Tell me about your standing desk? - PaleoHacks.com

Tell me about your standing desk?

2010-07-22T18:14:56Z

If you have one, where did you get it? Or did you make it? What materials did you use?

Answer by Brandon for Tell me about your standing desk?

2010-07-22T18:41:40Z

I did a blog post about mine a year ago. It's just a bookcase, but it's the perfect height for computer use.

I don't stand for the whole day (or even most of the day when I'm relaxing) so I also have a 36" stool to sit on. I actually like it better than softer chairs, I think it encourages better posture. It's kinda hard to slump on a stool. I could be wrong on that though.

The monitors are ideally raised up a little bit when standing and pushed down when sitting so the top of the screens are at eye-height, which is ergonomically optimal or something.

The elevated shelf on the bottom is a foot rest and the books are to weight the thing (it's a cheap bookshelf).

Answer by Primal Toad for Tell me about your standing desk?

2010-07-22T19:19:12Z

I personally own this exact one.

Yes, it is expensive at $237. But, it is so worth it. I am 5'9" and it works absolutely perfect for me. It was a blessing to set it up one time and have it work out exactly as I had had hoped for! It is adjustable.

Answer by Jules for Tell me about your standing desk?

2010-07-22T19:22:48Z

All the more reason to get one of these as described above! "Sitting increases death risk: study." (WFS)

Answer by Aaron for Tell me about your standing desk?

2010-07-22T20:44:11Z

My stand up desk is a 2nd desk top on top of two stacks of old computer cases (I manage an IT department), on top of a normal sitting desk. I explained it to my boss as a way for me to experiment with a standing desk without spending any money on it. I've been standing at work for about 3 months now, and I love it. Soon I'll be approaching my boss to requisition a "real" standing desk.

Answer by aris for Tell me about your standing desk?

2010-07-22T22:14:44Z

I have several sit-stand workstations that I have built and performed ergonomic studies with (they are hydraulically actuated at a push of a button). But they were tough to build! Notet that there is a huge selection of marketed (read: very expensive) options that operate that way, but many "work from home" folks just take a normal lightweight desk and put it on wooden blocks. In cube-farms, most cubicles have a height variation in how high off the ground your desk can be installed in the cube, and the facilities folks can often just set you up - a good target height being just 3 inches or so less than your standing elbow height.

If you aren't looking for adjustability - just a permanent standing worksurface - a cheap method is this:

(1) Measure you standing elbow height (stand up and make a 90 degree bend at the elbow, and have a friend measure from the floor to just the bottom part of your elbow)

(2) Subtract a few inches from your standing elbow height (3 inches is good), and write that down.

(3) Buy four 4x4 posts (not pressure treated). Cut the 4x4's to the number you wrote down.

(4) Get a nice veneered piece of plywood with a furniture grade veneer, and cut it to 36" x 48" (3 feet deep by 4 feet wide). Round off the edges all around starting with coarse sand paper and continuing with progressively finer grades (e.g. start with 60 grit and end with 400 or even 600)

(5) This step is basically just screwing the top to the posts: with help, position the 4 posts vertically, and set the plywood on top, and one at a time screw them together from above. As you do each one, make sure the top stays level - you may need to sand down or cut a slight bit from one or more posts to get them perfect.

(6) Take a few 1x6 pieces of plank, and add a horizontal brace across the back and each side.

(7) Stain with a water based stain and finish off with polyurethane.

Of course - some basic wood working skills are a pre-req here
The end result is stable and ergonomically correct just for you!
The "attractiveness" though is subjective;) But if you pick a stain that matches your other furniture it can look pretty nice.

Answer by justin for Tell me about your standing desk?

2010-07-22T22:18:06Z

it's an ikea laptop station that looks like a locker on the outside. it was about $60.

Answer by Nick for Tell me about your standing desk?

2010-07-23T01:51:00Z

I don't have one yet, but am looking to buy one. I think it's important for the desk to be adjusted easily. There will likely be times when you want to sit.

So far, I've found the following adjustable desks:

Does anyone have any first-hand experience with any of these?

Answer by Bryan for Tell me about your standing desk?

2010-07-24T01:11:37Z

Sitting is not necessarily bad--just sitting the way we do in our modern culture is particularly bad. I already recommended it somewhere here, but look up the Authors@Google talk by Esther Gokhale. She looks at the posture of cultures around the world who experience almost zero back pain. She makes some good recommendations on how to sit.

I do have a standing desk though. I just put my computer monitor onto the top shelf of my desk, which is at my eye level. I placed the keyboard on a box on top of the desk surface. Generally I try to do a lot of my listening/learning while walking outside now, with my iPod Touch. There's a lot of evidence that some people, especially boys, learn better while moving. Many of the great minds in history would discuss their ideas while walking. It makes sense evolutionarily because much of our learning was about our environment.

Answer by Garett for Tell me about your standing desk?

2010-08-01T03:38:35Z

I've set up an Ikea Jerker desk as a standing workstation. It works very well for that purpose and you can pack a lot of stuff onto it. I've noticed improvements to my back and standing endurance.

I'm pretty happy with the setup.

Answer by Zev Averbach for Tell me about your standing desk?

2010-08-04T00:53:43Z

Hey Melissa!

My office came with a desk that has two adjustable surfaces--not readily adjustable, mind you; it requires schlepping and an Allen wrench. So since I always type with the keyboard in my lap when sitting, I raised the main surface a bit, and when I work standing, I just put the keyboard on a box that my business's stationary came in, tilting the box a bit forward for an optimal wrist angle by slipping a few thick magazines under the box. It's totally jerry-rigged, but totally cheap (free) and quite effective.

Off-topic: I have been using Pomodoro (Mac) to time my work/break times, and have been meaning to slip in push-ups and stair sprints during my two/10-minute breaks, respectively. Hasn't happened yet.

Answer by Nora for Tell me about your standing desk?

2010-08-05T14:57:19Z

I have an adjustable keyboard tray from Ergonomic Concepts (ECI-650 SST $258.00) that the employee health and safety folks like to recommend. It's OK, though I'd prefer to have a work surface that goes up and down as well as the keyboard/monitors. This tray can be modified to fit most keyboards (I have one of those microsoft Natural Keyboards -- the split kind). The surface can be tilted easily, and it moves very smoothly from the down to the up position. You can also swivel it from side to side, though I am not sure why I'd want to do that. My monitors are on adjustable poles, and I can easily move them up and down and tilt as needed for my very frequent position changes.

When seated, I am on a balance ball that I liberated from the fitness center after a dramatic sledding incident last winter that left me unable to use a chair for a few weeks. I went down and paid them for it when I decided I never wanted to sit on an office chair again. And that was before I read the sitting will kill you study! (OT: Also, I have narcolepsy, so this is a great arrangement for me. And Zev I am totally going to try your push-ups and stair sprints idea.)

Before I got this tray, I simply used a copypaper box placed on the desk with the keyboard on it, and a mousepad trimmed to fit on a boy scout fundraiser popcorn tin that has been kicking around the office for years. Not really pretty nor easy to switch from one to the other, but free, and a good way to decide whether you want to go ahead and drop some change.

I would totally go for the geekdesk if I could, though.

Answer by Jessica G for Tell me about your standing desk?

2011-06-19T12:28:56Z

I currently have a huge Ikea desk that my husband raised with slabs of wood between the desktop and the leg supports - but before that, I bought a "bistro" height bar table from Ikea (here's the model I used: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S19834379) that was perfect. I'm 5'4" and my arm height is level; it's a little short for my 6'4" husband, though.

It was the cheapest ready-made option I could find, but you could get lucky and score on Craigslist.

Answer by Ryan Wilder for Tell me about your standing desk?

2011-06-22T02:18:58Z

Hi Melissa, I just got a post up about my standing desk. -->

http://notinmoderation.wordpress.com/2011/06/21/check-out-my-new-standing-desk/

It's not pretty, but it was free! I scrounged about the office to make it happen. I even put the neglected office library to good use.

-Ryan Wilder

Answer by John Naruwan for Tell me about your standing desk?

2011-06-22T14:21:45Z

What sitting-standing ratio is best for you? I find standing for too long makes my feet ache! I'm thinking a high stool might be useful for short periods to take a break from standing.

Also, is there any consensus on the height of the monitor in relation to eyes? I've read that the top of the monitor needs to be at the level of the top of your head. That would seem about right. But, standing-deskers, does that work for you? Loving the pictures too. Would love to see more.

Answer by Rose for Tell me about your standing desk?

2011-06-22T14:29:00Z

I experimented with file storage boxes on top of my work desk (which is affixed to the cubicle walls, so can't be raised on its own) before committing to a standing desk. It looked like hell, and I got some funny comments from people, but I got to try it out first, and I loved it. So I started looking for better materials to put on top of the desk, and ended up finding a coffee table at a thrift store that was the perfect height and length. Paid $8.00 for the thing, and I couldn't be happier.

Oh, and I did invest in an adjustable-height stool from Target, one of those hard plastic space-age looking things. That way I can sit for a while when I want to, but it's not so comfy that I melt into it.

I feel it's made a huge difference in the way I feel at the end of the day. I still don't like being a cubicle rat, but I'm not absolutely comatose anymore.

Answer by Sherman Smith for Tell me about your standing desk?

2011-07-06T21:32:51Z

I had the worst back pain for 15 years (been programming since the late 80s, lots of desk jobs...) until I saw an article about standing desks. I looked a few up and ended up buying one called the Kangaroo (it's adjustable and just sits on top of your current desk) and I loved it! I ended up buying a better one for work, and a more portable one for my wife. It relieved my back pain so much I decided to make a site, www.beststandingdesks.com, about my experiences so other people could learn.

If you have any questions about my experiences with a standing desk, just email me.

Answer by Senneth for Tell me about your standing desk?

2011-07-06T22:36:45Z

I waited until my boss was out of town, wrapped up a big box in brown mailing paper and voila! (although the boost from the keyboard container helps) I keep a kneeling chair under the desk for non-computer big projects, etc. Hurt my leg bones like hell for a few weeks, now I am just fine. I fidget, dance, stretch, and move all day long! Heels are out though -Ouch! I get pity all day long, like I am mis-treated. I hope it results in a raise!

Answer by speedy for Tell me about your standing desk?

2011-07-07T14:40:23Z

I put my laptop on top of the bookshelf in my room. I have to stand on top of 3 textbooks to use it, but then it becomes a balance challenge too ;)

Answer by Householder for Tell me about your standing desk?

2011-07-07T15:34:38Z

I just propped everything up on my normal desk using card board boxes, super easy.

Answer by stephthegeek for Tell me about your standing desk?

2011-07-07T18:37:27Z

I needed something that sits on top of a regular desk. Started with cardboard boxes for testing, but then I got something from Ikea that is actually a large sturdy shoe rack (I wanted a mid-level shelf for a keyboard tray). Ikea's great for stuff like this -- it's like furniture Legos :) I looked at the office furniture, end tables, tv stands, etc. but the shoe rack was the best fit for dual monitors and height.

Also got a barstool for occasional breaks of sitting, like if I eat lunch at my desk.

Only on week 2 but loving it :)

Answer by Jason for Tell me about your standing desk?

2011-07-07T18:44:56Z

I want to thank everyone in this conversation for posting their picks and discussing their standing desks. This is great information to share with friends and loved ones who feel that a standing desk in their home or office is impossible.

FWIW, my standing desk looks exactly like the first photo- created out of a spare book shelf. I'm hoping to talk my boss into getting a real standing desk, or putting a group standing desk in the main area, as this setup puts the monitor too close to my face for my liking.

Answer by wheelhouse for Tell me about your standing desk?

2011-07-07T18:57:09Z

Mine is similar to Senneth's in that I also just have a riser on top of a desk (table). I went to Home Depot and bought some ply wood, cut it to size and screwed it together. then hit it with a couple of coats of grey spray paint so it would match the desk. Mine just has two sides and a top, that way I can use underneath for storage.

Answer by Paleo P for Tell me about your standing desk?

2011-07-08T03:00:49Z

I've taken a small end table that used to be in the lobby of my office and placed it on my desk.

Cheap and easy.

Though I have to sit down when I need to dual monitor.

Answer by maryeeclarkisouthunting for Tell me about your standing desk?

2011-09-03T21:13:46Z

I use a shelf in my room that has space for my seventeen inch laptop and a mousepad. I don't use mice so there's usually pistachios by my computer instead :P

When I'm not at home, I use a kitchen counter or just stack books under my computer.

Answer by Evelyn aka CarbSane for Tell me about your standing desk?

2011-09-03T21:29:31Z

Are Gazelle's Paleo??

I have had one of those Tony Little contraptions for years and it never was any good for exercise. But I took the computer off the mount, got a bolt & nut from hardware store and a small bamboo cutting board. Mounted it up there. Perfect for my little HP mini. I'll try and post a pic if I can find my mini SD memory card. I rock with arms as I read, rock with legs when I type.

Answer by Travis Culp for Tell me about your standing desk?

2011-09-03T23:11:15Z

I took 4 boxes (that were themselves filled with folded boxes) and put my desk on them. It raised it about a foot, but I may lower it a bit to get it perfect. I also use our kitchen island at home with a laptop on it. I don't think I'll ever go back.

Answer by 77Pat for Tell me about your standing desk?

2011-09-05T18:09:07Z

My desk at home http://www.flickr.com/photos/77pat/6116565075/

I also have a chair for when I feel like sitting, but would never have paid retail price.

Answer by David Moss for Tell me about your standing desk?

2011-10-13T11:29:53Z

I finally just stuck a sufficiently large box on top of my desk/table. Works like a charm!

Answer by Robert Chairs for Tell me about your standing desk?

2011-11-10T18:49:31Z

Maybe in a year or so I will be ready to move to a standing desk. I've been experiencing a lot of back pain, and my chiropractor told me it's from my excess weight. I don't have the stamina yet to stand all day, but once I lose some weight he said it would be good for my spine. Until then he wants me to get one of those big and tall office chairs. They're more ergonomic for people my size, or something.

Answer by hank for Tell me about your standing desk?

2011-11-17T21:45:06Z

I have an awesome standing desk that was very affordable. http://www.ergodesktop.com/ If I could figure out how to post a picture I would. Anyway, I started with boxes on my desk and when I determined that I liked standing I searched for like 2 months until I found something I could afford.

Answer by Domer88 for Tell me about your standing desk?

2011-11-18T01:03:35Z

I have one of those corner desks at work (two wings with a curved corner section joining them. I bought a $14 shoe shelf from Target (closetmaid brand) that is long enough to "bridge the corner and is also long enough to accomidate both a keyboard and a mouse pad. THe monitor sits on a second shelf identical to the first. Works great.

Answer by Joey for Tell me about your standing desk?

2011-12-23T21:27:56Z

At the workplace where I'm currently working as a volunteer,we made 2 wooden boxes to up my desk,once I measured it and how much it should go up.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v196/sculmully/standingdesk.jpg

[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v196/sculmully/standingdesk.jpg[/IMG]

Answer by primallykosher for Tell me about your standing desk?

2012-03-05T04:23:29Z

Standing desks have dropped down in price. You can get one for about 700 bucks that goes from standing to sitting height via electric motor. The geek desk I believe its called. There are also ones that attach at the edge of the table that you can manually adjust. They are like 400. I have a dual screen setup, with keyboard mouse and wacom board. I currently just use my drafting table and a chair. I'm looking to upgrade.

Answer by JKolodner for Tell me about your standing desk?

2012-06-01T19:23:46Z

We've made a treadmill desk for home use. Not counting the treadmill which I already owned, this cost under $7 - all materials from Home Depot. Bought a vinyl covered wire shoe shelf (this is important because it had a lip that other shelves might not) that we trimmed to size with hacksaw, lashed to top of treadmill with zipties, with some foam providing padding/stability. I'm about 5'6" and this is at a good height for me. Might be off for someone much shorter/taller. I've had a standing desk for 3+ years and this is a nice additional option.

Answer by Joshua for Tell me about your standing desk?

2012-06-01T20:27:21Z

I use two monitors for work (open laptop + spare), I work mostly from home, so I ended up just stacking crap until everything was high enough to use.

I took a cheap folding table, and put a very short endtable on top. I measured the distance of my elbow to the floor and it was 42", which coincidentally was the height that the endtable, on top of the folding table. Another, totally mismatched endtable with drawers was added to give me storage, and provide my 2nd monitor a boost (using some very old MCSE 2000 training books as a monitor stand). In a perfect world I'd have enough room to use the mouse beside the keyboard, but as I rarely use the NUMPAD I just use the mouse in front of the keyboard, which is at a very comfortable distance away from me and gives my wrists a place to rest when typing... and I'm a command-line commando, so I type considerably more than I "mouse".

I am now looking towards improving this design by using a sturdier table underneath (or an old vanity/chest of drawers) and using TWO matching bedside tables with a tabletop on top, or between them supported by wall-shelving mounts.

Answer by Roman for Tell me about your standing desk?

2012-10-03T06:46:01Z

I had two of them - started approx 3 years ago with Newton 270 (now is discontinued and is sold at approx USD 250).

Recently changed it to Decart Ergo (price is USD 500).