Computer Gaming Desk

I have my computer on a student desk that was likely designed and built before home computers were so common.  I wrote about extending the desk surface in a previous article.  Since the desk isn't designed for a computer, there is no keyboard tray or shelf to put your keyboard and mouse on.  The only surface on which to put these is the desktop.  This is clearly too high for the keyboard and mouse to sit on from an ergonomics perspective.  I don't want to buy a new desk, so I decided to hack together a freestanding platform for the keyboard and mouse to sit on to transform my crappy desk into a super duper computer gaming desk!

I'm thinking of this as a prototype as much as anything, so I'm going to build the whole thing out of cheap 1x4 spruce.  I start out by setting up my tablesaw crosscut jig with the extended fence and stop block to cut all the legs the same length, then move the stop and cut all the other matching parts the same length.

I put a roundover on all the pieces at the router table.

To make this prototype quick to assemble, I used pocket hole screws for all the joints.

Here are the two side assemblies completed.

The front assembly is two pieces of the 1x4 for the top and bottom, and the vertical pieces are a 1x4 ripped in half.  They are joined to the top and bottom with pocket hole screws.  I have already installed the hinges that will connect the front to the sides.  This will allow the whole thing to fold up for easier storage as well.

The basic skeleton is completed very quickly.  I didn't do any sanding or any finishing since this is just a prototype.

I rounded over the edges of the arm trays at the router table, and crudely upholstered them.

I started by sticking some upholstery batting onto the top of the arm with spray adhesive, wrapping the pieces over the edges.

Next I covered the batting with some fabric I salvaged from an old couch.  I started by attaching it wrong side up at the front of the armrest.  I then fold that over towards the rear of the armrest so that the front attachment point will be hidden.

I wrap the fabric around the sides, smooth it out and staple it on the bottom side of the armrest.

After I fold the corners in and staple the rear seam of the armrests, I trim the excess fabric so it looks neater.

Here are a few pictures showing how the arm rests and keyboard rest fit over the top of the sides.  You can see that there are just two pieces of wood attached to the bottom of the arm rests and keyboard rest that form a gap the width of the top rails of the side frames.

Here you can see a tab in the center of the picture that holds up the front of the keyboard shelf.

 And the slip on mechanism for the front of the keyboard shelf.

Here is the finished product, assembled and set up for use.

Here are the pieces disassembled for storage.