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laptop tripod

laptop tripod
My netbook is great; it's small, portable and has enough juice to do everything I need when I'm on the move. However, there's been times where I need to conduct work in a specific area and there's no desk or suitable space to set my computer down and type. There's even been a few close calls where my laptop has almost fallen from resting on top of printers, cluttered desk space and stacks of other junk.

Time to combine may portable little laptop with the stability of a tripod, time for a laptop tripod!

Whether you're in the field writing a report or stuck in an office looking for a place to set down your computer, a laptop tripod should have you covered. Depending on the type of tripod you have there is a maximum weight and size limit your laptop will be able to hold, so remix the dimensions and ideas here to make your own.

Enough talk, let's make something!
 
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Step 1Tools + materials

tools + materials
To make your own laptop tripod you'll need a tripod with a quick-release head. You can order extra quick-release heads for your tripod online.

tools materials
  • drill + wood bits
  • wood saw
  • hammer
  • sandpaper
  • pencil
  • straight edge
  • scrap wood (plywood, dowels, molding)
  • wood glue
  • extra tripod quick-release
  • rubber tubing
  • wood screws
  • hex head bolt
  • 1/4" tee nut (20 thread)
.
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28 comments
Feb 1, 2012. 5:43 AM1337engine says:
Looks very very professional i have to say. Though that tripod you're using does not look cheap.
Jan 26, 2012. 10:15 AMiamunique127 says:
Great idea for securing the tubing- simple, easy to make and easy to use.
Dec 18, 2011. 1:10 PMteodoropires says:
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!
Oct 16, 2011. 9:30 AMsutlaf says:
Another important reason:

Scientists at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Louisiana analyzed the lifestyles of more than 17,000 men and women over about 13 years, and found that people who sit for most of the day are 54 percent more likely to die of heart attacks.

That’s right—I said 54 percent!

Masters immediately called the lead researcher at Pennington, a professor named Peter Katzmarzyk. Turns out, this wasn’t the first study to link sitting and heart disease. Similar research actually dates back to 1953, when British researchers found that (sitting) bus drivers were twice as likely to die of heart attacks as (standing) trolley operators.

Here’s the most surprising part: “We see it in people who smoke and people who don’t,” Katzmarzyk told Masters. “We see it in people who are regular exercisers and those who aren’t. Sitting is an independent risk factor.”

In other words, it doesn’t matter how much you exercise or how well you eat. If you sit most of the day, your risk of leaving this world clutching your chest—whether you’re a man or women—as much as doubles.
Dec 8, 2011. 2:14 PMsiafulinux says:
That's very interesting, but it's also bad to stand all the time too. I guess it's all about balance.
Nov 15, 2011. 7:31 AMbumblebin says:
Love this! Especially with the massive adjustable and compact-able options that come with a good tripod.
I've only had one employer that offered adjustable height desks to allow for periods of standing - a great solution beyond the wobbly stack of cardboard boxes.
Oct 28, 2011. 8:37 PMoleshooter308 says:
I'm gonna use this one! I have a Bogen tripod with a horizontal arm, and can even use it in a chair or bed with that (until I figure out something else). The arm is on a ball swivel at the top of the mount, and also slide back and forth. From the 35mm days (which I'm still in).
Oct 18, 2011. 12:59 AMMRedu says:

Excellent idea! Probably the best cheap laptop tripod i've seen!
Oct 2, 2011. 7:20 PMCrucio says:
Absolutely fantastic idea. This is great for people like me who sit a lot for work and sometimes want to stand to break the monotony. :p

Thanks Mike!
Aug 16, 2011. 2:40 PMsiafulinux says:
This is brilliant! Not a bad idea at all. I'm thinking the tripod can be carried in my bag along with the laptop and I can whip that bad boy out just about anywhere and get to work.
Jul 27, 2011. 8:42 AMjames_alfa says:
very nice instructable im gonna try to adapt it to for iPad and work as well for the laptop
Jul 31, 2011. 11:25 AMben_xman says:
Might try something along the lines of my iPod Tripod. I know its for smaller iPods but I'm sure you could adapt it to an iPad. Plus it uses the same adaptor that this tripod uses. Maybe just bend the wires differently.
Jul 8, 2011. 12:25 AMbözden says:
Great idea! We usually have the same problem on site while we are preparing museum exhibitions.
Jul 7, 2011. 11:07 PMJohnyT says:
Very nice project.
But i would suggest to add some venting holes in strategic places (behind the grills on laptop), just in case :)
Jul 7, 2011. 7:05 AMsusanrm says:
Nice instructable! I could see using a thinner support and making it possible to unscrew from the tripod mount so I didn't have to waste a mount on this permanently. (I have a tiny netbook .)
Jul 7, 2011. 2:54 PMBigShotUK says:
I used to do that with my SLR and my camcorder.
The day I got a new head for the tripod and could keep one with each was such a relief. It's complete hassle trying to remember which bit of kit the head is with or swapping the head over and back. Unless you've got a very expensive tripod, the chances are another head will cost very little and so probably worth getting one just for this.
Jul 7, 2011. 4:28 PMsusanrm says:
I can see doing that if you use both often enough. Since I don't, I just unscrew the head from whichever camera and put it back in the tripod. Makes life easier for me. :-) Plus the company that made my tripod is out of business, as far as I can tell. It's a decent tripod that I got brand new at a yard sale.
Jul 7, 2011. 9:13 AMgary.918 says:
very cool. i will have to bulid one. well done
Jul 7, 2011. 7:04 AMestructor says:
Nice. I built pretty much this same thing last year when a friend broke his arm in a bicycle crash. I used 1/4" Plexiglas for the platform, and a wood ledge at the bottom to hold books or a laptop. This year, I used another version to hold an iPad with a slideshow running at a bicycle trade show. For that stand I used a Park bike stand, the tripod type, to hold up the "lectern" platform. For a secure grip I put large hook and loop pieces under a basic ipad case and on the platform as well.
Jul 7, 2011. 6:49 AMLindie says:
I really like that!
Jul 7, 2011. 6:13 AMjolshefsky says:
A sweet addition (for those with something more akin to a space heater than a notebook) would be fans mounted right in the base. Nice Instructable! It can also be a start to a standing workstation to try it out without building a big desk.
Jul 6, 2011. 2:04 PMsunshiine says:
Thanks for posting your hard work! This is a great idea!
Jul 6, 2011. 2:29 AMgmjhowe says:
I made mine using a base board I had already made for my vesa mount arm laptop holder, just needed to glue a tripod fitting in the bottom!

Jul 6, 2011. 9:48 AMdepotdevoid says:
Sweet, I may have to try this, though my laptop could be too bulky . . . where do you get a spare tripod quick release? Are they standard, something you can pick up anywhere?
Jul 6, 2011. 10:53 AMlhix says:
I LOVE this!!!
Jul 6, 2011. 5:26 AMsplazem says:
Awesome!

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Author:mikeasaurus(michaelsaurus.com)
I'm the Play Editor here at Instructables! I like mixing old ideas with new and reusing things not for their intended purpose; the results are sometimes messy but always fun. I also write the thrift-...
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