With work from home becoming the new normal, laptops are becoming a part and-parcel of our daily lives and so are laptop stands which are gaining prominence for the role they play in alleviating ergonomic and heating issues.
From Osborne 1 as they were termed way back in 1981 to their panoramic range in 2021 laptops have come a long way. Where earlier they were a luxury and a status symbol in today’s digital era, a basic laptop is available even with a school-going child.
Add to this the concepts like work-from-home and study-from-home which is an organic impact of the on-going pandemic and one can understand the reason for the phenomenal jump in the popularity of laptops. This is perhaps due to the comfort level (in terms of screen size) that they offer vis-à-vis their cousins like smart phones and tablets.
But two major drawbacks of most laptops available in the market are their weight and their tendency to heat up. It is here that laptop stands come into the fore as they help ease the burden and cool up things in general!
While there are options galore for readymade laptop stands preparing one independently is also not a big deal. Gharpedia shares with you some options for DIY laptop stands along with the benefits of a laptop stand and some cues for the material of the same.
Benefits of Laptop Stand
Some of the pluses of laptop stands are:
- Brings the laptop screen to eye-level
- Improves ergonomics
- Prevents overheating by improving the airflow
- Improves laptop performance
- Provides comfort while typing
- Facilitates adjusting of angles, heights and distances of the device to your body thereby protecting your eyes by alleviating screen glare
- Ensures proper cable management
- Shrinks clutter as some laptop stands offer additional storage space
- Opting for laptop stands that allow you to raise your laptop to a height where you can comfortably type while standing ensures a boost to your metabolism and productivity
- Portability
- Some laptop stands offer innovative features like a charging slot; extra USB ports; drawers; shelves doubling up as television trays etc.
- Offers flexibility in terms of usage as it – enables you to read books in bed nullifying the discomfort caused by holding the book in your arms; allows you to use it to support your tablet; et al. There are many such out-of-the-box ideas to put your laptop stand to innovative uses.
Laptop Stand Material
Well the best part is that you can use practically any solid object with a wide enough base as a laptop stand. The only pre-conditions are that it – should be able to elevate the laptop; it should be robust enough to hold the weight of your laptop; and it should be laptop friendly.
This opens up a vista of possibilities ranging from books; stacks of loose sheets of paper; wooden planks; cases of earphone, spectacles et al; stationery box; spare pizza boxes; and yes even sturdy cardboard boxes!
You just need to rope in your creativity when it comes to exposing the vents of your laptop.
DIY Laptop Stands
01. Book Laptop Stand
Now this one’s got multiple pluses – books are available in all households so mobility is not a limiting factor; flexibility and versatility as it can be collapsed or expanded and rebuilt in umpteen ways; and most importantly books in your line of vision will ensure a continual boost to your grey cells! Last but not the least with books being available in a plethora of shapes and sizes your laptop stand can be as sturdy and adjustable as you wish!
Then again the issue of ventilation can also be creatively tackled by placing books in a way to provide exposure to the vents.
02. Homemade Laptop Stand
Are you getting the jitters that your laptop may not get the perfect balance that it rightfully deserves? Relax let’s try out a detachable yet glue-able, four pronged notebook stand.
Paste a few weak magnets at the four corners of your laptop and place four rubber door stops underneath them. The magnet will ensure that the stops remain attached to the laptop computer, and don’t slip off.
In case magnets in close proximity of your laptop bother you then you can replace the magnets with Velcro and glue their one side to the laptop and the other to the rubber stops.
It’s the detachability of Velcro and magnets which is their USP.
03. Inbox Laptop Table
Repurpose the mundane physical inbox as an innovative laptop stand. Simply station your laptop in the upper-most portion, and use the balance sections for storing your other paraphernalia.
04. MacBook Laptop Stand
This is perhaps the best way to put to use leftover wood planks; and there’s no rocket science involved in constructing it too!
In fact making it is a whole lot simpler than it looks. All you need is a dozen nails, a power drill, and a saw. So let’s get started…!
Based on your laptop’s dimensions, cut three identical planks of wood; just remember that once you place them one on top of the other (do keep a small space between each plank for ventilating your laptop), then these planks need to be slightly broader than your laptop. Once confirming this go ahead and saw them in a 2:1 (length by width) measurement.
The heights of the next two identical planks need to be decided basis the height at which you want to keep your laptop … ideally in a 16:9 ratio. Post cutting them, fix them together with a power drill. Add aesthetic touches through sanding, painting/polishing the stand.
Use the gap beneath the stand for storing stuff.
05. Notebook Laptop Stand
Get your hands on some ring binders. Glue/tape the edges of the flaps to ascertain that the binder does not slide around. Then insert your wires through the hole on the binder’s spine; and use the space inside the binder to store your hard drive. Do remember to carve some slits to make vents in the binder to keep your laptop cool.
06. Wine Bottle Cork DIY Laptop Riser
Now isn’t this the perfect combination of work and pleasure…!
Jokes apart, this is one of the most basic stands for your laptop which owes its popular existence to lazy DIY-ers interested in simply getting the job done!
Just slide two wine bottle corks under the rear edges of your laptop and hey presto…your laptop stand is ready to go!
07. Wooden Laptop Holder
Are you a lover of the simple and the sturdy? Hang on we’ve got something lined up for you too!
Pick up some good quality wood and prepare two equal triangular planks with a small hook on the longer end; carve a partial slit in the centre of both the planks enabling them to slide into each other; and place the laptop on this elevated structure. The best part is that as the laptop physically touches a very small area there’s no question of it getting heated.
Besides the above other whacky yet implementable laptop stand ideas you could explore are – Hardware T Stand; Laid Back Bed Stand; Wire Shelf iLap Clone; Vertical Wall Mount; Paper Towel Holder Stand; et al.On a concluding note laptop stands are fast emerging as an essential in the laptop user segment. And not everyone can afford the swanky versions available in the market so while one alternative is commissioning a carpenter to build an economic laptop stand for you; another more creative option would be to make one yourself as to be honest who knows your requirements better than you!
Trust us…despite being economic your DIY laptop stand would be more durable and if used well could last for years together.
So here’s wishing you luck for your DIY Laptop Stand Project and do share your experiences with us!If you want to read other similar articles, then must read following links:
Cues for YOUR Work from Home Space to Make It More Productive!
18 Desk Setup Inspirations for Those Working From Home!
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Author Bio
Huta Raval – An English Literature and Journalism Topper, Huta Raval has graduated from the L D Arts College, Ahmedabad. Post serving for 23 years in the NBFC and Public Library Sectors her desire for ‘writing the unwritten’ brought her to the creative field of content writing. Her clientele comprises of NGOs, Blogging Platforms, Newspapers, Academic Institutions, et al.