Reddit did not like my text. here it is. I wanted to replace my glass L-shaped computer desk as I had it for 10 years and wanted to fix issues I had with it. So I laid out my requirements: I wanted a wood top, as glass, while easy to clean and maintain, is colder than wood. Improve cable management to hide as many cables as possible. Glass/metal table not effective here Hidden power strip No table legs blocking me from moving back and forth between home and work computer. Current glass desk is 30 inches deep, I like that depth. I wanted the table height to be able to fit my file cabinet underneath to clean up the space I looked at roomandboard.com, and found a table I liked, but not cheap, with shipping, around $1700. http://www.roomandboard.com/catalog/office/desks/parsons-leg-l-shaped-desks So can i do it myself for less? I started by looking on r/DIY and came across pipe desks. Great idea, industrial look, and would fit in with my building as i live in a gentrified industrial neighborhood. Here was a great example: https://www.reddit.com/r/DIY/comments/2w3phn/pipe_and_butcher_block_ldesk/ Shoutout to u/tylergarner as I stole some of his ideas, such as the powerstrip he used and the metal mending strips. Thanks! My issues with this DIY (not everyone has these constraints) Having to strip/paint pipe - i live in a loft and have limited space, fumes/vapors will kill brain cells. Loved the wood, but would have to sand, stain and poly it. Sand would get all over the loft and again, fumes/vapors. I am not experienced with staining, so may screw it up. So i needed to solve the wood top issues and the legs problem. Solving the Table top issue. I looked online for options for wood, and found options besides Lumber Liquidators that have finished wood tops www.crosscuthardwoods.com (local portland, oregon store 2 miles from my loft) - they carried two brands Michigan Maple Butcher Block http://www.butcherblock.com/products/residential-products/residential-counter-tops/ John Boos - here is an example on amazon http://www.amazon.com/John-Boos-Thick-Commercial-Butcher/dp/B005IZ2EZQ/ref=sr_1_19?srs=2594426011&ie=UTF8&qid=1450283655&sr=8-19&keywords=john+boos+maple Local companies in your city may be able to order these or maybe a different brand Benefits of buying finished 1. looks great 2. Quicker/less work 3. can be ordered with poly finish (no chemicals) 4. can be custom ordered with edge (e.g., bullnose, square edge) and size Issues - costs can be higher and staining is not possible Things to consider if you choose this approach - Ensure you know if you wanted finished (Poly) or unfinished. You can get it either way. John Boos will burn their logo into the wood unless requested not to have name. I decided on 60 by 30 by 1.5 inches thick Maple, square edge, poly and no logo. Good news is that crosscut had it in stock by both vendors. John Boos $328 and Michigan Maple ($298). I went with John Boos as the finish was smoother and the wood pieces were the length of the table, not the traditional butcher block style. I bought two. Solving the Leg issue I searched on line for "metal table legs" and found several vendors. http://www.tablelegsonline.com/table-legs.html http://www.tablelegworld.com/Table-Height-Table-Legs Ikea sells them as well I was unsure the height so i went with cheap and fast, adjustable black legs from Ikea. $15/each needed 7 ($105 total) One of the two tables is short a leg, below I talk about how i support the missing leg. https://us-mg5.mail.yahoo.com/neo/launch?action=showLetter&umid=2_0_0_1_344973_AIt2imIAABORVnERMgfrWKGy%2F3A&box=Inbox&src=td&.rand=1808515774 The legs are ok, adjustable, and low shine black, but not as rigid as I wanted. Not an issue when assembled, but more just me knowing it could be better. I later found out that i could buy the cool square legs from Room and Board for $40 a piece. Connecting the two tables together I saw that u/tylergarner used a window sash to connect the two tables together and I was going to run with that, but I then saw this idea on the crosscut site. http://www.crosscuthardwoods.com/tite-joint.html I loved the idea of tite joint, but as I did not want to burrow into the table so i looked around and found this, which I installed. http://www.wwhardware.com/epco-joint-fasteners-e0026e $15 shipped. I bought a much longer screw from Ace HW to enable more space between the brackets so I am not screwing too close to the edge. You may be able to go to a countertop store and buy one from them as they use them to connect countertops together. Supporting the missing leg I installed two of the following http://www.homedepot.com/p/Everbilt-10-in-Zinc-Plated-Mending-Plate-15390/202034036 ($3 each) I used #12 screws to mount these. These work very well, zero sag, even after sitting on it for a few mins (155lbs). Costs before my options (Around $800). So I saved $900 over the room and board solution. I am happy. Options I chose to install. Wire management - Ikea Cheap and highly effective. $10 each, bought three. http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/30200253/ Drawer to hold pens, paper and the like http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KWM8EEK?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00 Love it, $35 from amazon - did not find many options here. Maybe searched on the wrong terms Power Strip http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0027D3LNG?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s01 Lots of plugs and spaced out so no conflicts accessing them, $28 amazon Adjustable Keyboard Tray http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001B0DCOO?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00 $95 and a crappy 3M design, sticks about 1 inch out from the edge of the table when installed as designed. would not buy again. How did i mount my PC underneath my desk? I had a smaller version of the following. http://www.storables.com/10-x-24-shelf.html I used 1.5 inch fender washers and screws where the legs go to mount to the table, then I used cable ties to hold of the PC (intel NUC) and USB drives. Note: I did not use any of the screws provided in the legs, or options i selected. Maple is very hard and the philip screws they provided strip very, very, very easy. I went to my local Ace Hardware store and bought my screws. 5 min walk and could by individually versus a whole box from HD/Lowes. Saved money and frustration. I generally got the biggest diameter screws I could get the fit the hole for the legs, and they are in there, zero issues. Ensure you drill pilot holes to avoid splitting the wood, I followed this guide for hardwood and was mostly successful http://engineershandbook.com/Tables/woodscrewpilotholes.htm Options to lower costs Buy a solid wood door and rip to size. Lowes and HD sell them. http://www.homedepot.com/p/JELD-WEN-30-in-x-80-in-Woodgrain-Flush-Solid-Core-Unfinished-Hardwood-Interior-Door-Slab-THDJW160700464/202036255 Buy a cheaper type of prefinished wood than maple. Ikea apparently sells some countertops that can/maybe able to be used, but I did not look into it. More on reddit.com

I build this desk for a client a few weeks ago and it's predominantly maple plywood. The only parts that are solid maple are the leg, the carcass face frames, and the drawer rails and stiles. With edge banding or hardwood strips, plywood can be made to look like solid hardwood. There is a lot of nice furniture out there made from plywood. I would not recommend going to a big box store to get it, though. Find a good lumber yard that specializes in hardwood. You will find all kinds of plywood with nice veneer. More on reddit.com

Ordered these from Lowe's. Haven't received them yet. Got a 6' 39" deep and a 5' 30" deep. Hope to pick them up next week, preferred not to have it delivered as I can simply not take it at lowes if cracked or imperfect in some serious way. More on reddit.com

Check out the Bush Series A and Series C stuff. Should fit your needs perfectly More on reddit.com