How’s this for full circle: I am writing this post as I sit in bed, with my laptop open on my newly-built folding lap desk. DIY just makes life better, amiright?! This folding lap desk is definitely making my life better rightthisverysecond. In short, my thighs aren’t EN FUEGO.
Okay, so here’s the dealio, you guys: I challenged 16 of my builder blogger friends to build something awesome out of a single 1×8 8-foot board. It made for a fun blog hop and a challenge that made us all stretch our creative muscles and think outside of the box. Of course, I had to participate in this super fun project, right? Right!
Except for weeks and weeks, I racked my brain trying to come up with something to build and for weeks and weeks, I kept coming up empty. So I went back to where I always go when I find myself creatively parched: necessity. It always comes down to necessity, doesn’t it?
I asked myself, ‘what do I need? What area can I improve? What would make life just a little more convenient?’
Behold: this folding lap desk was the perfect solution.
Despite my lack of ideas, there are so many awesome things you can build out of a single board. Don’t believe me? Check out these brilliant builds that have me saying, “now why couldn’t I think of that?!”:
Katie, Addicted 2 DIY – Rustic Step Stool / Jaime, That’s My Letter – Bench
Amy, Her Toolbelt – Kids Step Stool / Elisha, Pneumatic Addict Furniture – Modern 3-Leg End Table
Sandra, Sawdust Girl – Three Tiered Display Shelf / Brittany, Pretty Handy Girl – Cubby Storage Box
Karah, the space between – Wood Shelves / Brad, Fix This Build That – Kids Bookshelf
Jenn, Build-Basic – Round Mirror / Mindi, My Love 2 Create – Floating Nightstand
Pauline, My Altered State – Indoor Planter / Bethany, Sawdust & Embryos – Geometric Art
Kim, The Kim Six Fix – Flower Box / Sarah, The Ugly Duckling House – Modern Step Stool
Jessica, Decor Adventures – Hexagon Plant Stand / Emily, Merrypad – Floating Corner Shelf
Because I was purchasing just one board for this project, I decided to splurge a little so I picked up a drool-worthy piece of black walnut from a local lumber yard. It cost me a little over $40 which is steep, I know, but hey. It’s black freakin walnut. Please tell me you understand.
First, I cut all of my pieces out of the 8-foot board. The cut layout is included in the plans.
For the top, I joined two pieces of the board using biscuit joints. You may notice the two boards aren’t the same width. I ended up ripping a little bit off one board because I wanted my top to be just 13″ wide, instead of the 14-1/2″ width that’s written in the plans.
If you don’t own a biscuit joiner, that’s totally fine. The biscuits just help with alignment. You can also just use wood glue when you’re joining long grain to long grain. You’ll just need to make sure all the surfaces are properly aligned, then glue and clamp the pieces together.
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So after placing the biscuits, I glued, clamped, and waited…
This is the biscuit joiner I own. I use this wood glue and these parallel bar clamps.
After the glue dried, I attached the aprons to form a tray. Again, I used biscuit joints, but pocket hole joinery would work well here too.
Then, I constructed the legs. I rounded the legs at the top and cut the bottoms at a 15º angle then attached the stretcher with pocket hole screws.
This is the pocket hole jig I own.
Have you guys ever used this Arm-R-Seal stuff? I just discovered it, thanks to one of the woodworking friends I follow on Instagram and it’s heart eyes all over the place. I just love how it makes the wood grain come alive. After sanding with 180-, 220-, and 320-grit sandpaper, I wiped each coat on with a soft cloth, sanding with 400-grit sandpaper in between each coat. Here is a great finishing technique video.
Who am I? I’m the girl watching woodworking videos on Youtube. I’m the girl hanging out in woodworking forums, getting excited about wood grain, joinery, and different wood species. Oh my goodness, what in the world?!
Just as I did with my West Elm-inspired Butler Stand, I used these connecting bolts and caps to connect the legs to the top.
You’ll need to drill a hole big enough to fit both the cap and bolt. I used a forstner bit because I like how clean and precise the cuts are, but a spade bit will work here too. A spade bit will cause a bit of tear-out so I wasn’t taking any chances on marring this beautiful black walnut.
Oh, I forgot to mention: to make this lap desk easier to manage, I used my jigsaw to cut out these curved pieces on the sides to serve as ‘handles.’
The legs neatly fold in for simple, space-saving storage.
Well, this is embarrassing. I feel like you caught me with my pants down. Please excuse the unfinished underside of this folding desk. I’ll get around to finishing it one of these days.
Maybe.
But probably not.
Nothing to see here, folks. Move along, move along.
But seriously. Will you just look at this gorgeous black walnut?! Gahhhh… I’m drooling. Worth. Every. Red. Cent.
That is, if I’m only buying just one board. I’m not going to be building any dressers made entirely out of black walnut, that’s for sure.
Be sure to check out the other one board projects built by my builder blogger friends – they’re pretty stinkin’ amazing. Here are the links again, so you don’t have to scroll back up:
Katie, Addicted 2 DIY – Rustic Step Stool / Jaime, That’s My Letter – Bench
Amy, Her Toolbelt – Kids Step Stool / Elisha, Pneumatic Addict Furniture – Modern 3-Leg End Table
Sandra, Sawdust Girl – Three Tiered Display Shelf / Brittany, Pretty Handy Girl – Cubby Storage Box
Karah, the space between – Wood Shelves / Brad, Fix This Build That – Kids Bookshelf
Jenn, Build-Basic – Round Mirror / Mindi, My Love 2 Create – Floating Nightstand
Pauline, My Altered State – Indoor Planter / Bethany, Sawdust & Embryos – Geometric Art
Kim, The Kim Six Fix – Flower Box / Sarah, The Ugly Duckling House – Modern Step Stool
Jessica, Decor Adventures – Hexagon Plant Stand / Emily, Merrypad – Floating Corner Shelf
If you’d like to pin and share this project, feel free to use the image below. Thank you!
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Beautiful results
This is a small but useful item
Really very good information and I will try it at home when my father comes later
Absolutely perfect for someone living in a small appartment yet still wants to serve breakfast in bed. Something to surprise my wife with. Thank you very much for the inspiration, jen 🙂
Realy, It’s an amazing info for DIY lover. Just like your idea, I never try to make it but I wanna make a single board. Thanks
I had a bunch of scrap 1×4″ pieces laying around, and this was a great use for them! I only have a few basic hand tools, but between my ryoba saw and my #4 hand plane, this project has been great so far! I had to tweak a couple of the measurements (given that I lost a half inch on the width of the top, since I was using 4 1x4s instead of 2 1x8s, but that was easy enough to accommodate. The stain is drying on mine right now, and I can’t wait to attach the legs! Thank you for such a fun, simple little project. I can’t wait to use it when it’s done!
So awesome to hear, Rex! Thanks for taking the time to leave a note!
Seems like a great post. If you could just update the links to the products in use (like the nuts and bolts) that would be great
Hi James,
Thanks for the heads up! The links have been updated.
The printable plans does not work. No biggie I can follow the instructions on the the page here just letting you know.. I am building this with my daughter today.
I know I’m pretty late to the party, but maybe that’s a good thing, since you’ve probably been using it for a while. Did you find it necessary to divet the nuts or use thread locker to keep the hinge bolts from loosening with repeated use?
Hi Catalina,
Great question! No, the bolts are still tight – I have to put a bit of effort into unfolding the legs.
Hi! I’ve got a little bit different question where did you buy this notes or planner? It’s amazing
Hi I’ve got a litlle bit different question Where did you buy your notes or planner? It is amazing!
Nice sharing, Thanks for that.
Nice job Jen! The best accessories for a bed or a couch!
Hi Jen,
I was just wondering what the thickness of the board is. I am attempting to construct this and am unsure what thickness of board i need to purchase.
Love the folding lap desk and I plan to make it a Christmas gift for my girl. The plans don’t download – Help! I need a few measurements to complete this project
Hi Mike,
You’ll find the plans here: https://jenwoodhouse.com/folding-lap-desk-plans/
Happy building!
This is the best post I have ever seen. Very clear and simple. Mid-portion Is quite interesting though. Keep doing this. I will visit your site again.
Interesting topic and the information is really useful Thankyou for posting
Hello!
I’m a DIY enthusiast and a teacher working at a nonprofit organization. I was looking into these plans to recreate for my kids at work but on a more frugal budget. I Have changed the dimensions of the desk to be 16 inches by 24 inches. I wanted to know if I could use something a little cheaper on the Desk Top Part. My two though bunnies are to use MDF for the top or to use a 1/2 inch thick plywood for the top. I am aiming to make 24 to 30 desks total to be used by kids all day long. I don’t want a desk that will sag in the middle or get messed up in any other way. I am painting the finished product with some type of epoxy or glaze like paint. We are a nonprofit and I want to keep the cost as low as possible while still making a product that can be used for years to come.
Please let me know what you think of the two alternates and any other suggestions you have for me!