How to Fix a Shaking Computer Desk With Carpentry

A shaky or wobbly computer desk is often a result of desk leg placement or due to a crooked leg installation. Crooked desk legs often result in the desk slanting slightly towards the oddly angled leg, creating a shaking desk surface when in use. Fixing a shaking or unstable computer desk can easily be fixed by adding supportive panels on the wooden desk legs. These panels not only keep the legs in place, but provide support to the desk as a whole.

Things You'll Need

• 1/2-inch plywood sheet
• Measuring tape
• Pencil
• Ruler
• Table saw
• Medium-grit sandpaper
• Paint color of choice
• Paintbrush
• Hammer
• 2-inch-long nails
• Level

Instructions

1. Crawl underneath the desk and measure the distance between the outer sides of the desk legs, meaning the total distance between each leg, including the horizontal thickness of the legs. Write this measurement down. Repeat this step on the width-side of the desk, so you get the full perimeter of the desk according to the placement of the desk legs.

2. Lay a 1/2-inch-thick plywood sheet on a flat surface and draw four supportive desk leg panels, using a ruler and a pencil. Two of the panels must measure 2 inches in height and the entire length of the desk, while the second set of panels must measure 2 inches by the desk width.

3. Cut the four supportive desk leg panels out, using the table saw. Sand the cut edges using the sandpaper, but only enough to remove splinters and smooth out cracks.

4. Paint all four supportive panels.

5. Line one of the long panels up at the back side of the desk, so it covers both desk legs. The panel must also touch the bottom side of the desk. Line it up so the end of the panel matches the sides of the desk legs; it should not protrude either side of the legs. Nail the panel to both legs, securing the legs in place. Adjust the legs slightly if they curve slightly inward or outward. Use a level if you are unsure when the leg is completely vertical.

6. Repeat this panel attachment procedure until all four sides have panels installed. Once the legs have been vertically straightened they will be kept in place evenly by the panels.

Tips & Warnings

• When painting the panels, match the paint to the color of the desk if you want the panels to be unobtrusive. If you want them to stand out as a design feature, go for a bold paint color that contrasts with the desk.