Friday, February 03, 2012

Dave's Low/High Rider (laptop table hack)

Dave tripod laptop table

Materials: Ikea Dave, 1/4" wood insert, furniture tabs, Induru tripod, Manfrotto Joystick Tripod Mount

Description:
I immediately enjoyed the use of Dave once assembled. However, after some use I discovered it was not as stable as I would have liked. Meaning, it was not meant for leaning or piling extra accessories on.

Then, my kids had their fun with it and put it to its test. I thought it would be ok for my son to use as a Lego platform for a day. All was well but I failed to share the delicate nature of Dave. Soon thereafter Dave had a stripped tightening knob and was collapsed to its lowest height permantly.

Before making a trip back to Ikea I felt allowed to do something along the lines of a hack that my wife would not mind especially after it being 6 days old.


Dave tripod laptop table
Dave tripod laptop table

Not only does it seem more stable but with my Manfrotto joystick tripod mount I can achieve angles like before. I still need to be careful about too much weight but this has been a pleasant and happy accident. Just today I raised the tripod to stand up desk level and dig it even more.

I also drilled 1/4 inch holes and added furniture tabs to hold an IPad or laptop at an angle. Something that was missing fom the original design.

I realize the tripod look does not have th Ikea flair but for any creative professional who lugs around gear and needs to set up shop anywhere this is vey handy. Paying for a traditional laptop table would easily start at $100 or more.

~ Rick, So Cal

6 comments:

  1. I heared about ikea, is that it is a very good wood product company, i really want this table for my laptop, Really nice one.

    ReplyDelete
  2. That's a pretty significant price tag for a hack like this...a manfrotto joystick and an induro tripod aren't exactly cheap

    ReplyDelete
  3. Considering the cost for a traditional laptop table http://bit.ly/zi48tK
    The Dave hack is very nifty indeed!

    :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. I was just considering doing a hack involving a tripod, thank you for the extra inspiration!

    ReplyDelete
  5. The Dave table is a great product at an incredible price. Fortunately, the wobble and slippage problems are hackable as you demonstrate.

    My solution for the slippage problem was to use a tiny square of anti-slip mat. It's cheap, requires no installation, and it's completely flexible. Works awesome.

    Thanks for posting.

    ReplyDelete

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