I was thinking about getting a standing desk, but when I saw all the mechanisms, the first thing I concluded is that they were over-engineered with a lot of motors and stuff. I was thinking about a mechanism that locks in position and that can be hand lifted. I googled something just to see if someone had already figured it out and there it is, a very elegant solution with counter weights. Congratulations! You may consider a patent, this is very marketable.
Perfect. I love how problems are solved with pure craftsmanship without involving electrical or digital stuff. Things like this never cease to amaze me.
The author does like to from scratch, ru-vid.comUgkxbnOKZBE4evMO5V2vroHeCjq6d_MV6wJO shaping and trimming wood from large blocks into fine finished products. As another reviewer mentioned, most projects require a lot of high-dollar equipment that most of us don’t have the room or budget for. But, knowing how to do these things, even if we won’t be able to practise the full stack project, is still great.
First I want to thank RU-vid for recommending this video to me and second you for doing it. I've been designing a height adjustable workbench in my head for years. This video has changed my idea completely. Great job and thanks again.
4:17 I really enjoyed that proud grin when he lowered the desk back down after putting 250 lbs on it. Something about engineering some great craftsmanship that just fills a man with bubbling pride. 😁
Oh wow! I was looking for something simple for a working desk but for drafting. This is way better than the overpriced antiques people damage and then sell as "vintage" damaged goods. Thank you for this option it's 10x better and unexpected.
That's the thing about wood. It handles weight very well by bowing / flexing. I live near a windy cliff, and its amazing to see how much the trees can bend!
I was looking for a standing desk recently and wanted something that didn't require electricity. I then figured I would rather make one for a fraction of the price and thought it may be fun to build. This is a great desk design that perfectly meets all the criteria I was looking for!
This was great, I have been researching "woodworking projects with plans" for a while now, and I think this has helped. You ever tried - Yanathew Wood Waggler - (Have a quick look on google cant remember the place now ) ? Ive heard some unbelievable things about it and my neighbour got cool success with it.
Great build!!, very medieval & inspiring, i might try build something like this today.. id like to make it compactable though, so think id go with bolts, threadeded inserts and nuts and maybe a few 2kg cast iron dumbell plates.. might even experiment with pulleys.. imo this build is waaayYYYY better than all the automated versions with actuators..
Bravo ! I'm building one on wheels to roll over my bed. The desk top will be 40" from the floor. 3 legs made of 4x4. much like a hospital bed that rolls under the bed. I'll watch your other vids. My kind of thinking & creating !! Keep on Truckin'
I love it. I would make one change though. I would make the counterweight a bit heavier and move it inward (towards the center) a bit. But, I would make them slide along the shaft to different points. That way when a person has the desk loaded they can slide the weights out from center until they have a neutral balance.
That's pretty fantastic. Challenge: Make it desk fold up against the frame for small spaces, or the ability to integrate that into your wall. I'm thinking of tiny houses.
Most impressive! I didn't expect it to hold the full weight! I thought the locking mechanism would snap. I know feel a bit more secure about making my desk from metal, just needs to hold a lot more weight!
Yes! I was searching for a project such as this! It'll definitely be a HUGE help while I continue to look at Woody Hyezmar's plans which I found on his website.
I really want to build this table...I'd call it a bench or 'taboret' since I'd be using it mostly for paint and palette as well as laptop, but I might use it in some woodworking too, I guess I just want to say great job and I appreciate you & your work. You are a pleasant individual & I enjoy watching you. Your videos are very good and inspirational! God bless you man! oh yeah! 4:01 tells it and sells it for me!!! Definitely a worthy work!!!
I'm in the process of building from the purchased plans. It would be simpler to simply cut away the ends of the cross piece to make two tenons than is the diagrammed method of making 4 mortises. The top is going to be from an Ikea Lack Coffee Table kit (so not as wide but just as deep)
Very Cool! I created one using a $46 motorcycle jack from Ebay that's rated for 1100 lb's. It does take sometime to crank it up and down but it does the job. It goes up about 12" which is good enough for me :)
He talks about flex. I agree with him. I have a table i made and i fixed 3 boards together side by side with pocket screws. Because i used screws, when i lean on it, it flexes a TON but there is no way i will ever break it.
Hi Scott, This project was awesome. I did the same thing with the boxes to adjust the height of the 'desk'. But this project will be something I will definitely look into when I have the time. Thanks for the video!
@@allananonimozeta9345 Good Morning, I am sorry to say I did not build one like yours. I did however build a desk that I love and use every day. It is a simple desk with a top that slides out. This enables me to sit in my recliner chair and then slide the desk top out over the chair. I also built a swivel pad for the recliner to sit on so I can turn 90% to desk and stand up. Here is a link to the desk setup I built: s346.photobucket.com/user/MrCisco/media/IMG_0431_zpsl2fdndt5.jpg.html?o=6 I work in Tech industry where I sit behind a desk all day long so I needed something comfortable. This is my solution. Have a great day.
Hey Scott. I love this design! I'm curious though, would it be better to have the locking mechanism spring-loaded so that you can never accidentally leave it unlocked? I feel like this would be a relatively small addition that would really refine the design a lot more.
I like your desk idea. It is fast, it is easy, it is silent, and needs no power. Even if you pack 20lbs of stuff on the top (monitors,speakers, a few books, etc.) it would still be pretty easy to lift. In the past I had an AC powered electric raising desk and one thing I did not like about it was just the fact I had to hold a button for 15 seconds to raise/lower it. I like the idea of having to burn our own calories to raise and lower it -just seems more healthy then holding a button 15 seconds 2-4 times a day. Just a thought... - Make it so the weights can be moved up and down the bar - that way it can be adjusted for how much stuff might be on top of the desk? - Instead of sand, how about using water bottles for weight? Maybe removable plastic water container can be used so it can be adjusted or even emptied when moving the desk around. The water can double as disaster preparedness water also. =) Overall, nice work and I like your garage! If I ever build another desk I think I might use your gravity assist idea to balance the desk.
This is great.... I will have to build this ... so already bought the plans! Any suggestions on suitable wood types? I might not get all the wood in SA like you have in US. I was thinking Oregon Pine, Ceder or Poplar ... or maybe the more expensive ones are Birch or Cherry?
Great design. The best cheapest densest weights I've found are barbell iron weights. They cost about $1 a pound, but I'll bet the nails were at hand, probably cheaper, and they fit the shape of the boxes. (I wanted to try ballast in a kayak, I'm sure we went through the same process, sand, pricing lead shot.... ) Ikea's desk drops to 27.5". I'm 5'8", in a regular chair the desktop height best for me to type comfortably is about 29" or a little lower. I can see why you have the 'towers'. I guess there's no good way to get to the height without them, unless you have three section legs-which overly complicates. The base and legs are strong, but they're flexing too much. It's just the leg/column. Make'em deeper. (All cantilevers eventually-sag. Just repeat that a thousand times. Still use them, just don't complain about building code requirements for cantilevers, just double everything they require, especially if you're going to live there or own it--unless it's ornamental or minor roof extension.) Springs are an option for the counterweight, you'd want to use really heavy springs but run pulleys and cable. Hooke's Law, as springs get stretched the force increases. Keeping the springs within a short range of movement while using leverage for the distance you need. The table moves up and down a lot , but the springs move less. (I've done this a few times). Look into them. Take a look at pantograph arms (the dentist's light) and especially Garret Brown's Steadicam design. I'll bet you could do some amazing things with these mechanisms. (Be careful though, to lift 50 pounds there might be several hundred pounds of tension.) Not criticism, just another guy with a table saw making widgets just shooting the breeze. I studied your expanding table for hours. Thank goodness I could find no reason to make one, or I'd still be working on it.
Would love to see how it lifts with load on it - e.g. a desktop computer, books, etc. that won't be taken off during raising and lowering. I assume the counterweights would make it *easier* but wouldn't accommodate the extra load inherently.
This is fantastic and I’ve been thinking about building this for quite some time. However, I wonder if there isn’t a way to have a different locking mechanism that could allow the table to be at multiple positions, instead of just 2? I would also be interested to make a skinny shelf beneath the table for lightweight stationary.
I was having problems sitting all day, this gives the option to sit / stand, brilliant! Loved the progress videos and the thinking out. Matthias Wandel would be proud. Did you consider finger joints for the feet leg table support joints. What a class job.
If you don't want to make your own wheels - something useful to do with offcuts - you could easily use in-line skate or skate board wheels instead - sealed ball bearings, no lubrication required. You could also buy HDPE or similar self lubricating plastic in various sized rods, just cut off slices and drill centre holes as required.
+Bruce Lee I've done this on other projects (see expanding table) with good results. In this case I was going for maximum wood content to make it more accessible. The square edge of a wood wheel is handy too, as I use grooves to maintain alignment.
this is so awesome. can't believe it took me this long to find your video. Incredible work, well done. Just gotta find space to put a desk to give me an excuse to buy the plans and make it :)
Hi curious what you think the unloaded table weight is. What kind of mobility does it have? Is it a build in place and leave for years type of furniture?
Probably between 90 and 100 lbs, most of which is the counterweight. I think it would be best left in place as the "feet" need to stay parallel to each other and perpendicular to the crosspiece in the back. I suppose with additional bracing it could be rolled around but it wouldn't be my first choice.
Hi, love the table! if you changed the X pieces to Carbon Fibre material, it would make the table lighter and increase the load bearing capacity , right?
How about raising and lowering it when you have stuff on it? How much weight can you put on it before it throws off the counter balance enough to need adjustment?
+Nick Fotopoulos In the current setup it has a range of about 25 lbs (12.5 lbs either side of "perfect"). With a heavier counterweight I expect that this range would increase proportionally. Thanks!
+Scott Rumschlag You should design it in some way to compensate (change how far the counterweights are placed on their arms) for extra load :D Maybe you could also place them on some sort of pulley system, which could act like a very long arm. That way you don't need as much weight for the counterweights :P
+Benjamin “Ozias” Esposti If you use a pulley counterweight system, you double the travel distance required every time you halve the weight required. It quickly gets far more complex and less elegant than what he has already created. Using heavier weights that can slide along the arms to different positions (like the old sliding beam scales) would be an elegant way to address variable load range problem.
DFKnightmare Oi!! I still use a CRT monitor! Okay, it's my secondary monitor. I mainly use it to have a diagram of something displayed, or a parts list, etc... (engineering FTW XD)
How on God's Green Earth did you get that joint between the feet and the leg to take that much weight without splitting apart? Very impressive. I may have to watch the construction videos.
+Scott Rumschlag Man, I must be undersold on the strength of Hickory. Now I will definitely have to look at the other videos to see the details. Nice work.
That's awesome, I just need a smaller version to use sitting on my desk for my bible studies etc. just put felt stickers on the bottom so out won't scratch my wife's living room floor. perfect, or is that the same concept as the other one you had wheels on?
Hey Scott, I am really interested in purchasing your plans, but didn't see a great place to ask a question about the height stops for the desk: Can the desk stop anywhere in it's movable range or is it limited to the extremes? Basically: can I adjust to to 3 different positions without significant modifications?
Low/high/middle are the easiest options. More options are doable but would require a different locking mechanism. You can send questions to my email: scott@mechanicallumber.com
Cool design. Several times you show how much weight it can hold. But how much weight can it move? Like what if there is a full tower computer and 2-3 monitors on that desk. Will it still move up and down?
+wordsnwood Thanks. The counterweight is adjustable and could be increased for larger loads, in that case you may want to make the legs and arms deeper to add stiffness. This is fairly easy though, as it doesn't change any of the mechanism proportions.
Diction apologize for my writing, I do not even speak English, I write the following message by google translator. Very good your project is that it is very versatile
Great design, this might be exactly what I need but I have one concern. I have a live-edge cedar table top weighing 75lbs. Would this offer enough support for the table top? I'm also putting two LCD screens on it. If it doesn't, can you offer suggestions on what I'd have to add in order for it to support the heavy table top?
