One of my most popular topics regarding my YouTube channel is DIY recording studio furnature. Over the past 6 years I recorded myself building some of the gear I made for my self and others that needed a custom build for their studio. Unfortunately, because I didn’t design some of the desks it isn’t right for me to post the builds however, in this blog I have some modified versions that are awesome and follow what I did on my channel.
Desk 1 – Argosy style build
This is a great build for anyone looking for a easy DIY studio project. I designed it with very minmal cutting and used pine so when I did cut, it was fairly easy. I got the inspiration from the Argosy 70 series which looks amazing. Here is the dimensions of the peices I used to make the desk.
Desk 2 – Slanted mixing desk
This desk was a design that was brough to me by a client. He was looking for something that will fit in a smaller space but vented to help limit the reflections found in a room. This design was modified for the youtube channel build by making the table top smaller and not adding a side cart.
Desk 3 – Personal Studio Desk
This build is a modified version of Desk 2. I went with a straight desk top instead of an angled top for simplicity. So, my initial plan for a desk to be the centrepiece of the studio was to buy one. Something simple, I don’t have much gear, something practical, and something affordable. I was actually thinking about the platform by output but unfortunately, they aren’t shipping to Canada at the moment. So instead of waiting till the pandemic finishes and commerces I decided to make one myself.
For this build, I picked up 2 4 by 8 sheets of laminated plywood. I went with an Aspen finish because… well it was the cheapest. Materials are a bit more expensive than the last time I built a desk. In the past, I used a jig saw for all my cutting because using a circular saw is well… scary. But, for this build, I didn’t have much time so I decided to bite the bullet and use my hand saw. If you take your time and read up on how to cut with a circular saw safely you will be fine. My recommendation is if you are using a blade with more teeth like the ….
The reason why is the blowout that happens when cutting is much less than if you had a blade with fewer teeth. When the saw cuts it enters the cut nice and neat but when it exits, the laminate will chip… blow out. So, in the past, I tried different methods, tape, and cutting the line with a blade, but nothing really worked well. So my advice on this is to think of which side will be visible. Make sure that side is the side where the blade enters the cut. That way all the chipping is out of site.
I cut the sides of the studio desk out of the first sheet. There is also enough wood to be used for the top of the racks. The second sheet of plywood I used for the desktop section. Once all the cutting was done I started the assembly.
This was the moment of truth, did my design work? Yes. The other nice thing about this build is you can assemble it in a couple of hours. It’s a bit tricky to balance so If you can get secondhand on this you’re laughing. If you don’t like exposed plywood you can buy laminate rolls to cover that, however, I actually really like the exposed layers, it looks simple and that was the concept.
To finish it I used a spray Lacquer to give the wood some protection. The nice thing is you don’t have to sand between coats, just spray and you’re done. I recommend 3 to 5 coats.
That is pretty much it. This build is something you can do in a weekend and it will only cost about $300 to complete. Oh, I made a self on the back for the cable management.
Here are the drawings I used to make this desk. I’m sorry they aren’t pretty…. but they did the trick
