Building a computer desk- Ideas?

[N00berG00ber]

have any of you built your own computer desks? if so , post up some pics of it so i can see them and get some ideas!


i want to build one case my current setup is so tight and compact, thats its getting very annoying. i want to keep it under $50 however.

i was thinking a simple desk about 40" long and about 20" wide at he widest point. where i would be sitting, i could cut it out so thats its a circleish and only about 15" or so.

i just need room to put my monitor, PC, amp, 5 speakers. 2 of the speakers i want on the desk, the other 2 i want on the floor, and the last one is the sub so on the floor, monitor, amp, and PC on the desk.

 

[z3r010]

This thread might give you some ideas - http://www.sevenforums.com/pc-custom-builds-overclocking/132933-project-ultimate-computer-desk.html

 

[N00berG00ber]

thanks, i might have to wait on this project.... i need the money to buy a car first lol. but its a project for the future!

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Whatever you decide on, make it as big as you can, at least half again as big as what you think you may need. Otherwise, I can pretty much guarantee that it will be too small from day one.

Also, if you have space for it, a corner desk with side extensions or an L or U shaped desk would be much better than one with a shallow cutout. All of those will dramatically improve your reach. You can buy more room on any desk by mounting little used peripherals, such as printers and scanners, in drawers so you can pull the drawers out to use them while in the drawer), then move them out of the way when done by just closing the drawer.

Sadly, unless you find a used desk you can refurbish and modify, $50 will be hard pressed to get you even just a simple table. With the weight you would be putting on it, it will need to be pretty sturdy. 20" wide isn't very wide for a desk (I've seen shelves that wide) and cutting a 15" deep arc out of it would leave only a 5" strip at the back. 40" is also not very long. By the time you put a monitor, PC, two tiny speakers, and an amp on there you would be lucky to have room for a small keyboard. My current setup includes my daughter's old desk that is 20" x 40" and just has the keyboard, an ADF scanner (about the size of a loaf of bread), 22" monitor, mouse pad, a dual USB hub, the wired remote for my speakers, the business end of a three outlet heavy duty extension cord (so I don't have to crawl under and behind the desk to get to an outlet), and an alarm clock. There just isn't room for anything else. Right now, I have my keyboard on top of my closed notebook (I'm working on a project with the notebook; I put the computer's keyboard behind the notebook when I have it opened up. The desk is pulled 5" from the wall to allow me to push the monitor farther back and to allow room for my feet and the subwoofer to fit in the kneehole; the satellites are mounted to the wall. The printer is perched on top of some stackable drawers to the right of the desk. My computer and flatbed scanner is on a two drawer nightstand to the right of the desk. I need to modify one of the nightstand drawers so I can move the ADF scanner off the desk so I can put in a three monitor setup (and one will have to be kept in portrait to keep it out of the way of the printer). I have a UPS on the floor to the right of the nightstand (in front of a door I will never be able to close again).

So, believe me when I say 20" x 40" will not be enough. You could make do with that, especially if that's all you have room for, but you would be miserable. I suggest haunting thrift stores, watching the want ads, and hitting the yard and garage sales to find a cheap used desk that would have the room you would need and refurbish/modify it.

 

[Britton30]

I agree, $50 will buy some 2x4's and shelf board for a top. Depending on the space you have a desk's top should be more like 60" wide and 30" deep. One space saver would be a pull-out keyboard shelf mounted under the top.

 

[N00berG00ber]

i actually decided on just a collapsible table. i only have 45" width to work with being my room so small, so that s the best option.

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

At least a table can give you more width. Just make sure it's a sturdy one. You should be able to climb on it without destroying it (unless you are enormously heavy like I am). You may have to hang the speakers on the wall at eyeball level or slightly higher (adhesive 3M Command hooks can handle a lot of weight without destroying the wall surface as long as it isn't wallpaper). Another option would be install a short shelf on the wall (if that would be allowed) on both sides of the monitor or a long shelf behind or over the monitor. That could get the speakers and amp off the desk.

You can put the computer under the table but keep it as high off the floor as possible without blocking air flow from the blow hole (top exhaust). Also keep the back as far from the wall as possible so it won't block the rear exhaust.

 

[N00berG00ber]

i think everything is going to be on the table except sub and 2 rear speakers. my monitor is going to go ontop of the amp, and speakers on either side of the monitor. PC is going to be on far right side.

from right to left it would be PC, speaker, amp and monitor, speaker. i have a side window on my PC, so i would like to be able to see that. worse comes to worse, it can go on the floor.

 

[Britton30]

Here's my desk with a pull-out keyboard tray. It's 58" long overall with the desk part 39", 22" deep. I use another self built cabinet on the right for two printers.

The door opening was originally designed to hold the computer, but I get into it too often for that. The black vertical part next to the door is CD/DVD storage slots. I keep hardware software and old, old back ups there, back to 2001 or so.

 

[N00berG00ber]

Damn that's awesome!

 

[Gator]

I got a Walmart special. Don't hate...

 

[Britton30]

I got a Walmart special. Don't hate...

No worrys, Mine was a throw-away I rescued.

Noober, you may be able to find a similar one at Goodwill/Salvation Army or such like that.

 

[scr]

I live in my RV full time and travel. It's been a real challenge with a 23" monitor, a 19" monitor, printer and 2 towers but it works as long as I don't breath in to deeply.

 

[Britton30]

I live in my RV full time and travel. It's been a real challenge with a 23" monitor, a 19" monitor, printer and 2 towers but it works as long as I don't breath in to deeply.

Well if you use RV campgrounds, you can take out the bath. Stop at Mickey D's, you don't need any kitchen stuff. Just some of my idle thoughts.

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

I live in my RV full time and travel. It's been a real challenge with a 23" monitor, a 19" monitor, printer and 2 towers but it works as long as I don't breath in to deeply.

I plan on doing the same someday if I don't die first. Cramming all my gear in it will be...ah...challenging.

 

[scr]

I live in my RV full time and travel. It's been a real challenge with a 23" monitor, a 19" monitor, printer and 2 towers but it works as long as I don't breath in to deeply.

Well if you use RV campgrounds, you can take out the bath. Stop at Mickey D's, you don't need any kitchen stuff. Just some of my idle thoughts.

I'm in GA right now and last night it was 29 degrees, If my wife had to walk to the bath house in the middle of the night She would not be happy, therefore neither would I.

I want to live a little longer so Mickey D's is out, I'm not really sure what the stuff is after reading about pink slime. My wife is an excellent cook and baker, the computers would go before the kitchen stuff.

 

[Britton30]

Hehe, I said it was idle thoughts, read Mickey D's as "restaurant". That would be a cold potty trip too! Yeah cooking and baking would trump a PC in my book too.

 

[scr]

I live in my RV full time and travel. It's been a real challenge with a 23" monitor, a 19" monitor, printer and 2 towers but it works as long as I don't breath in to deeply.

I plan on doing the same someday if I don't die first. Cramming all my gear in it will be...ah...challenging.

I tell everyone that is thinking about living in an RV full time that you have two choices...You love it ..or.. You hate it! ..There is no "kind of like it".. If there's two of you both better feel the same as there is no place to run and no place to hide.

We've been at it 16 years and obviously fall in to the love it category.

 

[dsperber]

If you really want to be able to work and have room for speakers, monitor, papers, other optional accessories, etc., in my opinion the desktop in front of you should be about 30" from front to rear. And the top surface should be standard 29" height off the floor.

Most important is that the front edge of the desktop absolutely must be rounded ("bull nose moulding??) or at least beveled so that it is curved or rounded, so that you forearms (which WILL rest on the front edge of the tabletop) do not get cut into by a square front edge of the desktop. Even more ideal would be a slight down-slant of the nearest 2-3" (something like an add-on front edge that is milled to angle down) or so, along with a rounded front edge, to support your forearms as you rest them on the front while typing at the keyboard. The importance of ergonomic comfort at the front edge of the tabletop cannot be overstated.

An L-shaped 3-piece table with a "wedge" piece to "turn the corner" and all 3 pieces at the same height provides ideal flexibility in positioning a second monitor, a printer, etc. That's what mine is like, with the wedge and side piece ON MY LEFT. I'm right-handed and feel comfortable with the L-arrangement to my left. I use the desktop space of the wedge for a second monitor (positioned to face me at an angle while I'm sitting in the chair facing my primary monitor straight ahead) and also to hold my flatbed scanner.

Don't forget your space also needs to have storage either in drawers, open shelves, or cabinets-with-doors underneath the desktop or on the left or right side. In my opinion you don't want them on or over the desk unless they're high enough or far enough away not to get in the way of things that are ON your desktop.

Personally, I do not like "lowered keyboard cutouts" in the table, so that the keyboard is down lower than the 29" tabletop. I know this is how they used to teach typing posture and position, but I find for myself that having the keyboard also on the 29" tabletop is how a computer keyboard is most comfortable, with mouse/mousepad just to its right... also on the 29" tabletop surface.

I should really take a photo of my L-shaped desk (bought about 20 years ago and which I've now used in three homes).

 

[MeOnMine]

Show me yours and I'll show you mine !