Balance Ball Desk Chair

Many of us spend a lot of time in front of the computer, developing horrible posture and are further guilty of spending too little time strengthening our core and bettering our balance.  I've tried to alter this behavior but find myself quickly back at the keyboard slouching with my balancing ball deflating in the corner.

Inspired by the commercially available and all-too-pricey balance ball desk chairs out there, I decided to make my own with the ball I already I own, some PVC, wheels and a few tools.  The ball can also be very easily removed (simply lifted out), so you can use it for working out.  This is an inexpensive and easy project that will (hopefully) force an end to slouching and work those abs while 'working' or in my case 'studying' (yeah, not so much studying as fantasizing about bookshelves and LED throwies while on Instructables).

Note:  If you have back/neck problems or at all concerned about how this might affect your back/neck/whatever, please consult your doctor or physical therapist.  I am not responsible if injury or further injury occurs to you or anyone else as a result of this DIY guide.

Step 1: Supplies

You'll need the following for this project:

Balance ball (I used a small sized one, but I think a medium might be better; the large might be too high for the desk)
4 12" pieces of 1 1/4" PVC pipe
4 1 1/4" PVC elbows
PVC primer & cement (I have ones with the brushes inside; if you don't have that, add brushes to your supply list)
4 2" twin wheel casters with stems ... the ones that have the metal piece that the stems snap into (brakes are a nice feature too)
Spray paint (or duct tape, which is what I had on hand and used ... but probably does not look as good)

Tools:
Saw (if you need to cut the PVC down)
Sandpaper (I had 150 grit, which worked fine)
Drill & 3/8" bit (to fit the wheel stem, so adjust bit size as needed)
Hammer
Sharpie
Paper towel

Step 2: Building the Base (Part I)

Start by sanding the ends of each 12" PVC pipe.  You don't need to sand much and only where the elbows will overlap.

Next, put your pipes together to form a square, making sure it is even (i.e. place it on a hard floor and check that all corners are making contact).  Take the sharpie and at each pipe-elbow connection, draw a short line across the two pieces and number both so that you can line things up correctly when you make the permanent connection.  Disassemble your PVC square.

Locate to a well-ventilated area and put down some paper towel.  Give your PVC primer and cement a good shake and brush the purple primer on the ends of the 12" pipe and the inside of the elbows, covering where they will be overlapping.  Place these on the paper towel to stay clean and dry, which should be pretty fast.

For this part, you want to be fairly quick so that your cement doesn't dry before you get your connections made.  Brush the cement on one end of a 12" pipe and inside the corresponding (matching numbers) elbow.  Connect the two pieces, pushing the elbow on as far as it will go and matching your drawn lines.  Hold this for about 10 to 15 seconds.  Do this for each connection.  The last one might be a little tricky to close the square.  This should also dry pretty fast.

Step 3: Building the Base (Part II)

If you plan to paint your base, now is a good time to do it.  I didn't have any and didn't want to spend the money, so I just wrapped red duct tape that I did have around it after I got the wheels on.

If you have a preference for which side is the top and which the bottom for the base, place the bottom facing up.  Drill a hole in each of the four corners (in approximately the same position at each corner).  Take the metal pieces that the wheel stems snap into and stick one in each of your drilled holes, and if necessary, hammer them the rest of the way down.  You don't need them flush--just tight and each in as far as the others.  Snap your four wheels in.

If you are using duct tape like me, start wrapping.  I did a pretty quick job of wrapping the duct tape, so I'm sure you could make it look a lot nicer if you felt so inclined.

Step 4: Have a Seat

Now out with the old, slouch-enabling desk chair, and put your PVC base and the balance ball on top of that in its place.  You are ready to sit at your desk, cruise Instructables for your next project and work your core!

Comments

[JadedEnthusiasms]

This is so great!!! I am having significant health issues and just had news that its not something that can get better now, among a bunch if other junk....anyway, sorry...I say that to say art is my happy place and to keep my head busy on good positive beautiful (and a lot of ugly 😊) things. So I've worked hard to get my art(dining) table cleaned off with the little bit of energy I have. And I love using my exercise ball to sit on! I can lean all over as I'm thinking. But, when I realize I've forgotten to grab something, its definitely not an easy-to-use thing always. Getting it situated and close enough again is a hassle. So I've been looking for something affordable, as opposed to the ridiculous priced stuff you can buy, to be able to roll over to my supplies, or just even the ability to push back away, go grab more water, sit and slide in with difficulty. Plus it rolls, so I can still move all over as I need. Because once I get started, I have a tendency to forget everything else until I realize its dark. I only get those days occasionally now, but this, when we can afford the parts(super cheap, I know, but, my medical has us barely able to buy food and hopefully keep our home, so this can wait, but as soon as we can this will absolutely happen and I'm super excited about it!!
Thank you so much for the inspiration and help and giving me a smile and something I'm looking forward too :) I truly appreciate it!!
Thanks again and sorry for the long comment🙄😳🤦🏻‍♀️
Jade

[MarkoV20]

I remember buying my first yoga ball and I could sit on it for an hour at most. Balance ball chair is better, albeit sitting on one for 8 hours is still a challenge but I guess that's the point of it. Making one is very easy if you have a yoga ball, you only need the structure to put it in. This is how it should look like: http://www.balanceballchairreviews.com/

[Ninzerbean]

 Why the stand? Do you put your feet on it? I have a ball that the kids use when playing video games as an extra chair, but I have no idea why I would need the stand - can you show a photo of how to use the stand while someone is sitting? This seems like a great idea.

[dustycotton]

For me at the office, the stand is awesome so I can roll around my desk area to access the various drawers and files. Otherwise the ball sticks to the carpet and I am constantly having to reposition it each time I need to move.

[k24tea]

Your solution is much more elegant than mine. I made a simple ring out of a pool float tube to keep my ball from skating out from under me when I start to sit on it. It really helps, since I don't have a carpeted floor for friction to help keep the ball from skittering across my hardwood floor. Tthe ring I made is about 15" diameter and just sits on the floor. The ball can move freely inside the ring while I'm sitting. That way I still get that good core-strengthening instability when I'm sitting on the ball. Seems to me that if the frame completely constrains the ball from rolling you lose the core-strengthening value because you don't have to maintain balance on the ball. Either way, I find that sitting on the ball is better for lumbar posture than slouching in a chair.And with a frame or stand I'm not as likely to spill my tea when I start to sit down on the ball and it skitters away! I think I'll make a frame like yours to hold my elongated exercise "bean" ball on end so it can double as a counter stool. Thanks for a good Instructable!