Budget Friendly Computer Monitor Stand ($10)

Super cheap monitor stand i made for about $10 and some scrap wood i had lying around.

Step 1: What You Need

I used some walnut plywood off-cuts, some MDF and a little hardboard to make this stand. You could use whatever you want really.

This was my second attempt at this stand, i originally used 1/2" mdf for the whole thing. Big mistake, no where near enough strength. The 3/4" plywood worked great for the main support pieces.

1 x 20" by 3.5" piece of 3/4" plywood.

2 x 3.5" by 3.5" pieces of 3/4" plywood

1 x 5" by 5" piece of 1/2" MDF

2 x 1/4" T nuts ( The silver spikey things pictured above)

2 x bolts to fit the T nuts, at least 1/8" longer than the thickness of the wood you use

4 x M4 bolts with a 0.7 pitch than can be up to 10mm (3/8) longer than the thickness of wood used for the back plate.

(most flat panel monitors use a universal bolt system called VESA, the holes on the back of the monitor will accept M4 bolts up to a depth of 10mm

A small piece of hardboard to space the bottom two back plate holes correctly

Screws

Wood Glue

Step 2: Mounting the Backplate

I didn't know about the universal hole sizes on the monitor at the time i cut the wood, i used a piece of paper and a pencil to figure out the hole locations by shading over the holes. Then i could transfer this to my wood and also figure out the best size for the back plate.

The holes were 4" apart

I had to use a small piece of hardboard to get the correct spacing between the monitor and the wood for the bottom two holes. Not knowing that when i bought the bolt i used i had to countersink these holes so that the bolts would get a good grip.

I mounted the back plate flush and level with the top of the 20" piece of plywood.

**It is very important that everything is square and level, you really notice it when your monitor is out just a few degrees**

Step 3: Clamping the Stand to the Desk

To make the clamp i first measured the thickness of my desk. I have an Ikea desk and the edge is nice and square. If you had some sort of decorative edge on your desk i'm not sure how this would work.

This measurement would be the exact distance between the two 3.5" pieces that form the clamp. The tighter the fit the better.

Before you attach the plywood together make sure you install the T Nuts, They will take some hammering in. I used a scrap piece of wood to protect everything. These T Nuts allow the bolt to pass through the wood and when tightened onto the desk act as a clamp keeping everything in place. I had to countersink mine because i originally bought bolts based on 1/2" thick wood. If you bought the correct size bolts they would sit just above the surface of the wood.

I used pocket holes to attach the plywood together, but you could glue and screw it how you like.

Step 4: All Done

Just attach the monitor to the stand and slide onto your desk and tighten down. (don't over tighten ad this will weaken the wood joints, just enough to keep everything where you want it)

I was surprised just how sturdy and stable this turned out. I think i will paint it black in the near future.

Thanks

Phil