this project, make sure to head over to BuildSomething for the printable plans, which also include the materials and cut lists. Whether you’re into computer gaming, or just looking for a new desk for your office, this project is perfect for either!

If you’d like the plans to the rest of the furniture in this room (which coordinates with this desk), be sure to check out the links below!

Full Size Bed Tutorial and Plans

Nightstand Tutorial and Plans

Dresser Tutorial and Plans

DISCLOSURE: I was provided product and compensation for this post. All opinions and ideas are 100% my own. This post contains affiliate links. Should you purchase an item from one of these links, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.