
The $40 Standup Desk - bkeepers
http://opensoul.org/blog/archives/2012/01/09/the-40-standup-desk/
======
dmethvin
Before you trust a few thousand dollars of equipment to this desk...

The brackets there are mounted backwards; the long end should go against the
wall. When they rate the brackets to hold 1000 pounds, it's based on a load at
the center of the short side. But really the risk comes from the mounting. If
you mount a 30-inch-deep hunk of desk on it there is a much higher stress on
the mounting points since the long desk acts as a very effective lever. If you
lean against the edge of the desk it may well pull the bracket out of the wall
--especially if you use typical screws rather than lag bolts to mount it to
the wall.

If you are mounting something like this in a corner, as being done here, the
whole setup could be strengthened by mounting a ledger board against the
right-hand wall to support the entire depth of the desk. Really you should
have a support on the front-left corner as well, which can be done either with
a dowel or furniture leg (you can get either at a hardware store).

~~~
Judson
I thought this at first, but if you look at a bracket like the one in the
article on Amazon[1], it seems that they are mounted correctly, since amazon
describes its depth as 19.5", and a height of 13".

Those brackets are different than what I would call standard shelving
brackets[2], which should be mounted with the long side against the wall.

[1]:[http://www.amazon.com/Black-Steel-Shelf-
Bracket-19-1/dp/B001...](http://www.amazon.com/Black-Steel-Shelf-
Bracket-19-1/dp/B001DT3SYC)

[2]:[http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/BATTALION-Utility-Shelf-
Bra...](http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/BATTALION-Utility-Shelf-
Bracket-4PB71)

~~~
dmethvin
I've never seen a bracket meant to be intentionally mounted long-side-out, but
I agree they seem to be advocating it there. You could do it if the loads were
light, of course, but with a deep shelf and/or heavy loads it creates a lot of
pull-out stress on the screws near the 90-degree bend.

------
dredmorbius
There's a profession that's had standing desks for centuries. They're called
draftsmen (architects, artists, and others). You'll find a great number of
adjustable (height and angle) desks searching for "drafting table" with prices
starting below $100 (new or used), and, well, as with much furniture, sky's
the limit.

They can be used as standing desks or (with a stool) as a seated workstation.
As noted in comments below, many drafting stools have some sort of footrest.

A few models (the less expensive ones look a bit unstable):
[http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=drafting+table&...](http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=drafting+table&cid=7023467640625048965&ei=vTsLT8i3EIqqiATlwOSKDA&ved=0CCQQ8wIwAg#p)
[http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=drafting+table&...](http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=drafting+table&cid=12338571972720315960&ei=vTsLT8i3EIqqiATlwOSKDA&ved=0CFAQ8wIwBQ#p)
[http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=drafting+table&...](http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=drafting+table&cid=17996206023319475075&ei=vTsLT8i3EIqqiATlwOSKDA&ved=0CGEQ8wIwBg#p)
[http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=drafting+table&...](http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=drafting+table&cid=1886506219101342025&ei=vTsLT8i3EIqqiATlwOSKDA&ved=0CIYBEPMCMAk#p)

... or search Craigslist.

Add a monitor clamp/mount (either on the desk or on the wall behind it) and
you've got a workstation solution. A hutch, shelving, or cabinet above, and an
enclosed pedestal cabinet, and you've got a full desk.

------
imperialWicket
Senseless self plug - It's not adjustable, but for between $100-$200
(depending on quality of parts and whether or not you elect to
sand/stain/seal) you can build this: [http://imperialwicket.com/diy-
adjustable-stand-up-desk-for-u...](http://imperialwicket.com/diy-adjustable-
stand-up-desk-for-under-175) .

It's not quickly adjustable, but with the removal and replacement of some
bolts, you can adjust the main desk area from 30" height all the way up to
52". Built into the cost are four additional shelves of various sizes.

My idea was that if I was going to spend close to $200 on it, I wasn't
terribly considered about quick adjustments (and I agree with nick_urban that
a high stool/chair is perfect if necessary). However, I wanted to be sure that
if I needed a non-standing desk in the future, this could be easily altered. I
could also easily adjust it to accommodate visiting/alternative users - which
is harder with many of the wall-mounted stand-up desks that are out there.

~~~
andrenotgiant
That looks pretty cool, I also built my own adjustable stand-up/sit-down desk,
albeit a more minimalist version.

I'll have to draw out the plans like you did before I go touting the benefits
of it, but I had quite a fun time designing and building it, as it seems you
did.

The basic idea of mine:

The difference between a comfortable standing-desk height and sitting-desk
height for me was 15 inches, so the desk surface is 15 inches deep, and can
either fold up-and-out to be "Stand-up mode" or down-and-out to be "sit-down
mode".

~~~
imperialWicket
That sounds excellent. I spent a long time thinking about techniques for
expedient adjustment, and ended up deciding that I didn't trust my engineering
skills (or lack thereof) enough to warrant the additional cost.

I'm excited to see some more about your build, hope you can post details soon.

------
Timothee
It's funny how we (typically) are just fine spending thousands of dollars for
electronics but have a hard time doing it for furniture. (I'm doing it myself:
I'm on the couch or the dining table when I work at home)

This guy has well over $2,000 on this $40 "desk", even though this equipment
will lose a lot more value over time than a good desk. A MacBook Air will be
worth barely anything in 5 years, while you can probably make a desk last half
a career at least. Same for a good office chair.

~~~
heyitsnick
I see the same responses in the comments thread of this blog. "$40 worth desk
holding gadgets worth $4000? Seriously?" This line of reasoning makes no sense
to me.

Why does the cost of a desk need to match that of the stuff on it? Are you
suggesting this home-made desk is not stable, that it puts the contents of it
at risk? Sure looks stable to me.

He might be able to justify $2000 on a Macbook Air because there may not be an
alternative (depending on his work) or it may be justified with the perceived
costs of the device.

There's no point spending $800 on a desk if $40 does the job adequately. Cost
is only loosely correlated to quality and value. It's the same line of
thinking that goes "well you spend a third of your life sleeping so why do you
spend only $200 on a mattress?" Perhaps because a cheap bed and mattress is
perfectly comfortable for most people.

~~~
smackfu
Do you really think the people who are advocating spending more think the desk
looks stable and sufficient? As you say, that makes no sense, so why assume
that? Wouldn't it make more sense to think they feel differently about the
quality of the desk?

~~~
heyitsnick
The reason i assumed that is because the comments discuss money. Why are we
talking about money if it's just a question of quality?

I'm sure you could build a stable and sufficient desk from raw materials for
$40-$100. Way less than the value of what goes on it. What's money got to do
with anything?

------
chaostheory
If you want a 'stand up desk' that is freestanding, IKEA has the FREDRIK in
two variants for $119 and $149:

<http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/00115992/>

<http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/60111123/>

It's easy to build. It's sturdy, and it looks good.

~~~
thomas11
Interesting, thanks. Do you think one could use only one of the two narrow
shelves and put a large screen on it? Can it support the weight? That way you
could have keyboard and screen at different heights.

~~~
goblin89
I wonder that as well. Product description mentions only table top, but the
construction suggests that shelves also can be mounted at different heights.

~~~
lwat
Indeed the shelves use the same mounting holes as the table top so they can be
mounted in any order at any height.

------
marknutter
I found that without being able to easily switch between sitting and standing,
standing work stations will probably not work for most people. I bought a geek
desk and it solves the problem beautifully, but having two separate desks for
sitting and standing is a cheaper solution if you have the room for it (or
having a very tall stool).

~~~
jay_l
After trying a non-adjustable standing desk that I built for a period of two
weeks, I came to a similar conclusion. It initially felt pretty good, but
after a few hours had passed I ended up taking a lot of breaks that I normally
wouldn't have, simply because my legs couldn't keep up.

Also, my feet were in some serious pain for the first few days, even with a
thick floor mat, and continued to lightly ache afterwards.

Anyone thinking about doing something similar may want to read this brief
article about some of the potential risks in standing up all the time:
[http://healthland.time.com/2011/04/13/the-dangers-of-
sitting...](http://healthland.time.com/2011/04/13/the-dangers-of-sitting-at-
work%E2%80%94and-standing/)

------
hapless
An inexpensive standing desk is nice, but I don't think I would be any happier
standing continuously than sitting continuously. Unfortunately, rapidly
adjustable sit/stand desks are insanely expensive.

I think this person has found a heck of an in-between position. It's not $40,
but it's a heck of a lot cheaper than a geekdesk.
[http://blog.melchua.com/2011/07/09/fitting-yourself-a-sit-
to...](http://blog.melchua.com/2011/07/09/fitting-yourself-a-sit-to-stand-
desk/)

~~~
nick_urban
How about a high desk that you can stand at, with a stool or drafting chair
for when you want to sit? A tall chair seems a lot easier / cheaper than an
adjustable desk.

~~~
hapless
I considered it. Tall ergonomic chairs are _very_ expensive.

A top-of-the-line aeron is about $700; the stool version is about $1200.

~~~
forgottenpaswrd
"Tall ergonomic chairs are very expensive."

Do you need an ergonomic chair?

In my experience ergonomic means with a too much bended back shape that will
DISTORT(!) your natural spine shape. Unfortunately they use statistic to
decide what is the ergonomic "best" shape, the problem is that people backs in
the west have gotten less and less straight the same way they are getting more
and more overweight.

Instead of buying an expensive chair, in my opinion it is a best investment to
buy a good book or take some good posture lessons that teach you how to sit,
stand or sleep properly.

Your back could support itself without effort if it is straight.

~~~
goblin89
I was of the similar opinion, but a research[0] suggests that sitting straight
is not actually as healthy. I'd like to see a source which would confirm that
sitting back causes distortion to spine shape.

That said, I agree with you that an ergonomic chair would make little sense
for a standing desk, as one will obviously sit less (only when too tired to
stand).

[0] <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/6187080.stm> (2006)

~~~
hapless
I don't think it's obvious at all. I prefer to sit, but I am by nature a
restless individual. A standing desk would allow me to make some of my pacing
time productive.

To put it another way: every person may have a different use pattern when
given the option of equal comfort at seated and standing heights.

------
jashmenn
fwiw, I'm designing an open-source cardboard adjustable standing desk. Here is
my crappy first version:

<http://i.imgur.com/QCEfp.jpg>

<http://i.imgur.com/LV5oC.jpg>

replicatorblog is going to help me by suggesting some stability and aesthetics
improvements, but if anyone else cares to join in, you're more than welcome.

The slots will be cut-out so you can adjust according to your height. My goal
is something that can by cut with a CNC/laser cutter and then sold for ~$20.

------
stevejalim
Seems a good number people like the idea of a motorised adjustable desk, but
the price is a deterrent.

I have a GeekDesk, or what near-as-dammit is one, via a UK importer who gets
them from Europe and, personally, it's been the best £400-500 [edit: $600-800
USD, give or take] I've spent on hardware, _ever_ , given that I spent most of
my waking hours sat/standing/leaning at it. But I appreciate that it's not an
easy price point for everyone.

So, question, with a view to a market opportunity for someone: how much would
you be willing to pay for a strong, motorised, adjustable-height desk? Reply
with a dollar figure, and if someone's already replied with a similar sum,
upvote that instead. (Starting a whole poll seems OTT)

~~~
imperialWicket
I would be comfortable at a $600 USD price point.

The major issue for me is that the GeekDesk succeeds ONLY in the adjustable
requirement. I want to be able to have my monitor and keyboards at different
heights, and a secondary shelf was important (though not strictly necessary).
When I consider paying nearly $1000 USD for a starter kit (GeekDesk large
frame), then spec'ing out nearly $400 USD for additional monitor stands and a
keyboard tray, it hardly seems worth it.

I agree that it's a market where a motivated individual should be able to make
a killing with a well-thought-out kickstarter proj.

~~~
stevejalim
Ah, good point. I should have added that I also got one of these:
[http://www.amazon.co.uk/MDM11S-Single-Monitor-Bracket-
Pull-O...](http://www.amazon.co.uk/MDM11S-Single-Monitor-Bracket-Pull-
Out/dp/B001BSDVW4/ref=sr_1_15?ie=UTF8&qid=1326131871&sr=8-15) which takes care
of my screen height [Edit: pic]
<http://dl.dropbox.com/u/44212/IMG_20120109_180019.jpg>

------
Jun8
"Hanging a shelf is taught in Adulthood 101."

I think I must have been sick the week they taught that. I still have great
difficulty doing it (or building anything, working "with my hands").

~~~
revorad
You just need some practice and you'll get the hang of it.

------
jarin
A little more expensive, but I made mine by taking an L-shaped IKEA Galant
desk with extension and putting cinder blocks underneath the A-style legs.
Felt pads are important to keep it from sliding off the blocks, but works
great and gives you a TON of desk room :)

------
gte910h
This honestly looks like a great way to smash a $1000 ACD on the ground with
great force.

Shelf mounts aren't made for lots of shearing force cause by constant up and
down pressure like that.

While the desk looks cool, I give it about a 1:10 chance of coming off
suddenly within 5 years of daily use.

------
wr1472
That's not a desk, that's a shelf attached to the wall.

------
MikeCapone
It's strange to read this, because I was recently in almost the same position.
I almost ordered a Geekdesk, but ended up getting a used IKEA Fredrik (sp?)
desk and setting it up in a standing position.

$50 instead of $1000, and pretty much the same result since I never sit down
anymore anyways...

I certainly recommend going the frugal route first; if it doesn't work out,
you can always re-sell the desk on the used market and get the expensive model
later.

------
simpsond
For those who still sit 8+ hours a day: Work on the boss or setup a budget for
an adjustable stand up desk. Having a fixed height requires that you adjust if
you want to add a floor mat, wear different shoes, or want to throw a
treadmill down. And sometimes, after standing for hours, you just want to sit
down. Spending $800 dollars is justified for anything that is used 8 hours a
day.

------
mpercy
Cool idea. I've done the standup desk thing before at work with a tall chair
as a sitting option. I actually ended up using the chair most of the time so I
switched back to avoid constantly vaulting up and down, but it was an
interesting experiment for about 2 years.

One concern I would have about this particular configuration is the lack of a
keyboard tray. Ergonomically, you would want your eyes about level with the
top of the monitor or maybe a few inches below the top. At the same time, you
want your keyboard to comfortably sit below so that you can keep your elbows
at about 105 degrees or so. With the addition of a keyboard tray, and possibly
a monitor stand, this can be a really nice long term ergonomic setup.

Found some tips on ergonomics at the link below, and these are inline (no pun
intended) with what I have heard from the mandatory ergonomics training at my
employer.

<http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art21940.asp>

------
dkokelley
I had a standup desk made from heavy-duty shelving storage (See:
[http://www.samsclub.com/sams/shop/product.jsp?productId=prod...](http://www.samsclub.com/sams/shop/product.jsp?productId=prod3790514&pid=CSE_Froogle&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=sku4194514))

I figured this would be good because I could have the surface area of 5 desks
take the square footage of one. The only thing is that with this desk doing
any sort of paperwork is impractical. I had a keyboard tray that pushed me out
too far from the desk to lean over my paper/books, and the ergonomically ideal
height for the monitor base was too high for me to comfortably reference
papers. I switched to a simple IKEA corner desk and chair, and re-purposed my
shelves to be regular storage (although I kept the space open for monitors,
should I want to work standing on another computer.

------
wahnfrieden
Either the keyboard is far too high, or the monitor far too low. This is like
laptop proportions - awful ergonomics.

------
aedocw
I've been a huge proponent of the standup desk for probably two years now.[1]
One thing I see people get wrong ALL the time is the simple ergonomics - the
top of the monitor should be at about eye level, and the keyboard should be
just a little beneath the height of your elbows.

I made a simple folding standup desk I could put on top of a regular desk[2]
and it's been fantastic. Very simple, easily folds flat, and sits nicely on
top of just about any desk or table. If anyone wants details (and the sketchup
file I planned with) just let me know!

[1]<http://www.localconspiracy.com/2010/08/get-up-stand-up.html>
[2]<https://picasaweb.google.com/christopheraedo/Simplestandup>

------
fuzzythinker
My $40 no mounting/screwing, better monitor height solution:

<http://dl.dropbox.com/u/36698/standingdesk.JPG>

Parts:

* $20 - 4 legs + desk board: <http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S79831622>

* $20 or less: boards from a hardware store, dimensions:

\- top monitor stand backing + side boards: 3 of ~12"ht x 10"depth

\- bottom backing + side boards: 3 of ~12"ht x 15"+ depth (can be narrower in
depth if lean against wall)

\- monitor stand board: width desired x depth of monitor side boards

\- desk board: free with the ikea legs. If want different dimensions, depth
should be at least 18" so monitor can further away from you.

\- bottom legs attachment board: width desired x depth of corresponding sides

* optional: $20 plastic sliding keyboard drawer to keep papers/notes. Got mine from Frys.

------
beagle3
I got this from amazon: <http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000QA0EHI/> \- goes
from too-low-to-sit to too-high-for-work (I'm 6' tall), is sturdy enough for a
laptop, and has lockable wheels. Best $50 I've spent.

Might not be able to carry your 26" screen if it is too heavy, but it's a damn
good way to see how well you fair with an adjustable standing desk. And it
also doubles as an over-the-bed desk ...

Helpful suggestions: Attach a long-cord power strip to your mobile table, so
that only one power goes out, and that it doesn't kill your non-magsafe-
connector when someone kicks the power cable.

Also, use a large binder clip to attach mouse/keyboard/monitor/network cables
to the table if you use a laptop and take it with you often.

------
zachrose
$8 stand up desk: eight 8" cinder block cubes at about a dollar each. Stack
two high under each desk leg. Throw a piece of lumber between the top front
cubes for a footrest.

At the very least it's the cheapest way to decide if you like a standing desk.

~~~
zacharycohn
Free standing desk: Cardboard box on your desk.

------
rwmj
My walking desk, IIRC the cost was about $400:

[https://rwmj.wordpress.com/2010/01/25/treadmill-desk-
part-6-...](https://rwmj.wordpress.com/2010/01/25/treadmill-desk-
part-6-hopefully-the-final-summary/#content)

------
NHQ
I built my own 3-tiered, sit-down or stand-up desk, link to pic below.

Seated, the monitor is the right height for me, so as to keep my head up and
neck straight. When I want to switch to standing, I just move the keyboard to
the top level. I make the switch once or twice per day. And I can sit cross
legged on the lowest platform (I dont like bucket/office chairs).

That was v0.1 of the desk, constructed in a few hours. the As you can see it
is not production ready :p

[http://blog.angelinegragasin.com/wp-
content/uploads/2011/02/...](http://blog.angelinegragasin.com/wp-
content/uploads/2011/02/johnny.jpg)

------
hogu
track shelving also works, and is adjustable after you install it.

------
malandrew
The one thing that you miss with a desk like this is the ability to have a far
off focal point behind your monitor. When you are working and thinking hard at
a desk and you want to rest your eyes, it helps to have the space behind the
monitor to be open so you can gaze off into the distance.

Mounting the desk on the wall means that you can only gaze at a wall to rest
your eyes.

If I recall correctly, this design pattern is discussed in Christopher
Alexander's "A Timeless Way of Building"

~~~
rsaarelm
You could put a big mirror on the wall.

------
kylecordes
I briefly tried an arrangement like this, which has just one surface for both
keyboard and monitor. It worked horribly for me, though perhaps I am odd.

It works much better to have the keyboard at a good keyboard height, and
monitors at a good monitor height. I've built a couple variations over time,
see my 2010 version partway down this page:

<http://kylecordes.com/2010/standing-desk>

~~~
icebraining
Same here. My keyboard is around one feet below the monitor.

------
joshwa
My adjustable standing desk: $5?

<http://i.imgur.com/GfGpq.jpg>

When I get tired I can switch from standing to sitting (use USB keyboard/mouse
when sitting, laptop keyboard/mouse when standing).

TL;DC: Laptop is on a bunch of small plastic storage boxes stacked on desk
(and a random router box); keyboard/mouse on the desk surface.

------
shn
It looks like a wall shelf. Did you factor in the weight you would put if you
lean on it with both of your hands or elbows. We do not lean on wall shelves
but definitely lean on desks, and we do it unconsciously. May be we do not do
it while we're standing, since I never tried working (with computers)
standing.

------
charlesju
I just put a bunch of old computer books on my desk, in conjunction with a few
Amazon boxes, and that seems to be sufficient. I actually have two desks. A
standup desk AND a sitting desk, and I transfer my laptop between the two.
This seems to be the best balance of sanity and health for me.

------
izak30
I got this one <http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S49843462/> They
sell a stool that's the right height for when I do want to sit down, but it's
uncomfortable enough that I do stand most of the time.

------
zerostar07
My standup desk: Procrastinate on the ipad, walking around the house. Sit only
when you write code.

------
sreitshamer
I just built some boxes out of plywood and put my existing desk on them. It
was still a bit too low (my back was hurting) so I added a 2x4 on each side
between the box and the desk leg until my back stopped hurting. Works great
and very inexpensive!

------
willimus
Great low budget idea. My biggest gripe is that facing the wall is bad feng
shui. I know that most folks consider feng shui a bunch of nonsense, but I
like many of it's principals. [http://www.ehow.com/video_4426322_feng-shui-
desk-positioning...](http://www.ehow.com/video_4426322_feng-shui-desk-
positioning-tips.html)

There are several low cost desk choices at csnoffice.com. I have this roughly
$300 desk: [http://www.csnoffice.com/Safco-Products-Company-
MUV-30-W-Hei...](http://www.csnoffice.com/Safco-Products-Company-
MUV-30-W-Height-Adjustable-Stand-Up-Workstation-SF1754.html)

Here's a $100 desk... [http://www.csnoffice.com/RTA-Home-And-Office-Utility-
Desk-or...](http://www.csnoffice.com/RTA-Home-And-Office-Utility-Desk-or-
Stand-in-Black-Glass-CT-015B-HAO1112.html)

------
wyclif
Industrial cart standing desk:
[http://stammy.com/post/3608383614/jayparkinsonmd-im-a-
huge-f...](http://stammy.com/post/3608383614/jayparkinsonmd-im-a-huge-fan-of-
standing-desks)

------
nilchameleons
This is a great idea. I've always been more comfortable standing at a kitchen
counter or using the adjustable-height computers we (no longer) have behind
the genius bar.

------
wyclif
Standing desk improv: <http://instagr.am/p/GHAmP/>

------
benvanderbeek
"A stud finder or old man that knows how to knock on the wall and tell where
the studs are."

Would you just search Craigslist for the old man? Sounds tricky.

------
georgieporgie
The top of your monitor should be at eye level. I can't tell from the picture,
but it looks like your setup will lead to neck strain.

------
metaobject
The free startup desk: your kitchen/dining room table (or, it you don't have
one of those: two cardboard boxes and a piece of wood)

~~~
nsxwolf
You misread the title.

~~~
metaobject
Yep, I sure did. Damn, I shouldn't post before 2 cups of coffee have been
consumed. Sorry guys.

