Computer table

[Richard Hutchings]

I'm making this out of an old oak dresser. The top is about 13/16 thick. I would like to add a drawer in the apron and I don't know if the top will remain flat. Any other design ideas will be appreciated.

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[Jim Becker]

My one big suggestion for something to consider...height. "Writing desk" height is not appropriate for a desk that will be used with a laptop or with the keyboard on the desk surface unless the chair used can be raised high enough to take into consideration wrist angles. The conundrum there is that any apron on a lower height surface may interfere with one's thighs when sitting to work. Be sure you keep user ergonomics in mind as you work out the final specification for your project.

[Phil Mueller]

Ditto what Jim said. In fact, I would recommend not having a front apron at all. And if you plan to use a laptop, I would consider a second monitor with an adjustable arm (or secondary higher top). Laptops are great, but the connected keyboard/monitor arrangement does not allow for good ergonomics.

[Richard Hutchings]

No apron? How about a drawer?

[Jim Becker]

No apron? How about a drawer?

Same concern applies...works surface height and knee/thigh clearance.

[Phil Mueller]

Yep. Can’t tell you how many drawers and aprons I’ve removed for clients to get their desk ergonomically correct.

[Amara Martin]

Well, consider height as a main factor because as you sit to use laptop or computer your back should be straight. Keep that in mind.

[Richard Hutchings]

I don't think I need to go all ergo on this thing. I really don't expect it to see a ton of use. But I'm considering doing away with the apron and drawer idea. I may have too make a side table for holding stuff.

[Jim Becker]

I think that you can appreciate what several of us are saying as height is a primary factor for the purpose for health reasons, even if the use is only occasional. The angle of the wrists while typing really matters! You can get creative for storage. The desk I recently provided for my daughter's apartment has a drawer stack to one side but still has a generous opening/width for sitting while working at the keyboard. That unit is 48" wide and in full disclosure, I didn't build it in the shop due to time conflicts. But the design itself worked for the purpose and that was what counts. It had both the appropriate height and the needed storage.

[Jamie Buxton]

Over the years I've looked pretty closely at what works ergonomically for me in a desk with a keyboard on top. In my current desk, the top is 27.5" above the floor. The tops of my thighs are 23" above the floor. That gives me 4.5" to use for desk top thickness, pencil drawer, or whatever. For reference, I am pretty much an average-sized guy: 5'10", 160 pounds.

So there's height for a pencil drawer. But I don't have one. I dislike having to move out of the way to get into the drawer. I'd rather have a drawer bank to the side, with a shallow drawer at the top.

[Stan Calow]

Richard, there were some threads awhile ago from Derek Cohen regarding a table he made out an older table. He came up with I think a great way of putting a thin drawer in the front apron. Here's one of the threads I bookmarked:https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread....t=#post3034640 You'll have to Search for the others to see all the photos.

But that height issue is critical. You need to start with how much knee room you need before deciding the length of the legs and size of apron, maybe considering the chair you will use. I failed to take that into account once and had to do a midstream design change. If you're worried about the top sagging in the middle because of the relatively weak front apron, there are some ways to deal with that.

[Phil Mueller]

FYI, this is the generally accepted ergonomic work desk set up. You can see by this, that there is no room for apron, pencil drawers, etc.

Also, you can see why a laptop needs a separate monitor for proper neck alignment.

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[Jim Becker]

Also, you can see why a laptop needs a separate monitor for proper neck alignment.

As an alternative, the laptop can be on a platform with a separate keyboard at appropriate keyboarding height. However, for most folks a larger monitor provides more utility and one can park some things on the smaller screen below it. That does require looking down, but it would be more for monitoring things like email while working on content on the larger screen.

[Phil Mueller]

You are correct, Jim, either way works. Thanks for pointing that out. If someone is working long hours, most go for the larger monitor...especially those of us with older eyes 🤓

[Curt Harms]

I guess I'm 'retro' but I have a keyboard drawer just above my knees, maybe 2" - 3" It also contains a pointing device, trackball in my case. If I were to use a laptop as a primary machine, I'd have a dock or if there isn't one a powered USB3 hub. Large monitor(s)? Yes please and about the same height as my eyes. I have 2 monitors that don't have VESA mount provisions. I wish they did.