demountable laptop stand

This stand is made from plywood, it comes apart into 4 pieces to stow in a laptop bag. I think the pictures are self explanatory.

No dimensions are given here as you will have to measure your own machine to fit. Be sure to make the lip at the front a bit larger than I did to hold the laptop securely in place. The top edge of each piece is covered with a slice of rubber from a modelshop, I used Araldite 2-part contact adhesive to attach this, it hasn't worked all that well.

The holes are drilled for lightness and airflow, you could be clever with this in all sorts of ways but I wanted to finish quickly.

Making tips: cut the holes with a hole cutter(if you have one) not an auger bit as this will splinter the ply. Don't cut the holes too big or too near the edges as this will create weak points.

that's it really.

Step 1: Enhancements

Because of the slot- together construction it is not that easy to carry the whole thing around- I will soon be adding some kind of 'tusk' or pin to hold the pieces together. I suggest cutting the slots so that the pieces that span from the front to the back support the pieces that span across the width of the laptop. This way if you pick the whole thing up it stays together as long as you hold it by the sides, which feels most natural.

Comments

[popproject]

hmm, maybe some corrugated cardboard would also work well as an alternative to wood. great instructable, thanks!

[guitfan]

Hi! I really like this design. I'm going to try to make it and I'm also going to use the bottom flat piece with piano hinges idea. You can fold and unfold and it should be more stable because the hinges hold the side pieces. Moreover, a top flat piece will let holding the back & front sides with hinges too. So we'll have two flat pieces with two folding parts you can carry in the laptop's case. Just take out, unfold and fit. I'll be working on.

[racastro62]

Hi djsc, it's the best design I saw till now. It's simple, but has many things into account: Ventilation, position, portability, a light weight. Really good! Congratulations, Raúl

[HandyMan1959]

The idea of a bottom flat piece is good, you would just use piano hinges to attach the bottom to the side uprights and they would fold flat when disassembled.

[gargy]

If folks wanted it for their lap, they could add a flat bottom piece too... which would also help in holding it together. Maybe putting some dowel pins to insert inside the corners of the structure, in order to stabilize, and keep in place. (if you follow my thinking. Just some thoughts. Great idea!

[djsc]

yes, I follow. I have found myself carrying my laptop, complete with stand, from room to room at home and the slotted design is a bit dodgy on the move, could do with a redesign for use on the lap. have you seen something called the laptop easel? google it.

[pfirsch]

I think that this is a great idea and I think that if keep all the pieces in some kind of long, narrow bag, carrying it around wouldn't be an issue. Could you post some pictures of the stand without the laptop so that it's easier to see how the pieces fit together?

[djsc]

hey, I've uploaded a sketch to show how it goes together, the widthwise pieces slot on top of the other two. thanks for your comment

[pfirsch]

hey, I've uploaded a sketch to show how it goes together, the widthwise pieces slot on top of the other two.
The sketch is extremely helpful. Thanks!

thanks for your comment
You're welcome.