Introduction: 3-in-1 Desktop Organizer

About: Making things for the thrill of it.

This piece of desktop accessory was designed to serve 3 different functions.

  1. Laptop Stand: props the laptop up by 18cm from the surface of the desktop. This is the ideal ergonomic height making the top of the screen aligned to eye level.
  2. Organizer Tray: the built-in drawer at the front provides easy access for all your desktop stationaries.
  3. Docking Station: when the laptop is in docking position, things like power adaptors and hard drives can easily be plugged in but remain out of sight.

Step 1: Materials

test

This project was made entirely with plexiglass and held together by metal fasteners. Here's a list of materials I used for the build.

  • 5mm acrylic sheet (55cm x 60cm)
  • 3mm acrylic sheet (40cm x 40cm)
  • M5 x 20mm brass machine screw and nuts (x8)
  • M3 x 15mm stainless steel machine screw and nuts (x6)
  • white spray paint

Dimensions are tailer made for a 15" MacBook Pro. But will also work for all laptops 13" and above.

Step 2: Cut File and Assembly

All pieces were cut with a laser cutter. (cutting file attached)

I used transparent acrylic and spray painted the casing white, all the interior partitions were left transparent.

There were three pieces labeled 1 and 2 that were laminated using acrylic solvent cement. All the other pieces are assembled glue free using the machine screws.

Step 3: Footnotes

Connection Detail

The detail of the machine screws was a result of the decision to make the assembly process glue free. I quite liked this detail and I felt like the brass finish complements the white paint nicely. You can of course avoid this complication by simply gluing the pieces together. For gluing acrylic, I think a solvent-type bonding agent work best. I apply it with a brush and the bond forms almost instantly.

Dimensions

The height of the laptop stand at 18cm was designed according to the height of my desk and chair and my height. This is a dimension you might want to adjust according to the setup of your person workspace.

The dimension of the docking station is in fact the leftover space from propping up the laptop, which naturally forms a triangular shaped space underneath. This space was enough for me to store things like power adaptors, chargers, and hard drives. but if you need more accessories to be plugged into your laptop you should adjust this space accordingly.

Organization Contest

Participated in the
Organization Contest