If predictions of a paperless society had come true, desks everywhere would now be clean and clutter-free. But in the real world, most people keep piles of documents on their desks, sticky notes on their computer monitors and pens and pencils everywhere, strewn among the mess. Give your favourite home-office worker or corporate warrior a chance to look their best with this handsome oak organizer. It has the space for standard envelope sizes and letterhead, file folders, notebooks and writing instruments, so it's functional in a modern office. Who knows, it may earn the recipient a raise.
I used quartersawn oak, one of my favourite premium woods, for this project. It actually cost almost $65, but you could build it for less using another wood species. Since most main parts of the project are arranged with the grain travelling in the same direction, the best choice for joints are 1/4"-deep by 1/2"-wide rabbets and dados. The back panel is the only part that needs special attention: it will expand and contract with seasonal changes in humidity. I created a sliding dovetail to allow it to move, and I have some tricks for success with this little-used joint.
The desktop organizer has parts with finished thicknesses ranging from 1/2" to 7/8". You can mill wood yourself from rough lumber-with so many workshoppers buying thickness planers these days, even if you don't have one of your own, you may be able to borrow one for this project. I like to mill project parts 1/8" thicker than specified, then layout and cut before planing to final dimensions. This is especially important with quartersawn white oak because you need to plane the wood in the same direction as the wood grain for smooth, chip-free results. Planing in stages also offers advantages for making tight-fitting dados.
Reserve your best boards for the top, gables and drawer fronts; use secondary wood for the back panel and internal parts. Joint the edges of your stock, glue-up the panels you'll need and then leave the wood in clamps overnight.
Tight dado joints are especially important on this project because mistakes would be quite obvious. I have a trick that makes it easy to get good results. Start by making a test cut in scrap wood using the dado blade or router set-up of your choice. Be sure to use the same species you're using for your project, and make the cuts at least six inches long. Next, plane down some scraps in small increments until they fit just right into the dado. You're aiming for a final thickness that lets the wood plug into the groove with a hard push. When your machine settings are right, plane edge-glued project parts to the critical final thicknesses you set up, and they'll mate perfectly with your dados.
Next, cut your panels to their final dimensions. A shop-built cross-cut sled for your tablesaw is useful for handling panels like these, and worth building if you don't have one already. Double-check that these cuts are exactly 90ยบ, then trim the remaining edges and sides to final dimensions with a rip fence.
Now it's time to cut dados. While you cut, put some scrap wood behind your project parts. This supports the wood grain where the spinning cutter or blade exits, preventing tearout, which would mar your finished edges.
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