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Desk Accessory Set[4/4 · 4ft · 5-Pack]
One pack. One build. All 5 boards used. • Makes 5 desk sets
Shop Black Walnut 4/4 · 4ft Pack Shop All Speciesselect 4' Lengths
How it goes together
Black Walnut
Hard Maple
Cherry
White Oak (QS)
Red Oak
Ash
Hickory
Ambrosia Maple
Sapele*
Padauk*
Purpleheart*
*Exotic — not available for shipment to US customers.
A matching pen holder, phone stand and pencil tray, all cut from a single board. One 4ft pack makes five full sets, so you keep one and have four gifts ready for teachers, co-workers or a home office. Every part is a plain crosscut, the blocks are two pieces face-glued, and there is no tricky joinery anywhere.
Quick Build — for experienced woodworkers
| Part | Qty | From | S4S size | S2S size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pen holder pieces | 10 | Every board, 2 each | 6" × 4" × ¾" | 6" × 3½" × ⅞" |
| Phone stand pieces | 10 | Every board, 2 each | 6" × 4" × ¾" | 6" × 3½" × ⅞" |
| Tray bases | 5 | Every board, 1 each | 10" × 4" × ¾" | 10" × 3½" × ⅞" |
| Long rims | 10 | Rim blank, 1" strips | 10" × 1" × ¾" | 10" × 1" × ⅞" |
| Short rims | 10 | Rim blank, third strip | 2" × 1" × ¾" | 1½" × 1" × ⅞" |
Pen holder and phone stand: two pieces face-glued, grain the same way.
Pen holes: 6 × ½" and 2 × ¾" holes in the top face, stopped ¼" short of the bottom.
Phone slot: ⅝" wide × ¾" deep, leaning back 15°, 1½" from the front.
Pencil tray: 1" rims glued flat around the edge of the base.
Finished size: Each set, S4S: pen holder 6" × 4" × 1½", phone stand 6" × 4" × 1½", tray 10" × 4" × 1½" · S2S: 6" × 3½" × 1¾" and 10" × 3½" × 1¾".
Before You Start
Shopping List
- 1 lumber pack — 4/4 · 4ft (S4S or S2S)
- Wood glue (Titebond II or III)
- Sandpaper 120 / 180 / 220
- Wipe-on oil or hardwax oil
- Self-stick felt or cork pads
Tools
- Saw for crosscuts (mitre saw or circular saw with a speed square) — with a stop block
- Bandsaw, or table saw with a push block, for the 1" rim strips
- Drill press or drill guide, ½" and ¾" Forstner or brad-point bits
- Chisel (½" or ⅝")
- 6–10 bar clamps, 6" or longer
- Random-orbit sander or sanding block
- S2S only: jointer, straight-line rip jig or hand plane
S4S or S2S? S4S boards arrive flat and square on all four sides — cut and build. S2S boards have rough edges you straighten first, and finish ⅞" thick instead of ¾". No jointer? Choose S4S.
Our sizing assumptions: ⅛" per saw cut · S4S boards 23½"/47½" long with ¼" to square an end, 4" wide, ¾" thick · S2S boards trimmed ½" each end and ¼" off each rough edge (3½" clean), ⅞" 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
S4S Lumber Pack
Surfaced 4 sides — no jointing
- 1 One board, one set. Every board makes a full set: a pen holder, a phone stand and a pencil tray. Work all five boards at once so the setups only happen once.
- 2 Crosscut the parts. Clamp a stop block and cut each board into 2 pen-block pieces at 6", 2 phone-stand pieces at 6", a tray base at 10" and a rim blank at 10".
- 3 Glue the blocks. Face-glue the pen-block pieces in pairs and the phone-stand pieces in pairs. Each block ends up 1½" × 4" × 6". Grain runs the same way in both pieces. Clamp and leave overnight.
- 4 Rip the rims. Rip each rim blank into three 1" strips on a bandsaw, or on a table saw with a push block. Keep two strips at 10" for the long rims. Cut the third into two short rims at 2".
- 5 Drill the pen holder. Lay the block on a wide face. Mark two rows 1" in from each long edge. Drill two ¾" holes 1¼" from one end and three ½" holes per row at 2¾", 3⅞" and 5". Set a depth stop at 1¼" — any deeper and you come out the bottom.
- 6 Cut the phone slot. Lay the phone-stand block flat. Mark a ⅝" slot across the width, 1½" back from the front end. Tilt the blade 15° so the slot leans back, set it ¾" high, and make two cuts with the mitre gauge. Clear the waste with more passes or a chisel.
- 7 Build the trays. Glue the long rims flat on the tray base along both long edges, then the short rims between them at the ends. That leaves a 8" × 2" well for pencils and clips. Clamp or tape until dry.
- 8 Sand. Sand every part 120 → 180 → 220. Round the edges and ease the inside of the slot so it won't scratch a phone.
- 9 Finish. Wipe on 2–3 coats of oil or hardwax oil. Stick felt or cork pads under each piece.
S2S Lumber Pack
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). S2S boards finish ⅞" thick, so screws and some sizes change — use the sizes in this column.
- 2 One board, one set. Every board makes a full set: a pen holder, a phone stand and a pencil tray. Work all five boards at once so the setups only happen once.
- 3 Crosscut the parts. Clamp a stop block and cut each board into 2 pen-block pieces at 6", 2 phone-stand pieces at 6", a tray base at 10" and a rim blank at 10".
- 4 Glue the blocks. Face-glue the pen-block pieces in pairs and the phone-stand pieces in pairs. Each block ends up 1¾" × 3½" × 6". Grain runs the same way in both pieces. Clamp and leave overnight.
- 5 Rip the rims. Rip each rim blank into three 1" strips on a bandsaw, or on a table saw with a push block. Keep two strips at 10" for the long rims. Cut the third into two short rims at 1½".
- 6 Drill the pen holder. Lay the block on a wide face. Mark two rows 1" in from each long edge. Drill two ¾" holes 1¼" from one end and three ½" holes per row at 2¾", 3⅞" and 5". Set a depth stop at 1½" — any deeper and you come out the bottom.
- 7 Cut the phone slot. Lay the phone-stand block flat. Mark a ⅝" slot across the width, 1½" back from the front end. Tilt the blade 15° so the slot leans back, set it ¾" high, and make two cuts with the mitre gauge. Clear the waste with more passes or a chisel.
- 8 Build the trays. Glue the long rims flat on the tray base along both long edges, then the short rims between them at the ends. That leaves a 8" × 1½" well for pencils and clips. Clamp or tape until dry.
- 9 Sand. Sand every part 120 → 180 → 220. Round the edges and ease the inside of the slot so it won't scratch a phone.
- 10 Finish. Wipe on 2–3 coats of oil or hardwax oil. Stick felt or cork pads under each piece.
Why face-glue the blocks? One board is only ¾" or ⅞" thick. Two pieces face-glued give a heavy block that holds pens upright and won't tip with a phone in it. Both pieces run the same grain direction, so the joint is long grain to long grain and stays tight.
Does wood movement matter here? Barely. The short rims cross the tray base's grain, but they are only 1½–2" long, so the movement is too small to matter.
Why a stop block? Ten pen pieces and ten phone pieces have to match. A stop block makes every cut the same length without measuring each one.
Make It Yours
- Mixed species: trade boards with a friend — walnut blocks with maple trays look sharp.
- Business-card slot: add a second, shallow ⅛" saw kerf behind the phone slot.
- Engrave a name: a laser or wood-burning pen on the front of the pen holder makes a personal gift.
Safety and Care
- Wear eye and hearing protection. Use a push stick for every rip under 4" wide.
- Rip the 1" rim strips on a bandsaw, or on a table saw with a push block that rides over the fence. Never rip short parts freehand.
- Cut the phone slot with the mitre gauge, not the fence. Clamp the block to the gauge.
- Clamp the blocks when drilling — don't hold small parts by hand.
Frequently Asked Questions
Not for S4S boards — they arrive flat and square on all four sides. S2S boards need their edges straightened: a jointer, a table saw with a straight-line jig, or a hand plane all work. No jointer? Choose the S4S pack.
The ⅝" slot fits most phones in a slim case. For a rugged case, widen the slot to ¾" with one more pass.
The block lies flat, so it can't take deep holes. They hold pens and markers tilted and keep them from rolling. For deeper holes, stand the block on end and drill 3" deep instead.
Yes, with sanding and finishing. Keep the sawing and drilling for an adult.
Planned offcuts only: about 2½" off the end of each board and a thin sliver from each rim blank. All 5 boards go into the sets.
Yes, but you get fewer sets. One set needs about 44" of board, so a 2ft pack makes 2 full sets with spare pieces left over.
