Furniture Complete

Poplar Kids Desk

Wedged-tenon experiment — poplar desk, walnut wedges.

A small poplar work desk for the kids — mostly an experiment with wedged tenons. Walnut wedges; poplar for everything else. Poplar isn’t a great desk wood: it dents easily, and unpainted it often reads bruise-toned — greens, browns, even purples. Still, it’s held up surprisingly well for homework.

Small light poplar kids desk with a rectangular top, trestle stretchers, and wedged-tenon joinery.

Corner view of the poplar desk showing the top, legs, and stretchers against a white wall.

Close-up of a wedged tenon: walnut wedge driven through a poplar tenon in the leg.

Build details

A small poplar homework desk, built mainly to learn wedged tenons.

Poplar

Poplar everywhere except the wedges. It dents. Unpainted it can read bruise-toned.

Wedged tenons

The point of the build: through tenons locked with wedges.

Walnut wedges

Dark walnut wedges in the light poplar legs.

Homework desk

Still the kids’ homework desk.

Current status

Finished early 2023 (January).