Introduction: Laptop Cooling Stand (using a 2x6)

My HP Zbook is a decent laptop, however placing it on the bed or on my lap while using it tends to get it hot. So i started using a piece of plywood as a stand however it did not look great and it was too heavy to carry it around from once place to another.

So i decided to make a laptop stand that would be easy on the eyes, light weight and provide enough air flow to keep my laptop cool.

Step 1: Tools and Material

This is a simple project and needs some basic tools and material.

1) A 2 foot piece of 2x6 lumber

2) Wood glue

3) Measuring tape

4) Table saw

5) Spring clamps

6) Sand paper

7) Final Finish Material (in this case I used Stain and Mineral Oil)

Step 2: Cutting the Stock

I set the fence from the table saw blade to 1/4" and cut off 7 strips (1-1/2" W x 1/4" T x 24" L)

The long ends of the strips were cut off on either side by 1/8" to cleanup the edges (1-1/4" W x 1/4" T x 24"L)

Each strip was cut down to 1-1/4" W x 1/4' x 10" L. This means I now have 14 strips to work with from the original 7.

I tilted the angle of the blade on the table saw to 7 degrees and sliced of a 1/4" strip. This would be the top portion of the laptop stand.


Step 3: Sanding, Chamfering and Glue Up

Using a hand plane I chamfered all the edges of the strips.

Then using a sander (220 grit), I sanded all sides of the strips.

Using alot of glue I glued the triangular structure as shown in the images.

I also cut and glued a 1/4" x 1/4" wood strip at the shorter end of the structure to prevent the laptop from sliding of the stand.

Step 4: Finish

Once all the glue had dried up, I gave the stand one last quick sanding.

I applied a coat of Mineral oil and English Chestnut stain (50%, 50% mix) and wiped it off.

And that was it.

The stand works as planned, it is light weight, has lots of air flow and provides a stable structure for the laptop.

Step 5: