I went out and got some 1×2 stick wood and a nice sheet of 7-ply birch for a desk surface from Lowe’s. Also some nice stain and sealant for later.

Up at the space, my pal and I ripped the plywood in half with the table saw and did some other long cuts to shape out the two halves appropriately: the desk surface and a shelf to go above it. We spent most of our time there setting up guides for cuts, and failing pretty comically with a jigsaw, plus sanding down all to-be-exposed surfaces nice and smooth.

Back home, the 1x2s were nailed into a closet that had been stripped of most of its shelving to make room. The 1x2s formed the frame on which we then rested the desk surface. I plan to use a similar method for the overhead shelf.

It’s untreated, if smooth. In a week or so, given time, I’d like to tear it back down to sand/stain/seal it all into a nice, deep finish. In the meantime, I’m sorta beta testing the design to identify any changes I want made before all that finishing work.