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In Search Of The Perfect Geek Desk?
FooBard asks: "I am looking for a new computer desk, but I just can't find anything that floats my boat. All the desks I seem to find (and I've been looking hard) are made for the average Joe who wants something that looks like a desk and fits his 15" monitor, or for the business manager that needs some place to hold his computer for the one hour a day he uses it. I need something that's ergonomic and power-user-centric, will facilitate a large (21") monitor and allow me the ability to work for several intense programming hours without hurting. Has anyone found a desk that fits this bill? I can't find one that's seems to be made for the programmer, even if I crank my budget up to $1500. " How timely! I'm in the market for something like this myself.
I went out and browsed through the local Business Depot (aka Staples) in search of a desk and came away with this one . Don't bother with the hutch - if you get a really big monitor, you'll never fit it in the gap. Why do I like this desk? First - it's deeper than most, so a big monitor doesn't end up pressed against your forehead while you grope underneath it trying to find the keyboard on the recessed sliding shelf. The entire right-hand side of the desk can be pushed into the desk and disappears from sight - useful if space in your room is a bit limited but you need that flat working area when you are at the desk (and I do!). It's good if you are right handed - the mouse mat sits on the pull-out portion in a close to ideal position next to the pull-out keyboard and you can rest your elbow on the desk at the same time. And you can hide the computer box in the left hand holding bay and free up more desk space. My only complaint with this desk is that the self-assembly could do with some guidance from the Gods at IKEA - there were some 25+ types of screws and bolts to hold this desk together, along with a 60 page manual and 40 pieces of wood. This is not a trivial self-assembly which can be done manual-free (and we know how much coders love reading those manuals ...) :-)
Of course, this relies on your computer having long enough leads to do the mass of knitting required. This is fast becoming my biggest headache - there are now more leads coming out the back of the machine than I know what to do with - with printer, monitor, keyboard, mouse, speakers all requiring connections, along with PNA network card, 56K modem card, Ethernet interface all having multiple leads and the need for 7 power point connections to power this baby, it's a major task to add hardware now because most of the leads only just reach far enough for me to get the computer box out of the desk without pulling the keyboard, mouse and speakers off the back of the desk. Anyone know of a good supplier of extremely long leads, or of a decent wire containment system?
Cheers,
Toby Haynes
Anything I post is strictly my own thoughts and doesn't necessarily have anything to do with the opinions of IBM.
The ideal desk, as regular Terry Pratchett readers will realise, is a pool table. Plenty of room for whatever you like, plus you can keep pens in the pockets. And play pool around your work when you get bored.
Staple s page for it.
- Robin
I went on the search for the perfect geek desk and ended up with a Middle Atlantic Edit Center. It's made for video editing but also works well with the serious geek (especially those of us who have a multitude of equipment and like having a rack handy). It's not the cheapest thing you'll ever see, but it's very well made, attractive and will make you the envy of your geek type friends.
You can buy them at most any large pro audio-type place. I bought mine from Full Compass
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I love my current "teacher desk." It's big and is VERY durable and can take tons of punishment. I got it at a school system surplus warehouse. Cost me $50 and was such a great deal. "Teacher Desks" are just great for taking the weight of multiple monitors and taking some punishment from me when I'm working. Easy as heck to clean too, it has some type of composite material on top. I've spilt everything on it and it comes right off.
In my experience few school systems publicly have "sales" but if you find one and can find the right person and ask. Most have misc desks they can get rid of and are willing to haggle on price (but $50 wasn't a bad initial offer anyway).
What I did was buy some bakers racks from the contaniter store. They did not have a keyboard tray for it so I built one, I love haveing a 3' kb tray. you can adjust the selves to different levels where ever you need and they hold 500 lbs per self for the cheap models. Works great for someone like me that has 4 computers and not a lot of space to put them.
Where are we going and why are we in a handbasket?
Just build it.
I got an apartment at my school this year, and thus no longer had a desk supplied. So I took some old PVC pipe that I had lying around and a piece of plywood and several 2x4's and made a deck.
I made the top first. This is what the 2x4's and the sheet of plywood are for. Just cut the plywood to the desired deminsions, mine is about 30in. x 80in., but make it whatever size you want. I made mine long for computer and homework space, and it works great. The thicker the plywood the better. Mine is almost to thin at 1/2 in. If I did it again I would use like 3/4 or 1 in. Then you use the 2x4's around the edge on the underside to make it stronger.
Then you build the PVC pipe legs. Make a PVC frame that fits inside the 2x4s and build your legs down from there. I would suggest that you make sure that you put in bracing, both lateral and diagonal. This helps to prevent rack. If you really want to get technical, you could use pipe of diffenet diameters so that could make it adjustable. When the PVC support frame is built, it should like almost like a table, but without a surface.
Now put your top on and it all should fit together all nice like.
Since (most) plywood is not the smoothest surface, unless you got a vinered (sp?) one, but that stuff is pretty expensive. You need to make it smooth. What I used is stuff that is like 50 coats of varnish. I think that it was called Bahr (pronounced "bear") 50. It can be found at a good home supply center like home depot. Put that on in a two coat process and it dries to be about 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick and clear. Besure to follow the directions on the package. If you do it where there are bugs (like I did) then you can use a propane torch and a tooth pick to help to get them out, just need to be delicate.
Once it dries, you have a desk, and the satisfaction that you made it yourself. If you want to paint it, besure to sand the PVC pipe before you put it together, and the 50 stuff should be paintable too, just sand it too.
Hope that helps. I'm sure you could get really elaborate if you wanted too, like mutliple levels that are adjustable and such.
Total cost for me about $100, I think. It was about $50 for the Bahr 50, I think. The plywood and PVC were "borrowed" from mine and my father's unfinished projects. I really have no clue what it all would cost new, maybe like $200, but I'm not sure on that one.
I know it sounds strange but we got it for $75 at a garage sale, and it actually works better than the $400 desk I have at the house. It's actually the right height--I've found most desks to be way too low and I strain my neck looking down at the monitor all day.
It's nice and heavy duty (solid wood 1" thick) so I don't worry about piling all this heavy stuff on it. We were trying to figure out how we could fit everything we needed into our rather small office, and this fit the bill perfectly.
I do miss drawers somewhat, but it keeps me a little more organized not being able to pile papers into the middle drawer of my desk! And it looks really nice, to boot. Solid wood with a nice pretty finish and fancy antiquey looking legs. ;-)
Just a thought. I think the lesson to be learned from this is: Give garage sales and flea markets a try! Sometimes you'll find just what you need. I would have probably built something myself if I didn't have such rich pickings at garage sales around my area.
if it's not in the ikea catalog with a funky name next to it, then it just doesn't exist. ikea is the god of furniture and home goods.
When the pack animals stampede, it's time to soak the ground with blood to save the world. We fight, we die, we break our cursed bonds.
Chris 'coldacid' Charabaruk Meldstar Entertainment
It's a large table. That's it. It's about the right depth, and pleanty roomy for 3 big monitors plus speakers, books, and working area. ;-)
Bought it for like $20 at the local warehouse store(Costco) and have been quite happy with it.
If you've got the room, definatly worth it, especially if you have a few monitors, or like a lot of workspace, or just want to be able to hold a lan party in your room
Blessed are the pessimists, for they have made backups.
Check out the Biomorph line of desks. These desks have all of the ergo adjustments you could ever want, and they are quite large.
I've been wanting their "Personal" model for some time now, it's $1295.