This computer stand is the best accessory for standing desks.
I'm going to tell you why it's such a game changer and how to build one yourself.
To understand why I built this we first need to take a look at the problems.
The main selling point of a standing desk is that you can raise it or lower it for
better ergonomics. But its greatest strength is also its greatest weakness. Everything must be
attached otherwise you'll be tugging on cables. Once you put on a computer monitors speakers
and other accessories, things start feeling a little cramped. The easy solution is to get
a larger desk one that is deeper and wider but that's expensive and not everyone has the space.
Therefore a computer stand would help remove the clutter and solve the problem.
But that's not actually why I built this thing- you see I wanted an all-in-one desk for
building computers. If you've ever tried only using a ceiling light you know the struggle-
desk lamps get in the way, and the only thing that resembled what I wanted was a workbench.
Unfortunately those don't rise and are too narrow for a desktop setup.
So like the great Youtuber Mark Rober says: "If you have an idea about a thing
and that thing doesn't exist you can just will it into existence."
Like any project we start off with the requirements. Luckily there's only two
build something that can hold up 30 pounds of computer, while also taking up minimal surface
area. So I looked online for some inspiration and these overhead camera rigs fit the bill.
But the poles get in the way and they take up too much footprint on the desk, so a c-stand design
makes for the ideal candidate. The next part is to size out the materials. Metal is strong
and expensive while wood is weak and cheap. To reduce the cost I selected metal for structural
areas like arms and legs. And for the corners I used bookshelf ends on the bottom and for
the top I use these corner braces. For everything else I use wood because it's 12 feet for 5 bucks.
After a bunch of drill work the stand is complete. If you're wondering what these blue things are,
they're head protectors because it turns out aluminum angles are pretty sharp. I just 3D
printed these balls with a slot in the back and they just fit right in. The hardest part of this
build is figuring out how to mount the computer. Originally I wanted to create some kind of support
to put the case onto the stand but that became very bulky very quickly. What's more a case would
make components hard to access so I decided for an open-air design with a hook in the back. This idea
is really neat. You have this middle beam with two arms on either side. The arms help guide the whole
thing onto the stand improving ease of access so I can hook whatever I want right onto the stand.
The weight of the load is evenly distributed along the middle of the beam and it makes
everything super robust. So after building hooks for the pc the power supply and subwoofer,
I consider this project complete. Now since this is an open air design you're probably
wondering about dust. And theoretically that's an issue but practically it's really not an issue.
Everything is easily accessible and I just use some compressed air every few months. Dust is
over hyped kind of like hiding cables. Maybe the main downside of this build is that it looks
janky and can definitely use a coat of paint, so don't plan on winning any battle station awards.
This entire build took me three days from start to finish with a total material cost of about
forty dollars Canadian. Overall is it worth it? Absolutely. This upgrade has reclaimed a lot of
my desk area and has also made the setup well lit. It's a creative take on their typical desk setup
and I think you'll like it. Alright that's it, Thanks for watching and subscribe.