Building a Drafting Desk

Supplies

Before you begin building your drafting desk, it is important to make sure that you have all the necessary equipment. You will either need to buy or borrow two of the same size sawhorses, and have a lightweight, square piece of formaldehyde-free plywood. A sawhorse is a beam with four legs that is used to support a piece of wood for sawing. The plywood should be between and inches thick and 36x72 inches. You will also need: 4 2x4s, 36 inches long, 4 2x4s, 20 inches long, 4 2x4s, 60 inches long, 2-inch drywall screws, 3-inch drywall screws, drill, tape measure, level, self-leveling legs and Borco covering at 36x72 inches.

Frame

Using the 2 60-inch 2x4s and 2 20-inch 2x4s, build two frames to support the top. The frame box will be 6 all the way around, and you'll want to use the 3-inch screws to secure them to one another. Flip the frame over, so that the top is on the ground and the bottom of the frame is facing up. Secure the four 36-inch 2x4s to opposite corners of the frame to make the front legs and back legs and secure them with more 3-inch screws.

Top

Flip the drafting desk, so that it is now on its new legs, and make sure the frame is completely level. Set the plywood onto the top of the frame, and use the 2-inch screws to attach each corner to the frame. Once the plywood is attached, you'll want to secure the Borco covering to the plywood. Borco is the drawing surface most preferred by architects and artists, because of its firmness and reliability.