Thread: A Laptop Stand

As my 80s approach, and because I do a lot of writing, I develop a bit of pain from having my head bent forward. I use a MacBook - haven't had a desktop computer for a decade or more - which means, with it sitting on the table before me at a comfortable height for typing, I must bend my head forward to read the screen.

Because all of us have scraps and offcuts of material lying around seeking a purpose, I decided to put a few to use by making a laptop stand. Its measurements were dictated by the size of my USB keyboard, 430 (L) x 115 (W). The base and the two shelves are cut from 6mm MDF, with the two uprights 3mm MDF. (I'd run out of 6mm, and anyway the 3mm is never going to carry any great load.)

Offcuts of 10mm x 8mm pine beading are glued and screwed in as reinforcement at the joints between vertical and horizontal pieces. The top shelf is large enough to hold the laptop and angled slightly forward, while the middle shelf is horizontal and holds the USB CD player/recorder and my modem. I set the top shelf back 50mm for the sake of clearance and vision, something that wasn't actually essential with the current design, wherein lies a lesson. I should have done a dry assembly and tried it out for size and fit and practicality, but didn't. Everything fits just fine, but I've made the stand about 80mm too tall! No problem. Mark II will be under way in a day or two, but I still thought I'd show it as is.

Like so much of what I do, I haven't given overall measurements. These will vary from application to application, brand of computer equipment used, and size of keyboard. Please use it as a thought-starter, though. I've used the stand for a morning and must say I've already found a noticeable comfort improvement in the cervical spine area.


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