DIY cheap, adjustable stand-up desk to support three monitors? Ideas?

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Jun 7, 2012. 10:39 PMprimedlt says:

Make legs using one of the following materials.
strut channel, size 1 5/8"
telescoping tubing, but you will need to drill - harder to find and more expensive
punched tubing - more harder to find and a lot more expensive

Jun 7, 2012. 10:49 PMprimedlt says:

Alternative methods can be found here.

www.instructables.com/id/The-IKEAhacked-adjustable-angled-drawing-table/

May 24, 2011. 2:42 PM

jeff-o says:

Something like this?

http://www.wallmountsandbracketscanada.com/LCD-6308.aspx

May 23, 2011. 11:02 AM

steveastrouk says:

If you can get the range of vertical adjustment right, then "gas springs" are great ways to balance the weights - they are onetime adjustable, or fixed weight depending on where you buy them. In the UK for example, I can pick them up from RSWWW.com

May 23, 2011. 6:49 PMJorsher (author) says:

Thanks, will check into those!

May 23, 2011. 2:04 PM

acidbass says:

the "related" bar next to this question is a great tool good luck ! ;-)

May 23, 2011. 12:46 PM

iceng says:

I used to program days on end and used this chair in my office to great advantage. Also have one at my home workshop circuit bench.

The chair changes your posture to the better and as you get older helps
prevent swollen ankles. A

May 23, 2011. 10:29 AM

steveastrouk says:

There are some existing 'ibles on the subject of course - look at the right side of the screen.

There is a pretty well definitive 'ible on treadmill desks from our dear leader here:http://www.instructables.com/id/Treadmill-Desk/

May 23, 2011. 10:48 AMJorsher (author) says:

Thanks, I can see ;)

However, they are not adjustable, which is the primary reason for my question. I commented more below explaining what I'm trying to do since for some reason I couldn't enter a description, but "adjustable" is also in the title. The treadmill desk is nice, but stationary.

May 23, 2011. 9:47 AM

frollard says:

I work 911 - I know your bane. Luckily my desk at work does telescope so we can stand - which is nice.

Really to make it adjustable and easily done so - I'd say have a standard desk that only relies on 2 or 3 supports. then, get telescoping legs for it. You can build them yourself - I'd recommend having a threaded rod in there with a geared motor going to a linkage where it adjusts a screwjack in all 3 legs simultaneously. The physical locked linkage means it would always move parallel and flat.

May 23, 2011. 7:35 AMJorsher (author) says:

Since it wouldn't let me add a description, here we go:

After all the recent articles about how unhealthy it is to be sedentary all day, I'd like to stand up more. Currently, I sit 45 min for my drive to work, sit ~9 hours at work and lunch, sit another 45 min on the drive home, then sit for hours more programming at home. Basically, if I'm not sleeping, I'm probably sitting.

Furthermore, the current desk is a little too small for the 3 x 24" displays. The ones on the side are sitting precariously on the edge.

What I'd like to do is build a DIY adjustable desk. I've only seen a couple examples that weren't just computers sitting on stacks of stuff. I would like for the keyboard and monitors to be adjustable. I figured I could have a horizontal board of wood with VESA mounts for the monitors, but I'd need a way to quickly raise and lower it. The keyboard/mouse would also need to be adjustable in the times I would like to sit. The computer can sit on the floor.

My question is, what's good ideas for hardware I can use to adjust the items up and down? The monitors weigh about 37lbs combined, so all-in-all the adjusting mechanism would need to support 40-45lbs.