Slashdot Mirror
Ask Slashdot: What's Your Take On Stand-Up Desks?
An anonymous reader writes "I work at a non-profit that doesn't have the resources to automatically bend to each and every whim. However, I've been told that I can't use a cardboard box to put my computer on, for OSHA and fire prevention reasons. So the choice is, sit down for nine hours each day or else get a standup desk to the tune of 500 bucks or more. Is this worth it? Can I make one myself? Anything to know before I get in deep?" There are lots of home-grown stand-up desks out there (search IKEA Hackers for "stand-up desk" if that's your aesthetic leaning), and some ready-made ones from plainish to very expensive. If you've used a stand-up desk, what are your thoughts?
Have you looked in the trash? People throw out perfectly fine furniture all the time. I picked up an extremely sturdy carpenter-built bookcase in the trash. It didn't have shelves but I found enough particle board to make shelves.
Why not use a wooden or metal box?
Bantam Dominique roosters crow a four-note song. Once you've heard it as "Happy BIRTHday" you can't NOT hear it that way
sit down, do your job. is that so hard?
Or bricks? Or cinder blocks?
Bantam Dominique roosters crow a four-note song. Once you've heard it as "Happy BIRTHday" you can't NOT hear it that way
That I get tired of standing and want to sit down... That's my take.
They are nice for a workbench but not a computer desk unless you're always moving between several different stations. Stock Market stuff comes to mind.
In the end, sitting for 9 hours is bad but also standing for 9 hours is bad. Need to find that middle road and balance it out.
...like anything else. People with certain back conditions find sitting for any length of time would probably relish the idea of being able to stand at work for the entire period - while others would find it akin to torture to stand for nine hours straight. Sitting puts pressure on the base of your spine, but standing on hard floors is pressure on your feet and knees. Six of one, half dozen of the other.
As long as your aren't FORCED to use a stand-up desk because someone figures they take up less space or that it prevents you from falling asleep at work; then they can be a good thing. If it's a half-baked idea at further cost effective micro-management bullshit - then count me out. And set that manager on fire. Now.
Get a stool to take the occasional 'rest' while still at the desk.
$500? just for a desk with longer legs? Buy a shop work bench, or a lab table, if you don't want to make your own.
“He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
You said:
Sorry, but what about just standing up to stretch and walk around every few minutes? I hack code at a traditional desk, but I'm certainly not chained to my chair. Walk around, go to the water cooler, talk to your peers, go outside for lunch. Even if you had a stand-up desk you should still move around a little.
Koans and fables for the software engineer
Drafting table -- you can get them new for ~150 up and cheaper used, if you look around. Most are adjustable. Get a tall enough stool and you'll be able to sit down from time to time and keep working.
One of these? They still run ~$70+.
Make sure to get a standing desk that can adjust, and yes I consider them necessary for long-hours shifts now that I've been using one. They make a huge difference in my health, both my co-workers and I have lost weight just standing a few hours a day, and much less aches and pains too. About 1/3 of our staff that has them don't use them.
Egrotron makes an interesting looking device (http://www.ergotron.com/tabid/640/Default.aspx) that can convert nearly any desk to a sit/stand workstation. I'm contemplating buying one for myself to use at work (and taking it with me when the time comes to change jobs).
I have one of these at work:
http://www.geekdesk.com/default.asp?contentID=633
They are definitely pricey, but being able to switch between standing and sitting throughout the day is really the ideal way to go. I tried standing 100% of the time before I got this desk and it ended up being very tiring on some days.
The desks at my work are on hydraulics, so they can be raised or lowered at will. It's great to be able to raise your desk and stand for a while after sitting for a couple hours, but I wouldn't want to have to be forced to stand all the time.
The desks get high enough that I can push my high-backed office chair underneath it, and low enough to get probably two feet or so off the ground. It's a great compromise between having to sit or stand the entire day.
No offense but when did people stop being resourceful? This doesn't seem to be a question that required a forum to address it.
"I can't use a cardboard box to put my computer on,"
OK. Protip: the make boxes out of other material.
What does that have to do with:
"So the choice is, sit down for nine hours each day or else get a standup desk to the tune of 500 bucks or more"
"Can I make one myself?"
How the fuck would we know? Can you make a desk with long legs that's stable?
Do you have cubes that allow you to mound a desk to it?
Do you have a health reason for standing? then do so. If not, then sit. Get up every two hours and walk for a minute or two.
Stand up desk is a typical solution made up by people who don't think.
Sitting for long hours is bad? Well then we should stand for long hours instead.
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on
Even better than just a stand up desk. For $500, get a simple walking treadmill, and then you can amble along at 1 MPH and burn off an extra fifty to 100 calories an hour. Better for every inch of your body.
Occasionally living proof of the Ballmer peak.
for OSHA and fire prevention reasons.
Employers like to spew a lot of BS about OSHA and "fire codes". Virtually none of it has the slightest basis in reality.
That said, you generally can't "win" battles like that. Even if you brought in a notarized statement from your town's fire marshal ok'ing your use of a cardboard box, your petulant HR "make up codes as we go" weenie would just make your life hell as payback.
So... Make 'em spend the money, simple as that. And don't get just a stand-up desk, get one of the ones that has the glidey hydraulic things to smoothly give you any height you want (standing all day will do you almost as much harm as sitting all day, you want to change it up every now and then).
I just moved to a stand up desk last week. Absolutely love it. I design and code websites, so I have a pretty stationary type of job. Standing up, I move a lot more. I also have an adjustable stool, so if I need to rest my legs for a bit, I can without having to adjust my desk.
I have also noticed that the afternoon wall has completely disappeared. You know, the one where you are struggling to focus - or maybe even stay awake. Never happens.
There are plenty of articles out there about standing vs. sitting, as I did a bunch of research before making the switch. To summarize: Standing is better than sitting, but mixing it up is the best. This doesn't mean fully sitting down - the stool I use is a great example. But you do need to be able to change position for a bit, because being in one position for 8-9 hours a day is bad.
The world moves for love. It kneels before it in awe.
OSHA is going to have issues (at least here in California) with anything that sits on top of the desk. Here they become missile hazards when the earth shakes, The heavier the box, the less chance you will survive the experience.
People who stand all day at work tend to develop varicose veins. And I have seen it in people in their early twenties - it's not pretty. Sit when you need to, walk around to think, have swordfights while your code compiles (http://xkcd.com/303/), don't take lunch at your desk, take breaks, invest in those highly expensive chairs. All elementary precautions really. I don't know how standing for nine hours will be anything but tortuous.
There's lots of various options for building an easy standup desk, especially if you're close to an Ikea. An easy solution is to stop by Ikea and pick up some Malm side tables and trim to height. That worked well enough for a while, eventually I wanted something better.
The solution was to pick up a used Ikea Jerker desk off Craigslist. I work at that most of the time and when my feet need a rest I'll switch to a small table that's close by. Total cost: $50 and it works great.
That said, it weirds out some people at work how I work standing up. I can't imagine what they'll think once I move in a treadmill.
My Slashdot account is old enough to drink...
The scientist in me says they likely have some merit but the cynic in me says they're the stupid corporate fad of the moment.
"When information is power, privacy is freedom" - Jah-Wren Ryel
>> Can I make one myself?
If you have to ask, the answer is probably no.
For one thing, even with a sit-down desk, you shouldn't be sitting in front of it for nine hours. What I do is I set a countdown timer for an hour or so. When it rings, I get up and walk around the floor, hit the bathroom, fill up my water bottle, maybe step outside for a few minutes and experience sunlight. But you really have to train yourself to do it, and stick to getting up when it goes off. I find that it improves my work, because it forces me to step away from immediate problems and think about things in a larger context while I'm taking my little walk. I get back to my desk eager (usually) to continue work, and energized from getting my blood flowing. If your employer is so concerned about OSHA, then they should know that OSHA recommends frequent rest breaks for employees who sit at computer desks all day.
To me, one of the most important things about a standing desk is that you need to pay attention to the ergonomics of the floor and your footwear. My building has concrete floors with low-pile carpet. If I stood all day at a desk on this surface, my feet would kill by the end of the day. You potentially need a floor mat that provides more support than a solid floor. Think of the kinds of surfaces that workers on manufacturing lines stand on all day. You also want some kind of low platform or stool (preferably two of different heights, or one that you can flip onto a different side to change its height) that you can use to put one foot up on for periods, adjust your stance and weight distribution. Finally, you'll want to pay attention to the shoes that you wear, to make sure that you're getting the support that your feet need for you to be standing on them all day. There's a reason they call beat cops 'flat-foor'.
So. Sorry for the text wall. But those are some considerations.
You stand on a podium and behind a lectern.
First thing is to ensure your monitor can tilt far enough whether sitting or standing. Most can, but it's a good thing to verify first. After that, it's simple. All you need is a stand that can hold keyboard/mouse and then tilt the monitor to what is comfortable. I built mine out of a $12 piece of bookshelf board from Menards. A few drywall screws and then you can pull it when you need to sit down.
Flamebait
Serious inquiries only.
I get a sore back from standing in once place for extended periods of time. I can walk for 8 hours, without a problem, but stand for 30 minutes and I'm going to have to sit down gently because my back is yelling at me.
A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
relies on your sense of humor - humerus bone, that is...
You'll be on your elbows, leaning, thinking and supporting your upper torso alot.
At my last job I was using a stand up desk for about 6 months and loved it. The thing about a stand up desk is that you can sit down in a chair if you need to take a break, the chair is just a bit taller to accomodate the size of the desk. The key is to make sure that the desk is the right height or you will be VERY uncomfortable.
Wake me up when someone offers a desk I can use while lying down with back flat on the floor.
Then I'll most likely fall back asleep...
At work we have desks with an electric motor that can raise/lower it at any time. Huge desks with a decent sized return. $employer also made sure to get us very large, very thick, very comfortable mats to stand on.
The Good:
This has been a tremendous benefit for us fat guys. Stronger core, burning calories, etc. Has been a very healthy improvement. Also, way less discomfort throughout the day. Another huge, unintended benefit, is momentum -- if you're already standing, going and working on something or talking to somebody is very natural and happens much more easily, compared to overcoming the lethargy of sitting; who wants to get out of their chair to go talk to a coworker? It has improved our face time dramatically, with lots of side benefits stemming from that.
The Bad:
The first 8-10 work days of standing are hard on your hips/knees/feet as your body probably isn't used to standing for 6-8 hours a day. Also, when it comes to doing extremely mentally demanding tasks (pouring through multiple spreadsheets, programming, etc), I find that I prefer to sit for that; any sort of daily work is done standing. You also MUST have a sturdy desk, otherwise when it is 4' up in the air it will wobble and make your monitors shake (this is prevalent with monitors on arms).
All in all, it might be pricy but it is 100% worth it for the health/happiness and group-ware/collaboration benefits.
My first thought is that if you are going to be using it for 9 hours every day, then you shouldn't be getting a standing desk. Standing for 9 hours every day is not good on your body. It is horrible on your legs, especially your knees. Yes, sitting for 9 hours isn't good either, but it is much either to get up and walk around than it is to sit down. Standing desks are a great idea for light to moderate use. If you are using them off and on all day, they are great. But if you are using them continually all day, they are horrible, mainly because you have to stand. At a regular sitting desk, it is very easy to stand up and stretch, walk around, or even just stand for a couple minutes and still look at your computer. When you go to the bathroom or to the copier or printer, you are getting a break form sitting, but not from standing. Unless your standing desk is extremely flexible, it is usually very difficult to sit down at a standing desk and still be productive.
"Information wants to be expensive" - Stewart Brand, the same guy who said "Information wants to be free"
If you work in a cubicle area, do not use a standup desk. There was always some chucklehead who would stand up while working and it annoyed everybody.
It is like having someone standing behind your chair all day.
If you have your own office, having the option of standing is probably nice.
My opinion of standup desks is very much the same as it is about running toilets.
A 'singular oddity' is an event that cannot be explained and only happens when you are alone.
How exactly is being able to sit down equivalent to "bending to each and every whim"? Has employment standards in the US fallen so low that employees arn't even entitled to basic amenities anymore? Why not make everyone wear loin cloths and be forced to work while crouching in an insect-infested dirt floor while you're at it?
The fact that the submitter goes from "Can't have anything" to a "$500 stand up desk" is just unfathomable. There are so many options for getting cheap/free furniture, there is no excuse for having to resort to cardboard boxes. You can get perfectly good desks and chairs from Goodwill or some other similar place. Hell, place ads on freecycle requesting old furniture.
I think the first step here is to fix what is clearly an attitude problem at the company. Apparently the people there feel that suffering is a mandatory component to working there, and that's flat out crap.
I made a standing workstation from my existing desk, a short (~14") stand for my keyboard and put my monitor on a shelf above the desk. I even made the stand from salvaged materials around the building. You could do it with a small plank and 4 2x2" legs.
Go to Home Depot and buy 4-6 cinder blocks. Think they are about $10 a piece, plus nobody can say they are a fire hazard because lots of buildings are made with them.
sudo make me a sandwich
One of these is much better than a Yoga ball chair....
Donte Alistair Anderson Roberts - hi son!
Karma: Chameleon
I wanted a standing desk for a cheap PC in my workshop, for looking up parts and reference, etc. I wound up going to Kmart, purchasing a cheap narrow PC desk with a roll-out keyboard rest, and a TV stand, and screwed one on top of the other. The result worked out well, with plenty of storage below the PC, and can roll around well.
I have one of these desks and I barely use it in standing mode because it's wobbly as all hell to type on and I hate watching the LCDs jiggle around. I don't think I would ever recommend it because of that. Sucks that it was such a nice concept.
Brian Fundakowski Feldman
I don't know so much about stand up desks, but I did enjoy having a tall chair desk. If the desk could be used while standing and ALSO have a tall chair or stool I think it'd be great. That way when people walk up to you for a conversation they're not hovering above you.
It would also give me a better view of the street through my second floor window ;)
No sig for you. YOU GET NO SIG!
You say people complain about putting your computer on a cardboard box, but what about a plastic one? There's no need to spend a ton of money on a desk when all you need is an elevated flat surface.
Also, if anyone complains, try hitting them.
A unique way to learn a language: http://languageloom.com
My response to that company:
"I quit, because you're a fucking moron. Have a nice life....chump."
+1 anthropomorphic
0 = 1 + e^(Alt something)
I started using a standing desk a year ago and I won't go back. I bought this desk http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001MS70Z2/ref=oh_details_o03_s00_i00. See my review for caveats because the keyboard tray isn't wide enough for mouse and keyboard. Yes, the standing will make your knees sore. I bought this mat and it does help http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000EFK9KM/ref=oh_details_o05_s00_i00. I feel much better in general. My back pain went away and I feel much healthier in general.
While I would love a stand-up desk, I simply can't find such a thing in any style I would like (wood, with frigging drawers, preferably a return desk)- not some horribly naked looking Ikea thing that would make my grandfather roll his eyes.
Does anyone have a suggestion for that? I don't want cinder blocks, planks, or anything ghetto like that. I live in a house, not a workshop!
Many years ago it was sitting on exercise balls.
Then it was kneeling chairs.
Now it's standing desks.
I bet you next year those $500 standing desks will be right next to the exercise balls and kneeling chairs. In the meantime, with all the money spent on the sitting/standing gadgets, unfortunately nor productivity, nor quality, nor ergonomics, nor comfort has improved.
There's lots of talk of standing desks and posture-related discussion in this previous discussion. My own comment:
Bogtha Bogtha Bogtha
I built myself a cheap standing desk from IKEA. You get the Vika Amon table top (under $40) and the Vika Bysske table legs ($20 a pop) These legs work with the table but they are intended for the construction of a kitchen bar. 4 of these bad boys and you have yourself a standing desk. Mind your height - you want to have roughly a 90degree angle at your elbow when working. I am 6'3'' and I can get this at their maximum extension. Then I get one of those attachable shelves and tada my monitors are higher up so that I have them at eye level. Warning - this setup is not adjustable. Well it is but adjustment requires everything to be removed, desk flipped and about 20-30 minutes to re-adjust the legs so yes you can always revert to a normal desk but you can't alternate throughout the day.
I've been using my standing desk since July 2012. Things to note - I don't work at it all day everyday. I sit at work 9-5, stand at home. Expect serious leg cramps after a few days. Video games help forget the pain and condition your body for longer hauls. I can stand no problem for 8 hours+ now. I don't get tired in fact i think it keeps me more alert but I do take breaks after 4 hours. You feel it when you're finished working and take a load off on the couch/bed. You burn more calories - not sure if this is significant. You save TONS of space - great for small apartments or tight bedrooms. I've read that its healthier - so whether it is or not placebo effect bonus just don't analyze this too much... dammit I might have just lost the bonus!
I'm having trouble making the commitment to full-time stand-up. I usually do about 30% standing and then I have a high chair for other times.
My motivation was to avoid slouching in my desk chair. While standing, I do shift my weight from leg to leg (just can't seem to stand there with a 50/50 weight distribution), but I don't get any soreness or back pain from standing. I've heard some people have to tough through the first few days of back or foot soreness before their body acclimates, but not me.
To build mine, I actually just started with my desk, which was an adjustable-height desk which would go up to about 38" high. Then, I went to Bed, Bath, & Beyond to get some of those bed-risers to put under the feet which raised it another 6" or so. So, the desk comes up to just under my belly-button. That's where my keyboard is. Then, to reduce fatigue on my mouse-arm, the mouse is on top of a long box that a keyboard was shipped in, so it's about another 3" off the desk, and my whole forearm rests on that. The monitors are also raised off of the desk about 10" by placing a board across a couple of DVD drive boxes.
It looks pretty ghetto, but it's really strain-free. I get to look straight ahead, and nothing is tugging on my limbs when I use the keyboard or mouse. All told, I spent the money to buy the bed-risers. So, for fairly cheap, you can figure out if the standing thing is your thing and whether you want to spend more bucks for something a little more slick.
I converted to a permanent standing desk a few months ago and I really like it. The first week was pretty tough to get through, but after that it has been great. I recommend an anti-fatigue mat to stand on and some decent insoles like PowerSteps. Some co-workers also have a high stool for when they get tired. I do admit that I look forward to sitting during lunch and after work, but I would never go back. I haven't seen a single co-worker go back to sitting, and more are converting to standing.
At my company HQ (different office) all desks are motorized and can raise or lower with a button. These are awesome and are the ideal (albeit expensive) solution. Most of the HQ employees both stand and sit for a few hours per day, as do I when visiting.
The extra calories burned while standing is pretty compelling. Also there are recent studies that advise against sitting all day.
Of course YMMV based on your physical health and body type. FWIW I am 6'4" 185lb software developer in decent shape...work for 8-9 hours / day 90% of the time at my desk.
https://i.chzbgr.com/completestore/12/9/4/GftwY6EkikmMesXG1TPvYg2.gif
Who logs in to gdm? Not I, said the duck.
Go totally deskless. And steampunk it with useless gears, chains, scissors switches, etc.
And a Guillotine for your OSHA folks.
Schroedinger's Brexit: The UK is both in and out of the EU at the same time!
I'm not sure I want to know how you take a dump.
When you recognize love in another and realize how precious it is, everything else seems so insignificant.
No you don't. Just get a stool. When your legs feel tired, switch to the stool. When you get restless, stand back up. Just because it's a standing desk, it doesn't mean there's a law against sitting down occasionally.
Bogtha Bogtha Bogtha
There was an old drafters table and I turned into a stand-up workstation. Adjustable height and angle, it is simply awesome. My knees, back and shoulders have never felt so good. I stand for roughly half the day, with a tall chair for when I need it. I highly recommend that anyone with back problems give it a go.
On the cheap, you can build your own desk with a few pieces of wood. A 3/4" plywood sheet and 2x4's are all you need. If you are vain and don't like that look, you could put your current desk up on blocks.
Bearded Dragon
And more games of civ than I can count.
Fugue for Aaron Swartz
I dwell in cubicle-land, and at the end of last year I raised half of my work surface, including my keyboard/monitor/mouse, to standing height. Within my small work group we have a variety of approaches, with almost everybody at least partly at standing height. One has a tall chair; another has dual monitors with one at each level.
Most of us are pretty happy standing most of the time, and agree that part time sitting is an important component. I think I may eventually go with a second monitor, since I don't do all that much work that doesn't involve my computer. Some days I don't sit at all.
Orange whip? Orange whip? Three orange whips.
"Never debug standing up" -- Gerald Weinberg
Slashdot's name? When my compiler sees
You've got many choices.
1. Get an over bed table ala http://www.amazon.com/Invacare-Over-Bed-Table/dp/B000QA0EHI $49, you can adjust the height, upto 42" which should be within a few inches of what you need.
2. Use a bed tray on your normal table - ala http://www.standsandmounts.com/winsomewoodnaturalwoodbreakfasttraywithtiltingtop.aspx
3. Get a shelf with adjustable racks ala http://visualadventures.com/gear-review/how-to-make-an-adjustable-stand-up-desk-for-about-50
4. El cheapo option, wooden boxes, or piles of telephone directories, or piles of soft drink can crates.
Get a tall stool to sit in when you need a break from standing.
All bow to his Noodliness!! His Noodle Appendage has touched me!
My core muscles are too weak from 20 years of sitting and coding in supportive chairs. I couldn't stand up comfortably all day and use a computer at this point. I suppose my core would be stronger if I had been doing it, but I haven't and I don't plan to start now.
I don't use it every day but on days when I know I'll be sitting at home, too, it's nice to stand. Or on days after a big workout and I don't want to cramp to my chair. It's also nice to be able to stand when you're watching Live Meeting or Lync so you don't fall asleep or feel like you haven't moved in a forever if you call into two or three meetings back to back.
I almost forgot that my keyboard is now always at the right height! Great feature, keyboard trays suck ;-)
How about getting an office chair that is tall enough to use to sit at the standing desk?
My experience has generally been positive with standing desks. I have the 'IKEA' solution at home and in the winter months I turn my work desk into a standing desk. This helps keep my core and back strong enough for biking in the constructions months. But I can't do it for eight hours, I usually end up sitting on a tall stool at the end of the day. Remember that a lot of people HAVE to stand all day at work and have a myriad of problems from doing so. Damaged knees and joints are probably at the top of the list of problems you might incur. Make sure you have a gel standing mat, good shoes, and a way to turn your desk back into a sitting desk quickly or a tall stool.
I am sure people can use one of their hands to hold up the computer and type with the other hand.
I use a motorized drafting table. On Ebay for 50 bucks, since everybody uses CAD now. Fully adjustable.
It isn't for everyone. I happen to like it.
1) Step 1 is to try it. Find some acceptable method to construct a standing arrangement. Try it out for 3 weeks minimum. Week 1 sucks. You will be sore if you are not used to this. I tried things out for about 6 months before I was sold.
2) Have a plan for what you are going to do when you are sick. I bought a geekdesk that has the ability to be lowered. When you are sick, you aren't standing.
3) Get a comfortable chair for your office. Don't do this until AFTER your 3 week trial period. When you do get tired of standing, and you will, you need someplace comfy to sit for a little while.
4) Be aware you won't like sitting as much afterwards. 8 hour meetings are hard now.
I have no idea about the health benefits. I prefer standing now to sitting.
Best thing ever!!! I spent more time standing when I had one than sitting and generally felt better at the end of the day compared to sitting all day.
If you get one that's adjustable get a manual (you lift) adjust as my experience with the electronic ones are they are problem prone (one side lifts the other not so much).
A good Stand Up Desk is expensive, in fact the reason I don't have one at home is I can't afford a proper stand up desk, and won't get suckered into "Office Max" quality furniture.
Get one if you can.
"If any question why we died, Tell them because our fathers lied."
Carpentry isn't that hard. A skill saw, table saw, drill/driver and some scrap wood will get you a long way. A friend with those tools who can help you is even better. Otherwise, just give it a try and see what you come up with. A 2x4 will set you back a whopping $3 at Home Depot. This ain't rocket surgery.
----- obSig
You would rather stand for 9 hours than sit at a desk?
Why not just get a job where you're on your feet all day and bypass the desk?
I am Bennett Haselton! I am Bennett Haselton!
I have a stand-up desk and a cheap wooden bar stool with a backrest. I can stand when I want to stand, and sit down when I get tired of standing. Best of both worlds!
To that guy who's never seen a man take a dump while running, he should start following Dirk around.
Is 1563649 a prime number?
I "converted" my desk to a standing desk by using old flat surfaced printer stands to effectively raise my desk surface. I placed my monitor on one stand towards the back of my desk; keyboard and mouse on another towards the front. I've used this configuration for over a year and a half and now have an extreme distaste for having to do my work sitting down (when not at my desk, that is). One of the nicer benefits, too, is that I can keep items which would have previously been on my desk surface within easy reach by placing said items below the keyboard/mouse stand...such as my coffee+warmer! More effective horizontal surface to use! Woot!
I used one of those for a while - cost about $25. No need to get the overpriced chair version. It wasn't entirely comfortable at first, but I got used to it, and it did strengthen my core muscles a bit.
Then one day I rolled back from the desk and didn't see that my cat was behind me. He got startled when it hit him, yowled, and slashed at the ball. I started sinking gradually toward the floor as it deflated. :-) I suppose I should drag out the bicycle patch kit and find where I left the pump to reinflate it, but I haven't bothered.
Bill Stewart
New Fast-Compression-only CPR http://preview.tinyurl.com/dy575ks
I've been using these for the last few months: http://is.gd/AdiF8o
Affordable (especially second hand. Little over 30 euros.) Adjustable. And they double as chairs!
Get a cheap 19" rack, the two-rail kind without an enclosure, and a couple of shelves. Monitor goes on one, keyboard or laptop on the other, adjust the heights however you want. With an extra shelf or two, it's easy to use it for both sitting and standing, or you can do the barstool thing.
Or yeah, just use a wooden box, or a board and cinder blocks.
Bill Stewart
New Fast-Compression-only CPR http://preview.tinyurl.com/dy575ks
One could always get a standing desk, and then also have an office chair which is tall enough to sit at the stand-up desk. This is how I do it at work, and rather like it.
Ninja Standing Desk is a couple of lightweight shelves on straps that hang on a wall. You can hang it over a door, or attach it to sheetrock with picture hangers, or whatever. Laptop goes on the top shelf, keyboard on the bottom. They demoed at Maker Faire this year, and they're orderable online after doing a Kickstarter. Designed at Techshop, and you can pay in Bitcoin, so you can check off a whole lot of Hipster Style Points boxes at once, but it seems to be fairly simple and practical, and if you don't like it you can fold it up until somebody else wants to use it. (And their business cards are the obvious throwing-star shape :-)
Bill Stewart
New Fast-Compression-only CPR http://preview.tinyurl.com/dy575ks
Kneeling has good advantages, especially if you wear shorts. It straightens out the core and you can switch back and forth between sitting and kneeling. With any luck the desktop will be just fine for your height when kneeling, otherwise you might need a low kneeler.
I got one of these adjustable laptop stands. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005VE27R4 and have been fairly happy with it, although I do not use it alot. It is easy to adjust up and down, but I just move or move it out of the way. In the winter putting my wrist on the metal did become uncomfortable as it conducted heat away, so I tucked some cloth under the laptop and over the bottom edge where my wrist touched. This is really a laptop only solution. The price seems to have gone up 50% since I got mine.
I never have tried it in bed but this might be the solution for jcborro.
My wife found a butt-ugly electric sit-stand desk on Craigslist, from which I salvaged the legs.
Bought a nice $40 birch veneer top from Ikea, with their cable tray, attached a full-length outlet strip to the back, an Ergotron arm for my monitor, and mounted all the geeky gear (GbEN switch, KVM, USB hub, etc.) sub-surface.
It's nirvana, and I can sit or stand, and even raise the desk to get under it when they drop the big one.
You can find electric legs in my major US city new for around $500 (more than what I paid for a used desk).
...makes a line of inexpensive desktop conversions for sit-or-stand. I too work for a non-profit and the price was decent enough that I was able to justify the purchase on health grounds. I love mine and would never go back to just sitting.
http://www.ergodesktop.com/products
No, I'm not affiliated with them in any way - just a satisfied customer.
Corruptissima re publica plurimae leges.
+1 Shouting down a non-profit
He once inserted random mutations into his code, just so he could have the experience of debugging.
anonymous wrote: Can I make one myself?
YES! It is cheap and easy. Nested PVC pipe sections serve as leg-extenders!
I made mine for a regular pipe-legged IKEA-type desk. Worked wonders for my back.
Measure the diameter of your desk's legs. Buy lengths of PVC pipe that are just-narrower and just-wider than the desk legs. One pair for each leg. The pipes will nest one-in-the-other. Desk legs sit on the narrow pieces, like stilts. Wide pieces nest over the narrow pieces, and should be much longer than the narrow pieces, to stabilize the whole thing. If it's too wobbly, squirt some spray-foam insulation between the PVC pipes to make solid composite pieces. If safety complains, you could mount the desk to the wall with L-brackets.
The human body was not meant to sit for 8+ hours a day.
Finding a desk and chair/stool which can be varied in positions and heights between sit down and stand up offers a way to keep varying the muscle positions. Pure standup works for awhile for me, partial sit-down with one leg on the floor and one on a stool works for awhile and then sitting in the chair works.
"old" drafting tables by Hamilton and Mayline can be real cheap in used office furniture places and have plenty of drawers and a top that can be angled. Lots of choices exist which are not expensive.
Standing for an hour is about 100 calories for a 200 lb man.
sitting burns about 80.
So, basically it's the same as eating 2 less bites from a burger, or better don't order fries or chips.
The more you know=========*
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on
Assuming he isn't a dog, he probably doesn't drag his ass across the floor to get to the bathroom.
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on
The classic quick, cheap, solid desk is an old door across two dirt-common two-drawer file cabinets.
I've two of those. the main one actually uses a pair of old AT tower cases. Two dollar-store clamps hold a smaller piece of scrap for my keyboard tray. A single cheap particle-board rear shelf for the displays sits on various blocks. Power bars are just screwed into the back edge of the door. You don't need to be a carpenter, you just need to think (less) and make a solid block structure. Trim with toy blocks for cool points.
It's not rocket science to figure a taller system for standing if you want to try that. (Some love it, some loathe it - it's kinda like kneeling chairs and ball chairs -- people rave about them briefly, then everyone moves back to traditional options.)
I like my Ergotron Workfit adjustable workstation.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824994123&nm_mc=KNC-GoogleAdwords&cm_mmc=KNC-GoogleAdwords-_-pla-_-NA-_-NA
It has some sort of counterweight system so with hand pressure you can adjust it up and down. I usually start out my days standing, but by afternoon my dogs are tired so I just move it down and it sits at just the right height for my cushy office chair. All the other adjustable solutions that I found cost at least $1000.
-- QED
I was in the same boat as you. I am a musician and wanted a stand up desk for my audio workstation to make it easier to play guitar and record. I already had an X-type keyboard stand sitting around so I bought a second platform for it to make it a two tier stand. I put my laptop on the second tier using a scrap piece of lumber. Works great and cheap. This is basically exactly what I have.
http://www.amazon.com/On-Stage-Stands-Deluxe-2-Tier-Keyboard/dp/B0002M3OUO/ref=sr_1_9?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1346966758&sr=1-9&keywords=onstage+keyboard+stand
I put a "Tabletote - Portable Compact Lightweight Laptop Notebook Stand" on top of my desk. I carry it to meetings, as well. It collapses down to the size of a thick laptop.
http://www.lapdawg.com/lapdawg-x4.html This thing allows you to stand up or sit down. $69.00 bones..
I wanted a standing desk but my boss wouldn't spring for it. So, I went to Home Depot and bought a set of adjustable plastic garage shelves like you'd use to hold paint cans. I assembled it on top of my office-issued desk, adjusted the top shelf to a comfortable height for my monitor, and set the middle shelf to a good height for my keyboard and trackball. Voila. Standing desk for $20. It wasn't beautiful but it worked perfectly.
Dewey, what part of this looks like authorities should be involved?
Meh, fuck non-profit; unless it's all volunteers I'm not interested in funding it.
e.g. Brian Gallagher is still President and CEO of United Way, and currently earns $1,037,140 a year, according to a December 2010 report from the American Institute of Philanthropy.
Just because it doesn't pay a dividend doesn't mean someone isn't making phat stax, and it doesn't mean that they aren't asking employees to use shitty furniture to cover their CEO's salary/travel/hooker expenses.
Same with religious exemptions, that shit needs to go.
I have one of these and like it a lot. Turns any desk into a sit/stand desk, and the tray is nice and large: http://www.ergodesktop.com/content/kangaroo-pro-junior/
Of course other people like it a lot, too, so it's a month backordered. You can usually find the Ergotron WorkFit-Ses in stock.
For 500 bucks at Ikea you could not only buy yourself a decent desk and office chair, but also a couch to boot.
Take a trip to Target if you are short on money, or cruise craigslist or similar. $500 is a huge budget. Now, if you were talking $50, then I'd see some reason to seek help.
This should not be a slashdot question.
And just because it's a non-profit doesn't mean it's CEO is making "phat stax." The one I donate/support most often, The Geek Group, pays its CEO ~$30K a year. People have to live - and I wouldn't want to try to live on $30K a year.
My sister opened a computer store in Hawaii. She sells C shells by the seashore.
Using computers while standing up can be a pain unless you get the shelf the mouse sits on at precicely the correct height. I was using a mouse on a fixed shelf at the wrong height at one site for only two days a week and after a few weeks my wrist was not fully recovered even after a weekend. At that point I dragged in a wooden box and escalated the situation above the immature idiot that insisted I had to stand in front of the shelf.
I'm surprised by this. I'll consider it for a few days before purchasing. I don't use a laptop but my girlfriend does and this seems like it would work well for her.
Wow. I just tried this and it worked! Probably need a pad for my knees, but the new position gave my body an enormous amount of relief. Thank you, thank you ... and so cheap to boot!
I've been told that I can't use a cardboard box to put my computer on, for OSHA and fire prevention reasons.
Have you considered a metal box?
Interesting timing on this question. I just spent the last couple of weekends building a stand up desk. I've been using a large corner desk I bought from Walmart about 10 years ago. The particle board underside of it was falling apart but the horizontal surfaces are fine so I mounted my monitors on the wall. I took a 30 inch long board, mounted it across the corner with medium fence hinges hidden on the back side. The hinges adjust at any angle and provide a lot of strength. I mounted the center monitor to the board so it would sit in the center of my view. I bought a couple of wire microwave carts from Walmart to put the desk surface on. The rest of the horizontal surfaces are mounted to the wall as shelves. The desk is now 35 inches high. I can stand at it. I need to raise my desk chair up a bit. I eventually want to get or make a standing chair. Something like the standing chairs from the bridge of the Liberator on the Blake's 7 series.
*It's not what you can do for the Dark Side but what the Dark Side can do for you!*
I built a "standup desk" because I thought it would be better for back/neck than sitting. It seems to be. The cost was about 60USD, made from welded tube steel, including the steel and paying the welder to cut and weld it. It has held up for 4 years now, in constant use. It takes up about half the space of a normal desk. I would say go for it if you want to make one, but find a craftsman to to it, its about a 2 hour job to cut and weld it. Also made one from stainless, as steel rusts, but stainless is not as strong. Its very important to make it adjustable, as standing for long periods causes you to be shifting constantly, at a minimum you should make sure you can easily move the screen with your hands to a comfortable position. Another safety consideration is don't use it in a busy area, people are not used to furniture in that kind of spatial configuration and sometimes can collide with it. Wrist pain with the mouse - dont know, I use a pen. But consider there is very different blood circulation when standing, different muscle groups. Your budget of 500USD should be able to make 5 to 10 of this type of desk.
Craigslist, search for "scrap wood," make your own box that isn't cardboard.
I've been wanting a stand/sit desk for years but haven't been able to justify the 1800 for the one I want. Anthro is one of my favorites...
Background: I hurt my arm pretty badly in 2010 after (of course) helping someone move. I developed tendinitis in my shoulder, elbow, and wrist, and did a serious re-evaluation of my ergonomics.
I built a standing desk out of 2 x 4s and my old desktop, a piece of cheap particle board I've been hauling around for a decade or so. I already had an articulated keyboard tray I'd salvaged from a previous employer, so I put that on it for fine adjustments.
I built a so-called "tie-fighter" keyboard out of an old Goldtouch. http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-make-a-vertical,-ergonomic-tie-fighter-ke/
I also built a raised mouse platform to go next to it and screwed it to the keyboard tray, so that my arms would remain at the same height for typing and mousing.
I got an inexpensive ergo mouse. http://www.amazon.com/Vertical-Ergonomic-Optical-Mouse-Ergoguys/dp/B001FWKA7A/
I got an anti-fatigue standing mat, the kind which are used by cashiers and such. http://www.amazon.com/Crown-Comfort-Antifatigue-Zedlan-CK0023BL/dp/B000PTO8MW/
Probably the most expensive thing I did was buy a new, drafting-height chair. See other comments in this thread about bar stools; same idea.
The end result is an ergonomic workstation that is almost perfectly suited to my ergonomic needs. I no longer pronate my wrists; the only tendon that gets tensed is the one around the back of my elbow. My back doesn't hurt from sitting anymore and I have better circulation overall. I would say I sit down about 25% of the time when computing, though it varies from day to day. Some days I won't sit hardly at all, others I'll feel a bit lazy and sit maybe half the time.
I chose not to spend lots of money on a commercial standing desk or one of those movable ones. It seemed easy and approachable to do some simple carpentry and build one myself. The whole project increased my awareness of computing ergonomics, and I think my body is happier for it.
*** formica has quit IRC (connection reset by phear)
I've been using GeekDesk motorized adjustable height desk for couple years at work, and like it! It changes from regular desk to standing in 30 seconds - I switch position couple times a day. It is very sturdy (mine lifts a PC and three monitors) and costs less than other similar desks.
slouching.
And just because it's not all volunteers doesn't mean anyone is getting rich off of it. I work for a small nonprofit, about fifteen employees total, and our combined compensation, including our president, is less than Brian Gallagher's. The president's salary is about twice what mine is as a developer.
i know people who got half their living room for free from others who just wanted to get rid of it but it was in too good condition to dump
Free speech was meant to be free for all... how can anyone grow up in a nanny state ?