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how would you attach a desk to a filing cabinet?

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nageov3t

Lifer
full disclaimer, I'm almost definitely overthinking this. 😉

I'm in the midst of redoing my home office, and finally almost about ready to buy new furniture (having the floors redone next week, painting the weekend after, and then once the paint is dry I'm going to get new furniture)... having absolutely no luck finding a desk that meets my exact needs, I think I'm going to go out to the hardware store, buy a big plank of wood, stain or paint it, and mount it on top of 2 filing cabinets (or one filing cabinet and one bookcase, if I can find a bookcase that meets the exact height)

if it were just me, I'd plop the piece of wood on top of the filing cabinets and call it a day, but I've also got the possibility of my boyfriend and his two cats (who spend all day jumping from furniture to furniture) moving in down the line, and I'd hate to think of the wood shifting out from under the cabinets.

a lot of the DIY sites I've read have suggested wood glue, but this is not a permanent fixture, so I'm thinking... what can I use to attach a big piece of wood securely to the top of a metal filing cabinet that will still be removable down the line?
 
My dad made me a "desk" by finding a flat wooden door and two small filing cabinets. He cuts some short 2x4 sections and put the door on those to make it more comfortable. He didn't really attach it, as the weight of the door and the stuff on top kept it from moving around.
 
Place a sheet of rubberized shelf liner between the top and the drawers.

The extra friction should hold it in place.

Alternatively, you could use a router to create quarter to half inch deep "mortise" for the drawer tops to sit in. Or glue some boards to the underside of the table to get the same effect, preventing lateral movement.
 
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Thebobo said:
Dont like divots on me desk
Click to expand...

They could be countersunk and plugged. I thought of that, but it could leave metal to get caught on papers in the file cabinet. The top doesn't even have to be fastened. I'm guessing it's against a wall on one side. A few dowels could be sunk around the bottom so it hits something before sliding off. You could pick the top up, but won't slide if bumped. That's the least destructive way of doing it.
 
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