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February 4, 2012 7:57 PM

Building a standing desk two-parter: 1) Should I get a mini stair climber, manual treadmill, or mini elliptical? 2) What's the best way to attach legs to this "desk"?

For the exercise machine, I only intend to use it for slow movement, and not for intense exercise. It *seems* like mini stair climbers are far more common, and although I never use them at the gym, it might be a good option for just moving my feet a bit while I work. Thoughts?

Second, my desk is an old printer shelf made out of oak, so it's quite heavy. The ability to roll would be nice, but it's not necessary. Should I attach legs to the bottom shelf, or to the sides, and what type of legs would you recommend? I am comfortable building something myself if that is the best option.

posted by acidic to home & garden (3 answers total)

If you're planning to type, or even read a lot, while using the machine, I'd go for treadmill over anything that makes your head move up and down, which both the stair climber and the elliptical would. I get a headache just thinking about trying to do even a portion of what I do at my desk while bopping up and down all day.
posted by decathecting at 8:39 PM on February 4, 2012

I just built a standing desk last week. Did a bunch of research. I am handy, but not a regular at building stuff. This took me a half a day to build and 2 hours a day for two more days to stain and seal. I googled "Plans for building standing desks".

I would build one from scratch rather than try to modify your printer stand/desk.

Here are several links with pictures and plans.

More elaborate one that is adjustable and around $175 for materials.

This is the plan I modified for my own. It is solid as a rock. I simply lengthened the legs and added another brace.

A close second. Didn't use this because of the comments. Talked about a wobble. I got no time for a wobble.

Here are a series of photos of a guy who built one. I cannot find the link to his original page, but the pictures are self explanatory.

(If you are insistent on modifying your printer stand, I would bolt the legs (2x4s) to the outside. You might also need to brace it around the bottom for stability.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 1:05 AM on February 5, 2012 [1 favorite]

Mike Masnick posted about his setup recently. He likes his elliptical.
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 8:54 AM on February 5, 2012