
The Easiest Way to Make an Industrial-Style Standing Desk - donnielaw
http://justagirlandherblog.com/industrial-style-standing-desk
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CookWithMe
When experimenting with standing (well, also walking) desks I found that the
height of the table is less important than the height of the monitor, and that
using a plain laptop, as shown in the pictures, isn't any good if you want to
work for longer (>30 min) periods. Constantly looking down isn't a natural
position, and it strains the neck.

The cheap option is to raise your laptop and use an external keyboard/mouse,
or use an external monitor. Or both :)

~~~
shanusmagnus
I'm always baffled by people who go to the trouble of making a standing desk,
often at great expense, and then set a laptop on it and call it good. Aside
from the ergonomic issues you describe, there's the issue of screen real
estate. It's like trying to shoot competitive pool using a tree branch you
found in the road.

~~~
chapium
Not only that, but many of these setups trade an ergonomic chair for a hard
floor. I'm surprised that more consideration does not go into floor mats as
seen in other jobs requiring long periods of standing.

~~~
auxym
If anyone's looking for a recommendation, I've found industrial antifatigue
mats (found in machine shops and the like, mcmaster-carr sells some as would
most industrial suppliers) surprisingly comfortable for standing on all day.

~~~
scott_karana
Indeed. If they're made to be comfortable for a heavyset man holding
powertools wearing steel-toed boots, it's definitely going to feel good in
comfortable clothes and shoes! :-)

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BriMcS
My standing desk solution: IKEA BJÖRKUDDEN Bar table (£70) 700 x 700 x 110
[http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/90087541/](http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/90087541/)

IKEA FRANKLIN fold-away bar seat (£23)
[http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/20199207/](http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/20199207/)

Silverstone SST-ARM22SC (£120)
[http://www.silverstonetek.com/product.php?pid=412&area=en](http://www.silverstonetek.com/product.php?pid=412&area=en)

~~~
MrBuddyCasino
Height-adjustability is essential for me (I'm 1,91cm), but not a bad start.

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manu3569
For under $500, a better solution would be the new IKea Bekant motorized
standing desk. We just got them for all our developers and they are great. And
given that it's an Ikea product, you still get a similar DIY experience when
assembling it.

~~~
atom-morgan
Were you able to find these in the US?

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jsight
[http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S19022530/](http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S19022530/)
\- It looks like they are available in the US

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radiorental
My understanding was that the term 'standing desk' implied it could be raised
or lowered, which this cant.

This is just a really high table.

while sitting down all day is clearly bad for you, standing comes with it's
own issues.

~~~
noelwelsh
Nah, while an adjustable desk is nice for most people a standing desk is just
a really high table like shown.

For this example I'd suggest putting the screen at eye-level if one is really
concerned about ergonomics. This necessitates another level to hold an
external screen.

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tomkinstinch
Even easier is using sawhorse brackets and 2"x4" lumber. For the cost of a top
(Ikea solid wood, etc.) and <$25 for the wood and sawhorse brackets[1], the
price can't be beat. Just cut the wood to length and you're done.

Since it uses sawhorses, a desk built this way can support hundreds of pounds
and is easily portable.

I recently built my girlfriend a desk this way[2] (2x bracket packs, and five
2"x4"x8's), and we moved it using a small Prius. I ended up using the wooden
top from an old electronics workbench after sanding off the glue blobs,
filling holes with water putty, and sealing it with polyurethane. If you do
build a desk this way, miter the leg ends to ~30º.

1\. [http://www.homedepot.com/p/Workforce-10-Compartment-
Sawhorse...](http://www.homedepot.com/p/Workforce-10-Compartment-Sawhorse-
Bracket-SH107/202533538)

2\. [http://i.imgur.com/b0QxSII.jpg](http://i.imgur.com/b0QxSII.jpg)

~~~
stronglikedan
Nice!

I'm curious to know if you could get those front inside legs out of the way
without sacrificing support. Maybe rig it so that they go across and connect
to each other, forming a keyboard tray or shelf or something. I see a lot of
toe hitting, especially while wearing those flip-flops in the corner.

Also, don't forget the standing mat. You wouldn't want her to get varicose
veins now, would you?

~~~
tomkinstinch
A standing mat has been added. :)

Toe hitting isn't so bad, actually, since the legs are recessed in from the
front more than it seems in the photo. Since the sawhorse legs grasp the
horizontal crossbars like giant clothespins, they could also be moved inward
somewhat with minimal loss of support.

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jdeisenberg
Other commenters have noted that the desk isn't adjustable. I bought a
Varidesk ( [http://www.varidesk.com/](http://www.varidesk.com/) ); doesn't
need any motors, adjusts quickly, fits on existing desks, cost is under
$US400. [No, I don't work for them nor am I an investor in the company. I just
like the product. A lot.] Edit to fix link.

~~~
rickr
FYI: Your link has ); appended to it.

[http://varidesk.com](http://varidesk.com)

I also had a varidesk and wasn't too fond of it. There was no real good way to
place a keyboard/mouse on the tray and it was a bit wobbly for my tastes.

The product itself was well built, and it was very easy to move up and down
though.

~~~
slantyyz
Another worth consideration is the Winston: [http://www.lcdarms.com/winston-
sit-stand-workstation.php](http://www.lcdarms.com/winston-sit-stand-
workstation.php)

Of the sit-stand converters I've been looking into, the Varidesk and Winston
seem better than products like the Kangaroo Pro, ReadyDesk, etc.

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nfriedly
My first standing desk was something like that, a little more complex. My
second one is two parts and it folds flat (ish) against the wall when not in
use:

* Wall-mounted drop-leaf table for my laptop: [http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/80091713/](http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/80091713/)

* TV wall-mount for my monitor: [http://www.ikea.com/ca/en/catalog/products/00226792/](http://www.ikea.com/ca/en/catalog/products/00226792/)

Total costs: ~$60

(The reason that I went for something small that folds against the wall is
that my office occasionally becomes the guest bedroom and I then work out of
the kitchen.)

Update: here's a rather crappy photo that I took when I first set it up:
[https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/148449/standing-
desk-2.j...](https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/148449/standing-desk-2.jpg)

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profsnuggles
I see lots of diy cheap standing desks on here. Is there a market for high end
standing desks? I work for a small casegoods manufacturer that builds wood
furniture to order. I'm just curious if I should bother taking a shot at
designing something? Sourcing a flexible electric sit/stand leg seems like a
tall order.

~~~
zackham
This is the base we use [http://www.amazon.com/Jarvis-Electric-Adjustable-
Height-Stan...](http://www.amazon.com/Jarvis-Electric-Adjustable-Height-
Standing/dp/B00HRFEEP8)

We installed Lyptus tops. Works & looks great.

~~~
profsnuggles
Thanks for the suggestions. Frankly though I would be looking for something
available that we can build larger and smaller pieces with. I was looking and
we've built a few standing desks, for example we built a 96"x42" sit/stand
desk. That's just not possible with an off the shelf leg you are going to find
on amazon.

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neovive
Does anyone have the LIFT from iSketer
([http://iskelter.com/products/desks/lift-upgrade-desk-
standin...](http://iskelter.com/products/desks/lift-upgrade-desk-standing-
desk/))? It seems like a nice balance between a standing and sitting desk --
especially with a laptop plus external keyboard/mouse/monitor when standing.

I generally prefer to use a laptop on a recliner with their SlateGo lapdesk
which keeps the laptop at a comfortable angle without straining the neck or
wrists.

~~~
jpravetz
This seems expensive for what you get. I made a $25 table from Ikea parts to
put on top of my work desk. I cut the pipes to the right length. It works just
fine and I get storage under the table.

I too will use a recliner at home sometimes, to rest the back. I use a
Corbusier knockoff (something like this:
[http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0278/9057/products/black_le...](http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0278/9057/products/black_le-
corbusier-chaise-lounge.jpg?v=1404363243)), slid under a work desk, with the
laptop and mouse on a board on my lap, and a monitor on the desk.

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falcolas
It always astonishes me what you can make with a few keeklamps and some pipe.
I've seen entire offices built out of these materials.

[http://keesafety.com/products/kee_klamp](http://keesafety.com/products/kee_klamp)

~~~
bsder
And it's always astonishing how expensive KeeKlamps are.

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Justsignedup
The post doesn't mention price. You can get a really nice desk for the house
which adjusts to various heights from IKEA for $480 + fees. So... if this
thing is in the $300-400 range... idk if it is worth the effort / lack of
features.

~~~
bsder
It is easily in the $300-$400 range. Those Kee-Klamps are around $20 a pop.

I've priced out Kee-Klamps quite often for storage, and have always wound up
with the fact that it's cheaper to hire a welder to construct in place.

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felixgallo
the easiest and least expensive way by far:

[http://iamnotaprogrammer.com/Ikea-Standing-desk-
for-22-dolla...](http://iamnotaprogrammer.com/Ikea-Standing-desk-
for-22-dollars.html)

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GFK_of_xmaspast
I had an even easier way: 1\. go to local office supply store 2\. exchange
money for product 3\. wait for delivery and installation

