The laptop stand is designed for Benjamin. He's a teenager and he likes to chat online, scroll facebook, etc. But because he doesn't see well, he bends over towards his screen. Leaving him with a bad posture and severe back pain.

The stand was designed together with and especially for Benjamin. What we aimed to design was a piece of furniture in a way there would be no stigmatizing.

The shape of the stand is made to flex a bit toward the laptop instead of toppling over. In the top part there is a slot, in which the tabletop can slide. To keep the laptop upright we incorporated a trestle in the tabletop. The tabletop comes to a height of 66 cm.

By keeping the design simple we hope we can help more people than just Benjamin to keep their backs straight.

Good Luck!

Céline, Yves and Jolan ;)

Step 1: Used Tools

A lot of tools have been used for this build. If you do not know how to use any of these tools, please ask someone who does.

drilling machine
chamfering drill
drill diameter 3mm

screw machine
drill bits
screws (types in step 3)

panel saw
guides
clamps

router
milling heads

sanding machine
sanding block
high and low grit sandpaper

spatula
chisel
clamps
rag
ruler + square

Step 2: Used Materials

3x35 mm screws: 28 total
4x50 mm screws: 12 total
We used Spax screws, you could use what you prefer.

18 mm plywood: 120x150 cm
12 mm plywood: 22x35 cm
Of course you can also use solid wood. This would make the edges a lot stronger as well as sanding the wood a lot easier.

plastic wood
wood glue
pattex compact
fake leather strips: 2 m
fake leather: 35x21,8 cm

Make sure you have enough materials.

For the build we made some plans as a preparation. Watch out, on the plans all the measurements are in millimeters.

Pieces TOP 3, BOTTOM 2, BOTTOM 3 and all the CORNERS need to be sawn in an angle. Make sure all your angles are correct so everything fits. Check your table saw setting by sawing a test piece (depth of cutting changes with the angle). To save wood you can reuse the angles from pieces you have already sawn.

plans laptop stand.pdf
Download

Step 3: Sawing the Board

Using the plans all the pieces can be sawn. To make sure everything is correct we did a test fit with everything on its side. If some of the angles are not correct you can take the sander and adjust them. But don't panic when you have some small gaps, you won't see those after the screws are pulled in.

We went and bought a big board which was 240x120 cm. The rest of the board we used as our working table.

Step 4: Making the Bottom

Making the bottom starts with BOTTOM 1 and BOTTOM 2. First add some wood glue, get everything lined up and screw the screws in. Make sure you screw in an angle so the screws don't exit the wood on the surface. For a good result ask another person to hold the pieces together. Glue residue can be easily cleaned using a small chisel and rag.

After these two are put together BOTTOM 3 can be put in. Put wood glue on both sides, get it lined up and screw to BOTTOM 1. Now draw a line on BOTTOM 2 so your screws line up. Screw BOTTOM 3 to BOTTOM 2. Again for a good result ask another person to hold the pieces together.

We used 5 screws divided over the total width of the pieces.
15 screws used: 3x35 mm

Step 5: Making the Top

For the top we are going to screw everything from the underside, so make sure the finest side of the wood is facing the right way. Because we are using bigger screws (5x40 mm) for the top, we pre-drilled all the holes through TOP 2 and the CORNERS. After chamfering all the holes in TOP 2 we put in some wood glue, placed the clamps and screwed TOP 1, the CORNERS and TOP 2 together.

We used 5 screws divided over the total width of the pieces.
10 screws used: 5x40 mm

When done, you can test fit the TABLETOP. We have a gap of 4 mm between the TABLETOP and TOP 1.

Step 6: Assembling Top and Bottom

For connecting the TOP and the BOTTOM we used both types of screws. After aligning and adding wood glue, we screwed in the biggest screws (5x40 mm) on both ends (see photo's). Make sure that while screwing you don't hit the screws you already screwed in the top. And make sure the big screws are deep enough so that you can hide them afterwards. Then we screwed the smaller screws from the inside.

We used 5 screws divided over the total width of the pieces.
2 screws used: 5x40 mm
3 screws used: 3x35 mm

Time for the last piece, TOP 3 can be put in the same way as BOTTOM 3. Put wood glue on both sides, get it lined up and screw to the TOP. Now draw a line on BOTTOM 2 so your screws line up. Screw TOP 3 to BOTTOM 2 and done. Again for a good result ask another person to hold the pieces together.

We used 5 screws divided over the total width of the pieces.
10 screws used: 3x35 mm

Step 7: Milling the Desktop

This is the hardest part of the build, milling the slot in the TABLETOP.

Make sure you have your contour drawn out in a thick line. Using the router and the guide we made a first slot. We went to the total depth of 12 mm in one go. Make sure you plan ahead how you are going to keep the router supported or you could get some pits like I did.

When the biggest slot is done, two smaller slots are made to keep the TRESTLE upright. These slots are roughly 93 mm from the sides and run across the whole length.

For the cleanest result you mill this using a mounted router or CNC mill.

To finish this part we glued on pieces of sky using pattex. We tested several glues and pattex worked just as well as more expensive textile glue. Make sure you get good coverage, press firmly and put some weight on for an hour.

Step 8: Making the Trestle

Now the hardest part is done, it's time for the easiest part.

Both parts of the TRESTLE get rounded on the outside so they would fit nicely in the previously milled slot. Next the fake leather, we used sky, gets glued on using pattex. We tested several glues and pattex worked just as well as more expensive textile glue. Make sure you get good coverage, press firmly and put some weight on for an hour.

When it's all dried, you can start with drilling the holes for the fake leather strips. Make sure you put a piece of scrap wood beneath you piece so the leather doesn't come loose. We drilled 19 holes on each side. Starting 0,5 cm from the edge, then 1 cm and after that 2 cm between each hole till you get to the other side (see photo). After that you can pull/push the fake leather strips through. To push them through I used a crochet needle. Whilst pulling through the strips make sure it's not to tight so the TRESTLE can still fold. End with a double knot close to the surface.

Step 9: Finishing the Laptop Stand

Almost done, keep it up!

Now to fill up all the screw heads with plastic wood. Use the spatula for a nice result, let it dry, sand it gently and fill it up again. Using the sanding machine all the surfaces can be sanded, start with a high grit and end with a low one. To get all the corners we used a sanding block.

For the finishing touch on the laptop stand you could use varnish, a natural oil or paint it over.