Standing Hobby Desk

[Landlubber]

It has been on my mind a lot recently how much I sit. I have an office job and a long commute, so I end up doing quite a bit of sitting during the week, in my vehicle and my desk. Then I sit a lot at home, whether watching TV, gaming, reading, or painting models. Been reading a lot in the news about how bad prolonged sitting is for the human body, so I'm looking to see if I can change some of my habits. Been trying to watch some TV and do some console gaming while standing, and I've also been trying to remember to get up every 30-40 minutes while at work and walk around.

But for my painting time, I'm at a loss. I have a corner desk, and not a very big one at that, which means putting one of those desktop conversions on it to make a standing desk likely wouldn't work very well. Been looking around some online, but a lot of what I'm seeing is pretty expensive.

So I thought I'd pitch the topic here and see if any of you have looked into this, or are doing your hobby work at a standing desk.

[Dakkar]

I've been considering a standing desk at work - guy in the next cube has an arrangement that's nifty: sort of a tall platform he can move or remove. Trouble is, when hi sits, he's looking way up at his monitors.
Also, they're moving all of us here to new furniture within 2-3 months, so I want to see my final cube design before building some solution.

At home, I have the space to do it, I just need to look at tall to short adjustable platforms. Also, it seems like it may be harder to brace for painting small stuff while standing, unless a very sturdy surface.
What I really need is something prtable enough I can take it downstairs while watching TV.

[Landlubber]

Yeah. Having something that I could use downstairs while spending time with the wife would be ideal. Unfortunately, anything freestanding that I can actually stand at and work is going to have to be substantial, and therefore not really portable. While my wife totally supports my endeavors in this hobby, she isn't going to want my standing workstation permanently placed in the living room.

As far as bracing, I will tell you that I've been doing some painting while standing over the past few weeks, with my arms braced only on my torso, and it hasn't been too bad. Now, it's been broad-brush stuff, not detail work. I was thinking about checking out this workbench at Home Depot:

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Dateline-Workshop-Dateline-Products-4-ft-Wide-by-5-ft-Tall-by-2-ft-Deep-Black-Steel-Black-Workbench-PR250/202886748

It's tall enough at 60 inches, but it's also 48 inches wide and 24 inches deep and weighs 95 pounds, so bracing on it to do detail work wouldn't be an issue--especially if you position it against a wall. Plus, my brother, who is a physical fitness/wellness expert, says that if you're going to use a standing workstation for anything, it should have something on which you can brace one of your feet, so you can "rest" a foot at a time (better for your back and knees). This workbench has that lower shelf that's pretty close to the ground. Only problem is, at that size and weight, it will be relegated to my hobby room--no way the wife would allow that in the living room, and I don't blame her!

[Quickdraw]

Substantial and portable do not usually go together...
I was going to suggest a tool workbench! Definitely one of your best bets. Otherwise your option is a standing drafting desk which is probably going to be $$$

[Landlubber]

Yeah, a drafting table would be nice, but WAY too expensive. Especially with all the game stuff I plan on acquiring in 2015. I may try to get to Home Depot this weekend and have a look at that workbench. It looks simple enough that I could probably put blocks of wood under the legs if I needed the work surface to be higher, and maybe it would be lighter if I didn't put the upper part on.

[Ruckdog]

Something like my DIY project to recycle an old TV cart might fit your bill...it is almost more suitable for standing as it is. A bit small, perhaps...

http://manbattlestations.com/forum/index.php?topic=642.0

[Landlubber]

Something like my DIY project to recycle an old TV cart might fit your bill...it is almost more suitable for standing as it is. A bit small, perhaps...

http://manbattlestations.com/forum/index.php?topic=642.0

Not a bad idea, thanks for reposting that. I checked out the workbench at Home Depot, turns out it's only 60" tall if you put the back piece on; the work surface is designed for sitting. So, back to the drawing board.

I've thought about building my own wall-mounted workstation. If I drilled the supports into the wall studs, and they were sturdy enough, I would think they could support the weight of a wooden shelf and be able to handle me leaning on it to paint. This arrangement wouldn't be portable, of course, but it would work well in my hobby room. Any of you handyman-types have any ideas about something like that?

[Landlubber]

Found this on the Best Buy website:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/prepac-floating-desk-black/7064636.p?id=1218828125463&skuId=7064636

This might fit the bill perfectly. I'm looking to change the set-up in my hobby room sometime this summer anyway, replacing the current desk I use with something a little more space-efficient. This wall-mounted desk could work very well in concert with the sitting workstation, plus it has plenty of room for me to mount lights on it. It's a bit pricey at $150, but it's also a nice-looking desk.

If I pull the trigger on this, I'll post a review and pictures.

[Ruckdog]

That is actually pretty neat! You could also mount additional shelves in the middle area where a monitor was intended to go. You might be able to build something similar yourself for less, though you would have to factor in the time.

[Landlubber]

That is actually pretty neat! You could also mount additional shelves in the middle area where a monitor was intended to go. You might be able to build something similar yourself for less, though you would have to factor in the time.

Well, and the fact that I'm no handyman.    Since I don't have anything but basic tools, it would probably just be cheaper to buy it. 

Good idea about the shelves, though!