How to Design & Build a Desk Hutch

Series Summary

Oak furniture is prized for its beautiful grain and high density, making it elegant and solid; however, you pay for for that strength and beauty. An oak desk hutch can be an extremely efficient and aesthetically pleasing piece of furniture that doesn't have to be expensive. One very easy way to cut down on the cost of an oak desk hutch is to make one yourself. Building a desk hutch may seem like a difficult task, but if you have a good teacher it makes it an easy and rewarding project. You can learn for free, online, from our expert.

In this free online video series, learn how to build a custom desk hutch, from wood working expert Jon Olson. He will teach you how to design a desk hutch, how to estimate the materials needed for a desk hutch, how to create the sides and top of a desk hutch, how to layout the shelf for a desk hutch, how to cut the oak trim for a desk hutch, how to attach oak trim to a desk hutch, how to assemble a custom desk hutch, how to use wood putty to build a desk hutch, how to stain an oak desk hutch, and finally, where to place your custom desk hutch.

Video Transcript

"Hi, this is Jon on behalf of Expert Village. In this video clip I'll be giving you an introduction to our hutch project. In the corner of this room we have a workstation that has been set up with a computer. However, you'll notice that there is not much desk room once we add a scanner, a printer or any other type of electronics. There's more than enough room above the computer desk to build some kind of a shelving unit or a hutch, which is what we're going to do to help maximize our space and we'll be able to put all of components on the shelves or the hutch. We're going to want our hutch to be made of the same material, which is oak and we're going to want it to look similar to the design of our desk so it'll all look as if it were one unit built at the same time. Lastly, to the left of our desk will eventually be a dresser, so we want to make sure that the hutch does not extend over the desk and get into the way where that dresser would be."