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Liz Pacini
lizpacini.com › home › diy standing desk tutorial
DIY Standing Desk Tutorial - Liz Pacini
January 4, 2025 - I didn’t take the time to document the cut list (I’m sorry!) but each piece of plywood will be the same height! I cut down 2×4’s and built a plywood box around the two legs. There are motors in the standing desk legs, so you don’t want to drill into those!
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The Spruce
thespruce.com › diy-standing-desks-5085501
11 DIY Standing Desks You Can Build Today
November 1, 2024 - The upper part of the stand is perfect for monitors or laptops while the lower part is a great place for a keyboard and mouse, as well as other bins for desk organization. This is a DIY project that even a beginner can handle. It makes a great first woodworking project.
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Instructables
instructables.com › workshop › furniture
DIY Standing Desk : 8 Steps - Instructables
July 26, 2020 - DIY Standing Desk: This Desk Moves !!!I am a fan of exposed plywood, so i decided that my next project should be made from 1 sheet of plywood, and have an exposed plywood lookI wanted the desk to be as strong as it can be to hold my ultra wide 29" monitor and whatever…
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MWA Woodworks
mwawoodworks.com › posts › custom-standing-desk
Build a DIY Custom Standing Desk (plans available)
May 27, 2025 - Standing desks are expensive - let's build one! Here are my learnings and step-by-step instructions for creating a custom desk that actually fits your needs.
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Davidgunter
davidgunter.com › 2020 › 07 › 23 › diy-electric-standing-desk
DIY Electric Standing Desk – Everyday Knosticism
Each end of the desktop is guided by a single 2×4 that rides along a pair of full-extension drawer slides (a pair of slides per leg). The 3/4-inch plywood at the top is screwed into this leg and provides a good surface for attaching to the underside of the desktop.
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Dunn Lumber
diy.dunnlumber.com › projects › diy-wood-standing-desk
DIY Wood Standing Desk
January 24, 2023 - The cross-brace on this desk spans the distance between the lower side braces to keep the legs from wobbling apart under weight. Working with the base on its side, center the single cross-brace (the 28” one-by-three) between the two side braces. Once you’ve found the correct placement, mark it, drill pocket holes in the ends of the cross brace, and screw it into place. Your standing desk base is nearly complete!
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/woodworkingplans › first time project: diy standing desk
r/Woodworkingplans on Reddit: First Time Project: DIY Standing Desk
June 8, 2023 -

Hi All, First time doing any kind of project. Hoping I have chosen something relatively beginner friendly.

I got myself a standing desk frame off Amazon. Thinking was that I could get a slab of wood from a hardware store, put it on and be good. Thinking 1800mm long and between 750-900mm wide. Thinking 16mm thick mostly because it felt good at the hardware store and the next thickness up was 40mm which felt too heavy to work with. Naturally, hardware shop does not sell slabs in this size so looking for options. They will cut wood down to size for me.

Would it work for me to buy two panels like these and glue them together? I am assuming with a few clamps to hold it together and to keep the edges aligned I could stick them together with PVA.

I am avoiding getting a melamine/particleboard sheet as I will be attaching monitor arms to it as well and would like something more durable. I also heard its harder to work with especially when you need to screw things into it. There was however something that matched my size.

And as a side note, would I need to do anything to seal/protect it against moisture like condensation from cold drinks or the odd spill?

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dawson.diy
dawsondiy.com › blog › diy-standing-desk
DIY Standing Desk — dawson.diy
January 26, 2023 - How to build, stain, and seal a butcher block top standing desk!
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Instructables
instructables.com › workshop › furniture
How to Build a DIY Standing Desk - With Smart Solutions! : 12 Steps - Instructables
February 6, 2024 - This height-adjustable Desk has some interesting smart features. And the best thing? It's easy to build on your own! All you need is a drill and optionally a jigsaw. More Woodworking Projects available ...
Find elsewhere
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/standingdesk › why does everyone recommend diy?
r/StandingDesk on Reddit: Why Does Everyone Recommend DIY?
October 15, 2020 -

I see people constantly recommending to DIY your standing desk by purchasing a frame and table top separately. From what I see though, buying the frame alone usually saves you around $100. Most table tops that I've looked at are around 80-100+ anyways. So unless you have a good hook up that allows you to get a good sized table top for cheap, I don't see the benefit of doing it DIY.

Have I just been looking at the wrong places? Where would you guys recommend looking for a table top if so?

EDIT: Thank you guys for the insight! I dug a little more since reading your responses, and have found a table top I'm happy with! It is a 48"x25" Acacia butcher block. This is pretty solid wood and at a surprisingly low price of $100.

Link for anyone interested in being desk twins: https://www.homedepot.com/p/HARDWOOD-REFLECTIONS-Unfinished-Acacia-4-ft-L-x-25-in-D-x-1-5-in-T-Butcher-Block-Countertop-1525FJEGACA-50/313363159

Top answer
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I went with DIY because I wasnt satisfied with the MDF, and Composite material choices most standing desk companies were touting because: I wanted to build a new desk to get away from MDF desk i had before which was bowing heavily They were charging anywhere from 2-400 for these 1" tops I wanted something more durable for longterm use and to take a lot of weight without bowing. (200-300 lb) they wanted 600-1000 for a real hardwood top. for my use case, i was building two desks and originally had a guy who offered to build me a nice maple top at 300 each and walnut at almost 500 USD. they were meant to be stained, and sealed at this price. He needed atleast 2-3 weeks to get it done and I almost went with it until my iMovR lander arrived only 3-4 days after ordering. I became massively impatient and decided to scour the web and local places for a nice pre cut hardwood top that i could sand and finish my self. I first tried home depot and lowes but I didnt like the idea of spending more on a 39" depth top only to cut 9 inches off of each. ended up settling for a poplar "workbench" top from floor and decor. (i had never shopped there before and they had only one in stock at the two locations i went to) Poplar is considered an "economy" wood and I didnt find many folks doing what i was doing with poplar, but at $129 a top, i decided what the heck, if i messed it up, i can always use it for a while and then upgrade if i really dont like it. It is a bit "soft" compared to other woods and I was not sure how the stain and finish would turn out with there being only a few woodworking videos on this concept that i could find. I figured it would come out cheaper (and in the end it did), only by a few hundred bucks when I think about it. (still significant). I would 100% do it again because my tables turned out BEAUTIFUL. So i spent $260 on the wood itself. and another $100 or so in stain, poly, a sander, sand paper, steelwool, and tack cloths. (screws came later - as the ones provided for frame were meant for 1" top. Mine was 1.5" thick) . I stained mine with minwax dark walnut and about 3 coats of minwax satin poly on top, with one coat on the bottom. I am incredibly happy with how they turned out. before staining i also used a wood conditioner, recommended on poplar to avoid blotching. It only took me about 1 full day of work to sand stain, and another few hours between the next two days to seal it with poly (drying). I wanted to do threaded inserts but was also impatient and didnt know much about them so i bought some wood screws and called it a day. I can always add them later if i decide that i am going to move around a lot and be able to assemble/reassemble later. My desk is incredibly beautiful and would have cost me $600 just for tops had i paid some one to do it. and over $2000 from various desk companies.. It has plenty of character and gives me satisfaction that I built it myself. All in all, I learned the following skills and info: sanding staining applying poly using a drill with various bits Wood screws and machine screw measurements Overall happy with my decision. This weekend I am finally putting all of my stuff on it. If you have any questions feel free to ask. I will eventually make a post and video for everything when the time comes.
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For arguments sake, I'll speak to the other side here. I like the idea of a custom or diy top, but I've been very happy with the dark rubberwood top that I ordered with my uplift 4-leg desk. The cost of ordering with a top that included some promo accessories was very similar to ordering a frame without a top and paying for the same accessories. Essentially meant I was getting a free top I can use until a point in the future when I eventually make a personalized top (dreaming of a live edge slab in black walnut). I ended up liking the top more than I thought I would. One cautionary comment though, read carefully whether the included top you are considering buying is finished on the underside and inside any grommet holes. Most laminate tops will be raw particle board inside the grommet holes. uplift's rubberwood tops are finished inside the grommet holes.
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DIY Pete
diypete.com › diy-standing-desk
DIY Standing Desk | DIY Pete & Stand Modern
November 7, 2025 - I made my table 1 inch thick by ... our boards to size. The final size of my DIY standing desk ended up being 78″ long by 30″ wide by 1″ thick....
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Autonomous.ai
autonomous.ai › ourblog › how-to-make-a-standing-desk-10-diy-ideas
10 DIY Standing Desk Ideas & Step-By-Step Guide
March 1, 2023 - Here are 10 DIY ideas for your sit-stand workstation project. This is a complete guide on how to make a standing desk. Get things done while standing!
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Woodworking Talk
woodworkingtalk.com › home › forums › woodworking forum › general woodworking discussions
How to Build a Solid Wood Top for Standing Desk? Seeking Help/Advice | Woodworking Talk
Hi Folks, I would like to build a solid wood top for a lifting desk frame. It doesn't need a flawless finish and I might even want it to be a little rustic like in this video. I want it to be 30" x 80". I thought of using plywood but I would prefer it to be at least 1.5" thick. I don't own a...
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FineWoodworking
finewoodworking.com › home › build a standing desk
Build a Standing Desk - FineWoodworking
May 14, 2021 - Synopsis: Chris Becksvoort’s not a sit-down type of guy, so it was inevitable he’d design himself a standing desk. This one has a slanted surface for drawing, a flat surface for a laptop, books, coffee mug, and other materials, a foot rail for comfort, and storage inside for office materials.
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Guide Patterns
guidepatterns.com › home › 21 diy standing or stand up desk ideas
21 DIY Standing or Stand Up Desk Ideas - Guide Patterns
May 15, 2023 - So follow these DIY tutorials and transform a simple desk into a standing desk. Published on September 3rd 2015 by Michelle Anderson · 7 Ways to Make a Spider Box · 15+ DIYs to Make a Cutting Board · How to Make Cornhole Boards: 10 Plans · 12 DIY Blanket Ladder Plans · View more in Woodworking Projects ·
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Sarah Flips It
sarahflipsit.com › home › blog › office › how to diy an oak stand-up desk using ikea drawers & a basic stand up desk from amazon!
How to DIY an Oak Stand-up Desk using IKEA Drawers & a basic stand up desk from Amazon! - Sarah Flips It
October 6, 2025 - Create a beautiful oak DIY standing desk using IKEA Alex drawers and a pre-made standing desk. This budget-friendly IKEA hack is perfect for a home office or creative workspace. Learn how to build yours step by step!
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Bob Vila
bobvila.com › diy › tools › workshop › 15 easy designs for a diy desk
6 DIY Standing Desk Projects to Keep ... - Bob Vila
March 7, 2025 - But even if you don’t, no problem. Just the hinges at your local hardware store and attach 2×4 lumber to them. Then last but not least, top the DIY desk with a regular sheet of plywood, cut to size.
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YouTube
youtube.com › steve ramsey - woodworking for mere mortals
Dead simple, basic mobile standing desk/work table - YouTube
PATREON ►► https://www.patreon.com/wwmmWoodworking Plans ►https://shopwwmm.com/products/mobile-standing-desk-work-tableGet started woodworking and set up sho...
Published   May 14, 2024
Views   74K
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Bunnings Workshop
workshop.bunnings.com.au › t5 › Living-and-Bedroom › How-to-build-a-standing-desk › td-p › 145706
How to build a standing desk? | Bunnings Workshop community
March 8, 2023 - Hi everyone! I'd like a standing desk but would like to learn a bit of basic DIY along with it. I have some questions regarding my plan and I welcome any advice that you can give me. Here is the panel and desk frame I'm thinking of getting. I'll get the timber cutting service to cut it down to 1...