After reading that sitting too long at your computer desk was not good for you, I decided to try standing.
I bought this high bar type table on Craigslist which gave me the option to sit as well. I moved the monitor as high as I could, but it still had me looking down a little. Bert, my physical therapist wasn't thrilled with this because he said it could make me hunch down. Still, I thought it was OK.
Then Delaine of Dkzody's Weblog sent me a link a couple of weeks ago about modifying the standing work station for the most comfortable position.
That motivated me enough to draw up a plan to raise the height of my monitor. Then I showed it to Art. I was going to get some cheap pine boards to do it, but Art said we should spend a little more to get a better looking stand.
We settled on fir. The Home Depot helper was there again.
He must have remembered what I told him about wearing the ear protectors.
We brought the wood pieces home and Art cut up all the pieces. The wood and screws cost us about $35.
Then I sanded them.
Art put it together.
I plugged up the screw holes with wood putty.
When it was all dried, I gave it a coat of water based sealer. I wish we had an oil based varnish which would have yellowed the wood to match the other pieces more.
Ah well, nobody will see it anyway.
Here's a last couple of photos just because I'm so excited about this.
It was such a great feeling to draw up a plan, build it with Art and see the idea come to fruition.
OK... Art says he has to now go back to the house renovation chores. I've distracted him enough.
It's very kind of him to humor me this way, don't you think?
That motivated me enough to draw up a plan to raise the height of my monitor. Then I showed it to Art. I was going to get some cheap pine boards to do it, but Art said we should spend a little more to get a better looking stand.
We settled on fir. The Home Depot helper was there again.
He must have remembered what I told him about wearing the ear protectors.
We brought the wood pieces home and Art cut up all the pieces. The wood and screws cost us about $35.
Then I sanded them.
Art put it together.
I plugged up the screw holes with wood putty.
When it was all dried, I gave it a coat of water based sealer. I wish we had an oil based varnish which would have yellowed the wood to match the other pieces more.
Ah well, nobody will see it anyway.
The fir wood is lighter than the oak desk but close in color to the maple bar table I have the keyboard on. Art also added more holes into my oak shelf (which he made a long time go) to make it more adjustable.
The color difference is because the Before photo was taken with a flash. The After was taken without and is the truer color. The arrow points to the new stand.
Everything is now raised so I can reach things easier.
I do really like it a lot better. I feel it makes me stand and sit up a little straighter now.
Here's a last couple of photos just because I'm so excited about this.It was such a great feeling to draw up a plan, build it with Art and see the idea come to fruition.
OK... Art says he has to now go back to the house renovation chores. I've distracted him enough.
It's very kind of him to humor me this way, don't you think?
Wonderful! I am amazed at how helpful our online friends can be, and how talented Art is (and you, too, BTW). Great looking computer desk. :-)
ReplyDeleteI'm always amazed at the fabulous ideas and motivations that I get from my cyber family! You guys are the best. Whether that ever makes me want to jump out of an airplane remains to be seen, but you've made me want to go hiking. :-)
DeleteI love how we learn from each other on the Internet!
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely!
DeleteOh how I wish I was as practical as you and Art are - and that Christopher was too! We're both pretty hopeless with DIY projects, though Christopher has got better at putting up shelves over the years.
ReplyDeleteA very creative and satisfying solution.....you and Art make a great team.
ReplyDeletewhere's the treadmill I saw in another photo-you are so creative and so is your assistant Art!
ReplyDeleteWe got the treadmill for mom. She's the one who uses it downstairs.
DeleteVery kind indeed. You too make a great team.
ReplyDeleteYou arr sooooooooooooo blessed!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteSee, that was a great tip you gave that young helper at the store. How neat that he listened.
ReplyDeleteYou two are so darn clever. When you originally posted about stand up computers, I did try it for a while. Think it hurt my back so I quit. Maybe I wasn't adjusted right. Might work on that. Thanks.
It has been a steady adjustment. I alternate between standing and sitting. I'm also moving to Zumba music to keep my legs and body moving. It makes a difference.
DeleteDarn!! Now I want a whole new workstation! Does Art take on other people's projects?
ReplyDeleteGracious! Wouldn't that be something? He's got so much to do here at home. Sigh. Our daughter always has jobs lined up for him when we visit also.
DeleteDandy teamwork. How much does Art charge?
ReplyDeleteDrumMajor
A hug usually works. Besides, I give him haircuts all the time.
DeleteKay, from my perspective, I had a good laugh at your reply: I was asking what Art's working rate was in case I'd hire him to build stuff at my Kansas place.
DeleteI'd be glad to give Art a hug, but I can't cut hair! I think you better keep him around your place. Some of your bloggers just want him to do stuff for them without any pay!
DrumMajor
I bet they'd all give him a hug too though. LOL
DeleteOh, my gosh, that's just flat out wonderful. Yes, it is not at all visable, but you could have stained it the color you wanted before you but a sealer on it. :) Yes, I am like you and have to fight to stay straight in my chair here at the computer. :)
ReplyDeleteI considered staining it, but was too lazy and figured people couldn't really see it anyway. It's actually very close in color to the maple.
Deletevery clever and crafty too! I think it looks quite comfy!I know we should stand often in intervals, its not easy to remember and now you won't have to stoop like I do!
ReplyDeleteI also turn on Zumba music on Pandora so I'm moving while I work on the computer. It keeps my legs from feeling strained.
DeleteSmashing post. I am so envious. Does Art do odd jobs? Dianne
ReplyDeleteI'll bet he would if he didn't already have so MUCH to do. Yikes!
Deleteamazing project, just perfectly solved the problem!
ReplyDeleteArgh! I used to have a brother who did wonderful projects like that. He's winding down and hasn't been in the workshop for years.
ReplyDeleteVery good tip and the results look perfect. I love when an idea turns to fruition as planned. Good satisfying feeling.
ReplyDeleteI may be in hiatus for awhile....computer problems, the memory is too slow and freezes after awhile. I don't know whether to spring for a new computer or just take a break. Fortunately I have my other "financial only" laptop to do bills.
L...w
It's so true. The best part was having the idea and making it come true. To be perfectly honest, I was at first going to take off the top of the shelf, but Art didn't like the idea of tampering with his original creation and he felt it would be more difficult. He suggested raising the bottom. That's when I had to come up with the second plan.
DeleteSorry about the computer problems. That's always a pain! I'll be here waiting for you. :-)
DeleteI will sneak a peek whenever I can on my husband's kindle like now but I need to do a bunch of things before our trip that never gets done once I get on the computer and start reading ha! I am going to try to system restore but the computer is so unstable I don't think doing that will help. I am pretty fed up with the short life of technology products....drives me nuts.
DeleteL...w
Oh thank you, L...w. I always miss you when you're away. No kidding about the short life. I did just write about mom's VCRs. You're going on a trip? Vegas?
DeleteThomas Wolfe, a very big man, and author of "Look Homeward, Angel" and "You Can't Go Home Again" wrote standing up using a refrigerator as his desktop. Ernest Hemingway also wrote standing up at a specially made desk. Standing up would not be my own choice, but who cares? Chacun a son gout. (Each to his own taste.)
ReplyDeleteBy the way, you and Art have disproven the title "You Can't Go Home Again" with a successful homecoming back to Hawaii. Every now and then, however, a little fondness for Chicago creeps in to your blog. My wife definitely wanted to come home again to Hawaii. I went along for the ride--literally. Our working philosophy of a happy marriage was whoever really, REALLY wants something can have it without a fuss or obstruction. Of course, we didn;t formulate that; it just turned out we were both the same way. She said she would have returned to Ohio if I didn't get a job here in Honolulu, but I did, so the rest is history. Now I've lived here for for 35 years, but I have the same lingering affection for New York and Wilmington College in Ohio (not the whole state) that I detect you have for Chicago.
My father might have used a bit of soap to make the screws go in easily. I guess fir wouldn't be a very hard wood anyway.
Art uses soap if he's dealing with hardwood. The fir was pretty soft so he didn't have to worry about soaping the screws.
DeleteThe fridge? Must have been a short fridge.
It's true. I still have a great love for the Midwest and miss our children, grandchild, friends in Illinois, D.C. and Baltimore... not to mention the Chicago Art Institute, the Field Museum, Science and Industry, Shedd Aquarium, (especially) Chicago Botanic Garden... etc. Sigh... You see what you started?
That looks like a good setup, but I guess I'm a little lazy and would rather sit!
ReplyDeleteExcellent project, and outcome. You've once again demonstrated that he time it takes to apply craftsmanship to a job pays off.
ReplyDeleteWonderful, Kay! Now, just come to my house and make the same for me!
ReplyDeleteNext time we're in your neighborhood, Kay. :-)
DeleteThis is such a good idea and you and Art are so handy
ReplyDeleteHi Kay, How wonderful to have a handyman like Art, who is meticulous about his projects, and to be a handywoman yourself. I had to laugh out loud about the worker using the earphones. Bet he saw you coming and ran to get them. Teehee! Holly
ReplyDeleteIt is nice to have a handy guy around the house. Mom is always having to ask him to fix things.
DeleteI hope that young fellow always uses the ear protectors because those saws are really loud.
nice little fix but I don't think I could stand up for more than 10 mins on the computer
ReplyDeleteVery true. That's why I also have a chair there so I can alternate sitting and standing.
DeleteOh my gosh I love this idea!! I may try to rig up my work computer to be the same way. Sitting down all day is not good at all for one's back!
ReplyDeleteBe careful to have a sitting option or a moving option too though. I find that I have to sit sometimes and when I'm standing, I try to move a little so I don't get stiff.
DeleteThe result of you and your husband's work is brilliant! I see from your sidebar that you have travelled all over the world! That's great . Whenever you come again in my country, please do come and stay with me!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Wil! You are very kind. I have to say Keukenhof is one of the five most beautiful gardens we've seen in the world.
Deletepleasing to the eye and comforting for the body, sounds and looks perfect!!
ReplyDeletei love a project that hubs and i can work on together, it looks like you both had fun!!
God forbid you ever take on a project that would be simple. When I read about standing at the computer instead of sitting so much, I resolved the issue by placing my laptop on the bar and moving away the bar stool:) However I got tired of standing much sooner than anticipated.
ReplyDeleteVery, very creative!! Just wonderful.
ReplyDeleteblessings....
ReplyDeletecreative indeed!
you computer screen is so far away! I would be squinting well that's because i wear glasses.
It's a good thing I'm farsighted. Then again, my monitor is rather large so I don't think anybody would have difficulty reading from it.
DeleteWhat a great project!!! I just built a skull mobile for Hallowe'en. Not practical, like your project!
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of standing. I usually watch TV with hubby, and play on my laptop at the same time.
I take frequent breaks in the day, too. cheerio!
Great job on carrying out your idea! Art and you are a good team.
ReplyDeleteWow! I am so far behind in reading blogs that I had to skim through yours. This one is just great. I am impressed. I need to probably do the same thing. Nice job. Nice teamwork! Great ideas.
ReplyDelete