I'm on a campaign to unclutter my computer desk (HAHA, yet again).
I've moved the monitor to an Ergotron wall mount but now want to move
the keyboard off the worksurface so it can be clutter free (HAHA, more
room for new clutter). I need some advice from all the gurus here on
the wRECk about converting the desk's center drawer so that the front
can drop down to reveal the keyboard. Is this feasible? What hardware
would you recommend? I'd probably also have to reinforce the drawer to
compensate for the missing stability provided by the front. Any other
things I should consider? Thanks in advance for helping stamp out
clutter (yeah, right!)
Izm
On Feb 2, 7:26 am, [email protected] wrote:
> I'm on a campaign to unclutter my computer desk (HAHA, yet again).
> I've moved the monitor to an Ergotron wall mount but now want to move
> the keyboard off the worksurface so it can be clutter free (HAHA, more
> room for new clutter). I need some advice from all the gurus here on
> the wRECk about converting the desk's center drawer so that the front
> can drop down to reveal the keyboard. Is this feasible? What hardware
> would you recommend? I'd probably also have to reinforce the drawer to
> compensate for the missing stability provided by the front. Any other
> things I should consider? Thanks in advance for helping stamp out
> clutter (yeah, right!)
> Izm
I tried converting an old center desk drawer to hold a keyboard. I
found the sides and bottom to be too thin to be stable when cut loose
from the drawer front. Then I tried building a new drawer of
substantial construction with the old drawer front hinged to the
bottom and supported by some of those sliding supports from Rockler
and magnets to hold the front closed. It worked fine except I didn't
like the sharp edge along the inside of the drawer front, and rounding
it enough to help would have ruined the front. My final solution has
no sides or front at all. Just a 3/4" birch plywood bottom with a 2"
strip of Cherry forming the front edge. The cherry edge strip has a
nice 1/2" round-over that's easy on the wrists. It looks OK and is
very functional.
DonkeyHody
"Every man is my superior in that I can learn from him." - Thomas
Carlyle
On Feb 2, 8:26 am, [email protected] wrote:
> I'm on a campaign to unclutter my computer desk (HAHA, yet again).
> I've moved the monitor to an Ergotron wall mount but now want to move
> the keyboard off the worksurface so it can be clutter free (HAHA, more
> room for new clutter). I need some advice from all the gurus here on
> the wRECk about converting the desk's center drawer so that the front
> can drop down to reveal the keyboard. Is this feasible? What hardware
> would you recommend? I'd probably also have to reinforce the drawer to
> compensate for the missing stability provided by the front. Any other
> things I should consider? Thanks in advance for helping stamp out
> clutter (yeah, right!)
> Izm
I once had a desk where the "center drawer" was just a facade. The
part that looked like the drawer front was on a piano hinge and
dropped down to allow access to the sliding keyboard tray.
It worked pretty well, but I kept on scratching the back of the drop-
down front because I wouldn't always drop it down enough.
So in your case, I'd consider removing the drawer front from the
drawer, assembling a frame just inside the drawer opening to hold the
drawer front up, then mounting the front to it with a piano hinge,
with some magnets to hold it closed when it's up.
Then you can mount the keyboard tray however you like behind the
drawer front.
-Nathan
On Feb 2, 11:25 am, Brian Henderson
<[email protected]> wrote:
> On 2 Feb 2007 05:26:55 -0800, [email protected] wrote:
>
> >I'm on a campaign to unclutter my computerdesk(HAHA, yet again).
> >I've moved the monitor to an Ergotron wall mount but now want to move
> >the keyboard off the worksurface so it can be clutter free (HAHA, more
> >room for new clutter). I need some advice from all the gurus here on
> >the wRECk aboutconvertingthedesk'scenterdrawerso that the front
> >can drop down to reveal the keyboard. Is this feasible? What hardware
> >would you recommend? I'd probably also have to reinforce thedrawerto
> >compensate for the missing stability provided by the front. Any other
> >things I should consider? Thanks in advance for helping stamp out
> >clutter (yeah, right!)
>
> I've seen some of them commercially available, you may want to look
> into buying one that will be stable and then retrofitting thedrawer-front onto it. Another option that I've seen is a flip-up copy
> tray that hinges up when thedraweris pulled out, leaving the
> keyboard exposed. Either way, I think you're going to be replacing
> the majority of thedrawer, it just isn't built to be stable without
> the front holding it all together. Just make something that works,
> then attach the old front.
Thanks for the reply. The flip-up thingy sounds intriguing. Does
Rockler etc., stock the harware to retrofit this?
IzM
On Feb 2, 1:03 pm, "Mark Jerde" <[email protected]> wrote:
> <[email protected]> wrote in message
>
> news:[email protected]...
>
> > I'm on a campaign to unclutter my computerdesk(HAHA, yet again).
> > I've moved the monitor to an Ergotron wall mount but now want to move
> > the keyboard off the worksurface so it can be clutter free (HAHA, more
> > room for new clutter). I need some advice from all the gurus here on
> > the wRECk aboutconvertingthedesk'scenterdrawerso that the front
> > can drop down to reveal the keyboard. Is this feasible? What hardware
> > would you recommend? I'd probably also have to reinforce thedrawerto
> > compensate for the missing stability provided by the front. Any other
> > things I should consider? Thanks in advance for helping stamp out
> > clutter (yeah, right!)
> > Izm
>
> I've been writing software for nearly 30 years and I don't like the
> keyboards-in-drawers. Too hard on my wrists in an 8+ hour day of coding. I
> greatly prefer the variable angle keyboard tray shown in these two photos.
> (Talk about clutter! <g>) In the 2nd photo SWMBO is proofreading a
> presentation for me.
>
> (In the first photo you'll notice a keyboard tray on the left computer.
> I'ved used trays and don't like them.)
>
> http://www.markjerde.com/img/8-Screens-Large.jpghttp://www.markjerde.com/img/Proofreader-Large.jpg
>
> -- Mark
Thanks for the reply and the pix. Cool setup you have. What do you do
for backing up all the data?
IzM
On Feb 2, 9:01 pm, "J." <[email protected]> wrote:
> In mydeskI don't have adrawerso much as a rolling tray that has a
> fold downdrawerface attached to it with a pair of butler tray hinges.
> No sides or back to the "drawer". Works fine.
>
> J.
>
>
>
> [email protected] wrote:
> > I'm on a campaign to unclutter my computerdesk(HAHA, yet again).
> > I've moved the monitor to an Ergotron wall mount but now want to move
> > the keyboard off the worksurface so it can be clutter free (HAHA, more
> > room for new clutter). I need some advice from all the gurus here on
> > the wRECk aboutconvertingthedesk'scenterdrawerso that the front
> > can drop down to reveal the keyboard. Is this feasible? What hardware
> > would you recommend? I'd probably also have to reinforce thedrawerto
> > compensate for the missing stability provided by the front. Any other
> > things I should consider? Thanks in advance for helping stamp out
> > clutter (yeah, right!)
> > Izm- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -
Hmmm, I was thinking of that, but hoping to still use some of the
unsused space behind the keyboard for storage.Maybe not...
IzM
On 2 Feb 2007 05:26:55 -0800, [email protected] wrote:
>I'm on a campaign to unclutter my computer desk (HAHA, yet again).
>I've moved the monitor to an Ergotron wall mount but now want to move
>the keyboard off the worksurface so it can be clutter free (HAHA, more
>room for new clutter). I need some advice from all the gurus here on
>the wRECk about converting the desk's center drawer so that the front
>can drop down to reveal the keyboard. Is this feasible? What hardware
>would you recommend? I'd probably also have to reinforce the drawer to
>compensate for the missing stability provided by the front. Any other
>things I should consider? Thanks in advance for helping stamp out
>clutter (yeah, right!)
I've seen some of them commercially available, you may want to look
into buying one that will be stable and then retrofitting the
drawer-front onto it. Another option that I've seen is a flip-up copy
tray that hinges up when the drawer is pulled out, leaving the
keyboard exposed. Either way, I think you're going to be replacing
the majority of the drawer, it just isn't built to be stable without
the front holding it all together. Just make something that works,
then attach the old front.
[email protected] wrote:
> I'm on a campaign to unclutter my computer desk (HAHA, yet again).
> I've moved the monitor to an Ergotron wall mount but now want to
> move the keyboard off the worksurface so it can be clutter free
> (HAHA, more room for new clutter). I need some advice from all the
> gurus here on the wRECk about converting the desk's center drawer
> so that the front can drop down to reveal the keyboard. Is this
> feasible? What hardware would you recommend? I'd probably also have
> to reinforce the drawer to compensate for the missing stability
> provided by the front. Any other things I should consider? Thanks
> in advance for helping stamp out clutter (yeah, right!)
> Izm
1. Go to an office furniture store
2. Look at computer desks
3. Make notes
--
dadiOH
____________________________
dadiOH's dandies v3.06...
...a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
Get it at http://mysite.verizon.net/xico
In my desk I don't have a drawer so much as a rolling tray that has a
fold down drawer face attached to it with a pair of butler tray hinges.
No sides or back to the "drawer". Works fine.
J.
[email protected] wrote:
> I'm on a campaign to unclutter my computer desk (HAHA, yet again).
> I've moved the monitor to an Ergotron wall mount but now want to move
> the keyboard off the worksurface so it can be clutter free (HAHA, more
> room for new clutter). I need some advice from all the gurus here on
> the wRECk about converting the desk's center drawer so that the front
> can drop down to reveal the keyboard. Is this feasible? What hardware
> would you recommend? I'd probably also have to reinforce the drawer to
> compensate for the missing stability provided by the front. Any other
> things I should consider? Thanks in advance for helping stamp out
> clutter (yeah, right!)
> Izm
>
> Thanks for the reply and the pix. Cool setup you have. What do you do
> for backing up all the data?
> IzM
Two systems:
1. DVDs in a fire safe, and
2. An internet-based version control system. All current work is stored on
the internet and synchronized across my computers. This gives great peace
of mind. ;-) When the motherboard died on my main software development
computer last summer I was able to keep working. It wasn't as nice without
7 monitors, but 1 monitor is a lot better than zero. ;-)
-- Mark
On 3 Feb 2007 16:40:29 -0800, [email protected] wrote:
>Thanks for the reply. The flip-up thingy sounds intriguing. Does
>Rockler etc., stock the harware to retrofit this?
I'd assume that just using a piano hinge would work for the flip-up
copy tray. Maybe 50% of the drawer sides would be attached to the
bottom, the other to the top and at the split, when you pull the
drawer out, it's hinged to flip up, taking the drawer front and side
pieces with it. That leaves you with an accessible keyboard and a
tilted place to put your copy. I tried looking it up online, I found
several desks that had it, but none that I looked at had pictures.
<[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I'm on a campaign to unclutter my computer desk (HAHA, yet again).
> I've moved the monitor to an Ergotron wall mount but now want to move
> the keyboard off the worksurface so it can be clutter free (HAHA, more
> room for new clutter). I need some advice from all the gurus here on
> the wRECk about converting the desk's center drawer so that the front
> can drop down to reveal the keyboard. Is this feasible? What hardware
> would you recommend? I'd probably also have to reinforce the drawer to
> compensate for the missing stability provided by the front. Any other
> things I should consider? Thanks in advance for helping stamp out
> clutter (yeah, right!)
> Izm
I've been writing software for nearly 30 years and I don't like the
keyboards-in-drawers. Too hard on my wrists in an 8+ hour day of coding. I
greatly prefer the variable angle keyboard tray shown in these two photos.
(Talk about clutter! <g>) In the 2nd photo SWMBO is proofreading a
presentation for me.
(In the first photo you'll notice a keyboard tray on the left computer.
I'ved used trays and don't like them.)
http://www.markjerde.com/img/8-Screens-Large.jpg
http://www.markjerde.com/img/Proofreader-Large.jpg
-- Mark
On Fri, 02 Feb 2007 16:25:39 GMT, Brian Henderson
<[email protected]> wrote:
>On 2 Feb 2007 05:26:55 -0800, [email protected] wrote:
>
>>I'm on a campaign to unclutter my computer desk (HAHA, yet again).
>>I've moved the monitor to an Ergotron wall mount but now want to move
>>the keyboard off the worksurface so it can be clutter free (HAHA, more
>>room for new clutter). I need some advice from all the gurus here on
>>the wRECk about converting the desk's center drawer so that the front
>>can drop down to reveal the keyboard. Is this feasible? What hardware
>>would you recommend? I'd probably also have to reinforce the drawer to
>>compensate for the missing stability provided by the front. Any other
>>things I should consider? Thanks in advance for helping stamp out
>>clutter (yeah, right!)
>
Personally I think that I would buy a commercial fully articulating
keyboard tray, replace the tray surface with wood to match the desk,
remove and put away the drawer (if hanging under the surface) and
install the keyboard tray. If the desk drawer is fitted into a
faceframe then some modifications would be necessary. In any case, I
have found the non-articulating trays, such as the false drawer trays,
to be very hard to work from. Just my thoughts.
Dave Hall