DIY children’s furniture: wooden table

Recommendation points

• Why children’s tables are special
• Laminated chipboard desk – dimensions and detailing
• Assembling the table base
• Special worktop design
• Shelves and organizer
• Chair under the desk – we also do it ourselves

The more actively the child develops, the more he has to write, draw and do needlework. The place for this must be specially equipped and the “adult” desk cannot be adapted for these purposes. But a functional children’s desk is quite suitable, especially since it is not difficult to make it according to our instructions.

Why children’s tables are special

The importance of the correct layout of children’s workplaces has long been known. The individual features of the structure of the child’s body require an individual approach, which is often not possible for mass production – you have to take the solution of the problem under personal control.

You will find a lot of useful information in GOST 5994-93: it contains a table, divided into 4 height groups of children, where the key dimensions and slope angles of surfaces are indicated. But, since the home desk will be in use without replacement, starting from preschool age and at least through grades 5-6, it simply must be able to adjust as the child grows. We also draw attention to the importance of rounding corners on all protruding parts with a radius of 10 mm or more..

Size name	Sizes depending on the height of the child
1000-1150	1150-1300	1300-1450	1450-1600
Work plane height h1, not less	460	520	580	640
The distance from the floor to the lower edge of the elements protruding under the lid of the desk at its edge (height of the legroom) h2, not less	350	410	470	530
The distance from the floor to the elements protruding above the knees (height of the legroom, bent at the knees) h3, not less	350	350	400	400
The distance from the floor to the elements protruding above the foot of the seated person (height of space for extended legs) h4, not less	250	250	300	300
Work plane width t1, not less	450	500	500	500
Work plane length b1, not less:
single desk	600	600	600	600
double desk	1200	1200	1200	1200
The distance between the support elements of the desk (width of the legroom) b2, not less:
single desk	420	420	420	420
double desk	1020	1020	1020	1020
The distance from the edge of the desk from the side of the seated person to the elements protruding in front of his knees (depth of legroom) t2, not less	300	300	300	350
The distance from the edge of the desk from the side of the seated person to the elements protruding above his foot (depth of legroom when sitting with legs extended) t3, not less	400	400	400	400
Seat height hfive	260	300	340	380
Seat depth h4	240	260	280	300
Seat width (one seat) b3, not less	250	270	290	320
Back bend line height w, no more	160	170	190	200
Height of the lower edge of the backrest above the seat h6	120	130	150	160
Backrest top edge above seat h7	250	280	310	330
Back width (one seat) b4, not less	250	250	250	280
Seat curvature radius r1	20-50	20-50	20-50	20-50
Backrest radius (one seat) in plan r2, not less	300	300	300	300
Seat tilt angle g, hail	0-4	0-4	0-4	0-4
Backrest angle ?, hail	95-106	95-106	95-106	95-106
Distance from the edge of the table from the seated side to the most protruding part of the back tfive	220	240	260	280
Distance from the edge of the table from the seated side to the front edge of the seat t6	-40	-40	-40	-40

Most manufacturers also make a very gross mistake – applying bright images, inscriptions to the surface, using compositions with excessively high color contrast. For a child, such an abundance of colors and shapes will be a strong distraction, so it is preferable to make furniture for study either white or in a combination of muted cold and pastel shades..

The last point is the organization of the training and workplace. Since the child does not need a view in front of him (usually in a child’s desk leans against a wall), this space can and should be used to build an organizer. And, as you will see later, not every layout will be successful..

Laminated chipboard desk – dimensions and detailing

Let’s conditionally divide the school desk into two parts. At the top there is a tabletop 500 mm wide and at least 700 mm long. There is also a horizontal shelf along the length of the table top and 200 mm wide. Furniture facades made of MDF are well suited as work surfaces; if you wish, you can apply an alphabet, calligraphic copy, a multiplication table and other “cheat sheets”.

A table top with a shelf is attached to the desk box. Its side walls are rectangular trapezoids with a side slope of 13 °. In order not to rack your brains with trigonometry, cut 400 mm wide and 90 mm high.

In the front and rear of the box there are horizontal slats with dimensions of 100×650 mm and 200×650 mm, respectively. The last detail of the upper part is the legs of the school desk 300 mm wide and 400–450 mm high. Please note: the width between the legs cannot be less than 600 mm, and their height determines the adjustment range of the desk.

The lower part of the desk – two legs 400 mm wide at the top and with an extension of up to 600 mm at the bottom. In both halves of the legs, holes with a diameter of 8 mm are made in two rows, through which the parts can be connected in different positions using body ties. In the same way, in the lower part, but the holes are made with an offset of half the width of the row – this is how an inclined crossbar for a 200 mm wide leg rest will be attached. It also serves to fasten the halves of the base, as well as the second strip 100-150 mm wide at the back of the desk base.

Assembling the table base

First, we will drill both legs. We mark a vertical axis on them, set aside 100 mm in both directions and also draw lines. On the center line, 100 mm from the bottom, mark the center of the first hole, and above – three more with an indent of 50 mm. On the right longitudinal line, we mark the same row of holes, but the lower one recedes from the edge by 50 mm. We drill them by 4 mm, then we perform milling for confirmation.

Along the lateral longitudinal lines, we lay aside 75 mm from the upper edge of the legs. Duplicate the marks downwards with the same indent of 75 mm in the amount of two more pieces. We make holes with an 8 mm drill from the front side, put a plank from the inside out so that the lamination does not break.

At the rear end of the legs, lay 8 mm from the edge and 50 and 150 cm from the top. We drill and cut holes for confirmation, then we drill the ends of the rear crossbar using the same marking. We drill both edges of the footrest into the butt end under 4 mm so that the distance between the centers of the holes is 112 mm. We fasten the parts of the base: first we install the rear crossbar on two confirmations on each side, then they also fasten the footrest at the desired height.

Of the options for end pasting, PVC tape with a thickness of up to 2 mm will be preferable here. Practice shows that both the paper pasting of the ends, and even the protective tape “fungus” break off with your feet in the first couple of years.

Special worktop design

Let’s move on to the assembly of the school desk box: on the short edges of the front and rear walls, we retreat 8 mm each and drill under the confirmation. We assemble the box by inserting a trapezoidal sidewall between the front and rear strip. How to hem the bottom of the box is a matter of your taste: it can be a cutout of laminated chipboard 650×550 mm, or the same dimensions LMDF or thin plywood, if you have prudently cut grooves in the walls.

We fix the side upper parts of the legs with an overlap of 100 mm. We tighten the parts flat with the help of ties located in two rows with an indent of 50 mm between themselves and 25 mm from the edges of the overlap zone. After fixing the sides, we install the school desk box on the base and tighten all the screws well.

We lay the tabletop with a horizontal bar on the floor with the back side up. On the countertop, 22 mm from the common edge and 150 mm from the corners, we outline a center for milling for a recessed furniture hinge. The hole depth is 10 mm, the cutter diameter is 40 mm. We install two hinges of full opening and, tightly fitting the halves to each other, mark the holes for fastening screws on both sides, drill and fix the awnings.

In the design of the desk, it is important to provide for all the possibilities for applied manual work: drawing, modeling, application. For greater convenience, the tabletop should be fixed in a horizontal position, so prepare two laminated chipboard boards 50×150 mm in size. They are screwed on from the inside of the box with ties and act as hinged supports. It is better to drill and fasten them last, applying from the outside.

The prefabricated worktop is attached to the box by a horizontal shelf. You can mark the 4 holes for fastening with confirmations on top, and then cover the marks from the fastening with the vertical organizer stands. If fastening on dowels – use plastic and glue the entire edge completely with epoxy glue.

Shelves and organizer

During the first few years of high school, the child manages to acquire an unthinkable amount of all kinds of utensils and tools, both for writing and drawing, and for drawing. Therefore, the shelves in such a small space should be arranged correctly: maximize capacity and expand the workspace..

The organizer consists of two racks 170×300 mm wide, which are attached to the countertop shelf with glue and dowels exactly above the box walls, forming 25 mm sides along the edges. They are needed for continuous pasting with a vinyl border, at the same time traces of fixing the tabletop are hidden in this way. Between the racks with an indent of 40 mm on top of the confirmations, an upper shelf with a size of 618×170 mm is attached. At the front and rear, the space between the uprights is limited by 40 mm slats, so that a kind of pallet is formed. This is a place for storing textbooks and all sorts of little things, which from awkward movement and strives to scatter around the room..

With an indent of 30 cm from the right post, a vertical partition of 244×170 mm is installed. From below, it is attached to the glue with dowels to the countertop bar, and in the upper part it is attracted to the shelf with a confirmation. Located in the center, this stand allows you to put a heavy pile of textbooks on top, while leaving a relatively free area on the right side where everything you need for the current job is placed, which can roll off: pencils or brushes.

The left compartment is divided by another shelf 100 mm from the top of the organizer. Its width is almost 300 mm, A4 sheets and binders will fit here with success. There is also a place below for books and magazines, or for everything you need in work.

Chair under the desk – we also do it ourselves

The seat legs are arranged according to the same principle as the desk: planks 200×250 mm and 220×300 mm, each with two rows of 8 mm holes with a pitch of 50 mm for connecting with ties.

Seat and back – a piece of chipboard or MDF to match the color of the table top, their width is 350 mm. The seat has a depth of 275 mm, the front edge is recommended to be made with a slat tilted at 45 °. To attach it, use the trapezoidal gussets attached to the seat. The legs are attached to the seat with an indent of 30 mm from the edges, each with two metal corners on the inside.

The backrest is 150 mm wide and tilted back to 105 ° (10-15 ° from the vertical). For correct fastening, you need to make two L-shaped parts with an equally turned angle from a 20×20 mm profile pipe. The pipes are fastened with plowshare bolts under the bottom of the seat, three holes are drilled into them on the back side to adjust the height of the back. After assembly, fasten the outer (wide) parts of the legs with a thin strip-crossbar 290×50 mm.