Yes, sorry! I had all that in there at one point… much too tired. Basically I want to avoid using polyurethane and PVA (a tall order, I know).
I haven’t ordered the lumber yet, but I plan on getting some 5/4 S2S soft maple.
I wish I had the tools and skills to do joinery, but not yet. I’ll be rough sanding the edges to get rid of whatever chafe is left and to fair them, then I’ll glue them edge to edge. I’ll then sand down the rest of it so that it’s all pretty much true, and finish with a spirit varnish.
Finally, I’ll drill pilot holes for the screws that attach it to the base of the desk.