I also came here to comment on the hollow core doors "breaking". Back in the late '80s I made myself a hollow core door desk. I didn't use a 1x1 beam either.
Hollow core doors are what is called "torsion box" design, and they are stupidly strong for their weight. I used a hollow core door supported on one end on a filing cabinet (which really was a bit high, even for me), and on the other end by a cheap sawhorse I built using 2x4s and some metal brackets.
I can remember having at least two largish monitors (17" CRTs), and associated computers on them, and they never seemed to have any problem carrying the weight. Used them for probably a decade, before I switched to a more mobile chic and disassembled the desk for scrap.
Similar: My grandfather, back in the early '80s, got a line on some scrap hollow core doors with a nice birch veneer. He turned them into some great 2.5'x6' bookshelves, and I loved those things! The sides, shelves, and back were still hollow core doors, so fairly thick. The would hold a full complement of books, no problem. But I could carry both of them at once. I could put a palm in the middle of the top shelf and lift one up with each hand.
Don't underestimate the strength of a torsion box!
hollow core doors are not all equal; some are almost entirely hollow, while others have several cross-members along their height (length when used as a table). There are plenty that are just a frame plus a single cross-member at handle height, and those will not hold any significant weight away from the center when used as a desk.
Hollow core doors are what is called "torsion box" design, and they are stupidly strong for their weight. I used a hollow core door supported on one end on a filing cabinet (which really was a bit high, even for me), and on the other end by a cheap sawhorse I built using 2x4s and some metal brackets.
I can remember having at least two largish monitors (17" CRTs), and associated computers on them, and they never seemed to have any problem carrying the weight. Used them for probably a decade, before I switched to a more mobile chic and disassembled the desk for scrap.
Similar: My grandfather, back in the early '80s, got a line on some scrap hollow core doors with a nice birch veneer. He turned them into some great 2.5'x6' bookshelves, and I loved those things! The sides, shelves, and back were still hollow core doors, so fairly thick. The would hold a full complement of books, no problem. But I could carry both of them at once. I could put a palm in the middle of the top shelf and lift one up with each hand.
Don't underestimate the strength of a torsion box!