Desk mods

So, a few weeks ago, I rearranged my IKEA Jerker desk to allow me to work standing.  And it is fantastic.  but sometimes when i'm doing copywork in Finale, I don't want to work standing.  So, this got me thinking that it would be kinda awesome to insert some car scissor lifts into the main support arms of the legs of this desk:



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The idea is that the two lifts would be connected and i could use a power drill or some other electric motor to raise and lower the desk roughly 20 inches so I can work either sitting or standing.  My desk only holds maybe 150 pounds (2 LCDs, 2 powered monitors, Kurzweil K2600xs, a bunch of External HDs, and an audio interface), so those scissor lifts are more than capable, weight-wise.  However, i'd need to do some welding/metal-work to attach the scissor lifts to the desk legs.    Could anyone shed some light on what else might be required, or perhaps a better solution?  These scissor lifts are only like 20 bucks from Sears/Overstock.com so it's a very economical solution.  I don't care at all about the visuals of it (it will be ugly hahaah).   

this is what my desk looks like currently.



the lifts would go kinda where that horizontal support truss near the ground is currently located. 

I don't see any easy way to couple the two screws. Chains? Angle-gears?

Two cheap drills, but they will eventually get out of sync and you will have to manually work it back upright.

Also those scissors jacks are NOT stable. In the alleged use, they lift one side of a car, while the other side pivots on firmly-planted tires.

They actually are made to rise slant-ways, an approximation of the arc that the car "frame" moves along with far-side tires as pivot.

And this action is very loosely enforced. The basic 6-hinge geometry has zero lateral restraint. Restraint is supplied by "gear teeth", but these are very sloppy gears. This allows the jack to follow the arc of the car.



Front-back (in car use) their stability is only the 4"-wide base. If you don't set the parking brake, the car is liable to roll off. The jack structure is only stong enough to withstand that 4" base-width's torque. Manage to clamp the base and apply a significant sideload, the cheese-channel just twists.

Also the standard scissors jack will not lift 20 inches. (They also get ultra unstable near "maximum" lift.)

You need to brace the desk so it rises/falls safely, then add jack. (Yes, there are "jacks" which are also guides, but these are not cheap.)

How about a comfortable and tall chair?

Drafting chairs/stools are about 22-34" sitting levels, some are a little higher.

Stand or sit when you want..

PRR that is great advice.  thanks for pointing those things out.    What about building a simple scissor lift from generic components at the hardware store or a metal shop?    I like the concept of the scissor lift, because it's purely mechanical, as compared to a hydraulic lift, which could leak.   

Regarding mounting the lift mechanism, the arms of the desk contain holes every 1" solely for the purpose of mounting any of the peripherals or desk surfaces. 


So, i was thinking of a way to attach the base and top of the jack using something similar to

but obviously much more robust. 

I gotta say, I think the tall chair is the best/easiest/cheapest/most likely to succeed/most practical idea. 

tall chairs start around $180, tho :-( 

You going to end up spending about $1800 worth of headaches mating something to that cheap metal. It's possible, but at that point you should be building the system from the ground up.

yar....    well, i've officially been talked out of it. 

http://www.harborfreight.com/automotive-motorcycle/lifts-stands/500-lb-capacity-hydraulic-lift-table-94822.html

In one of the old broadcast studios we had a console desk that could be raised and lowered for sitting/standing operation. It was push-button controlled. Pretty sweet because they would mess with guests and raise the table a couple inches at a time when they were out of the room... They come back and it's an inch or two higher... Unnoticed... Until it's finally up to their chins or something... What the hell is happening here!

I'll check into the hardware that was involved.

Best,
jonathan

ha!  That's funny!

mulletchuck said:

tall chairs start around $180, tho :-(

Click to expand...

Instead of modding your desk, how about modding a chair you already have? :-D

0dbfs that is hilarious!!!!!   

Mbira, i'm not sure how i'd go about modding a cheap pneumatic chair, actually. 

Gemini, how'd you come up with that figure for $1800? 

I've been googling different adjustable-height desks, and they're all around $12-1400 and aren't modular like this IKEA Jerker desk.  Mind you, i got this desk for 60 bucks from craigslist!

> a hydraulic lift, which could leak.

WILL leak. When I was working around an excavator, I was taught to ALWAYS drop the blade and bucket to the ground before leaving the cab. I think of that when I walk around my snow-plow, which while only 6" off the ground would neatly cut off my foot if it dropped. (600+ pounds, sharp edge.)

In fact if you must put a pinkie under hydraulics, you have a mechanical latch. The plow has a chain and hook. If you watch your garage mechanic, the lift has some kind of finger and notches which will catch.

> Hydraulic Lift Table

Yes, that crossed my mind but I couldn't find one in a hasty search. I also know they can cost much more. This one is probably strong enough. Is a bit bulky in the knee-cubby.

How's about a tall chair?

Not cheap but how about a tv lift designed to lift a tube monitor for viewing and then you could drop it out of sight at the foot of your bed.  Think playboy mansion. 

The studio I use to work at had one for a large monitor.  It would lift the tv up for post production work but then allow it to drop so you could see through the front window for music sessions.

They lifted pretty heavy monitors.  There are desk I believe that do this thing you want but very expensive.    The studio adapted the lift with a VESA mount and put a large plasma monitor on this that is still used to this day.  Goes up and down for view through window.

You know when you get everything you want, you find you don't want half of what you think you needed.

Good luck.


Michael

I would do two side posts with simple heavy T style legs on the floor, hide a couple linear actuators (like they use on custom car hood lifts, or electric lambo door openers)inside the posts. They'd have to be pretty long stroke, or maybe rig up a pulley block to get the stroke you need. Should really need more than about 12" travel though, could get away with 10".

Howdy again.  Great ideas from everyone.    I drew up a picture of an idea that I thougth might be really cheap to implement, using a screw-type lift attached to the legs.  Any and all feedback is appreciated.



Closeup of the mount method if the motor were at the base instead:



a couple of the folks over in #robotics on IRC pointed me to mcmaster.com for getting raw materials.

That still looks like it will wobble.  Have you calculated how much weight is on the legs?

These linear actuators are made for your specific purpose, but to buy them, the power supply, and the up-down switches you will pay dearly.

Have you looked for used office or industrial furniture? 

I agree with the tall task chair crew.  That is how I use my tech bench- standing on membrane or sitting on a tall chair.
Mike