Alternatives to Stand-up Desks

[azurekep]

Stand-up desks are expensive. Particularly ones with motorized controls.

Cheaper alternatives I've seen include lecterns, podiums, drafting tables, and desks made out of cardboard. Basically anything that allows the desk surface to be ~48 inches or higher.

Others use a bed tray or laptop stand placed on top of a normal desk.

I'm looking for something that:

• Is relatively inexpensive, preferably less than $100
• Can fit a laptop and mouse pad comfortably
• Does not look particularly ugly (like the cardboard ones)
• Would not look out of place in a living room (like the pulpits)
• Stands on the floor
• Easy to assemble
• Doesn't require carpentry (I prefer to buy the desk, not build it).

Getting a desk with all the above factors is probably a pipe dream, but I'd be interested in hearing people's ideas.

[reriodan]

Try this, works decently for a cheap one. I use it at work.

http://iamnotaprogrammer.com/Ikea-Stand ... llars.html

[csm]

What about a music stand? My husband is a musician and he frequently sets his laptop on a music stand. You can get them in varying degrees of quality, so you want to be sure to get a good quality, stable one that will allow a near-level tilt. Height adjustable and can easily be folded away when not in use.

[seanmerron]

Getting a desk with all the above factors is probably a pipe dream, but I'd be interested in hearing people's ideas.

I can't tell you how excited I am that you asked this considering I finally got mine together! It pretty much fits everything you said and can be easily configured to give you the perfect posture which is what I needed most



It's the AmazonBasics 5-Shelf Shelving Unit - Black on Amazon for $60 if you're interested.

[azurekep]

What about a music stand? My husband is a musician and he frequently sets his laptop on a music stand. You can get them in varying degrees of quality, so you want to be sure to get a good quality, stable one that will allow a near-level tilt. Height adjustable and can easily be folded away when not in use.

Interesting that you'd bring that up. I bought a music stand for another purpose, but the one I have isn't strong enough for a laptop. I'll take another look at this.

[azurekep]

Try this, works decently for a cheap one. I use it at work.

http://iamnotaprogrammer.com/Ikea-Stand ... llars.html

I had heard of this before, but hadn't looked at it in detail. The Ikea parts are dirt cheap!

[azurekep]

I can't tell you how excited I am that you asked this considering I finally got mine together! It pretty much fits everything you said and can be easily configured to give you the perfect posture which is what I needed most



It's the AmazonBasics 5-Shelf Shelving Unit - Black on Amazon for $60 if you're interested.

Very interesting idea! I will indeed look into that.

[JohnFiscal]

Our office has a number of these. They sit on top of your desk and can be adjusted up/down at will. I myself don't use on, my whole design is motorized.

http://www.varidesk.com/

[mrc]

I can't tell you how excited I am that you asked this considering I finally got mine together! It pretty much fits everything you said and can be easily configured to give you the perfect posture which is what I needed most

<image snip>

It's the AmazonBasics 5-Shelf Shelving Unit - Black on Amazon for $60 if you're interested.

Very interesting idea! I will indeed look into that.

The monitor is a little high from an ergonomic perspective. Add some plywood to create a solid surface, and this might work well for laptops. For us desktop users, it's hard to adjust the monitor while using the shelf method.

I made a stand to use at work (the monitors are on swing arms). I was going to make two stands, one for the monitors and one for the keyboard/mouse. But the arms were available. Switching takes less than a minute. You could use an existing desk, with some "apple crate" type boxes to raise the computer when need be.

[greenbldg2]

[lthenderson]

[Jazztonight]

Good question, and some good (and crazy) answers!

Here's what I did:

I went to Home Depot and bought 4 cinder blocks at $1.50 each = $6.00 total plus tax.

Then, with assistance, I took my really nice oak desk and placed it on the cinder blocks. Perfect height for a stand-up desk.

There it stood for a year and a half. Then I decided to make the plunge and purchased an Uplift base (only), motorized. http://www.upliftdesk.com/ I watched the videos, chose my model (under $600, I believe, shipping included). Then I removed the top of my oak desk and mounted it on the Uplift base.

And that is where I'm typing this message now. Standing.

For certain tasks I lower it and pull over my office chair. That said, 95% of the time, I'm standing.

Oh, yeah--when it was time to get rid of the 4 cinder blocks, I drove them back over to the Home Depot and offered them to a guy getting into his pickup truck. Both he and I were happy.

[rbaldini]

Alternatives to Stand-up Desks

Sit-down desks.

[dodecahedron]

Very esthetic, not terribly expensive, and incredibly versatile, the StandStand models are awesome. They do not quite meet all your specs, as they do not stand on the floor, but they can turn any tabletop or regular desk into a standing desk, and they are strong yet lightweight and portable.

[azurekep]

Good one. (also the one by greenbldg2 )

Reminds me that I have a barstool director's chair on the deck that could work.

[azurekep]

I can't tell you how excited I am that you asked this considering I finally got mine together! It pretty much fits everything you said and can be easily configured to give you the perfect posture which is what I needed most .

Sean,

I've been looking at that shelving unit and I'm wondering if the two-part plastic sleeves fully lock together around the posts. It looks that way in your picture, but the Amazon reviews are a bit confusing. Apparently a lot of people had things upside down during the assembly and only later figured out the right way to do it. But it's still unclear if the two-part sleeves lock together around the posts or if there's a gap between the two parts. Obviously the former would be more secure than the latter in terms of keeping the shelves in place.

[seanmerron]

Sean,

I've been looking at that shelving unit and I'm wondering if the two-part plastic sleeves fully lock together around the posts. It looks that way in your picture, but the Amazon reviews are a bit confusing. Apparently a lot of people had things upside down during the assembly and only later figured out the right way to do it. But it's still unclear if the two-part sleeves lock together around the posts or if there's a gap between the two parts. Obviously the former would be more secure than the latter in terms of keeping the shelves in place.

Yep, the plastic piece halves fully lock together into 1 piece around the pole and snap into divots on the poles. It's actually quite sturdy and no way the shelves are going to slide down. Also the plastic pieces can only snap one way so not sure how people got them upside down. It was very stright forward for me and took < 10 minutes to get mine together.

[URSnshn]

Thank you for this thread. I looked around my office and have situated a stand-up desk for free and cleaned up some clutter as well!

[Wings5]

I work at a company with over 200 employees and we all have electrically assisted variable height desks. The option to stand is wonderful, but if you are looking to improve your health with the desk be sure to increase your overall movement. Standing and sitting are both sedentary postures that place different stresses on different parts of your body.

We have several folks (myself included) who do lunges, push-ups, arm raises, and a host of other exercises every 30-60 minutes. Others will smirk or raise eyebrows at first, until you start noticing changes in your body composition and/or energy levels. Here is a good article that discusses being actively sedentary. Consider it preventative health care, a must for any Boglehead

https://www.outsideonline.com/2113351/always-be-moving

[azurekep]

Sean,

I've been looking at that shelving unit and I'm wondering if the two-part plastic sleeves fully lock together around the posts. It looks that way in your picture, but the Amazon reviews are a bit confusing. Apparently a lot of people had things upside down during the assembly and only later figured out the right way to do it. But it's still unclear if the two-part sleeves lock together around the posts or if there's a gap between the two parts. Obviously the former would be more secure than the latter in terms of keeping the shelves in place.

Yep, the plastic piece halves fully lock together into 1 piece around the pole and snap into divots on the poles. It's actually quite sturdy and no way the shelves are going to slide down. Also the plastic pieces can only snap one way so not sure how people got them upside down. It was very stright forward for me and took < 10 minutes to get mine together.

Thanks for confirming.

[mb2016]

Here are a couple of option I found by searching over at Lifehacker.com
Sometimes the user comments posted below the Lifehacker stories are interesting & helpful.

http://lifehacker.com/5874352/build-you ... esk-for-40

http://lifehacker.com/5622859/the-year- ... nding-desk

[weltschmerz]

deleted

[tri-james]

I'm using scaffolding - much cheaper and double duty.



http://www.homedepot.com/p/PRO-SERIES-4 ... /206699197