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Folding Tray or Lap Desk Free Woodworking Plan

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Build your own folding desk with our free step-by-step plans! This lightweight, portable table is perfect for breakfast in bed, working on a laptop, TV dinners, or kids’ crafts. This is a beginning woodworking plan with full diagrams, shopping list, build photos, and uses minimal tools and materials. Easy, practical, and beginner-friendly!

Folding Lap Desk – Breakfast, Work, TV & More

This folding table is built for real life. Whether you're working from bed, enjoying breakfast and coffee on a lazy morning, or giving the kids a spot for homework and crafts on the floor, this versatile lap desk fits right in. Lightweight but sturdy, it folds flat when you're done and sets up in seconds.

  • Ideal for use as a bed tray, TV tray, or laptop desk
  • Doubles as a kids’ floor table for art and schoolwork
  • Clean, modern design fits any room
  • Easy DIY build from scrap wood (1x2 legs + ¼" plywood top)
  • Lightweight, foldable, and easy to store

Simple, functional, and endlessly useful—this is the table you didn’t know you needed.

 

Why We Built this Folding Lap Tray Desk

This little tray table, lap desk can be used in a variety of ways! I teamed up with my friend Jaime Costiglio to make these plans for kids to use a floor desks.

It's a little lap desk,

Perfect for creativity, playing school, family movie night, or tea parties in bed.

Make sure you check out Jaime's building post here for more photos and build photos.

Dimensions
lap desk tv tray table dimensions
Dimensions shown above

Preparation

Shopping List
  • 12 feet of 1x2s
  • 1/4" thick sande plywood for top, 24" x 13-1/2"
  • 4 bolts, 2 1/2” length, with washers and nuts
  • 1-1/4" brad nails
  • wood glue
  • wood filler
  • paint or stain
  • clear top coat
Cut List
  • 2 - 1x2 @ 24”
  • 2 - 1x2 @ 12”
  • 2 - 1x2 @ 10 1/2”
  • 4 - 1x2 @ 9 3/4” (top end is cut to point 45 degrees angle and bottom cut at 15 degree angle - see in plans)
  • Top is 13 1/2” x 24”

 

Tools
Tape Measure
Speed Square
Pencil
Safety Glasses
Hearing Protection
Miter Saw

Instructions

Step 1

First, mark the location of your bolt holes on the 1x2s that are 24" long. Drill the holes sized for your bolts. Take the 1x2 frame boards, and build your frame. The frame can be nailed and glued, screwed, pocket holed - it's your choice. The top plywood piece will really help hold everything together.

Step 2

Next, build your two leg sets and drill matching holes for bolts in the tops of the legs.  

NOTE: Jaime recommends mitering the bottom corner at 15 degrees too to help the table stand better when open - 

 

And also act as a finger pull for opening the table.

 

 

 

Step 3

Then use the bolts to attach the legs to the frame.

Step 4

Glue and nail smooth plywood or other material to the top. Add a handle and personalize as desired! PS - Don't forget the pretty bow!

Finishing Instructions
Preparation Instructions
Fill all holes with wood filler and let dry. Apply additional coats of wood filler as needed. When wood filler is completely dry, sand the project in the direction of the wood grain with 120 grit sandpaper. Vacuum sanded project to remove sanding residue. Remove all sanding residue on work surfaces as well. Wipe project clean with damp cloth.

It is always recommended to apply a test coat on a hidden area or scrap piece to ensure color evenness and adhesion. Use primer or wood conditioner as needed.
Project Type
Side and End Table Plans
Desk, Desk Systems and Project Table Plans
Toys
Kids Tables and Chairs
Room
Bedroom
Kids and Toys
living room
Nursery and Baby
Teens
Style
Children's and Kid's Room Furniture and Toy Plans

Comments

Jim W

Fri, 10/18/2013 - 12:32

Really looking forward to the weekly new gift plans! Great idea. Thanks!

DoryEllen

Fri, 10/18/2013 - 13:56

How did you do the name and border on top? I love it and I think my nieces would enjoy these, especially personalized as their names are not common.

Jake

Sat, 10/19/2013 - 04:50

What do you think about using MDF for the top and 1x3s for the top frame then recessing the MDF producing a nice border by the frame? A little extra work for sure but it would be nice, I think.

jaimecostiglio

Tue, 10/22/2013 - 20:26

Great idea Jake. Just be sure to leave enough clearance on the bottom side for the legs to fold in but that would definitely work. Please share your brag post if you do build and include the modifications. The framed edge would sure keep pens and markers from sliding off the edge!

jaimecostiglio

Tue, 10/22/2013 - 20:33

Hi Jess, the plan does fit an adult as is (I gave it a test run :)). Perfect for breakfast in bed or doing paperwork on the couch. You could make the legs a bit longer (maybe 1.5") if you need more clearance which would still allow for folding flat into the back. Looking forward to seeing some brag posts soon!

tricia.flores

Mon, 10/21/2013 - 08:59

I love this idea of a new plan each week for handmade gifts! Please please please make one of them a wagon! I want to make one for my little girls.

jaimecostiglio

Tue, 10/22/2013 - 20:29

Thanks Tricia. Ana and I have compiled a great list of gift builds, both big and small, so be sure to check back every Friday. As of now we don't have a wagon but it's a great idea and I'll be sure to add it as a possibility (or even for a future plan).

Mrswhetstone

Wed, 11/06/2013 - 17:24

I built this today and I had to cut the shorter top frame pieces down to 12" from the 13" it says in the cut list. Also, I am going to go to the store and buy 2 1/4" bolts instead of 2 1/2" bolts that are in the shopping list. I don't know if it was my mistake, or if the tutorial needs some tweaking but I thought this could possibly save someone else a headache.

Great plans though! I made this as a trial run because I want to build 6 more of these for my nieces and nephews for Christmas. I think it will be great for coloring or doing homework or even working on a laptop in front of the TV.

Thanks for the great gift idea!

CreativeChaos

Sun, 11/10/2013 - 13:23

I need help with this plan please. I spent all afternoon dealing with this. I can't get the cap nuts to stay tightened down on my bolts when rotating the legs up and down. I drilled 1/4" holes for 1/4" bolts and used 2" long bolts. Am I missing something? Should the bolts rotate with the legs? I wondered if the holes should be bigger like 3/8". Your picture looks as if the nuts are flush with the inside of the leg and washer, so I thought 2 1/2" bolts would have been way too long.

saomkinar

Sat, 12/21/2013 - 21:02

More than likely, if your bolts aren't tightening and moving around, it is because your nuts are too big for the bolts. When you bought the nuts you could have bought 1.5 inch instead of 1 inch. It will depend on the size of the bolt. I'm not talking about the length (i.e. 2" long), I'm talking about the diameter of your 2" long bolt. Hope this helps. I had a problem similar to this with another project, when my nuts would not hardly go on the bolt, then I realized that my nut was too small for the bolt.

Lisa Azbill

Mon, 07/25/2016 - 07:30

So happy to find this site! We have 12 grandchildren, and are raising 2 of them. Not to mention 6 kids with spouses. Christmas is very expensive and so depressing for me, never having enough money to go around. But I have power tools & with yall's help I can make Christmas be GREAT this year! Can't thank you enough!!

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