

How to hack yourself a standing desk - an illustrated guide - gregschlom
http://gregschlom.com/post/4555981908/standing-desk

======
jordanb
I switched to a standing desk about six months ago. I started by piling a
bunch of books on my desk and putting my laptop on top of them. Later I bought
this:

[http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001MS70Z2/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp...](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001MS70Z2/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_1?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-
top-
stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B000PSUYGW&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1TJJ2C19QWNMN8M6XD3A)

It's a tolerably good desk, except that it's a bit small and, while it's
veneered to look like plywood, it's actually made of pasteboard with a
laminate veneer (that was a big disappointment when it arrived).

I would like to make my own soon, as I've been getting into woodworking, at
which point I will probably sell or give the safeco away.

A few points about standing desks:

* You should be able to stand all day. At first you will get tired, of course. I found that muscles in my back, butt and thighs were getting very sore, but that goes away once they toughen up. For that reason, I don't particularly see the point in desks that convert from sitting to standing. It seems like that would just encourage people to start "cheating" and going back to sitting the moment they get a little tired.

* I tend to rock from foot to foot, kick my feet around, etc, while standing. A big part of the advantage of a standing desk is that you move around more, but if I were in an open-plan office I'd probably try to stand still, which would tire my feet out quickly and give me less of the movement advantage.

* You _need_ good support for your feet. Either purchase very nice shoes or (like me) get something like this:

[http://www.americanfloormats.com/rejuvenator-anti-fatigue-
ma...](http://www.americanfloormats.com/rejuvenator-anti-fatigue-mat/)

That mat made night-and-day difference for me. Had I not gotten it I would
have given up on the desk, because standing all day on a wood floor (even in
decent shoes) was starting to kill my feet.

* I also got this monitor stand and clamped it to the top of the safeco:

[http://www.amazon.com/Dual-Monitor-Stand-clamp-
monitors/dp/B...](http://www.amazon.com/Dual-Monitor-Stand-clamp-
monitors/dp/B002R9HQLI/ref=sr_1_1?s=office-
products&ie=UTF8&qid=1302634710&sr=1-1)

With it, my monitors are about a foot off the top of the desk, while the
keyboard is at exactly the right height for my arms. Since I look straight
forward all day long now, my posture has improved dramatically.

~~~
unignorant
I entirely agree with you, excepting for your comment about shoes. In most
circumstances, the best way to avoid foot problems is not to "buy better
footware/orthotics" but rather to strengthen your feet.

If you are skeptical, look into the "minimalist" running movement. There is
quite a bit of research which suggests that the human foot is itself a better
support system than any external aid. The problem is that, living as most
people do, their foot muscles have atrophied.

I stand barefoot on hardwood all day long.

~~~
staticshock
How have you strengthened your feet?

~~~
jnorthrop
If you wear shoes without arch support and have flexible soles (or go
barefoot) your feet with strengthen themselves by having to work just to keep
you upright.

~~~
patricklynch
Absolutely agree. I made the switch to more minimalist footwear shortly after
reading a relevant article two years ago.[1]

If it were socially acceptable to wear Vibram fivefingers where I work, that's
what I'd do.

Since that's not really an option, I wear Puma sneakers (the 'replicat' line
doesn't have a huge heel cushion) without an insert. And then at home I work
standing up, barefoot.

If you're looking for new footwear options, a few places are now selling,
ironically, 'barefoot' sneakers. [2, 3]

[1]
[http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/moslive/article-1170253/The-...](http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/moslive/article-1170253/The-
painful-truth-trainers-Are-expensive-running-shoes-waste-money.html)

[2] <http://www.vivobarefoot.com/>

[3] <http://www.merrell.com/US/en/Barefoot>

------
jhuckestein
Most of these hacks (and the comments in this post) miss a crucial point about
standing desks. They are supposed to be ergonomic. [1]

Putting your laptop on a bunch of boxes puts a lot of strain on your arms. Of
course this also doesn't work if you have a big display on your desk.

I'd be interested in hacking a standing desk that is

1) ergonomic

2) offers support for both laptops and big displays

3) has a usable keyboard drawer for both standing and sitting position

If all else fails we'll just make a living selling desks like that. (and no,
geekdesk does not meet all requirements)

[1] [http://www.infologix.com/images/usr/ergonomic-computer-
cart....](http://www.infologix.com/images/usr/ergonomic-computer-cart.jpg)

~~~
albedoa
Correct me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't a proper ergonomic standing desk have a
bar or step to rest a foot for long-term activity?

Also, are you supposed to hold your elbows in that position for long periods
of time? I feel like there should be an extension to rest the forearms or
wrists.

~~~
georgieporgie
You really shouldn't support the weight of your arms using your wrists or
forearms.

If you're standing with proper posture, your upper arms are nicely aligned
with the body, and your muscles should easily support the minimal weight of
your forearms.

Edit: incidentally, as I'm experimenting with a standing desk, I have a stool
which is about a foot too low to stand on. I do, however, find myself using it
to accomplish all sorts of odd leg positions and stretches.

~~~
albedoa
Right, but I mean is it good to support your arms with your elbows in the same
position for hours to possibly years? I didn't mean for fatigue. It just
doesn't seem to me (as a layman) as if any of our joints would appreciate that
over the long-term.

~~~
georgieporgie
Supporting your forearms in a neutral position using your musculoskeletal
should be much, much better for you than by using external pressure on your
forearms or (worse) wrists. It's really very, very little weight, and
certainly no strain on the elbows.

Keep in mind that you aren't typing or mousing all the time. In a standing
position, I find that I'm much more likely to drop my hands by my sides, or
cross my arms when thinking, than I am when sitting at a desk.

------
feral
If you are interested in ergonomics, don't use a laptop keyboard in your
office; not on a desk, or on a chair on a desk.

There's simply no way to use the laptop keyboard, and have the screen at the
right height.

Use the laptop to drive your big display, and connect your keyboard and mouse
to it. The ergonomics of a laptop alone are bad. Its great to have a laptop
for travelling, but if you care about your body, use a better setup for your
office.

------
yason
I didn't know "cool guys are coding standing these days". I had never even
imagined much less heard of someone working in an office in a standing
position. So I thought I was just crazy but did this myself some time ago.

I don't know why; I think I wanted to be in a natural, straight stance when
coding instead of sitting in some semioptimal position. I'm 196cm tall so I
have never really had a table and chair that was made to fit my measures. I've
had various ergonomic tables but they just don't cut it for a man with my
height.

I work from home and simply upgraded my working table myself. It is a nice
wooden table with lathed legs that you could screw into the corners of the
table top. I simply went to the hardware store, lost 30 euros and came back
with a total of 480cm of lathed wood of the same diameter. And after a bit of
sawing and drilling I had four 120cm pieces that I could replace the old legs
with: total time one hour, including the trip.

I've adjusted the height a few centimeters since that so as to get the table
truly optimal to my personal height and now I'm fine. I must say that was the
best 30 euros I've ever spent, I already notice that my abdominal and back
muscles are stronger, and I naturally revert to a better stance even when not
at my desk.

And I haven't had any back problems from getting stuck in the same position
for too long, since I constantly move around when standing at my desk.

It _is_ cool, actually. (The table, not me necessarily.)

------
crasshopper
One problem with this setup is that your hands are not at elbow level.

You want a separate keyboard that you can put on a piece of wood or a book or
whatever, so that the screen is level with your eyes (when in perfect posture)
and the keyboard is level with or slightly below your elbows (when in perfect
posture).

~~~
gregschlom
Another problem is that the chair tend to roll away as you type :)

But my current setup works very well (pictured here:
<http://gregschlom.com/about>)

I guess it's just a matter of finding the right height for your elbow.

------
run4yourlives
Google the Ikea Jerker desk. They discontinued the standup model - or rather
the model that could be configured as such - but you'd probably be able to
find one used on craigslist or ebay.

It is designed for this specifically, although it is big, so you need a good
deal of space. I've been using one in my home office for about 7 years now.

~~~
rationalbeaver
There's actually a current model at Ikea that works awesomely as a stand up
desk: The Fredrik. <http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/00115992>

I own one and enjoy it greatly.

~~~
ranebo
Totally agree. This desk is the one I'm currently using and couldn't ask for
more.

I'm exactly 6ft and this it works great for me in this configuration:
[http://dl.dropbox.com/u/77657/Photo%20Apr%2013%2C%2011%2037%...](http://dl.dropbox.com/u/77657/Photo%20Apr%2013%2C%2011%2037%2043%20AM.jpg)

------
llimllib
I spent $8 at Home Depot for materials and 10 minutes of assembly for mine:
<http://i.imgur.com/Aoqpd.jpg>

They'll cut the wood for you, just measure before you buy.

~~~
larrik
They'll cut it to fit into your car, but they aren't going to cut it precisely
to what you want it to be. At least around here.

~~~
lsc
eh, the "Lows" across the street and the "home depot" down the way both cut
far more precisely than I can manage on my own. It's not going to be to
micrometer precision, but when working with the mostly green wood those places
sell, nothing ever is. The stuff changes shape as it ages anyhow.

It's probably better than what you can do as an amateur with cheap tools, and
it's probably good enough for a project such as this. Of course, if you
actually know what you are doing and have reasonably good tools, you can do
better, but for those of us who just want to knock something together, my
experience has been that the lumberyard cutting services are just fine.

------
toto
Forget that hypster hype.

The problem is not the position but the length working in the same position.
Whatever position.

If you stand the whole day, your legs will suffer (ask people working in
shops); in the long run you will have "heavy legs" issue. You may lower the
effects with a proper setup of your bed (feet should be 2-4 cm higher).

The only real solution: * A good physical activity: cardio + strengthening the
muscle for "body protection". * Streching all the muscle groups.

------
tchock23
A while back I bought one of those "lap desk" things that you're supposed to
use while you're sitting on a couch or a bed for supporting your laptop. I
found that if I stuck it on a normal desk it was the perfect height, and even
has a reading light, plenty of room for an external mouse and a place for me
to put my coffee in the morning. Highly recommended... Here is the one I
bought if anyone is interested:

<http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?SKU=17258877>

It's a bit of a hack, and I was made fun of a fair amount around the office
when I first started using it, but I like it a lot. I think I got mine on sale
at the time for $19.95. It's certainly a more "elegant" solution than sticking
a chair on top of a table, and doesn't require any woodworking skills.

------
createaccount94
If you are using laptop, put
<http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/40104270> on top of your desk.

it is only $9.99

------
unignorant
Ikea sells a "bar table" in the Utby line that works quite well. See:

<http://blog.ethanjfast.com/2010/08/on-standing-desks/>

I love working this way. My best coding is done barefoot and standing. As far
as getting tired goes, in my experience it doesn't take long to adjust. Do be
warned, however, that after you become accustomed to standing with good
posture, it can be somewhat torturous to sit for extended periods of time.

------
dalys
I just wanted to share my standing "desk" and experiences too. A picture of my
home setup: <http://i.imgur.com/BUUTP.jpg>

The furniture is a piece of IKEA MALM.
<http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/70053924>

The keyboard height isn't 100% optimal for my height though and it would be
nice to have the monitor 1-2dm further back. Other than that, feels great when
you have adjusted to standing up.

\+ You can really feel your back muscles growing and getting stronger after a
few weaks (at least if unexcercised before).

\+ Now I can walk around from when I wake up to when I go to sleep without
getting any aches. (Good for when you're shopping, touristing, hiking, going
to conventions, conferences etc.)

\+ My body posture is now way better, standing or sitting down.

\- When I sit down and need to think a bit and look away from the computer
that's what I do. When I'm standing up I find myself walking around aimlessly
instead, and suddenly I'm in the kitchen grabbing something to eat. I would
say my concentration is better when sitting down.

------
petermarks
I just hacked together a large standing desk this weekend using cabinets from
Ikea:

<http://petermarks.info/2011/04/11/the-spaceship-2-0/>

The criteria for this project was 1) Cheap 2) high enough to rest my elbows
on, 3) large enough for all my gear, 4) Good looking enough to not embarrass
my girlfriend.

------
tremendo
I've been standing for about two months now. The thing to keep in mind is that
yes, it's an improvement over sitting for 8 hours straight, but not a "cure",
or something that somehow will save us from the health-related problems of
sitting for too long, if all we do now is just stand, also for too long.

Anyway, it's been mostly good for me but I've made adjustments. After a couple
of times in which I worked for 12-14 hrs in a day, standing the whole time,
mostly with locked knees and not really moving much, one morning I was
surprised to look down and see my ankles swollen a bit. I ended up buying a
cheap wooden stool, not comfortable for more than 20-30 minutes, so I can now
take breaks from standing, sit for a little while then naturally gravitate
back to the standing position once that becomes uncomfortable. The stool also
conveniently has rests where I can put a leg or foot, then switch, etc. I was
probably lucky to find one that is the right height so when I sit I retain the
same vertical position in relation to the desk.

------
Semiapies
Anyone tried one of these? I've been curious:

[http://www.anthro.com/computer-
furniture.aspx?desk=elevate-a...](http://www.anthro.com/computer-
furniture.aspx?desk=elevate-adjusta)

[http://www.anthro.com/computer-furniture.aspx?desk=fit-
adjus...](http://www.anthro.com/computer-furniture.aspx?desk=fit-adjusta)

~~~
leejoramo
Anthro builds great stuff.

I had something similar to the Adjusta Unit in the second link. It was very
sturdy and high quality. The adjustable mechanism worked flawlessly. The only
problem was the that the unit I purchased was designed to fit in a corner and
was HUGE. It would take up far too much space in my current office.

------
forkrulassail
Anyone have an instructable for not-very-good DIYer?

~~~
forkrulassail
I mean - more of the actual use (non-chair-on-table) solutions?

~~~
forkrulassail
To further stack my own mini-thread:

I had a hernia two years ago, 31 year old developer.

I've seen some treadmill standing working hacks, I've tried the balance ball
idea (I'm 1.92m - knees to high up for biggest balance ball).

I use Workrave consistently to lock me out of my PC out every 30 minutes, to
force me to walk around and avoid pain medication.

Recommendations, tips, tricks, and and easy to build schematic appreciated.

~~~
georgieporgie
Do you have a circular saw, a drill, some screws, and access to 2x4s?

~~~
forkrulassail
I do.

~~~
georgieporgie
I'll likely write a blog post soon, describing how I made my desk. Every time
I try to describe it in a comment, I realize it's overwhelming without photos
to clarify. :-)

------
networkjester
My co-worker uses one of the following setups at his desk. It looks
interesting and well made.

[http://www.ergotron.com/Products/Workstations/tabid/562/lang...](http://www.ergotron.com/Products/Workstations/tabid/562/language/en-
US/Default.aspx)

He likes it, but personally had to modify it a bit to raise the keyboard tray
about 2"

Check them out or otherwise happy hacking! (which is good too :) )

------
dwiel
This is the setup I have right now:

i.imgur.com/GY4vR.jpg

It is just some boxes, but it works reasonably well. Having the screen and
keyboard at different heights is key for me.

What I'd really like is a portable, ergonomic standing desk. I've been
designing something that can be ratcheted between a couple of trees and
provide two stable, adjustable platforms, one for the laptop and one for a
keyboard.

------
grannyg00se
Is there any real advantage to standing up for long periods of time vs sitting
properly? I suspect there would be a negative impact on the knees.

------
Gotttzsche
i've been using a standing desk for quite a while now. first i used a small
table that i put on my desk, now i use a board on the wall and the sreen is
screwed onto the wall above it.

one problem i have is that it seems like all gel mats only ship to the us.
amazon.com would ship to germany, but i dont have any way to pay there.

anyone know of a way to get a gel mat in germany?

------
mkhDev
I found plastic storage totes (like this one:
[http://www.housewaresandbeyond.com/images/items/12039/jpg/St...](http://www.housewaresandbeyond.com/images/items/12039/jpg/Sterilite-1882-6-Quart-
Latch-Storage-Box.jpg)) much better than the regular cartoon boxes. They cost
around $10 from walmart and they come in many different sizes and shapes.

------
sbochins
Seems like your laptop would not be very safe on a mobile chair on a small
desk. I guess this is a joke (even though you claim it isn't).

------
AndyKelley
I can walk miles upon miles. But standing still for even 20 minutes _hurts._
This would not help me.

~~~
unignorant
While I work standing, I wouldn't ever say that I work "standing still." I'm
constantly shifting my weight across one foot or the other, shifting my upper
body slightly, etc...

And if you can't stand for more than 20 minutes, I'd check over your posture.
There really is a "right" way to hold yourself, and I haven't found many
people (in our desk-conditioned culture) who fall into it naturally.

------
pella
Treadmill desk?

 _"I Put In 5 Miles at the Office"_
[http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/18/health/nutrition/18fitness...](http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/18/health/nutrition/18fitness.html)

------
mcorrientes
how long do you guys work ? This works for a couple of hours, but I can't
imagine how it feels after coding 14 hours. Best could be to change after
several hours between a standing and sitting position.

~~~
delackner
I can't imagine sitting in a chair for 14 hours without even a few 15 minute
breaks. You are setting yourself up for neck injury and long term back pain.
(Speaking from experience, as someone who used to sit in a chair for similarly
long stretches and thought it made him tough. No, it made me stupid.)

------
keiferski
I prefer a full-size treadmill in my cubicle.

Seriously, though, try putting a BRM / Office Depot box on top of a standard-
size desk. It's almost the perfect height, and you won't look like a fool.

------
zacharycohn
I've found that three Amazon Fresh boxes (or two stacked ontop of something
else) are the absolute PERFECT height for a standing desk (for me).

------
Moocar
What about concentration? Does anybody have opinions on whether standing
forces you to concentrate on the task at hand more?

~~~
beagledude
I've been standing for about 3 hours right now for the first time ever since
reading this article and I haven't skipped a beat actually. It's been a nice
change.

------
kenguish
Would be better to take the wheels off the chairs, so you don't wreck your
expensive macbook pro.

------
svrocks
what do you guys think is better for long term health, an exercise ball chair
or a standing desk?

------
mrzerga
motorized table base can be bought for ~500$ (
<http://www.tablelegworld.com/Motorized-Table-Legs> )and then any spare table
top can be attached to these - not that expensive in my opinion - and you get
a working thing rather than some book or brick based hack which sucks in the
long term

