Vertical Laptop Stand

Make a vertical laptop stand (inspired by Twelve South's BookArc). Positioning a laptop vertically reduces heat buildup on the bottom and allows it to run much cooler!

Step 1: Measurements

Measure the thickness of your laptop. If you use calipers, I suggest applying some tape on the jaws to avoid scratching your computer.

You'll need to do some calculations to determine the size of all the pieces. All the measurements are in the PDF plans: http://fasteasysmarttool.com/laptop/

Step 2: Step 2: Cut Pieces to Width

I cut down a sheet of 3/4" plywood to a manageable size. Then at the mitre saw, I cut two thin strips (1"), and one thick strip* (2 5/8").

*These dimensions should be adjusted for your laptop per the plans in step 1.

Step 3: Cut Pieces to Length

The mitre saw table is adjusted to 22.5°.

I apply masking tape to the plywood to control tearout.

Step 4: Sanding

Prepare the surfaces for gluing.

Step 5: Tape the Bits Together

Use masking tape to hold everything together before the glue-up.

Step 6: Test Fit

Perfect!

Step 7: Glue-up

Apply glue to all the joints. Let it set overnight.

Step 8: Glue Clean-Up

Clean-up any glue squeeze out, and break the edges with sandpaper.

Step 9: Route Cable Holes (Optional)

On the router table, I cut a slot on each side for cable management.

Step 10: Strength Test!

To be honest... I'm surprised it didn't break :)

Step 11: Apply Finish

I'm using enduro-var. First I pre-raise the grain with water. Then I apply two coats of finish, sanding between each coat.

Step 12: Done!

Your laptop has a new home!

Step 13: Video

Here's a video of the whole process.

Comments

[oliveira.igorm]

What glue did you use?

[Azielaan015]

I like it!

[jmdushi]

A big space saver too! You can place 4 laptops were you can normally placed one.

[primeauxmey3]

Wow. Great work

[Yonatan24]

Wow! That is such a clever idea! Great job on the Instructable, Especially because this you first one (let's not compare it to my first one, I didn't even know how to use steps)

[Yonatan24]

What's that sanding thing that you used at step #4?

[Toolify]

Nothing special, it's a sheet of sandpaper for my 6" random orbit sander. When mounted on the tool, the holes are for dust collection. I just don't bother to buy the sheets anymore, so I use those pads for hand sanding as well. I can see why it might look funny :)

[Yonatan24]

It looks a bit like a bicycle disk brake... :)

[Mike-X]

I think this is the solution to my problem.

[Toolify]

:)

[Just4Fun Media]

That looks amazing! How long did it take to fabricate?

Have a great day! :-)

[Toolify]

Thanks! No more than an hour to build it, excluding time for glue and finish to dry.

[Onixgato]

I like it. I also see it as a smaller version for tablets. Very nice.

[Toolify]

Definetly!

[seamster]

This is a great looking stand!

Very solid instructions and building techniques too. Excellent first instructable! Hope you'll share more of the things you make :)

[Toolify]

Thank you – I will definitely share more!

[wolfsingleton]

Nicely done. I tried making a wooden stand for a tablet, but it had a tendency to scrape the finish/screen. If you run into the same, try strips from a dollar store microfiber lens cloth glued to the contact faces for protection. Also, with the two cable management notches, does a laptop charger fit in the middle space with the cords run from each side?

[Toolify]

Thank you! You bring up a good point there about the finish wearing off on the computer, I'll keep an eye on it. A charger should fit below the stand, but maybe the cable notch on the AC side will have to be a little larger.