DIY IKEA Standing Desk Hack >> adventures of a blogjunkie
> adventures of a blogjunkie"/>
> adventures of a blogjunkie"/>
Update: I’m now using an upgraded hack. See my
I’m standing as I’m typing this. I’m standing because I’ve got a new desk–a standing desk.
Why Use a Standing Desk?
One of the first questions I get when I tell people I’m now standing while working is why?
The biggest motivation for me was because I didn’t want to sit on my ass the whole day. I feel that sitting for long periods has been contributing to my growing waistline and makes my work day very sedentary.
Standing on the other hand, takes a significant physical effort. At the end of my first week using the desk, my calves are sore, and I can feel my hamstrings and glutes at work. I can’t slouch while standing so my shoulders and back muscles are activated as well.
Building My DIY IKEA Standing Desk
I’ve never really stood up while working, so I wasn’t sure if I could really make the switch. So ideally my desk had to revert back to a sitting desk if standing and working didn’t work for me. One solution was to get an ergo desk–there’s
in North America and I saw a pretty good one in The Curve in Mutiara Damansara–but they were way beyond my budget.
In the end I settled on buying a stock desk from IKEA and customizing, or “hacking” it. The main component is a . I chose a 120×80 cm table top because I over extended the legs past its maximum recommended height. At this point the desktop was only 90cm (35 2/5″) tall.
The legs doesn’t seem to be less stable or dangerous when over extended. I think the main reason IKEA set a maximum height on the table legs was to prevent the feet from sticking out past the edges of the desk. That’s another reason to get the deeper 80cm desk.
I then propped the desk up on 4 up-turned . It provides a wide base for the feet, and has a lip that prevents the feet from slipping out. This raised the desktop another 12cm (3 7/8″) to a total of 102cm (41 2/8″). I judged the height based on the angle of my elbows–90 to 100 degrees when my forearms rest on the desktop.
On the desktop, I put a 26cm (10 1/4″)
to prop up my monitor to eye level. I also raise my MacBook with a
which I bought from their online store. I have a
to not only protect the surface, but I also find it useful to stick notes and slips of paper under it.
Under the desk, I have the
to store my cables. Finally, I have a
for the times that I need a break. (Side note: the FRANKLIN stools come in 2 different heights. Get the taller one.) However I’ve found that I prefer standing, just only after my first week.
In conclusion, I’m pretty pleased with my new desk. The total cost is RM837.40, or USD233.92 if you’re buying in the US. I think that’s a good value because it still gives me the option of switching back to a sitting configuration. I also didn’t need specific carpentry tools, so anyone can do this. More importantly, for the small cost above I’m investing in my health for the long term.
I’ll be following up on some lessons learnt from my experience. In the meantime, post your questions or answers in the comments and I’ll be happy to answer them.
Other IKEA options I considered
I did extensive research on converting regular desks into standing desks so I thought it would be useful to share my findings.
FREDRIK workstation
I had initially considered converting the
into a standing desk like this. IKEA specifies a maximum height of 38 3/5″ but in the picture above it’s raised up to about 41″. In the end I decided against it because I thought the desk would be too wobbly. Even at the regular height the desk was a bit wobbly, so I decided not to take my chances since I like to lean on my desk.
UTBY bar table
The other option I considered really seriously was the . At 105cm (41 3/8″) it was the perfect height. It was also more affordable than the combo I ended up with. I only decided against it because there was no way I could turn it into a sitting configuration, and because the desk top was a little small for me.
More on Standing Desks
If you found this post interesting and want to learn more about standing desks, here are some articles that explain more of the benefits of standing while working.
Share:Like this:Like Loading...
Trackbacks
Email Address
Proudly hosted at Webfaction
Follow adventures of a blogjunkie
Get every new post delivered to your Inbox
Join other followers:
Send to Email Address
Your Email Address
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.
%d bloggers like this:A desk is a wooden object which student can use to write on and white-collars to work on.问一个这句话里的两个on是什么意思?去掉行吗_百度作业帮
A desk is a wooden object which student can use to write on and white-collars to work on.问一个这句话里的两个on是什么意思?去掉行吗
问一个这句话里的两个on是什么意思?去掉行吗
介词~不能去掉~较好比你说学生在桌子上写字不能写成学生在桌子写字一样~白领在桌上工作,白领在桌子工作?明显不行啊~
两个on 都是介词，不能去掉
您可能关注的推广There is a small ______(wood) desk in my bedroom_百度作业帮
There is a small ______(wood) desk in my bedroom
There is a small ______(wood) desk in my bedroom
There is a small (wooden) desk in my bedroom.wooden：木质的翻译：我的寝室里有一个木质的桌子.本题实际上是想区分wooden和woody这两近义词的用法.wooden：木质的；木的.一般强调的是“用木头制成的”.若表示“木头制的东西”一般都用wooden；如：This is a wooden bed.这是张木床.而woody：adj.多树木的,树木茂密的,木本的,木头般的；一般强调其比喻意义.如：This is a woody valley.这是个树木繁茂的山谷.}