Wednesday, July 26, 2017

A standing desk for $210

I used the 22 dollar standing desk happily for about 8 months. The $22-desk adds two brackets and a shelf to an end table, which sits on top of a normal desk. It is a wonderful, simple, low-budget, ergonomic solution, and I am grateful to its creators Colin Nederkoorn and Ryan Witt. When I moved to a new apartment, I knew I wanted to maintain the ergonomics and improve on the aesthetics. I was looking for a solution that would stand on its own and fit into a smaller space without breaking the bank. The most highly rated commercially available options are from Jarvis and Ergo Desktop. The Jarvis model is wider than I wanted and requires an arm mount in order to get the ergonomics right, which brings the total cost to $514. The Ergo Desktop model sits on top of an existing desk and costs $399.

I built a standing desk that met all my criteria for just under $210.

Introducing the Standesk 210



So, what's the recipe?


Assembly instructions
  1. Keyboard stand. The keyboard stand comes with assembly instructions. Follow the instructions.
  2. Pilot holes. Place a mending plate so that the holes are about 2.75 and 4.25 inches away from a short edge of the back of the cabinet door. (The back has several holes in it, the front has no holes.) Center the mending plate between the long edges. Mark the center of the mending plate holes with a pencil. Remove the mending plates and drill pilot holes. Repeat this near the other short edge.
  3. Clamping base to door. Place the cabinet door face down on the floor. Place the keyboard stand upside down on top of it. Adjust the width of the keyboard stand so that the arms are centered between each set of pilot holes. Place the mending plates on top of the keyboard arms so that the holes line up with the pilot holes. Screw the screws through the mending plates into the pilot holes.
  4. Put the base right-side up.
  5. Mounting arm. The mounting arm comes with assembly instructions. Follow the instructions.
Result

The basic setup is extremely adaptable. The keyboard base has adjustable height. The mounting arm moves around easily. (If I did this again I would probably switch to this mounting arm for additional height.) If you want a larger desktop, switch to a different size Askersund. (I actually saved a few more bucks by picking up my Askersund from the "as is" bin at Ikea for $3.) I think the main insight is using the piano keyboard base. There may be better ways to clamp the desktop to the base, but the one I used is easy and unobtrusive.

Warning: The maximum table height using this design is 38.25 inches, which is high enough for me but may not be high enough for people taller than 5'9".