Anyone tried one of these? I've been curious:
http://www.anthro.com/computer-furniture.aspx?desk=elevate-a...
http://www.anthro.com/computer-furniture.aspx?desk=fit-adjus...
How to hack yourself a standing desk - an illustrated guide
41–50 of 72 posts
Re: How to hack yourself a standing desk - an illustrated guide
#42how long do you guys work ? This works for a couple of hours, but I can't imagine how it feels after coding 14 hours. Best could be to change after several hours between a standing and sitting position.
Re: How to hack yourself a standing desk - an illustrated guide
#43Google the Ikea Jerker desk. They discontinued the standup model - or rather the model that could be configured as such - but you'd probably be able to find one used on craigslist or ebay. It is designed for this specifically, although it is big, so you need a good deal of space. I've been using one in my home office for about 7 years now.
There's actually a current model at Ikea that works awesomely as a stand up desk: The Fredrik. http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/00115992 I own one and enjoy it greatly.
I got the Vika Amon http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S79831622> with Vika Kaj adjustable legs. http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/60105301>
Turns out 34" is too low -- I'm 6", and it seems 41" would be about right -- so I'm using books to raise my monitor, keyboard, and mouse. A lot of books in the case of the monitor.
Re: How to hack yourself a standing desk - an illustrated guide
#44Most of these hacks (and the comments in this post) miss a crucial point about standing desks. They are supposed to be ergonomic. [1] Putting your laptop on a bunch of boxes puts a lot of strain on your arms. Of course this also doesn't work if you have a big display on your desk. I'd be interested in hacking a standing desk that is 1) ergonomic 2) offers support for both laptops and big displays 3) has a usable keyb…
Is the monitor height a rule, or a guide?
I spend most of my time in a Linux terminal, where the command I type appears at the bottom of the screen.
I figure that diagram assumes you're looking around the top third of the screen, so raise my monitor a bit higher than that.
Re: How to hack yourself a standing desk - an illustrated guide
#45If you are interested in ergonomics, don't use a laptop keyboard in your office; not on a desk, or on a chair on a desk.
There's simply no way to use the laptop keyboard, and have the screen at the right height.
Use the laptop to drive your big display, and connect your keyboard and mouse to it. The ergonomics of a laptop alone are bad. Its great to have a laptop for travelling, but if you care about your body, use a better setup for your office.
Re: How to hack yourself a standing desk - an illustrated guide
#46Anyone tried one of these? I've been curious: http://www.anthro.com/computer-furniture.aspx?desk=elevate-a... http://www.anthro.com/computer-furniture.aspx?desk=fit-adjus...
Anthro builds great stuff.
I had something similar to the Adjusta Unit in the second link. It was very sturdy and high quality. The adjustable mechanism worked flawlessly. The only problem was the that the unit I purchased was designed to fit in a corner and was HUGE. It would take up far too much space in my current office.
Re: How to hack yourself a standing desk - an illustrated guide
#47Earlier quoted context omitted.
You really shouldn't support the weight of your arms using your wrists or forearms. If you're standing with proper posture, your upper arms are nicely aligned with the body, and your muscles should easily support the minimal weight of your forearms. Edit: incidentally, as I'm experimenting with a standing desk, I have a stool which is about a foot too low to stand on. I do, however, find myself using it to accomplish…
Right, but I mean is it good to support your arms with your elbows in the same position for hours to possibly years? I didn't mean for fatigue. It just doesn't seem to me (as a layman) as if any of our joints would appreciate that over the long-term.
Supporting your forearms in a neutral position using your musculoskeletal should be much, much better for you than by using external pressure on your forearms or (worse) wrists. It's really very, very little weight, and certainly no strain on the elbows.
Keep in mind that you aren't typing or mousing all the time. In a standing position, I find that I'm much more likely to drop my hands by my sides, or cross my arms when thinking, than I am when sitting at a desk.
Re: How to hack yourself a standing desk - an illustrated guide
#48Earlier quoted context omitted.
I mean - more of the actual use (non-chair-on-table) solutions?
To further stack my own mini-thread: I had a hernia two years ago, 31 year old developer. I've seen some treadmill standing working hacks, I've tried the balance ball idea (I'm 1.92m - knees to high up for biggest balance ball). I use Workrave consistently to lock me out of my PC out every 30 minutes, to force me to walk around and avoid pain medication. Recommendations, tips, tricks, and and easy to build schematic…
Do you have a circular saw, a drill, some screws, and access to 2x4s?
Re: How to hack yourself a standing desk - an illustrated guide
#49I switched to a standing desk about six months ago. I started by piling a bunch of books on my desk and putting my laptop on top of them. Later I bought this: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001MS70Z2/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp... It's a tolerably good desk, except that it's a bit small and, while it's veneered to look like plywood, it's actually made of pasteboard with a laminate veneer (that was a big disappointment when i…
I entirely agree with you, excepting for your comment about shoes. In most circumstances, the best way to avoid foot problems is not to "buy better footware/orthotics" but rather to strengthen your feet. If you are skeptical, look into the "minimalist" running movement. There is quite a bit of research which suggests that the human foot is itself a better support system than any external aid. The problem is that, liv…
I'm skeptical of this in the long term (10+ years). A good number of people simply have flawed feet, resulting in pronation, supination, and any number of other pain-inducing mechanical oddities.
Re: How to hack yourself a standing desk - an illustrated guide
#50If you are using laptop, put http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/40104270 on top of your desk.
it is only $9.99