Project Plans:

Fisher’s Shop
Adjustable Desk
By: Drew Fisher

www.FishersShopOnline.com

www.YouTube.com/FishersShop

Terms & Conditions

This is a set of project plans purchased through the FishersShopOnline.com website and therefore should
not be shared, copied, or redistributed in any form, medium, or format. You may, of course, remix,
transform, print, or build upon the material in this document but reselling or sharing is strictly prohibited.
Well… to be honest, there’s not much I can do to keep you from doing it. But it sure would be a jerk thing
to do, ya know? Have fun with it and build the project but if someone else asks you for the plans, please
just have them purchase them from my website. It helps support the channel and it keeps me motivated
to make more content like this. Thanks! 

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 Table of Contents

Introduction: ................................................................................................................................................. 3
Tools Needed: ............................................................................................................................................... 3
Materials Needed: ........................................................................................................................................ 4
Assumptions:................................................................................................................................................. 4
Cutting Out the Pieces: ................................................................................................................................. 5
Creating & Using the Templates: .................................................................................................................. 7
Cutting the Half Laps: .................................................................................................................................. 10
Assembling the Frames: .............................................................................................................................. 14
Rounding Over: ........................................................................................................................................... 16
Leg Bases: .................................................................................................................................................... 17
Support Frame: ........................................................................................................................................... 20
Surface Tilt Rests: ........................................................................................................................................ 23
Making the Top: .......................................................................................................................................... 24
Making the Surface Catch: .......................................................................................................................... 25
Sanding! ...................................................................................................................................................... 27
Putting it together:...................................................................................................................................... 27
Making the Surface Lock: ............................................................................................................................ 29
Finish & Operation: ..................................................................................................................................... 31
Templates: .................................................................................................................................................. 32
Thanks: ........................................................................................................................................................ 37

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 Introduction:
These plans are to build the adjustable desk as depicted in the Fisher’s Shop video:
https://youtu.be/NOgwK9vFS6U. This is a light-duty desk that has a surface height from 27 1/2” in its
lowest setting. The desk can be raised all the way up to 44 1/2” high to be a stand-up desk.
Additionally, the surface can be tilted up to be a drafting table or even further to become an easel.
There’s a small surface catch piece that can be removed, flipped, and re-secured onto some mounting
pegs to keep your work from sliding off the tilted surface. There are a total of eight different height
configurations and three surface angles at each one giving you plenty of adjustability with this little
desk. So with all that said, let’s get busy!

Approximate cost: $75

Tools Needed:
Basic Tools: NOTE: Orange tool names indicate alternatives

 Pencil
 Compass
 Tape Measure
 Combination Square
 Straight edge ruler
 Clamps (Long & Short)
 Sandpaper
 Calipers
 Drill bits & Countersink bit
 Chisels
 Wood files
 Awl/Scribe
 Utility knife
 Hammer / Mallet

Power Tools:

 Miter saw
 Table saw
 Bandsaw
 Dado Stack / Flat-toothed Blade
 Circular Saw / Track Saw
 Belt sander / Disc sander / Strip sander
 Router with 1/2” Flush-Trim bit & Roundover bit
 Random Orbital Sander
 Power drill/driver
 Drill Press
 Angle grinder w/ cutoff wheel / Hacksaw

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 Materials Needed:
 Painter’s tape
 Printer & Paper (for printing out templates)
 Clear tape (for taping up templates)
 Craft Adhesive
 Duct Tape
 Wood finish (i.e. Polyurethane)
 Wood Glue
 CA Glue
 Wood (Quantity 1 of 4’ x 8’ x 3/4” Plywood)
 Wood for templates (Quantity 1 of 26” x 9” x 1/2” Plywood)
 Quantity 1 of 1/2” Wooden Dowel (24” in length)
 Quantity 1 of Continuous Hinge and mounting screws (https://tinyurl.com/hinge30)
 Quantity 2 of 1” Partially Threaded Pan-Head screws (for Surface Catch)
 Quantity 1 of 1 1/4” wood screw (for Surface Lock)

Assumptions:

All the measurements for this project are in Imperial. If you’re one of my metric-loving viewers, I’m
assuming you know how to convert our silly American measurements into something you’re
comfortable with. Google is a heck of a thing.

Several pieces require templates to be printed off. I’m assuming that you possess the necessary
equipment to print these out and to piece them together.

I’m assuming that you possess the resawing, thicknessing, and jointing capabilities to mill some rough-
sawn lumber to the required specifications if you’re not building this adjustable desk from 3/4” pre-
surfaced boards.

I’m assuming that you have a dado stack for your table saw. If not, I’m assuming that you’ll be using a
flat-top raking tooth blade to make your dados and half-laps and are competent and capable to create
the required cuts using this blade along with fence adjustments.

There’s a total of 9 dowels pieces that get used in this project and I’m assuming that either you’re
comfortable making your own dowels or have purchased enough to satisfy the requirements for this
project.

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 Cutting Out the Pieces:

Assuming that you’ve already secured your 3/4” lumber, use the table below to cut out all of the pieces
that you’ll need to build your desk.

NOTE: All pieces are 3/4” thick unless otherwise specified!

Description: Qty: Dimensions (L x W x H) √

Desk Legs 4 26” x 3 1/2” x 3/4”
Leg Bases 6 24” x 2” x 3/4”
Side Braces 2 18 1/2” x 2” x 3/4”
Back Brace 1 24” x 2” x 3/4”
Outer Frame Sides 2 20” x 2 1/2” x 3/4”
Outer Frame F&B 2 23 1/4” x 2 1/2” x 3/4”
Inner Frame Sides 2 17 1/2” x 2 1/2” x 3/4”
Inner Frame F&B 2 21 1/2” x 2 1/2” x 3/4”
Adjustment Brackets 4 22” x 3 1/2” x 3/4”
Tilt Rests 2 15 1/4” x 1 1/2” x 3/4”
Tilt Arms 2 16” x 1 1/2” x 3/4”
Tilt Arm Braces 2 18 1/4” x 1 1/2” x 3/4”
Desk Surface 1 28” x 24” x 3/4”
Feet 4 2 3/4” x 2 3/4” x 3/4”
Surface Lock 1 4” x 1 1/4” x 3/4”
Top 1 28” x 24” x 3/4”
* Surface Catch 1 24” x 1” x 1/4”
Adjustment Bracket Template 1 22” x 3 1/2” x ?
Desk Leg Template 1 26” x 3 1/2” x ?
Tilt Rest Template 1 15 1/4” x 1 1/2” x ?

* - This piece is NOT 3/4” thick and must be cut to the specified thickness

You can easily get all your pieces from a single 4’ x 8’ sheet of 3/4” plywood!

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 Most of these pieces are in multiple quantities. In an effort to maintain consistency and order, it’s a
good idea to rough-cut the pieces to length, bind them together with painter’s tape, and then cut them
to their final measurements together. This will ensure that the pieces are identical as well as it keeps
them together so that they don’t get misplaced. Be sure to label each bundle once you’ve cut them and
check them off the list.

If you’re making your desk from plywood, please be aware that most 3/4” plywood isn’t actually 3/4”.
Despite the discrepancy, there’s enough grace built into the design that the slight various in thickness
shouldn’t be a problem at all. As the illustration above demonstrated, you can easily get all your pieces
out of a single sheet of 4’ x 8’ plywood. If your shop isn’t big enough to rip the sheet lengthwise, you
can just as easily break the panel down widthwise and still get everything you need.

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 Creating & Using the Templates:

There are a total of three templates that you’ll have to make.

One for the Adjustment Brackets, the Desk Legs, and for the Tilt
Rests. The first step in creating the templates is to print them
off and tape them together. For the multi-page template that
you have to piece together, it helps to use a straight edge to
ensure that you keep everything in line.

Once you have the paper templates ready, cut a straight edge
along the bottom and the sides so that you can easily line it up
perfectly on your template stock.

Using some craft adhesive, spray a light coating onto the face of
the wood stock that you’re using for your templates and affix
the paper template to it. Be as precise as possible to get it
perfectly lined up. After all, this is what you’ll be replicating in
your finished pieces so it pays to make it as good as you can.

The templates indicate where you’re to drill using a 1/2” bit.

I highly recommend using an awl or scribe to punch starter
holes in these locations to help prevent your bit from
wandering in the next step.

IMPORTANT: DO NOT drill the marked hole in the Desk Leg

template. It’s better to wait and get exact drill locations
once the frames are built.

With your starter holes made, bring your Adjustment

Bracket and Tilt Rest templates to the drill press and drill
out each location using a 1/2” bit.

NOTE:

No, I didn’t forget to include the entire Desk Leg and Tilt
Rest template. Since you already have the pieces cut out for
the Desk Legs and the Tilt Rests, I didn’t think it was
necessary to make you piece together a multi-page template
if there wasn’t anything you needed to drill or shape on the
other pages. Instead, I provide all you’ll need on the 1-page
templates for those pieces. Simply line up the template with
one end of the piece and drill/cut where necessary to form
the shape.

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 The next step is to cut the rest out over at the
bandsaw. Needless to say, be as precise as you
can! If you’re not all that comfortable on the
bandsaw, err on the side of taking off too little
instead of too much. I utilized my fence on my
bandsaw to help me get straight cut lines. If you
don’t have a fence, you might be able to clamp a
piece of scrap wood onto the surface that can
act as one. When it comes to cutting out the
teeth, go slow and do the best you can to make
each one consistent. Don’t worry too much
about the bandsaw marks, we’ll clean them up
in the following step.

Next step for the Adjustment Bracket and Tilt

Rest templates is to run a 1/2” flush-trim bit
through the groove(s) by hand to identify any
spots where it doesn’t quite fit or that it gets
hung up.

It’s imperative that the 1/2” bit moves freely

throughout the entire thing for the operation
of the desk to work properly. Use a pencil to
jot down the areas that need attention and
then grab your wood files and make small
adjustments until the bit passes through
those locations easily.

Continue filing on the Adjustment Bracket template where necessary until the 1/2” bearing can easily
roll into each gap without ever getting hung up or pinched into a tight spot. Repeat this same process
on the single groove that’s in the Tilt Rest template as well.

Once you have the templates looking good, we’re ready to proceed! Line up the template with your
previously-prepared pieces and trace the shape onto each one. Four tracings for the Adjustable
Brackets, four for the Legs, and two for the Tilt Rests.

Upon completion, head over to the bandsaw and rough-cut out each piece staying on the outside of the
lines! It’s very important that you don’t cut on the line! Instead, leave some material for the flush-trim
bit to remove so that we can get an exact copy of the template in the next step.

8
 With our rough-cut piece and
our template, it’s now time to
stick them together. There are
multiple ways of doing this.
Some folks prefer to use double-
sided tape. In the video, I
demonstrated how to use
painter’s tape and CA glue to
accomplish this task. Use
whatever method you’d like
since both will work just fine.
The key is to make sure that the
template is centered precisely
on top of your tracing on the
work piece.

Put a 1/2” flush-trim bit into your router and

change the depth so that the bearing will
ride along the edge of the template. BE
VERY CAREFUL while routing out the inside!
If the bit is cutting material on both sides of
the groove, there will be a tendency for the
router to grab the piece and jerk it out of
your hands. Keep a FIRM grip and go SLOW!
This really only was an issue inside the
notches of the Adjustment Brackets and the
small one on the Tilt Rests.

Upon completion, you can pop the template

and the workpiece apart with a chisel or
putty knife.

Now that you have all your templates made and know how to use them, finish cutting out all the shapes
for the Adjustment Brackets, Desk Legs, and the Tilt Rests.

9
 Cutting the Half Laps:

Most of the joinery in this project is using half laps. To cut them easily, it’s recommended that you use a
dado stack in your table saw. If you don’t have a dado stack, you can still accomplish this by using a saw
blade with a flat top raking tooth and making numerous passes to clear out the material. The concept
behind a half lap joint is that you cut half-way through each piece that is the width of the one it’s being
joined to. When put together, the cuts will overlap and the two pieces will be joined flush.

With all of the pieces being exactly 3/4” thick, your dado stack or table saw blade needs to be precisely
half of that (3/8”) high. I strongly recommend using some scrap pieces of wood to dial in the perfect
height on your table saw. Additionally, if you’re using plywood for your material, be conscious that the
thickness of 3/4” plywood is rarely 3/4” and that you’ll have to measure and calculate what the exact
height should be.

Desk Legs:

Before making any cuts on the Desk Legs, you might want to take this opportunity to figure out which
side of the legs you want to be outward-facing. If you’re just using plywood, you probably don’t care,
but otherwise take this opportunity to showcase some of that beautiful grain. Mark which side you
want to be the outside
keeping in mind that the
side that gets the cuts is
the outside face.
Another key thing to
remember is that all
four of these legs will be
different. The front legs
are mirrors of each
other with just two cuts
while the back legs are
mirrors of each other
but with three.

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 The Desk Legs each get a 2 1/2” half lap cut in on their top ends. Furthermore, they each get a 2” one
cut which is 10” from the bottom.

The back legs differ in that they get a 2” cut on the back edge (not the inner or outer faces) that is 5
1/2” up from the bottom.

Another thing you may run in to is that due to the curve in the Desk Legs, you might have trouble
holding it square against your miter gauge on your table saw as you make your cuts. If this presents
itself as a problem, use a piece of scrap to space it away from your miter gauge so that the curve doesn’t
interfere.

Side & Back Braces, Desk Frame Sides:

These cuts are pretty straight-forward. However, unlike the previous, the side with the cuts is the
inside face for these three pieces. The Side Braces gets a 2 1/2” half lap cut in on both ends of each
piece, the Back Brace gets a small 3/4” cut on both ends, and lastly, the Desk Frame Sides get a large 4
1/4” half lap cut on both ends.

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 Adjustment Brackets:

These pieces get a 2 1/2” half lap cut in on the top ends.
The cut sides will be the inside faces, just like the
previous three cuts you’ve done.

IMPORTANT: The left side gets two identical Adjustment

Brackets but they need to be mirrors to those that are on
the right side.

Make sure you have each one oriented the correct way so
that you’re cutting on the correct side!

Left Side
Brackets

Right Side
Brackets

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 Tilt Arms:

The Tilt Arms are an easy one. They both get a 3/4” half lap
on the inside of one of their ends. Then on the other ends,
they get another 3/4” cut which is 2 1/2” from the end.

Disregard where the illustration shows that one of the ends

is rounded. We haven’t gotten there yet, but we will soon
enough!

Inner Frame Sides:

Lastly, the Inner Frame Side pieces get three cuts each, two
big ones and one small one. The sides with the big cuts will
be the outward-facing sides of these pieces.

They each get a 2 3/4” half-lap cut in on one end. Then, on

the same face, they each get a 3 1/2” cut which is spaced 1”
from the end.

Each piece then gets flipped and receives a 3/4” half-lap on

the end. Refer to the illustration below to get a better
understanding of how it should look.

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 Assembling the Frames:

We’re now ready to assemble the frames. Start by dry-

fitting together a Desk Side with two of the Desk Legs.
A Side Brace should snap in as well. Be sure to use one
of the Desk Legs that has the notch cut in the back edge
as the rear one. Then, assemble the other half of the
frame to confirm that all of those pieces fit just as well.
There should be a 3/4” overhang of the Desk Side
pieces which forms the notch for the Front and Back
pieces that we’ll glue in later.

Once you have everything successfully dry-fit, go ahead

and add some glue to make it permanent. Be sure to
use a healthy amount and to get it on each surface of
the joint. Next, add some clamps that draw the pieces
in laterally as well as squeeze them together to
eliminate any gaps. Repeat this process for both sides
of the desk frame keeping in mind that the other one is
to be an exact mirror of this one.

Next up is the desk’s Inner Frame. Grab the two

Adjustment Brackets that you want to be for the right
side of the Inner Frame as well as one of the Inner Frame
Sides. Orient them just like the illustration to the left and
glue the joints.

It’s of paramount importance that you check for square

and to ensure that the Adjustment Brackets are exactly
perpendicular to the Inner Frame Side.

Similarly to the previous frame glue-up, there should be a

3/4” hangover from the Adjustment Bracket in the rear
while the Inner Frame Side has another 3/4” notch in the
front.

Repeat this glue-up for the other side and make an exact
mirror of this one.

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 Once these four assemblies are dry, it’s
a good time to scrape off any glue and
to sand the joints smooth. It’s just a
lot easier to do it now rather than later
once the entire frame is glued
together.

Next, use the Inner Frame Front &

Back pieces to complete the assembly
of the Inner Frame. During your glue-
up, make sure to draw the pieces
inward as well as squeeze the entire
frame in from the sides with your
clamps. It’s imperative that you verify
that things are square as well so as not
to accidentally glue up the frame
crooked.

Lastly, use the Desk Front & Back pieces as well as the Back Brace piece to finish assembling the desk’s
outer frame. Use some clamps to draw the pieces in from both directions to ensure tight joints.

15
 Rounding Over:

I chose to add a roundover to the edges of the

walnut desk I made but not the plywood
version I made for my son. Both turned out
looking great, but the walnut version is
definitely friendlier to the touch. As for what
size roundover to add, that’s really up to you. I
chose to use a 3/16” because it softened the
edges nicely without detracting from the
overall look too much. Undoubtedly, you
won’t be able to get into all the corners of all
the pieces. I just did as much as I could and
then did the rest of the rounding over by hand
with files and sandpaper where necessary. It’s up to you whether or not to add a roundover to yours.
However, if you choose to do so, there are some areas that you’ll want to omit.

In regards to the desk’s outer frame, you’ll want to

NOT roundover the inside or outside of the top
edge. This is where the desk surface will rest once
it’s in the lowest setting and it just looks a bit
awkward if there’s a roundover there.
Additionally, DO NOT roundover the bottom 2” of
the legs. These portions of the legs will be fitting
into mortises in the Leg Bases and if you add a
roundover there will be large gaps on the corners
of the mortises.

Regarding the desk’s inner frame, you’ll want to

skip the top edge just like on the outer frame.
Additionally, you’ll want to omit the INSIDE
BOTTOM edge of the sides. Later on, we’ll be
adding the Tilt Rest pieces here and they will be
mounted flush to this edge.

16
 Leg Bases:

To create the Leg Bases, first start by

flipping the outer frame down onto its
side. Then, clamp on one of the Leg
Base pieces onto the ends of two of
the Desk Legs as shown in the picture.
Measure and center it so that the
amount protruding off the sides of
each Desk Leg is the same
(approximately 2 3/4”). Then, using
another Leg Base piece, measure, cut,
and glue in the center sections. DO
NOT glue these pieces to the bottoms
of the Desk Legs at this point, we’ll get
to that later.

Once you have the middle sections glued on, you

should be able to undo the clamps that hold the
Leg Base to the Desk Legs and gently remove the
assembly and set it off to the side to dry.

Repeat this process for the other set of Desk Legs.

Once those are finished drying, you can glue on the

remaining Leg Base pieces onto each assembly which
completes the mortises within each one. Set this off
to dry completely.

17
 Once the Leg Bases have cured, I chose to run each one over the jointer to flush up the top and bottoms.
You can just as easily accomplish this using the table saw, planer, or even just a belt sander.

Next, I chose to add a curve to the ends of the Leg Bases.

To accomplish this, I used a compass set to the height of
the piece (approximately 2”) and drew on an arc. I cut this
section off at the bandsaw staying just on the outside of
the line and then used the disc sander to sneak up to it.

At this point, I could clamp each Leg

Base into my vice and add a
roundover to the TOP EDGES only.
Be sure not to add a roundover to
any of the edges on the bottom
since we’ll be adding feet. Also, do
not add roundovers to the inside of
the mortises.

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 The next step is to glue on both of
the Leg Bases onto the bottoms of
the Desk Legs. Smear some glue
around the inside of each of the
mortises and around the bottom
edges of each of the Desk Legs. With
the desk’s outer frame clamped to
your workbench, fit the Leg Base
onto the Desk Legs and use a rubber
mallet to seat it completely.

Work fast before the glue sets and

repeat this same process for the
other side. Once you have both Leg
Bases situated on the Desk Legs,
remove the desk outer frame from
your workbench and set the entire
thing down on a flat and level surface. Make sure that it’s not teetering one way or the other. If it is,
use a mallet to make tiny adjustments to get it to stand straight and true. Once you have it looking
good, leave it to dry.

Once things have fully cured, flip the desk’s

outer frame upside down and place it on your
workbench. Then, add a roundover to each of
the four Desk Feet pieces that you made
earlier. I chose not to add it to the four
corners of each one but do whatever you
think will look good.

Measure and evenly space each foot on the

ends of the Leg Bases. There should be
approximately a 1/4” overhang on the front
and sides. Glue and clamp each foot on to
dry.

19
 Support Frame:

It’s much easier to drill the dowel holes in the sides of the Tilt Arms before gluing up the support frame.
With that in mind, mark a center line down the outside faces of both of the Tilt Arms. This should be
3/4” in from either edge. Next, make another couple marks that are 3/4” as well as 8” in from the end
that is NOT cut (please see the illustration for reference). These will be the drill locations for your
dowels. Before drilling, use a compass to draw a half circle at the end using your marked drill location as
a center point. Then using a 1/2” bit in your press or hand-held, drill a 1/2” hole in each of these
locations. Repeat the same process for the other Tilt Arm piece. With the holes drilled, you can now
round off the ends using your bandsaw and sander.

With these pieces drilled and

rounded on their ends, we can go
ahead and glue up the Support
Frame. Spread some glue in the
notches and add in both of the Tilt
Arm Braces to form the frame. Be
very careful to ensure that things are
perfectly square and flat as you glue
this up.

Once it’s dry, feel free to add a

roundover to all the edges with your
router. For the tight spots, you’ll
have to get in there by hand with
some files and sandpaper.

20
 Next up, cut off four 1”
segments of 1/2” dowel.
Soften the ends with a little
sanding, spread a thin
coating of glue on one end,
and tap them into place
within the Support Frame
holes. IMPORTANT: They
should only protrude out
about 1/2”! If they stick
out further than 3/4” then
they will hit the sides of the
Inner Frame and won’t fit!

Installing the Pins:

It’s now time to nest these frames
together and to put in the four pins
that make the height adjustable.
Start by flipping the inner frame
upside down and placing it on your
workbench. Then flip the outer
frame upside down and place it
directly over the top and let it
down gently to the workbench as
well.

Pay close attention and make sure

that you have them both facing the
correct way!

21
 I used a couple of 1/8” drill bits as spacers to center the
inner frame within the outer. If you don’t have multiple
1/8” bits, try using some playing cards or even some coins or
washers as spacers.

Once you have the inner frame centered front-to-back,

make any necessary adjustments to center it side-to-side as
well.

I then used a 1/2” brad-point drill bit and let it rest

at the bottom of the groove of each Adjustment
Bracket. While holding it perfectly level, I gave it a
few twists to mark the drilling locations on the
inside of each of the Desk Legs.

Next, I used a standard 1/2” bit (to mitigate the risk

of a brad point breaking through) to drill a 1/2” deep
hole at each of the locations.

Cut four dowels approximately 1 3/4” to 2” long, round the ends with a bit of sanding, add a little bit of
glue, and tap them into place. If you accidentally messed up on the placement of the holes, don’t fret!
Just glue the dowel in anyway, flush trim it, and then try again. Once they’ve dried up, you can flip the
desk right side up and test the function so far.

22
 Surface Tilt Rests:

That last pieces to glue on are

the Surface Tilt Rests. These
pieces have a notch in them that
accepts the pins from the
Support Frame we assembled
earlier. This holds and supports
the desk surface once it’s been
tilted. You may have noticed
that they’re too short to span
the entire distance of the inner
frame and that’s intentional.
The gap behind them is to allow
for the first set of pins to pass
through if lowering the desk
into a drafting table
configuration.

Before gluing them on, take a moment to add a roundover to the edges that will be exposed after glue-
up keeping in mind that these pieces will have to be an exact mirror of one another. You’ll want to
roundover every edge except for those that are on the two sides that will be glued to the inner frame.

Once you’ve rounded the edges and sanded the piece, go ahead and add a thin coating of glue to one of
the sides and to the end that doesn’t have a notch in it. Then glue and clamp it to the inside of the inner
frame, keeping it flush with the bottom edge of the Desk Side piece and pressed towards the front.

23
 Making the Top:

If you’re just using plywood,

making your top is as easy as
just cutting out a 28” x 24”
section. If you’re making
from smaller boards like I did
in the video, then you’ll have
to construct a panel. I’m
assuming that you possess
the know-how in doing that
so I won’t go into it in these
plans.

However, when adding a roundover

to your Top, be sure to leave the
front edge square for the time being.
This might seem counterintuitive but
we’ll soon be adding the Surface
Catch and that works best if it’s
against a square edge. Feel free to
round over the tops and bottoms of
the remaining three edges but just
soften the front edges by hand a tiny
bit.

24
 Making the Surface Catch:

We have to make sure your masterpieces don’t slide off the desk when it’s in easel configuration so let’s
make the Surface Catch. In a previous step, you cut out a 24” x 1” x 1/4” piece of wood.

The first thing to do is to lay out some drill points.

Start by drawing a line down the entire length of the
piece that is 5/16” from the top. Then, make a series
of cross marks across that line which are 6” in from
either end. Lastly, add two more marks which are 4
1/2” in from one end and 7 1/2” in from the other.
Please use the picture above as a reference. These
intersections are your drill points. Assuming you were
able to secure a couple partially-threaded screws, use
a drill bit that matches the size of the screw shank to
drill out each of these locations.

Next, center and clamp the Surface Catch so

that it’s perfectly flush to the front edge of
your desk Top. With the same bit from the
previous step, use the two 6”-spaced holes as
guides to pre-drill into the front edge of the
Top for your partially-threaded screws.

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 Using your square, add some guidelines that
are tangent to each one of your holes. For
the 6”-spaced holes, make the lines go to
the bottom edge and for the other two, to
the top edge.

Then take the piece to your bandsaw and

notch out those holes being as accurate as
possible. Better to take off too little than
too much. After your first attempt, try to
slide the screw shank through the notch. If
it gets stuck, carefully remove a little more
material until it passes through. It should
still be a snug fit, but the screw shank
should be able to be slid all the way through
the notch.

At this point, you can give the Surface Catch a

quick sanding and soften the edges. Next, drive
your two partially-threaded screws into the holes
on the front edge of the desk Top and leave them
out 1/4”. Test-fit the Surface Catch on them and
make any adjustments as necessary to make it
snug fit but yet still easily changeable.

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 Sanding!

I know you’ve been looking forward to this step. The

technique I demonstrated in the video of reinforcing the
sandpaper back with duct tape and then cutting it into
narrow strips really worked out well for me as I sanded all
the Adjustment Bracket teeth. I just used a shoe-shining
back-and-forth type motion and worked my way up
through the grits stopping at 220. This allowed me to
easily get rid of any burn marks that the router left and to
leave a wonderfully smooth roundover on all the edges.

For the rest of the desk, I just make sure all the half laps were smooth, all the edges softened, and that
any glue squeeze-out or smears were sanded off. Take your time on this stage and you’ll be happy you
did once you put the finish on. All-in-all, I spent three days sanding all these pieces to get it just right
and I’m super happy I did now that I look back on it.

Putting it together:

We’re almost there! Start by placing the

inner frame upside down on the bottom of
the desk surface, and carefully center it on
the four edges. Next, take your continuous
hinge and cut off a section about 16” long.
The one I have linked in the Materials list
comes in 30” lengths but the 15” halfway
point is right at a mounting hole position
so I didn’t want to cut it there. Instead,
just make it a bit larger and cut it around
16”. Use an angle grinder or hacksaw to
get the job done and file the edge to
remove any burrs.

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 Carefully center the hinge on the front edge of
the inner frame and against the Top. Once you
have it in position, trace all the mounting points
and add a punch with an awl to mark the drill
locations.

Being very careful not to drill too deep, drill out

all the mounting holes in the bottom of the Top
and the front edge of the inner frame and mount
the hinge.

Next, tilt up the inner frame and slide the Support Frame into position underneath. The curved ends
with the dowels should be towards the front of the desk. Then, use the same technique you employed
earlier to space the Support Frame about 1/8” away from the front inside edge of the inner frame.
Then, evenly space it side to side and carefully drop the remaining piece of continuous hinge in the
narrow gap behind the Support Frame. Just like before, trace out the mounting holes, pre-drill, and
mount the hinge to the Support Frame and the Top.

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 Making the Surface Lock:

This little block of wood will lock the Top down to the inner frame to keep it from tilting up when you’re
adjusting the height of the desk. The first thing to do is to round the ends of the 4” x 1 1/4” piece. To
do that, mark a center line down the length which should be 5/8” in from either side. Next, make two
cross marks that are 5/8” from the two ends. Set your compass to 5/8” and draw a half circle at each of
the ends using the two intersections as center points.

Then at the bandsaw, cut off the corners and use your sander to creep up on the line. Lastly, add a
roundover with your router to both sides of the piece and give it a good sanding to smooth it all out.

Make another cross mark that is 1 1/8” from one of the

center point locations. This will be the drill location for
the larger hole that we’ll get to in a bit.

At this point, drill a through-hole on one end at the same

center point you used with your compass. This hole
should be big enough for your mounting screw to pass
through snugly and still allow the piece to be rotated
once it’s mounted in place. Because of the shape of my
mounting screw’s head, I had to countersink this hole so
that it could be flush with the piece.

Now you can drill a 1/2” hole through the other

drill location. Over at the bandsaw, notch out
the hole on one of the sides. Keep in mind that
since this will be a rotating lock that the
bottom edge of the notch (the side closest to
the mounting hole) will have to be curved a bit
to accommodate. Afterwards, you can add a
roundover to the notch and sand accordingly.

Next, mark the center of the rear inner face of

the Support Frame. Lay the Surface lock down
horizontally and space it up about 1/8”. Then
make a mark for your mounting screw on the
center line, pre-drill, and mount the Surface
lock into position.

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 With the Surface Lock twisted in the vertical
position, the notch should be above the
Support Frame. Use a square to confirm it’s
exactly vertical.

At this point, use your brad-point 1/2” drill

bit to identify the drill location for the dowel.
Holding the bit perfectly level, let it rest on
the bottom of the notch in the Surface Lock,
and push it back to make a mark against the
inside face of the inner frame.

With this location marked, drill out a hole for

the dowel making sure not to accidentally
drill all the way through.

Cut a 3” section of dowel and round

over the end a bit with some sanding.
The dowel should stick out 2 1/2” so
provided that the hole you drilled
was 1/2”, a 3” dowel should be just
right.

Glue the dowel into place and test

the function of your Surface Lock. If
it won’t close easily or snags the
dowel during operation, unscrew the
Surface Lock and make any necessary
changes until it operates smoothly.

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 Finish & Operation:

For a finish, I chose to go with a satin water-based

polyurethane and I put on four coats. I sanded up to 500
between applications to knock down the nibs and to
ensure a perfectly smooth end result. For the plywood
version I made for my son, I chose to simply spray paint
all the pieces except for the Top. Since the Tops will no
doubt see a lot of wear and tear, I chose to double up on
the number applications of the poly to give it a hardy
coat of protection.

When it comes to raising and lowering the

desk, it’s quite simple. However, I found it
easiest to kneel down so that I can easily see
when the teeth are in alignment with the
four dowels.

And when lowering the surface down to the

drafting table configuration, you have to make an
“S” like maneuver with the Support Frame so that
it can snake through the Tilt Rests and the Surface
Lock dowel. It’s very easy to do but just takes a
little getting used to in order to remember each
time.

Well that’s it, you’ve done it! Congratulations!

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 Thanks:

I sincerely hope you enjoyed the video, the build, and the outcome! Thank you so much for supporting
Fisher’s Shop by purchasing these plans. I appreciate it very much and I’m grateful. I value each one of
my viewers and especially those that go the extra mile to purchase the plans and replicate something
that I designed and built. My channel grows primarily by word of mouth, so if you’ve enjoyed my videos
and had fun building this project, please consider helping the channel grow by spreading Fisher’s Shop
videos to your friends and followers on social media. Thanks again!!

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