Drag an orange dot to resize; a dashed line shows when it snaps to a common size. Click a dot, then use the arrow keys to nudge 1/8″ (hold Shift for 1″). Every size can also be typed in the panel.
Checks
- The deck passes the sag check.
Shopping list
| Qty | Item | Est. |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1×6 pine board, 6′ (board) | $9.60 |
| 1 | 1/2″ birch plywood project panel, 24″ wide, 4′ (board) | $26.00 |
| 1 | 1×2 pine board, 6′ (board) | $4.20 |
| 1 | 1 5/8″ wood screws (box of 100) | $9.00 |
| 1 | 1″ brad nails (box of 1000) | $6.00 |
| 1 | Wood glue (bottle) | $5.00 |
| 1 | Stick-on rubber feet (pack of 8) | $5.00 |
About $65 · rough estimates, check the store
Parts
| Part | Qty | Length | Width | Material | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | Side From a 1×6. Sloped top: 2″ tall at the front, 4 7/8″ at the back. | 2 | 10 5/8″ | 4 7/8″ | 1×6 pine board |
| B | Deck | 1 | 16″ | 11″ | 1/2″ birch plywood project panel, 24″ wide |
| C | Back stretcher | 1 | 12 1/2″ | 1 1/2″ | 1×2 pine board |
| D | Front lip | 1 | 16″ | 1 1/2″ | 1×2 pine board |
Cut list
1×6 pine board, 72″ → A 10 5/8″ · A 10 5/8″
1/2″ birch plywood project panel, 24″ wide, 48″ → B 16″
1×2 pine board, 72″ → D 16″ · C 12 1/2″
Kerf 1/8″ included. Every cut runs edge to edge.
Steps
- Tape measure
- Speed square
- Pencil
- Drill/driver
- Clamps
- Safety glasses
- Hearing protection
- Dust mask
- Circular saw or miter saw
- Hammer
- Jigsaw or circular saw
- Countersink bit
- Sander, 120 and 180 grit
1Before you start
Read every step once, start to finish, before you buy or cut anything. Each step names the parts it uses by letter; the parts list gives their sizes.
Set up somewhere flat with good light. A pair of sawhorses with a sheet of plywood on top makes a fine work table.
Wear safety glasses whenever a tool is running, hearing protection for saws, and a dust mask for sanding and for cutting treated wood or sheet goods. Tie back long hair and loose sleeves. Keep children and pets out of the work area.
- Tip At the store, pick straight boards: hold each one up to your eye and look down its length. Skip boards that bow, twist or have big knots near the ends.
- Tip Measure twice, cut once. Most mistakes are a misread tape, not a bad cut.
2Cut and label the parts
Cut every part on the cut list. Cut the longest parts first: if one goes wrong, it can still become a shorter part.
To mark a cut, hook your tape on the end of the board, make a small V with its point exactly at the measurement, and draw a square line through the point with a speed square. Put an X on the waste side.
Cut on the waste side of the line, so the blade's kerf (about 1/8″) comes out of the scrap, not your part.
Write each part's letter in pencil on a face that won't show, and stack the parts by letter.
Sand the faces before assembly while they're flat and easy to reach: 120 grit, then 180.
✓ Lay the parts out and count them against the parts list. Measure a few: if one is off by more than 1/16″, recut it now.
STOP. Let the saw reach full speed before it touches the wood, keep both hands clear of the blade's path, and never reach under a board you're cutting. Support long boards on both sides of the cut so the blade doesn't pinch.3Cut the sloped sides
Cut two pieces of 1×6 10 5/8″ long for the sides (A). On one, mark 2″ up from the bottom at the front end and 4 7/8″ up at the back end, and join the marks with a straightedge: that sloped line is where the deck sits, at 15°.
Clamp the two pieces together, edges and ends flush, and saw both at once along the line with a jigsaw or circular saw, staying on the waste side.
Still clamped, plane or sand the sloped edges down to the line so they are straight and identical.
- Tip Clamp the work so the line hangs off the bench, use a fine-tooth wood blade, let the saw reach full speed before it touches the wood and push gently: the blade bends if you force it, and the cut wanders.
✓ Lay a straightedge along each slope: no gaps. Both sides are the same height at both ends.
STOP. Clamp the work to the bench. Never hold a short piece in your hand while you saw it.4Join the sides with the back stretcher
Stand the sides on the bench 12 1/2″ apart inside, slopes up and rising the same way.
Glue the ends of the stretcher (C) and fit it on edge between the sides, 1/2″ in from their back ends and flush with the bottom. Drive 2 screws, 1 5/8″, through each side into the stretcher's ends.
- Tip Drill a pilot hole for every screw within 2″ of the end of a board, or the board will split. Then countersink so the screw head sits flush.
- Tip End grain (the cut end of a board) soaks glue up like a straw. Brush on a thin first coat, wait two minutes, then add a second coat before you join the parts.
✓ The sides are parallel (measure between them at front and back) and the frame sits flat without rocking.
5Glue and screw on the deck
Run a bead of glue along both sloped edges. Lay the deck (B) on them, its back edge flush with the back of the sides and an equal 1″ overhang at each side.
Drive 3 screws, 1 5/8″, down through the deck into each side's sloped edge, centred on the 3/4″ edge. Predrill and countersink so the heads sit below the surface where the laptop rests.
- Tip Spread a thin, even layer of glue on one face with a finger or scrap: enough that a little beads out when you clamp, not so much that it runs. Wipe the squeeze-out with a damp rag right away, or scrape it once it turns rubbery; dried glue blocks stain and finish.
✓ The deck lies flat on both sides with no gaps, and no screw head stands proud (drag a fingertip over each).
6Add the front lip
Glue the lip (D) flat against the front edge of the deck, its bottom flush with the deck's underside, so it stands about 1″ above the deck and stops the laptop sliding off.
Hold it with clamps or painter's tape and pin it with 3 brads, 1″, into the deck edge. Leave it an hour before you load it.
- Tip Round the top edge of the lip with sandpaper: your wrists rest against it while you type.
✓ Set the laptop on the deck: it rests against the lip without sliding and the screen opens freely.
7Sand and finish
Sand every face and edge of the stand with 120 grit, then 180 grit, always moving along the grain (the lines in the wood). Sanding across the grain leaves scratches that the finish makes darker.
Soften every sharp edge and corner with a few strokes of 180-grit paper on a block, so edges don't splinter or chip.
Vacuum the dust, then wipe with a tack cloth or a barely damp rag and let it dry 10 minutes.
Brush on a thin coat of water-based polyurethane along the grain. Thin coats dry clear; thick coats drip and stay sticky.
When it's dry (about 2 hours; read the can), the surface feels a little rough because the water raised the grain. Sand very lightly with 220 grit just until smooth, wipe off the dust and brush on a second coat. Three coats on anything handled every day.
Let the last coat dry overnight before you handle it much.
- Tip Pine goes blotchy under stain. If you want colour, brush on a pre-stain conditioner first, or use a gel stain.
- Tip Finish the back and underside too. Wood that is sealed on one side only can cup as the seasons change.
- Tip Work in a warm, dry, well-ventilated room. Below about 50°F (10°C) most finishes dry slowly and cloudy.
✓ The surface feels smooth and even, with no drips on the edges and no dull, dry patches.
8Add rubber feet and try it
Stick a rubber foot under each corner of the two sides: they stop the stand sliding when you type.
Keep the laptop's air vents clear: most blow out the back or sides, which stay open on this stand.
✓ Type for a minute: the stand doesn't slide, rock or flex.
Conceptual layout, material estimate and assembly guide from the sizes you entered. Not engineering, not a building plan, not stamped or approved. Confirm measurements on site; follow local codes and product instructions; anchor tall pieces before use. Using this plan means you accept the Terms of Use.