I'm a little bit of an amateur wood worker. I'm thinking of coming up with my own combination lap desk and writing desk. The only question I have is what is considered the best writing angle? I guess it could be adjustable but I prefer to make it have a nice solid feeling. I've looked at several on line and can see it is a very small angle. Any help or input would be appreciated. I could buy one but its more fun to make my own.

I'd suggest doing a little simple experimentation. Prop a clipboard or something similar on some books and try writing at various angles, that way you'll find something comfortable for you.

Generally, measurements I've seen have the front raised about 1.5" and the back raised about 5.5", making about a 4 in 10 slope (4" vertical rise for every 10" of horizontal). Those are *very* general measurements.

This is my husband's great, great, (great?) grandfather's traveling desk -- circa 1840:

I actually use two different things, one as a lap desk and a smaller one for notes. They are Longaberger baskets with wooden lids that have a lip to hold paper on them. The larger is the paper bin basket with a plastic divider inside with 6 compartments for pen/ink/wax/letter opener/etc. The dimensions with lid on are 12.5"wide by 14.5"long. The front is 3.5" high and the back is 5.5" high. The smaller one (note pal basket)is 5.5"wide by 7"long. It goes from 2.5" high to 3.5"in the rear. I find these very practical and comfortable to use. They are also lightweight which is always a plus for me. The plastic liners have saved me a time or two from ink spills. Would love to see what you come up with, make sure to include pictures!