DIY laptop table. Making a folding bed table for a laptop Do-it-yourself computer table for a laptop drawings

The topic of bedside tables for breakfast in bed on laptops is quite popular on the Internet, including on Habré. But I still decided to write my article. To be honest, this is my first more or less serious work with wood in my entire life. I will try to tell everything in detail for beginners (like me), so many things may seem unnecessary or too detailed to an experienced reader. But, reading various articles on this topic, or rather, comments to them, like: “Yes, your table, of course, is not very good, but you are so good that you made it with your own hands,” I realized that the topic is relevant . People sitting at a computer rarely pick up woodworking tools.

In fact, the idea of making some kind of laptop stand, with which it would be convenient to lie in bed, came to me quite a long time ago, the first time was probably three years ago. But will you do anything for yourself? And then, two weeks ago, my beloved once admitted that what she really needed to be happy was a table where she could watch a movie on her laptop in the evening when falling asleep. In general, the desire did not take long to arrive.

Ingredients

To buy everything I was going to make the table from, I went to Obi, but you can probably do it with the same success in other stores that are in your city. I will only say that I really liked that Ob has such qualified consultants that with their help, even a woman who is as far removed from all this as possible can easily choose any goods there, at least for assembling furniture. We chose two pine furniture panels with medium-sized knots, water-based ebony paint and two pairs of decorative gold hinges.

Again, you are free to choose all this to your taste - the size of the furniture panels depends on the size of the future table. For example, I bought two 300x1000 panels, one of them accommodated a table top and a leg, most of the second remained untouched. By the way, instead of furniture panels, you can use chipboard or plywood, but I refused this even before going to the store, because I wanted a more real tree. In the planned product, the emphasis was placed on external beauty and ease of use, rather than on price and speed of production. I’m not discouraging you from doing something else, you can devote man-hours to it - I’m very impressed when people can make a very convenient and quite attractive thing in one evening, literally from scrap materials.

I chose the paint so that the table would match the walls of the future owner’s room. The stores have a wide selection of paints, and what’s really cool is that there are samples of pieces of parquet already painted with these paints (usually).

Let's get to work

To begin with, I printed out the “drawings” of the future product and transferred them with a pencil to the wood. The most successful way to do this would have been to create the correct pattern and outline it, but for some reason I didn’t bother with this and drew the shape of the table top and legs by hand. To help myself, I simply marked the control points with a ruler and completed the curves by eye. I strongly recommend that the future creator not be lazy and make a high-quality pattern in any way possible, and then transfer the drawing from it to wood. By the way, I advise you to arm yourself with a longer ruler; the fewer rearrangements with intermediate marks you make, the smoother the straight line will be and the less likely it is to make a mistake.

Now, almost the most interesting and difficult part, from my point of view, is cutting out our shapes. I used a jigsaw and, to be honest, held it in my hands for the first time in my life. It’s an indescribable feeling when you can saw and turn at the same time... When making a part, remember the rule “measure twice, cut once.” Don’t be too lazy once again not just to look at your drawing, but also to additionally measure it with a ruler to see if everything is symmetrical and if the distances are correct. Once you've made sure the lines are correct a few times, you can start cutting.

As you can see in the photographs, I placed the furniture panel on two stools and constantly moved them under it at those moments when the next bend in the cut required it. I recommend that you don’t be lazy and do the same; you don’t have to try to cut out the shape on one side without moving yourself or moving the support - it’s better when you always have a support point and you can saw without fear of hitting your stand.

Another small nuance - if you are a beginner, then start practicing on more inconspicuous details, then the main details will turn out smoother (since you will already learn). Let me explain, I always started with the legs, since they are less noticeable than the tabletop. Those. I “rehearsed” on the legs, so in the end I have much fewer various defects on the tabletop. This applies to drawing, sawing, and painting.

After we have cut out all the parts, we can start sanding. I was lucky and there was a sander in my apartment. This is a tool with two rotating shafts on which the skin is stretched. True, not all parts were able to pass through the sanding machine, because... In the process, the skin of the skin tore, and I had to remove it and sand it manually - this is noticeably slower. I recommend not making do with one skin, but having at least two - with large and small grains. With coarse sandpaper we remove all our sawing flaws, and with fine sandpaper we make the elements smooth and tactilely pleasant.

When all the parts have been sawed and sanded, the work area has been tidied up, you can start painting. I applied the paint in several layers because the wood absorbed it very readily, leaving practically nothing on the surface. Despite the fact that the manufacturer stated that the paint dries in 4 hours, just in case, I left everything painted overnight, moving the parts to the balcony. The paint after the first drying will be barely noticeable and will not meet your expectations - don’t be upset, a second painting will definitely await us. Most likely, the tree, even in those places where, after sanding, you could pass a silk scarf, will “bristle” a little. If the “bristling” is not very pronounced, then you can rely on varnish, but if your fibers are completely raised, then it will not be superfluous to re-sand and re-paint exactly the sanded areas, so that in the future the entire product will be evenly painted. You won’t have to do this ad infinitum, because... the second time the tree will not absorb as much moisture.

During the painting process, move the brush only along the fibers and constantly monitor and avoid smudges. As with everything else, paint first those places that will be less noticeable in the future and only at the end, after practice, move on to those parts that will always be visible. It's great if you have several brushes of different sizes, at least one for surfaces and one for ends. But in principle, you can get by with just one, like me.

I painted the table twice, so it took two days, because... Each drying session lasted overnight, and the next morning I went to school/work and only devoted time to the table in the evening. After two stains, the color satisfied me a little more than completely, so I could move on to varnishing the table. There was no varnish at home, I had to go separately to Order, located next to the house - there is also a very large selection of different paint and varnish coatings. I needed a matte, colorless varnish. I didn’t get hung up on the manufacturer, so I chose a jar of semi-matte yacht varnish with the most beautiful label. By the way, choosing what I needed was also not difficult because already purchased samples were placed next to the rows of numerous jars. Again, you can choose a varnish to your taste, try gloss or semi-gloss, I just have a ThinkPad and am a fan of everything matte.

Drying the varnished parts took me another half day off work. By the way, the varnish was applied much faster, because... after two paintings it was practically not absorbed into the wood at all. Again, beware of smudges and varnish the products strictly in the directions of the fibers, and not across them.

If everything is dry after varnishing, we are left with the smallest part - the assembly. First, I spent a long time placing the legs and hinges on the tabletop to achieve symmetry. After my eye was satisfied, measuring with a ruler destroyed my entire design and everything had to be reattached. Under no circumstances should you rush into assembly. Place the legs ten times and try to fold/unfold the legs so that they are accurately retracted, unfolded to the end and are symmetrical. If you have arranged everything as needed, you can make notes. I made notes with a knife, or maybe a marker, I was just afraid of getting anything too dirty.

Well, all that remains is to screw everything together. Our table is ready!

As a bonus, I am attaching a photo of the main inspirer of the project, who knew nothing until the very last moment!

Unrealized ideas or what you can do to surpass me

I really wanted to make a recess in the table for a cup, but I could not figure out how to achieve this. There was an option to cut it out with a milling cutter and then smooth the edges with sandpaper, but the cutter has a drill in the center that would have made a hole right through my tabletop. Several other people offered me the same option - drill a through hole, and then glue a kind of plastic can into it and paint it along with the tabletop. I refused this option because... For me, aesthetics were more important than functionality.

Also, I thought it would be cool to make the tabletop slightly inclined and at the bottom (or front, as you wish) to make some kind of support for a laptop or pencil so that nothing rolls down or moves out. Perhaps this is unnecessary.

(UPD)Cost

In the comments a couple of times they asked to indicate the cost.
The cost of two furniture panels, a bucket of paint and two pairs of hinges is 1000 rubles;
A separate additional small jar of varnish is purchased - another ~250 rubles.
But there are still 5 tables left with paint and varnish, and two more pairs of legs can be cut from the remaining part of the furniture board.

Links and thanks

I definitely wouldn't have made my table without the following articles:

DIY bedside table in 15 minutes - habrahabr.ru/post/85891
Laptop table - habrahabr.ru/post/56577
And here I saw an image of what I would like to do - sergelin.ru/furniture/061.asp

I express my deep gratitude to the authors of the first two articles and the author of the drawings on the third link.

I hope that after this article, even more young people will let go of the keyboard and pick up instruments, and even more girls will be happy with a new small, but terribly pleasant piece of furniture. Go for it!

UPD2: Updated the table! I remade the hinges as in the diagram

A laptop is a compact device that is convenient to work with. Most people work on a laptop in different places: on the sofa, behind, in a gazebo on the street.

Some people put it on their knees, but you can't work that long. After a while, your legs, neck and shoulders will swell.

It is much more convenient to work with a laptop if you have a special small folding table.

You can buy it in a store or make it yourself.

You can make a folding table for a laptop from different materials:

natural wood.

Each individual option has its own advantages. If you are interested in a budget option, try using plywood. To her benefits applies:

ease of use;
high technical characteristics;
low cost.

MDF or laminated chipboard will cost a little more. But the table will turn out stylish and original.

Most people prefer natural materials. Therefore, when making furniture items, preference is given to wood. This table will please the owners:

beautiful texture and texture;
environmental friendliness;
long service life.

Which option to choose is up to you. The main thing is that as a result of your efforts you get a functional table with high technical performance and an attractive appearance.

Dimensions

As for the dimensions of the laptop table, they are small. Here you can build on your personal wishes and the size of your mobile device. The main thing is that the item remains mobile and can be easily installed on the bed.

Reference: the average height of a folding laptop table should be 18-23 cm, its width will vary between 40-50 cm.

Drawing

Before making a piece of furniture, it is necessary to make a preliminary drawing. It indicates the exact dimensions of the table and the materials used to make it.

If you can’t make a drawing yourself, you can find a ready-made sketch on the Internet, you can contact specialists in this field, or simply use a special program for furniture makers. The last option is the simplest. After you draw or print a finished sketch of the future table, you will need to transfer it to the wooden surface of the prepared materials.

Attention: Before making the table, you should once again carefully calculate the dimensions and place control points on the material.

Tools and materials

To make a folding laptop table, you will need to prepare the following tools:

Materials you will need:

tabletop material (plywood, boards, chipboard sheet);
furniture glue;
pencil.

How to make it foldable?

When starting to make a piece of furniture, you should put a drawing, materials and tools nearby. The most difficult thing in the work process is cutting out the shape of the future product. Here you need to use jigsaw. It is better to give preference to electric tools. With them you will get the job done faster. Using an electric forehead, you can make straight or rounded edges of the product.

Attention: at each individual stage of manufacturing a laptop table, it is worth checking the drawing. The drawing transferred to wood must completely coincide with the sketch on paper.

The manufacture of the table begins with. Here you can use solid sheet of plywood or chipboard, or you can make it from wooden slats. When making a tabletop from wooden slats, you will need to prepare 8-9 slats 50 cm long.

For the supports you will need two 60 cm slats. One end on the supports is rounded. We lay these slats on the table and glue the tabletop. The ends of the slats are coated with glue very carefully. As a result of your efforts, you will get a stacked tabletop attached to two supports. Let it dry for 6 hours.

After making the tabletop, you can begin cutting out legs. Please note that the longer they are, the more stable the product will be.

When starting the assembly process, do not rush to screw everything on at once, attach all the elements of the product, check whether the legs fold properly or if something went wrong. Once you have the legs aligned correctly, make marks with a marker where the hinges will be attached.

Attention: When screwing in the screws, do not overdo it. The countertop will be thin and the screws may come out.

If you need a table with a slight slope, the front the legs will need to be filed slightly. To prevent the mobile device from moving off the tabletop during operation, a small bar is attached to the front.

The main advantages of a folding laptop table include its mobility;

functionality;
light weight;
simplicity of design.

Further our furniture is necessary process using a grinder or sandpaper. This should be done carefully and slowly. To get rid of large imperfections when cutting, coarse-grained sandpaper is suitable, and to give the product a perfectly flat and smooth surface, you should use fine-grained paper.

To prevent overheating of the mobile device, some users build it into the tabletop cooling system. This is quite easy to do: a hole of the appropriate size is made in the tabletop, a cooler from an old computer is attached and covered with a plastic grill on top. The fan is connected to the outlet using a block.

Finishing

After making the table, it must be treated with sandpaper so that there are no burrs or flaws on the product. To extend its service life and add aesthetics, it is recommended to paint or varnish the folding table.

When choosing paint, choose a color that best suits the overall interior of the room. There are no special requirements for this material. The main thing is that it does not emit harmful toxins, is of high quality, and dries quickly.

Paint should be applied in several layers. If you are making a product from natural wood, you must take into account that it absorbs moisture well. Therefore, each layer of applied material must dry, and only then it is recommended to apply the next one.

Relaxing while watching your favorite TV series or working on a laptop can become even more convenient if you have a special table.

By installing a laptop on it, you can sit comfortably on the sofa, without the risk of burning your feet with hot air from the cooling system.

A laptop table is no longer a rarity in homes. Now it is one of the integral and necessary parts of interior items.

The modern furniture market offers a wide selection of different tables for laptop computers. They are able to protect the owner’s workplace and extend the life of the laptop due to the absence of obstacles to the cooling system.

Choosing a laptop table

Knowing the basic parameters, you can easily select the required table.

First of all, you need to decide on the size of the countertop. It should not protrude much beyond the laptop, but there should also be room for the mouse.

A necessary design element should be a system for adjusting the height of the table.

The material used to make the table should easily allow hot air to pass through. The surface of the table should prevent the laptop from sliding.

Types of table designs:

folding. These tables are easy to store and do not take up much space when folded. Convenient for a small room.
stationary. Outwardly they resemble a computer desk, but are much smaller in size. The design may have various shelves, wheels and other functional devices.
tables - stands. It’s good to work on these in a sitting position. Thanks to its thoughtful design, the surface protects the owner from the flow of hot air blown out of the cooling system.
transformers. Depending on the required parameters, you can easily give the table the desired shape. Convenient to use while traveling.

When purchasing, you need to decide on the conditions for using the table. If you need to accommodate additional accessories, choose a larger table.

A small table with a limited work surface is suitable for performing one function - working on a laptop.

An additional feature is the built-in ventilation system. It provides maximum distribution of hot air flow and is a kind of protection against thermal wounds.

Many manufacturers can equip tables with additional elements: spotlights, stands for mugs.

Manufacturing materials

The main materials for making desks for laptop computers are:

plastic.
tree.
metal.
combined materials.

Plastic tables are lightweight and compact. Can be easily folded and assembled. They often have space for mugs in their set.

These tables are equipped with additional ventilation and lighting. The advantages include low price. The disadvantages are durability.

Unfortunately, tables made of plastic are easily deformed under the influence of external loads.

Tables made of wood or pressed bamboo are environmentally friendly. They have all the advantages of plastic tables.

In addition, they have the best ventilation system. The only subjective drawback may be the large size. The natural texture of the material can harmoniously complement the interior of the room.

Aluminum tables are durable. They will last you longer than tables made of wood or plastic.

They can be presented in a wide variety of configurations and have many options for adjusting parameters.

Making tables from different materials helps highlight positive qualities such as strength, lightness, environmental friendliness and a beautiful decorative appearance.

Such furniture will fit well into any interior. The combination of different materials allows you to get universal tables.

Photos of laptop table options

Updated:

2016-10-04

To make a laptop table with your own hands, it is not at all necessary to have special skills and extensive experience. These can be simple designs that even a beginner can handle. Some products are only available to professionals, so it is better to purchase them. If you don’t want to spend money on something you can do yourself, check out our material.

The basis for creating any laptop table is drawings. You can make them yourself, find them on the Internet, or even order them from a designer you know. The choice is yours.

In addition to the drawings, you will need:

Plywood sheet about 15 millimeters thick;
Loops for legs;
Glue;
Putty;
Self-tapping screws;
Wood hacksaw;
Tassels;
Sandpaper, etc.

The set may be slightly modified if you decide to make the legs from metal, or equip the table with additional functions. But let's start simple. As you gain experience, you will be able to build a more complex, original laptop table with your own hands.

Drawing

As we noted, the main element of successfully creating a table is the presence of drawings. Here are a few design features to consider when designing it:

Tabletop. Usually it is made in dimensions of 30 by 60 centimeters, but if you want to equip the table with additional armrests, choose a larger tabletop;
Legs. Legs in the shape of the letter Z work well. Some people make the legs straight. The best option is a folding design;
Glass stand. You can cut a hole in the tabletop for a glass, which will allow you to always keep your favorite drink at hand;
Armrests. To prevent your hands from getting tired, you can place them on the edges of the tabletop, which are enlarged specifically to serve as an armrest.

Popular options

Now let's look at some of the most popular table options that are perfect for placing a laptop on them and more.

You will be able to evaluate the features of each of them in order to ultimately understand which option is best suited for you.

Classic monolithic table. To make it you will need a beech board or a piece of any other material for the tabletop. Here is the general advice for all the options being considered today - the thickness of the tabletop should be at least 20 millimeters. Plus, you take four legs, which are fixed at the bottom of the tabletop in the corners using corners and screws. This table is perfect for a laptop, breakfast in bed, reading and other activities.
Table with folding legs. In addition to the tabletop, you will need 2 or 4 folding legs. The legs can be small or wide, allowing the use of 2 or 4 legs respectively. You can make 2 mobile, and a couple more distant ones - stationary. A convenient option for those who like to sit in the lotus position while using a laptop on the bed.
Table with movable legs and cutout for a mug. It is no different from the previous version of the table, except for the presence of a special hole for your favorite glass or mug. Table top, hinged legs, several corners, screws and the table is ready.
Table with transformable legs, cup holder and armrests. Here the tabletop is chosen larger and the edges for the arms are cut out in the shape of a boomerang. A kind of extension that allows you to comfortably place your hands on the tabletop, rather than holding them suspended while hitting the laptop keys. Decide for yourself whether to make a cutout for a glass or not. This option is popular because it combines several functions and provides maximum comfort when working on a laptop in bed, on an armchair or sofa.

Carefully process all edges after cutting the tabletop to the required shape and size. If this is not done, over time they will begin to lose their original appearance, you will get a lot of skidding and other troubles;
Using wood or chipboard, use 2-3 layers of clear varnish. This way the design will sparkle pleasantly and give off an original shine, plus you will protect the table from the destructive effects of that same hot mug of tea;
Instead of a hole for a mug, you can make a kind of saucer or plate out of wood. Place it on glue. This way you don't have to drill into the material. Sometimes, if handled carelessly and pressing on the hole area, the table cracks or breaks. The hole makes him more vulnerable;
If you want to decorate a table, use paints. They can be used to draw the desired design, and then cover it with layers of varnish. This way they will not be erased over time;
A popular solution is vinyl desk stickers for laptops. Simply by gluing them to the surface of the table, over time they will begin to come off and fill with dirt and dust. If you really like the stickers and don't want to change them, use varnish again. To do this, stickers are attached, and the top of the table is covered with 2 layers of varnish. Now the stickers are under reliable protection.

Use your imagination. Tables are not limited to the options we have presented. There are a great variety of them, and you can create your own unique stand. Materials, decorative elements, varnishes, paints, stickers, beads - this is only a small part of what will allow you to create a real masterpiece from a piece of a table top and several legs.