/diy/ - Do It Yourself

Hey /diy/, I've been look for a desk for quite a while but I haven't found anything pre-built that really satisfies me so I'm thinking of making something like this:
http://www.instructables.com/id/Birch-and-Aluminum-Desk/

I'm looking at changing measurements(4' x 20" surface area) and I'm probably gonna stain the wood. I've never done anything quite this scale so I was wondering if I could get some general tips. Also, I was wondering what kind of wood I should use. I'm not trying to put my desktop ON the desk but I'm going to be having a 3 display eyefinity setup on it and I tend to lean on my desk from time to time.