Standing desks are on the rise

I investigated the different standing desk options and found most of them lacking for my requirements.

The biggest obstacles were that I'm 6'4" tall and need a desk that can support 3 big monitors.

I ended up making my own (admittedly non on the fly adjustable) standing desk out of shelf track - the closet shelf system they sell at Home Depot or wherever.

My keyboard shelf is 40 inches high and the monitor shelf is 52 inches high.

Total costs were around $100 and it only took an evening to put together.

[EDIT] - Pics of build and final desk at - https://www.dropbox.com/gallery/3175742/1/StandingDesk?h=8d1...

I was considering getting a Milk table (http://www.milk.dk/). I know the guy who designed it and it's awesome but I decided against it because of the column in the middle. I need to stretch my legs. So I bought an X12 instead (http://www.holmris.com/htm/..%5Chtm%5Csortiment%5Cx12%5Cx12....).

Both of these are from Denmark and for the past 14 years of working as a software developer there, I have always had adjustable desks. They are simply everywhere and it was only recently that I realized that this is not the situation world wide (I currently live in Spain and I had to order mine from Denmark!).

This makes me wonder if there is an untapped market in, say, the US for these? I could never go back and I think most people who have tried wouldn't. It's not only the matter of standing up -- just making small adjustments during the day when you change position a bit feels really good and I am sure is good for the back etc.

It's too bad that kneeling chairs are often unmentioned in these discussions - they offer the main benefit of the standing desk (a natural/healthy position for the spine) with much less cost (< $100), set-up and foot/joint strain.

You can see a variety of these with a simple Google image search. Your legs just rest comfortably underneath your body, so you don't strain your back trying to counterbalance your leg (the main problem with chairs). I have a cheapo office chair and a $75 kneeling chair that I switch between (basically just when I feel any twinge of discomfort). After getting used to this setup, I don't really have any back pain.

Reading this reminds of pg's article about how PR works: http://www.paulgraham.com/submarine.html

It reads as an ad as much as a newspaper article.

I recently got a standing desk and quite enjoy it. They are definitely viral; once a few people get them in an office, everybody wants one.

I even wrote a set of Perl scripts to keep track of how much time I spend sitting vs. standing, and how it changes over time.

The only problem is that I don't know of any good studies on what stand / sit ratio is medically recommended. Too low and you get back and other muscle problems; too high and you get joint problems.

I've been loving my adjustable desk. I spent the majority of my time standing, but sometimes it's great to sit down.

I purchased a (relatively) inexpensive hand-cranked base from http://www.kitchensource.com/table-bases/gb-1000-1001.htm. I also got a cheap ($30) 48" x 24" x 2" wooden tabletop which I was able to sand, finish, and easily mount to the base. I added a desk-mounted monitor arm (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001IWOBGI). The price for all of this compares extremely favorably to most other adjustable desks I've found.

This setup has been a huge help for my back issues. If I were to try to quantify the cost of having a sore back that renders me unable to be active, it'd be vastly higher than what I payed for this setup. If I am offered a position where I need to go into an office, I would make offering me a similar setup a precondition of me accepting the offer.

I found an easy way to try this out a couple of weeks ago: five cinder blocks. Stacked three high to hold the monitor, and two high to hold the keyboard. Their mass forms a very solid support, yet it's light enough to use on almost any desk.

I needed to find a separate small stand for the optical mouse too, and I do sometimes wish I had a little more surface area at keyboard height. Still, it's cheaper and easier to install than a dedicated standing desk... and very easy to "uninstall" if you change your mind.

If you try this, be sure to put a piece of cloth or paper underneath the blocks, so that they don't scratch the desk surface. You also will probably want to get something decorative to cover the blocks; molded concrete isn't the most attractive office decor :)

They're called workbenches and have been around for years.

Funny, I went as far as the credit card entry form of http://www.geekdesk.com today but stopped short of sending the order. I looked for cheaper alternatives, and found http://www.ergodesktop.com, which is still pretty damn spendy.

What I want is a solution that's easy to setup, and is portable. I work at a variety of locations and would like some mechanism for turning any surface into a standing workstation. I think I may whip up a few prototypes in my spare time.

Standing desks seem to be the new fad. I don't believe that sitting for 10+ hours a day is healthy, but I don't believe that standing that long is healthy either.

The bigger problem lie in what motivates us to spend so long at our desks without breaks. I think there's a culture of "strap the developer to his chair" that we need to break out of.

If you're taking breaks every 2 to 3 hours to stand up, get a drink and walk around a while, I can't really see it being as bad as everyone's making it out to be.

When I moved into an empty office last year to work on my startup, I had a dilemma. I didn't have a desk or chair. At my last couple jobs I had an Aeron and I knew that a good ergonomic chair is worth the expense. I haven't had back problems and I like it that way.

I wanted to get a "good" chair like a Leap but, as a cheapskate, I didn't want to spend the $400 they cost (used of course). So instead, I cut the Gordian knot and spent the money on the desk instead of the chair. I managed to score a well-used custom standing desk and barstool-height chair on Craigslist. Paired with a thin standing mat, it's been awesome and has even helped me sleep better.

The sore feet at the end of long days went away after a month, I'm always shifting position and I generally feel like I have more energy. Standing or perching on a stool both feel better than sitting and you never have that "I have to get back up? I just sat down!" feeling.

I haven't missed flopping into that desk-chair gravity well, so adjustable height isn't that exciting. If you think you want to stand, go for it.

I switched to a standing desk a year ago and love it. I didn't want to invest too much into it at first, since I didn't know if I'd like it, so I got the Fredrik desk from IKEA (~$149).

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/60141484

I'm just over 6' tall and it work perfectly for me. The only detraction is that you cannot adjust the height after you build the desk (unless you take it apart again).

I wanted to get a standing desk. Does anyone have experience with one of those desks in hospitals that are used to serve meals to patients ? That would be a solid piece of furniture for me.

Edit : I mean something like this : http://www.amazon.com/Invacare-Over-Bed-Table/dp/B000QA0EHI/...

I am interested in starting a company that builds and sells standing desks. I'm a technical guy, but ideally I'm looking for a partner who knows far more than I do about marketing, manufacturing, and supply-chain logistics. My goal is to do it lean startup-style, and develop an MVP first. My email is in my profile, or reply in this thread.

What do you want from a standing desk? What would get you to buy a standing desk?

My treadmill desk:

https://rwmj.wordpress.com/2010/01/25/treadmill-desk-part-6-...

Yes I'm still using it, about 1 year after making it. I moved it to a different part of the house so I can look out of the window though :-)

For the viral popularity of stand up desks, the available products leave much to be desired. The general consensus in the comments is that a few of the offerings are great, but quite expensive for what they offer.

I recently joined the crew of diy stand-up deskers with this: https://plus.google.com/105852617539894761688/posts/F4sN8nUd...

By my specs you get shelves/desktop 48" wide, where you have one 28" deep desktop, one 24" deep large shelf, one 14" deep display shelf, and two 12" deep accessory shelves. It's pretty modular, so you can configure however you like. It is nowhere near as adjustable as something like the geekdesk, but for about $300 you could build two...

I'm a fan of using standing desks and wanted to figure out how to convert my home desk [which had 4x4" wooden legs] to a standing desk. I did so by: getting 4 12" 4x4s; nailing beam caps (http://www.strongtie.com/products/connectors/BC.asp) onto one end of the 4x4s; lifting the desk while my wife slipped the 12" 4x4s under the desk legs. $30 and 15 minutes work -> nice wooden desk -> standing desk.

* Note: I didn't attach the beam connectors to the desk legs since my desk is lodged in a corner and I didn't want to mess with the legs, but I'd recommend attaching them...

I work in my bedroom with a notebook computer. It took no convincing for me to throw out the desk and chair, because I was so weary of sitting all day.

My solution is simple. I slapped a desk top onto my chest of drawers, with a nonslip mat underneath to keep it from sliding. Pardon me for not running to grab the measuring tape, but it's at about my elbow height (I'm 6'2").

I stand at it most of the day, and when I get tired I just unplug everything and move to my bed for awhile. I can't take my external display to bed, but so far that's never really bothered me.

I think later on I may get crazy with some square steel tubing, and build myself a standing monstrosity.

I switched to a standing desk 3 months ago. It has been a great thing for me.

My thoughts to those who want to try it:

+ Give it time. The first 3 days were hard. After a week, it started to feel normal.

+ Get some padding. I'm using a cheap Yoga mat. I've heard gel mats are ideal.

+ Suck in that gut. If you practice keeping your lower stomach muscles tight when you start. This will help your back muscles learn to be straight.

+ Put both feet on the ground. Leaning on one leg isn't good.

+ Move around. Sway from side to side. Pick your feet up regularly. This helps keep your body and legs healthy.

I think the most ideal would be a desk which can be moved up or down via a mechanical handle bar. I have seen them in practice. That way if you get too tired you can lower it and sit.

I used a standing desk with eye level dual monitors on clamp-on arms for 45 days this summer. I felt like a check-in person at an airline. I found it uncomfortable in my lower legs but I think it was better for my spine and hip alignment. Since I have gone back to the chair I am more productive.

See occupational hazards of standing at work: http://www.hazards.org/standing/index.htm

I decided to prototype a standing desk before buying, to make sure it was something I'd really use. The prototype is just a cardboard science fair display on top of an adjustable keyboard stand:

http://distillery.s3.amazonaws.com/media/2011/06/22/f59c2c49...

It actually fits me so well that I haven't bothered to upgrade.

I'm addicted to the L-shaped IKEA Galant desks, so I just extended the legs all the way and then put a bunch of my old PHP and Flex books underneath for extra height. I find it helps significantly to raise the monitor so that the top edge is at eye level. You definitely need some kind of stool to sit on occasionally, or it is very tempting to just go back to a sitting desk.

I recently got into building with grid beam. (Found out about it at a Maker Faire.) Consider grid beam an open source version of Erector Sets or a life-size Lego Technic. Building your own standing desk out of grid beam would be the super cool thing to do. Grid beam is a very old idea, but I think it's due for a comeback. Maybe DIY standing desks is the killer app?

I have wanted one for some time, especially with the threadmill attached (I never get any exercise ever, so it would be a cheap way to get into shape and properly be my only real chance).

For those of you who already have a standing chair, how often do you use it in the standing position versus sitting down? How long time does it take to get use to using a standing chair?

I have a standing desk, and my biggest problem is sore foot soles, of all things. Fixed with lots of foam padding underfoot.

I tried it for a week and enjoyed it, but I needed to split the time with sitting too. On the hunt for an electric height adjustable as my current setup is not practical! https://plus.google.com/109940267018696224506/posts/B144cQj7...

I see nobody has mentioned the Ergotron Workfit yet. I am very pleased with mine.

I think the adjustability, allowing you to move from sitting to standing at a moment's notice, is pretty important. If it weren't for that the various DIY solutions would be as much as you really need.

I just purchased some shelving parts from Ikea and made my own. It's supposed to be a bookshelf, but it works great as a standing desk. I love it. Had to buy a mat for my feet though. My floor is hardwood, and I was surprised by how much my feet hurt!

Varicose Veins are on the rise.

Standing for long periods of time negatively affects your blood circulation and may cause varicosis. Not that sitting eight hours a day is healtier, but its one hidden risk of standing that you should know.

Amazon has had these for a long time. They are just the normal door desk with longer legs.

They are no frills. Just a door, with 4 (4inx4in?) wooden legs attached. I loved the look of them when I was there this summer.

I set up a standing configuration yesterday by putting a side table atop my desk and it's been great. If I keep liking it, I'll do a more complete solution that actually costs me money.

I had a local carpenter build me a custom standing desk for about $300 including supplies. This is IMO the best way to go for the value.

I put my keyboard on top of my iMac and just stand up at work sometimes. Works just as well. Sitting for so long cannot be healthy.

Here is my ASCII art rendition of my sub $50 standing desk, from the side and from the front:

    +--    ----------  <== monitor platform
    |        |    |
  --|        +----+    <== keyboard platform
    |        |    |
    |        +----+    <== cross-brace
  --+--      |    |

It consists of 2x4s for the frame and two pine boards for the platforms. The base legs are 30" long. The uprights on the sides are now 48.5" tall. The space between the uprights is 36", spanned near the bottom by a 2x4 (originally, I used an Ikea X-brace, but it's a PITA getting it set up without bonking your head without a solid cross-piece to start with).

The upper monitor/laptop deck is a 48" long, 16" deep, 3/4" thick pine board. It's wide so that I can fit multiple monitors, though I'm finding that a single monitor is better for my neck (less twisting). The keyboard platform is a 36" long, 16" deep, 3/4" thick pine board. These are laminated boards, consisting of several strips glued together. They're sold shrink-wrapped at home stores and you can get them paint grade or stain grade.

The keyboard platform is about 44.5" off the ground, and they monitor platform is about 53.25". I currently have about 9" height difference between the keyboard and monitor platforms, which works well for the monitor and monitor stand I'm using (a swinging stand from Monoprice).

The keyboard and monitor platforms are supported by L-brackets made out of glued-and-screwed 2x4s. I made it a point to support the pine boards for about 3/4" of their depth, so that they don't break under stress.

Here is a crude drawing of the L-brackets which support the monitor and keyboard platforms:

    +------+
    | *    |  <== asterisks are drilled holes
    |--+---+
    | *| /    <== 45-degree cut block for extra bracing
    +--+/

Currently, the platforms have holes drilled, and put two bolts through each end to the L-brackets (the bolts screw into threaded inserts which I put into the L-brackets - Google "threaded wood insert"). Then, the L-brackets are through-bolted to the uprights.

I built this particular desk so that I can disassemble it. As such, it uses a series of holes drilled 1" apart in the uprights and the L-brackets. This allows me to move the platforms up and down. Of course, it turns out that this is a bit silly, since the holes don't really line up all that well (i.e. get out the hammer and whack away to get that bolt in), and once I found the position I like, it's not moving. If I were doing this over again, I would use several QuickGrip clamps (and maybe a drilled hole + a screw for safety) to hold everything together while I figure out the geometry, then I would run just drill the necessary bolt holes at that point.

As it stands right now, the desk is a bit wobbly (the monitor sways very slightly as I'm typing this). Using the Ikea metal cross-brace will probably help with that. A simpler solution (which would be important in earthquake-prone areas, btw) would be a small L-bracket at the back of the monitor stand, screwed into the wall behind the desk.

Just built my own. Nice to see silicon valley following my example.