48″ wide monitor riser plans

Parts

Cut list

Kerf 1/8″ included. Every cut runs edge to edge.

Steps

• Tape measure
• Speed square
• Pencil
• Drill/driver
• Clamps
• Safety glasses
• Hearing protection
• Dust mask
• Circular saw or miter saw
• Countersink bit
• Putty knife
• Sander, 120 and 180 grit

Underlined words have a short explanation: hover or tap them. All of them are on the glossary page.

1. 1Before you start

   Read every step once, start to finish, before you buy or cut anything. Each step names the parts it uses by letter; the parts list gives their sizes.

   Set up somewhere flat with good light. A pair of sawhorses with a sheet of plywood on top makes a fine work table.

   Wear safety glasses whenever a tool is running, hearing protection for saws, and a dust mask for sanding and for cutting treated wood or sheet goods. Tie back long hair and loose sleeves. Keep children and pets out of the work area.

   • Tip At the store, pick straight boards: hold each one up to your eye and look down its length. Skip boards that bow, twist or have big knots near the ends.
   • Tip Measure twice, cut once. Most mistakes are a misread tape, not a bad cut.

2. 2Cut and label the parts

   Cut every part on the cut list. Cut the longest parts first: if one goes wrong, it can still become a shorter part.

   To mark a cut, hook your tape on the end of the board, make a small V with its point exactly at the measurement, and draw a square line through the point with a speed square. Put an X on the waste side.

   Cut on the waste side of the line, so the blade's kerf (about 1/8″) comes out of the scrap, not your part.

   Write each part's letter in pencil on a face that won't show, and stack the parts by letter.

   Sand the faces before assembly while they're flat and easy to reach: 120 grit, then 180.

   ✓ Lay the parts out and count them against the parts list. Measure a few: if one is off by more than 1/16″, recut it now.

   STOP. Let the saw reach full speed before it touches the wood, keep both hands clear of the blade's path, and never reach under a board you're cutting. Support long boards on both sides of the cut so the blade doesn't pinch.

3. 3Mark where the ends go

   Lay the top (A) good face down. Draw a line across it 1″ from each end and another 1 3/4″ from each end: each end (B) sits between a pair of lines. Draw a third pair centred on the length for the middle support (D).

   Turn the top good face up and transfer the lines. Drill 3 pilot holes through the top between each pair of lines, centred on the end's thickness, and countersink them so the screw heads sink just below the surface.

   • Tip Grain runs along the length of a board. Cut and sand with the grain wherever you can: across it, the wood tears and scratches show.

   ✓ The marks are 46″ apart outside to outside and square across the top.

4. 4Attach the ends

   Glue the top edge of each end. The ends' top edges are end grain, which drinks glue: give them a thin coat, wait two minutes, then a second coat.

   Stand the ends upright on the bench, lower the top onto them on its lines, and drive 1 5/8″ screws down through the pilot holes. Don't over-tighten: the heads should sit just below the surface.

   Check each end is square to the top with a speed square before the glue grabs.

   • Tip End grain (the cut end of a board) soaks glue up like a straw. Brush on a thin first coat, wait two minutes, then add a second coat before you join the parts.
   • Tip Spread a thin, even layer of glue on one face with a finger or scrap: enough that a little beads out when you clamp, not so much that it runs. Wipe the squeeze-out with a damp rag right away, or scrape it once it turns rubbery; dried glue blocks stain and finish.

   ✓ Both ends are square to the top and the riser sits flat on the bench.

5. 5Add the back stretcher

   Fit the stretcher (C) on edge between the ends, tight under the top and flush with the back edges.

   Glue it, then drive 2 screws through each end into the stretcher's ends, and 6 screws down through the top into its top edge.

   The stretcher stops the riser racking sideways, the way a shelf without a back sways.

   • Tip Drill a pilot hole for every screw within 2″ of the end of a board, or the board will split. Then countersink so the screw head sits flush.

   ✓ Push sideways on the top: the riser doesn't sway.

6. 6Fill the screw holes

   Press wood filler into each countersunk screw hole with a putty knife, leaving it slightly proud of the surface.

   When dry (an hour or so), sand it flush with 120 grit on a block.

   • Tip Filler takes stain differently from wood. If you plan to stain, buy filler that matches the stain colour, or paint the riser.

   ✓ Run your hand over the top: you can't feel the filled holes.

7. 7Sand and finish

   Sand every face and edge of the riser with 120 grit, then 180 grit, always moving along the grain (the lines in the wood). Sanding across the grain leaves scratches that the finish makes darker.

   Soften every sharp edge and corner with a few strokes of 180-grit paper on a block, so edges don't splinter or chip.

   Vacuum the dust, then wipe with a tack cloth or a barely damp rag and let it dry 10 minutes.

   Brush on a thin coat of water-based polyurethane along the grain. Thin coats dry clear; thick coats drip and stay sticky.

   When it's dry (about 2 hours; read the can), the surface feels a little rough because the water raised the grain. Sand very lightly with 220 grit just until smooth, wipe off the dust and brush on a second coat. Three coats on anything handled every day.

   Let the last coat dry overnight before you handle it much.

   • Tip Pine goes blotchy under stain. If you want colour, brush on a pre-stain conditioner first, or use a gel stain.
   • Tip Finish the back and underside too. Wood that is sealed on one side only can cup as the seasons change.
   • Tip Work in a warm, dry, well-ventilated room. Below about 50°F (10°C) most finishes dry slowly and cloudy.

   ✓ The surface feels smooth and even, with no drips on the edges and no dull, dry patches.

8. 8Set it up

   Stick felt pads under the ends so it slides without scratching the desk.

   The top is checked for a 22 1/4″ span carrying a 35 lb monitor in the middle. Set the monitor so the top of the screen is at or a little below your eye level.

   ✓ With the monitor on it, a straightedge across the top shows no visible sag.