Best wood for kid's Lego desk....

[Dusty.House]

Hey All,

I want to knock together a desk for my 4-year old that he can use whilst the schools are shut. He can spend hours building Lego and if he has a dedicated space it'll really make him happy, and make home working a little easier for me.

I want a simple design of two boxes on each side and a top spanning them. The dimensions of the boxes will be determined by the plastic totes I want to use as removable drawers (20"x15"). Ages ago I glued some Lego plates on to MDF sheets which are the same dimensions, so I want him to be able slide these in as well and keep his projects out of the way.

I'm looking for a recommendation on what to build this from. On one hand I am thinking of picking some white laminate because it matches the other Ikea book cases in the kid's playroom. I've done plenty of Ikea hacks in my past, so I could just buy two matching frames and tweak the dimensions. Then put a nice big top on them.

But on the other hand I have all the tools (domino, tracksaw, router table etc.) to make some a lot nicer.

I don't fancy pine or fur, which I can probably get for a reasonable price. Maple would be nice, but I am guessing that could start adding up. Or I could use some nice plywood. I have used Fastcap's fastedge before so I can make the edge look nice.

This feels like a dumb question but it's hard at the moment to wander my local wood store looking at options.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Ben

 

[Jiggy Joiner]

For the purpose, you could make the frame from softwood, with a durable hardwood top, oak, or maple etc.

 

[DynaGlide]

I vote for plywood or particleboard w/ a laminate top. For the two sides just build some simple boxes out of the same material or use melamine for the white appearance and ease of maintenance. Since you're good with laminate take a look at the more specialized designs from Wilsonart. They have some fun kid designs. Do a white edgeband that ties in with the top design and with the rest of the room's furniture.

No need to spend money on something that will get outgrown in a few years or potentially abused. If you're in my situation (working from home, young kids, similar age(s)) you likely don't have a lot of play time. I'd prioritize speed of assembly, availability of materials, and low cost to get it done asap. KISS.

https://www.wilsonart.com/laminate/virtual-design-library/out-of-the-box

Matt

 

[bertv]

Plus one for laminate. The desk is bound te be (ab)used with markers and crayons & that will come of easier.
Plus one on the hack, because kids grow about a foot a year, it seems, so… (My sons ended up 6 foot 3 each.)

 

[Dusty.House]

Thanks all for the thoughts, much appreciated.

I think I'll go with a laminate top, and some plywood cabinets. I'll pop into my local store (Dunn Lumber) tomorrow and see what my options are!

Ben

 

[Birdhunter]

Different opinion. Use quartersawn white oak. It’s a very “honest” wood, finishes well with wipe on poly, and it’s sturdy enough for your son’s children to use.

 

[Dusty.House]

Different opinion. Use quartersawn white oak. It’s a very “honest” wood, finishes well with wipe on poly, and it’s sturdy enough for your son’s children to use.

Thanks, that looks reasonably priced! I'll check it out when I go to the lumber shop on Monday

 

[Pnw painter]

There’s a play space near my house that has a huge LEGO table with a “bin” around the edge. It seems to work well and the kids like it.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Dusty.House]

There’s a play space near my house that has a huge LEGO table with a “bin” around the edge. It seems to work well and the kids like it.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

My son would love that! My wife wouldn’t

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk