Standing Desk Experimentation

I've noticed lately that standing desks seem to be popping up everywhere I look.  I first spotted them in the background of the Tested.com "Makerbot Mystery Build" videos, then I saw a couple of articles on twitter discussing the pros and cons of sitting vs standing.  The idea was quite appealing as my current set-up is uncomfortable and not really working for me, so I thought why not have a go myself?

Standing desk add-on

I didn't know if I'd be able to adapt to standing at a computer, so I didn't want to dive in head first and get rid of my current desk, all I wanted to do was build an ad-on that elevates my laptop to a height suitable for standing.  I had some plywood offcuts laying around that were perfect for the job.  A few cuts and a couple of screws later and I was up and running.

Add-on resting on the original desk

The first feature that was vital was some way to keep the rig slipping off the back off the desk if I leaned on it.  The offcuts already had some cut outs that would do the job, so I based my design around these pieces.  They simply hang over the edge of the desk and prevent the rig moving.

Back piece to brace unit

One of the pieces of ply I had was just the right size to use as a back brace.  This stiffens the unit up and makes it more stable.  This piece also doubles as a lip for the top shelf.

Keyboard and mouse platform

Having my laptop at eye height is all well and good but it makes typing a little tricky.  To get around that problem I put a shelf in a bit lower to put my keyboard, mouse and other USB devices on.

Work platform and laptop platform

You can also see that the laptop platform has a small lip at the back to prevent anything from slipping off the top shelf.  You really don't want your laptop falling off the back and dropping 5 feet.

Cable retention system

To make managing the peripheral cables a little easier, I cut some holes and slots in the ply.  They allow me to feed the cables up though the large holes and move them along the slots to the edge.  Once the laptop is in position, the cables can't move back towards the centre and fall through the hole.

Microwave door cooler stand

 To make sure the airflow to my laptop is unobstructed I use my microwave door cooler stand.  This also helps to keep the cables in place.

Space under add-on

If I need the space there is plenty of room underneath the stand for temporary storage.

Illuminated work platform

At night a small usb powered light comes in handy to see what your doing.

Working at night

The light from the work area isn't distracting and doesn't interfere with laptop screen.

Standing desk in operation

The conclusion

It took a while to get accustomed to standing at a desk, but I think it was worth it.  I can't be sure but I think that my posture has improved, and less strain is put on my back.  As this was thrown together quickly from things I had laying around the place, it's not how I would do it if I were to design and build it from scratch.  First of all, both platforms are probably about 10 cm too low, this isn't a major problem but it's something that needs to be tweaked.  The other problem being the width, it's just too narrow.  Once again easy to fix.

The other main problem that I've had to overcome, is trying to convince people this isn't the final stage of my decent into madness.  Nearly everyone I've told thinks that I'm out of my mind, but I figure it's worth a shot.  My back has to last long time, and I don't mind looking a little strange if there's a long term benefit.  After all, if you're considering this, you're probably a little quirky to start with.

Although I've become accustomed to standing, it's still nice to sit down occasionally, and with this set-up I just can't do it.  I think maybe a raised chair set at the right height would work well.  That way I could switch between standing and sitting.  Ideally what I want is a bench about 1.1 meters high instead of a desk.  This would be used for the mouse, keyboard, and other office tasks.  A small shelf about 40 cm above this would be used for the laptop and any other monitors.  A set up like this would allow me to do any task sitting or standing.  For now however this will have to do as I don't have the room or time to build a better desk.  I think the next step for this arrangement is to get an anti-fatigue mat, just to make standing for longer periods a little more comfortable.

Drawers for Rack-It Shelving

The Rack-It shelving that you can get at hardware stores is great, but I have one problem with it, it doesn't come with any decent drawer options.  So I built my own.  I have previously described the construction of the Custom Wooden Drawers.

The design is pretty simple.  Two panels with drawer runners are pressed against the posts on either side by spreader bars, these panels are attached to the shelf underneath, and this is all connected to the main frame so that when you open the drawers they don't overbalance.

It's designed to be disassembled so it can be transported easily by one person.  I think I have it sorted, I'd do certain parts differently if I did it again, but this does the job and was fun to make.

I still have to put the handles on the front and dress it up a bit, but that's a job that can be done later on,
but for now I have about 11 cubic feet of drawer space to play with.

The assembled drawers

The frame with the drawers removed

Left side supporting panel with drawer runners and spreader bars fitted

The routed channel the spreader bars fit into

M3 threaded rod with lock nuts on either end hold the spreader bars in place

The middle drawer clearing the spreader bars

Steel angle bolted to the underside of the shelf locks the frame in place

Custom Wooden Drawers

Now for something completely unrelated to anything electronic.  Lately I have been building some drawers to fit into a storage unit I bought from Bunnings.  Usually I would go out and buy this kind of thing, but I couldn't find anything the right size, so I had to custom build it.

Basically I wanted something cheap and big.  After looking around Bunnings I found some cheap pine in various widths that is 19mm thick.  It'll do the job but it's full of knots and you'd be hard pressed to find a straight piece of wood, but we can deal with this.

The design I'm going to use is pretty simple, front, back, two sides, and a base.  The sides slot into dados in the front and back and the base fits into a routed channel at the bottom.  Then it's all glued and screwed together.  Below are a few pictures of a drawer.

All the pieces ready for assembly

Dado for the side and routed groove for the base

Close up of the corner

Routed stopped dado in the front panel

A knot in the wood glued and filled to stabilise it

The side fitted to the front

The drawer assembled with a notch chiselled out for the drawer slides

Drawer slide attached

Drawer slide extended, clearing the cut-out

Most of the problems with warped wood are taken care off when it is assembled.  The sides are straightened when they slot into the tight dadoes, and the front is pulled straight when it's screwed to the sides.  It's not completely straight, but it's close.

The base is 7mm thick ply and seems to be sturdy enough.  I loaded it up with 50 kg of text books and it held all right.  Initially I planned to use cheap drawer runners but they were terrible and and too unstable.  They might be OK for smaller drawers, but for something 2 by 3 feet they are useless.  I settled on full extension drawer runners from Hafele. They are smooth and work beautifully.  www.elraco.com.au had them at a decent price, and I wish I could have bought more just to get the price break at 10 units.

It's all still  a work in process, but I'll post more when I'm done.