[cpwright]

I can't speak to the steel aspect of it, but for the top; it looks like it should be about 25 board feet, which should be about $250 for good quality wood. Add in some labor and consumables for surfacing and finishing, I would guess that a fair price for the top is $500-750.

Assuming the legs come out similarly, I can see how the whole desk comes out to $1500.

I'm still too cheap to spend that much on a desk. I'm sure if I were to build one myself, I'd end up spending more on the wood than $250 and use it as an excuse to collect more tools.

Also, to add, I think a lot of the cost could be eliminated with the reclaimed wood by going more direct to the source. Lots of beautiful furniture can be made out of discarded pallets. If building these kind of desks is a full-time business, it seems like the material cost at least for the top could be driven down (at the expense of more legwork and setting up an infrastructure).