Building a Custom Industrial Desk

In this episode, I build a Custom Industrial Desk, using steel for the framework and Cherry for the top and shelves.

This project was completed for a Denver, Colorado, custom furniture client.

Summary

Building an Industrial Desk With Cherry Top

Brian discussed his process of building an industrial desk with a cherry top. He used a jig to cut out parts of the same length and clamped a walnut stop to the bench for repeatable cuts. He also shared his safety measures, such as hanging fire-retardant blankets and cleaning up sawdust before welding in a woodshop. Brian detailed the welding process, including grinding welds and using a bar clamp to ensure squareness. Finally, he described the finishing touches, including painting, finishing, and installing the shelves.

Precision Cutting with a Jig

Since multiple parts needed to be the same length, I dug out the same jig I used when building my wood storage rack. By clamping a walnut stop block to the workbench, I ensured all my cuts were repeatable and accurate.

Fire Safety First

Working primarily with wood means there’s always a ton of sawdust and kindling lying around—just waiting for a stray spark to cause trouble. Before firing up the welder, I took precautions:

•  Hang fire-resistant fiberglass blankets
•  Did a thorough shop cleanup to remove sawdust piles
•  I also used scrap sheet metal as a welding backer to minimize scorch marks on my assembly table.

Welding the Frame

I started by welding the legs to the apron to establish the basic frame structure, ensuring everything was square. As I worked, I took the time to grind and clean up my welds—just because it’s an industrial build doesn’t mean it has to look sloppy.

At one point, a leg was slightly out of square, but a quick adjustment with the welder and a bar clamp got everything back in alignment.

Spacer Blocks for Consistency

For the shelf supports, I cut a scrap piece of wood to use as a spacer block. This ensured all shelves would be at the same height without repeated measuring. I simply clamped the wood in place, pushed the steel support against it, and welded.

Prepping for Paint

Before switching back to woodworking, I prepped the metal frame for paint by:

• Removing mill scale and welding residue with a flap disc
• Cleaning up metal dust and sharp steel shards

Building the Cherry Wood Top & Shelves

The woodworking process was straightforward but required attention to detail:

1. Rough-cut the lumber to length
2. Ran it through the planer and edge jointed the boards
3. Used floating tenons for alignment during glue-up

Even with careful assembly, a few spots on the top were slightly uneven, so I smoothed them out with a hand plane before sanding and finishing.

Final Assembly

Once the frame was painted and the wood finished, it was time to install the shelves and top:

•  The shelves drop into place, resting on the welded tabs
•  I cut them about 1/8″ smaller than the frame to allow for wood movement
•  Secured them with screws, then backed each screw off by half a turn to prevent binding as the wood expands and contracts

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