Laptop Bubble Stand

Everyone is always making laptop stands that, albeit functional, are rather hideous to look at. This becomes less than ideal when you consider that typically, when the laptop is not on the stand, you have to look at it. I wanted to fix this problem by making a laptop stand that was sleek, stylish, inexpensive and kept my laptop cool. With this in mind, I arrived at wicked cool laptop stand that can be made for under $10. The best part is that not only is it cheap, but it's also dead easy to make.

Main image courtesy of Sarah.

Step 1 Go get stuff

You will need:

A 16" x 16" sheet of 1/8" acrylic (this leaves a little room for margins/scrap)
A heat gun
A ruler
Oven mitts
Two table clamps
A workbench
Some plywood scrap
A laser cutter

(if you don't have a laser cutter, you can download the file in the next step and have a service like Ponoko cut it for you.)

Comments

[MRedu]

This is by far the best laptop stand on instructables (there's a lot of them).

[mvan heemst]

Can I buy one from you? I would like a clear one (not clear blue, just plain clear) I would buy one for $30 including shipping. You are right! No one else makes one that looks as good as yours.

[Klayton Kress]

What does the red button on the wall do. It makes me curious and I have the urge to press the button. On a side note great instructable

[pingo6]

do you mean in like a tech ed room? do not push the button!!! it is an emergency elctrical button that if pushed will shut off power to the WHOLE room. like if someone gets their arm stuck in a woodchipper

[ostomesto]

my school's workshop has that. It reminds me off the game dont press the red button. BUT ITS SO TEMPTING TO PRESS THE RED BUTTOM

[The nerdling]

my school's workshop has one too, but it is so crap, you don't need the key to turn it on; you just push it down then pull out and hehy presto power!!

[DONALDTMCKINNEY]

Has anyone used Ponoko to do the laser cutting yet? What kind of a price?

[mg0930mg]

To everyone complaining about not having a laser cutter. Ask around, your local high school or college may have one, and cut it for you. Also search for laser cutting business on google. You may be able to find one near you. Good luck.

Randofo, great instructable, I love how it looks.

[theawesomeninja]

Not many laser cutters where I'm from, surprising considering my proximity to silicone valley!

[mg0930mg]

Then it looks like you should go to ponoko or some similar service.

[thepelton]

I have one. I'm in Colorado Springs. My Email is [e-mail]

[BBurak]

Really perfect. Good luck with your works.

[pingo6]

i dont think a laser cutter is under 10 bucks

[randofo]

You don't already have one?

[pingo6]

why would i? i dont really need one. plus you cant cut stuff too thick.

[ultrauber]

If you didn't have a laser cutter, you could just use gigantic drill bits, right?

[sethcim]

You could probably use hole saws.

[ItsTheHobbs]

Yes, but be REALLY careful... Don't want it to crack...

[big-jamie]

i just have one question...where did you get a laser cutter and how much are they ? =)

[thetech101]

Check the epilog site linked above. Around 3,000+ dollars. And that's cheap for most lasers.

[Alyakpink]

(removed by author or community request)

[mg0930mg]

You can't spell...or read.
It said for most lasers.

[Alyakpink]

ok well im sorry. all i said was: "ya, $3000, real cheap!" u ddnt need 2 comment on tht at all.
PS: i accidentally clicked remove above 4 the comment so ya thts y it says "removed by author or community request"

[mg0930mg]

You didn't need to comment on this either, then why did you? That's a stupid point to bring up.

[j03tv]

Please put "Using a laser cutter" in the title of your instructable. Most people dont have a laser cutter which makes this project far from affordable and nowhere near $10/

[anres321]

I aggree :D

[randofo]

As it states in step 1:

(if you don't have a laser cutter, you can download the file in the next step and have a service like Ponoko cut it for you.)

Again, that is ponoko.com. It may cost slightly more than $10 to have them cut it, but not much more.

I'm not going to put it in the title. I don't have a welder, but I don't go around complaining on every single welding projects that I don't have the tool and it needs to be branded as such. If I want something welded, then I figure out how to get access to a welder or have someone weld it for me. I don't go around complaining to the person who has made something with their welder about how I can never do their project because I don't own one.

[Templarix47]

Under $10? How bout the laser?

[randofo]

I already had the laser, heat gun and clamps. Doesn't everyone?

[x z i t]

nobody has a laser cutter!

[Templarix47]

Nope! That's just me but how bout everybody else who doesnt have those things? Just buy those just to make a laptop stand and then never use them again? But still cool instructable.

[stephenniall]

Ive been looking at laptop stands and ive had the same problem as you there all ugly !

Im going to cut one like this but at the back im going to cut room for 4 usb ports (from a usb hub) a fan and a wireless card antenna Hopefully ! 

Now to bribe our schools Technology teacher to let me use the laser cutter , Shouldnt be too hard

[bowmaster]

How to persuade a tech teacher.
Pick one:
A: $500 cash.
B: Give them the latest piece of Japanese tech.
C: Hit them with a $10 wrench.

[Ender Wiggin]

 Sounds like C is the most effective (and cheapest) option!

[bowmaster]

Actually, a is most likely to work, C is the least.

[323maderas]

If you bent/folded in 3/4 inch or 1 inch at the bottom of the back of the stand, it wouldn't cut into your legs when you put it on your lap. Also would be very easy to velcro-mount a usb hub to the backside of that, keeping it handy without flopping around. Or a couple of small clips to run your wires (power cable, network cable, usb cables) together to one side. Just ideas...

[porcupinemamma]

wondering the same thing as cmyk

[randofo]

Yes. You should get special acrylic drill bits to prevent cracking. I've seen them up to 1/2"

[immadoc]

seriously, you could start an ebay store with this...

[ki10]

Or Etsy. Great work. I would totally buy this, since I'd have to get the holes done anyway.