DIY Wooden Desk Organizer Plans

I’ve have been using Post-it® Notes for years to help stay organized, keep track of tasks, and manage my business. With the humid or frigid-cold conditions in a standard workshop, standard notes don’t always hold up, so I like to use Post-it® Extreme Notes, which are designed to stick to a range of textured, tough surfaces like raw wood, brick, steel, tile, etc. and they hold up to more harsh conditions. They are made to perform in moisture, extreme hot and cold temperatures and more -- making them perfect for my workshop.

I had some really high-quality scrap wood laying around, and have been in the business of organizing my desk before, so I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to create some wooden desk organized plans and get myself organized with the help of Post-it® Extreme Notes. Check out this simple project now or see more from Post-it® Extreme Notes here!

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What You’ll Need:

Wooden Desk Organizer Plans

To tackle this project you’ll need some scrap wood and a variety of woodworking tools. Check out my favorites here: Woodworking Tools 

Project Overview

How to Build a Desk Organizer with Wooden Desk Organizer Plans

This build is very basic and can be done in a variety of ways. I’ve broken it down into a few simple steps:

1. Square/ Mill Stock
2. Layout & Cut Parts
3. Cut Joinery
4. Cut Curves
5. Assemble Box
6. Add Accent Plugs
7. Finish

Wooden Desk Organizer Plans: The Step-by-Step Guide

Square Stock

Begin by taking your scrap wood and cutting it to square. Start out by face jointing and edge jointing one side of your stock. Cut it to width and head over to the bandsaw to re-saw to slightly over 1/4″ then plane down to a thickness around 1/4″.

Layout & Cut Parts

Layout your parts onto the newly squared stock. I recommend using the bandsaw to cut these pieces because of the thinner kerf on the saw blade. You can also use the table saw if you don’t have access to a band saw or are up for the challenge.

Cut Joinery

Cut your joinery in the preferred method of your choosing; I chose box joints for this build, but dovetails would also look great on this kind of project. Box joints are simple and easy and look great, so they’re great starter joinery. For a simple box joint jig, you can check out Steve Ramsey from Woodworking for Mere Mortals video here.

Cut Curves

Cut your curves for the sides on the bandsaw. I tape the pieces together so they match perfectly. This is also when you want to rip the front down to width. I do this now instead of later so that I can make sure the joinery for the box matches when I use the box joint jig. Yes, this is a bit more wasteful of a process, but having a tight joint is worth it. Plus, we’re already using scrap wood, so I feel less bad about it.

Sand these curves to match on a spindle sander and cut the finger holes in the front. I use a Forstner bit on the drill press for this. 

Assemble Box

Now you want to begin the assembly of the box. Cut the base to size (you can also cut it oversized and trim it to a perfect fit with a router after). I use epoxy for this application, but only because I am lazy and wanted the 15 min dry time. It was a bad choice. Don’t do it. Use Glue.

Glue the box up in stages, begin with the outside frame. Then the bottom, finishing with the inside dividers. I cut 3 1/8″ x 3 1/8″ spacers to make sure the notes fit perfectly.

Add Accent Plugs

This step is completely optional. I reinforce the box joints with ring shank screws using the drill press. I cut the screws slightly above the surface. I also add a few to the front of the box for visual interest. Cut them off above the surface and sand just like the rest of the wood. Sand the box to 220 grit and wipe down with a tack cloth.

Finish 

Apply a few coats of your favorite finish. I use wipe-on poly from Minwax here, but any finish will do. If you want to check out a list of my favorite finishes you can see those here!

And there you have it: my wooden desk organizer plans! If you liked this project, check out some other home projects!

• Live Edge River Table
• Industrial Sofa Table Build

His post is prouly supported by Post-it Extreme Notes!