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Dual Monitor Desk Shelf[8/4 Wide · 4ft · 5-Pack]
One pack. One build. All 5 boards used. • Makes 1 monitor shelf
Shop Black Walnut 8/4 Wide · 4ft Pack Shop All Speciesselect 4' Lengths / 6-8"
How it goes together
Black Walnut
Hard Maple
Cherry
White Oak
Red Oak
Ash
Hickory
Ambrosia Maple
Sapele*
Padauk*
Purpleheart*
*Exotic — not available for shipment to US customers.
A solid hardwood shelf that lifts two monitors to a better height and clears the desk underneath. Three wide boards glue up into a 44" × 16½" top. Board 4 makes two short leg panels, and board 5 stands on edge along the back as a cable fence with two notches for the cords. The keyboard slides underneath when you are done for the day.
Quick Build — for experienced woodworkers
| Part | Qty | From | S2S size |
|---|---|---|---|
| Top pieces | 3 | Boards 1–3 | 44" × 5½" × 1¾" |
| Leg pieces (grain vertical) | 6 | Board 4 | 5½" × 5½" × 1¾" |
| Back rail (cable fence) | 1 | Board 5 | 44" × 5½" × 1¾" |
Top: boards 1–3 edge-glued → 44" × 16½" × 1¾" (about 16¼" after jointing).
Leg panels: board 4 → six 5½" pieces, edge-glued in threes with the grain vertical → two panels 5½" tall × the top's depth, set 3" in from each end.
Legs to top: end grain, so no glue line — three ⅜" dowels (glued into the leg only) and 2 counterbored, plugged #10 × 3½" screws per leg, the back one in a slotted hole.
Back rail: board 5 on edge, glued to the top's back edge (long grain to long grain) with 4 × #10 × 3" screws; stands 3¾" above the top, two 1½" cable notches.
Finished size: 44" W × about 18¼" D (with the back rail) × 7¼" H to the top surface; the rail stands 3¾" higher. Clear space under the top is 5½" tall and about 34" wide. About 40 lb in walnut; load about 40 lb.
Before You Start
Shopping List
- 1 lumber pack — 8/4 Wide · 4ft (6–8" wide, S2S)
- Wood glue (Titebond II or III)
- 6 × ⅜" × 2" fluted dowels
- 4 × #10 × 3½" flat-head wood screws (legs)
- 4 × #10 × 3" flat-head wood screws (back rail)
- 8 × ⅜" wood plugs
- Felt pads
- Sandpaper 120 / 180 / 220
- Finish: hardwax oil or water-based poly
Tools
- Saw for crosscuts (mitre saw or circular saw with a speed square)
- Jointer, straight-line rip jig or hand plane
- 4–6 bar clamps, 24" or longer
- Cauls (straight scrap strips)
- Router sled, hand plane or belt sander
- Dowelling jig, ⅜" brad-point bit, dowel centres
- Drill/driver, countersink bit, pilot bits, ⅜" counterbore bit
- 1½" Forstner bit
- Flush-cut saw
- Random-orbit sander or sanding block
Why S2S only? The 6–8" wide 8/4 boards come S2S: both faces planed, edges rough. Plan on losing about ¼" per edge when you straighten them.
Our sizing assumptions: ⅛" per saw cut · 6–8" wide 8/4 S2S boards trimmed ½" each end and ¼" off each rough edge (5½" clean at the narrowest), planned at 1¾" thick · sizes drawn for the narrowest board in the pack. Wider boards give you a bigger offcut or a wider part — never a shortage.
Step-by-Step
S2S Lumber Pack (6–8" wide)
Surfaced 2 sides — straighten edges first
- 1 Prep the boards. Trim ½" off each end to remove any end checks. Joint one edge straight, then rip the other edge parallel (¼" off each rough edge is our planning allowance).
- 2 Cut the parts. Square one end of each board. Crosscut boards 1, 2 and 3 at 44" for the top, and board 5 at 44" for the back rail. Clamp a stop block at 5½" and cut board 4 into six matching leg pieces.
- 3 Glue up the top. Edge-glue boards 1–3 into a 44" × 16½" panel (about 16¼" after jointing). Alternate the growth rings, use cauls at the ends and clamp every 8". Long grain to long grain, so a full glue line is fine.
- 4 Glue up the leg panels. Edge-glue the six leg pieces in threes, grain running up and down, into two panels 5½" tall. Trim them to the same depth as the top once dry. With the grain vertical, the legs grow and shrink front to back the same way the top does.
- 5 Flatten and sand. Scrape the glue and flatten the top with a router sled, a hand plane or a belt sander. Sand all the parts 120 → 180 → 220 and ease the front edges so they are kind to wrists.
- 6 Notch the back rail. Mark two cable notches on the top edge of the back rail, one behind each monitor, about 11" in from each end. Drill a 1½" hole with a Forstner bit 1¼" down from the edge, then saw down to it from both sides. Round the edges of the notch.
- 7 Fit the back rail. Glue the rail on edge to the back edge of the top, bottoms flush, so it stands 3¾" above the top. Both parts run lengthwise, so this is long grain to long grain. Pre-drill and drive four counterbored #10 × 3" screws through the rail into the top's edge while the glue sets.
- 8 Drill for dowels. Mark the leg positions on the underside of the top, 3" in from each end. Drill three ⅜" dowel holes 1" deep in the top end of each leg panel with a dowelling jig, and transfer them to the top with dowel centres. Glue the dowels into the legs only, so the top can still move a hair.
- 9 Join the legs to the top. The legs meet the top with end grain, so there is no glue line here. Tap the top onto the dowels. Pre-drill two counterbored #10 × 3½" screws per leg down through the top: a round hole at the front and a slotted hole (¼" wide, ½" long front to back) at the back. Glue ⅜" plugs over the heads and trim them flush.
- 10 Finish. Wipe on hardwax oil or water-based poly, 2–3 coats, on every face so the top stays flat. Stick felt pads under the legs and slide the keyboard underneath.
Why is the leg grain vertical? The top grows and shrinks across its 16" depth through the seasons. Leg panels with the grain running up and down move the same way, front to back, so the two parts stay matched. A leg with horizontal grain would stay put while the top moved, and the joint would work loose.
Why dowels and screws on the legs? The legs meet the top with their end grain, and glue on end grain doesn't hold. Dowels line the parts up and take the side load, and the screws pull the joint tight. The slotted back hole gives the top room to move.
Why a back rail? It stops cables, chargers and pens from sliding off the back of the desk, and it stiffens the long top so it can't sag under two monitors. The notches let the cords drop straight down.
Why pre-drill? Maple, oak and hickory split if you drive a screw without a pilot hole. Pre-drill every screw and countersink so the heads sit flush.
Make It Yours
- Taller shelf: cut the leg pieces at 7" for more room underneath or a higher screen. Six 7" pieces still fit on board 4.
- Drawer look: screw a thin plywood tray under the top between the legs for pens and cables.
- Single monitor: cut the top and rail at 30" for one screen and keep the offcuts for a matching phone stand.
Safety and Care
- Wear eye and hearing protection. Use a push stick for every rip under 4" wide.
- Pre-drill every screw — hardwoods split without a pilot hole.
- The shelf weighs about 40 lb in walnut. Check your desk can carry it plus two monitors, about 80 lb in all.
- Keep the monitors' feet at least 2" from the front edge, and keep the load to about 40 lb.
- Wear a dust mask when cutting and sanding, especially exotics (padauk, purpleheart, sapele).
Frequently Asked Questions
The 6–8" wide 8/4 pack comes S2S (faces planed, edges rough). Straighten the edges with a jointer, a table saw and a straight-line jig, a track saw, or a hand plane.
The top is 44" wide and about 16¼" deep. Two 24" monitors on their stands fit side by side. Two 27" monitors fit if their stands are close together or if you use a monitor arm clamped to the back rail.
Yes. The space under the top is 5½" tall and about 34" wide between the legs. Most keyboards are under 1½" tall, so a keyboard, a mouse pad and a notebook all slide in.
Yes. A C-clamp arm fits over the back rail or the front edge. Put the clamp near a leg, and use the arm's large plate so it doesn't dent the wood.
Planned offcuts only: about 2⅞" off the end of boards 1, 2, 3 and 5, and about 13" off board 4 — enough for a phone stand or a pair of coasters. All 5 boards go into the shelf.
No. A 2ft wide pack is too short for a two-monitor shelf. It makes a 22" single-monitor riser: crosscut three top pieces at 22" and follow this plan with a 22" back rail.
