This is the desk I built. However, there are countless ways to put one together, and you may have some of your own.
Here’s a step-by-step guide to building a custom computer table that’s both functional and stylish—and doesn’t cost an arm and a leg.
1. Prepare Your Surface
In order to begin, I sanded and stained my door myself. The directions for this procedure are beyond the scope of this article, however it isn’t difficult.
To get started, ask a buddy or look up instructions on YouTube if you haven’t done it before. Only a few hours of your time and a few days of waiting for the paint to cure in between applications should be required.
2. Efficient ergonomics must be planned out
Do some ergonomic testing while you wait for the door to dry. Adjust the seat and arm rests of your desk chair to your desired height. Your knees and elbows should be at around 90-degree angles with your feet flat on the ground.
If your surface is thicker than an inch and a half, deduct that measurement from your armrest height. As a consequence, you’ll know what height to place your OLOV legs to as well as what filing cabinet or drawers to use.
If you’re going to include drawers, make a note of it and then go out and get them.
3. Put the pieces together
Make a plan for the legs first when your slab is ready to be flipped over. It’s best to place 1 leg in each of the 4 corners, with another one tucked in in the centre of the back edge for added stability. One of those front legs will be replaced with the filing cabinet if you decide to do so.
Grab your anti-sag braces and locate a spot in the middle of the surface where they can be attached. Set them slightly off-center if they nudge against the space where you intend to place your filing cabinet if necessary.
Dispose of any cable management trays you may have and fill in the remaining area with them. Surge protection will be mounted on the underside of an Ikea SIGNUM tray. Even if I had to make some adjustments, it’s a good idea to draw up a detailed design before you begin drilling holes.
4. Start Assembling
Locate a place to attach any underbelly bracing, anti-sag bracing, or other components by marking the locations and drilling pilot holes for them. To avoid splitting the wood, you must first drill a pilot hole on the surface before screwing into it.
Everything save the legs should be attached, including the brackets. Again, utilizing your drill as a driver will speed up the process, which will take some time and effort.
5. Add Table Legs
It’s much easier to slide your door into the office before attaching the legs if you bring it in for the last few steps. Screw the OLOV legs into the brackets as soon as it arrives in its new location.
After that, simply unscrew the bottom, slide them out, and tighten them clockwise to get the height you want.
6. Verify the level of stability and elevation
Flip your desk around and place the filing cabinet on top of it now. Check to see that everything is on equal footing.
Check the desk’s height with your chair while you’re checking its stability. It is a fact that most workstations are intended for writing, not for calculating.
Writing height computer desks are common, with a keyboard tray situated at arm’s length. To improve ergonomics, you could raise the height of your desk and use a screw-on keyboard tray, but I prefer to have everything on a single, flat surface.
7. Set up all of your equipment
As soon as you’ve double-checked that your invention is the right size and stable enough for you to use, it’s time to set up your computer and monitor.
