Laptop Stand

If, like me, you have a pet laptop that follows you from room to room and hardly ever leaves the house; this might be just the thing for you.

• Raises the screen (great when slouching on a couch or in bed)
• Raises keyboard for easier typing and seeing keys in low light
• Stops the fan being obstructed when placed on soft surfaces
• Looks awesome

Step 1: Mockup/Prototype

• Start by finding two bolts that are slightly larger than the counterbore for the screws on the back side of the laptop. Gently screw them into the counterbore. You may need to drill the hole slightly larger. I filed a sharp edge onto the bolts to act as a tap. I also made a test piece using acrylic. If it doesn't crack the acrylic it wont bust the less brittle ABS laptop base. I would go into more detail but if you don't get it yet you really shouldn't be drilling into you laptop anyway :)

• Drill some holes in a board to accept the bolt and cut the bolts to the right length for your desired laptop angle.

• Bend some screw hooks to hold the front edge in place.

I played around with this prototype for many weeks until I had it adjusted correctly.

Step 2: Base

• Take a bamboo chopping board ($2 from a dollar store) and cut it to width

• Drill counterbores and thru holes on the underside for the bolts

Step 3: Spacers

• Use aluminium tube (originally from an old TV antenna) and attach it to a drill to cleaned it up with some wet/dry sandpaper.

• Cut it to length for use as spacers for the bolts and the handle.

Step 4: Handle

• Rip another piece of bamboo to width for the handle.

• Drill a thru hole for a wood screw and a pilot hole in the other board

• Assemble with spacers

Step 5: Plugs

• I happened to have a stainless steel tube that was the same diameter as the aluminium used for the spacers. I filed some crude teeth onto the end to make a plug cutter

• Press the plug into a section of aluminum tube

• Press the assembled plug into the counterbore for the handle screws then cut and sand flush

Step 6: Assembly

• Insert the bolts through the base and spacer and then into the base of the laptop

• Add some heat shrink or electrical tape to the straightened screw hooks its complete