After a new desk... any recommendations?

Actual_Criminal · 8 Nov 2020 at 21:10

I am in the market for a desk. Also, my workplace is willing to put £80 towards it as well.

Requirements:
-Not curved
-Budget £50-300
-Black/Grey/White colour
-Big enough to fit 2-3 monitors on

A standing desk would also be pretty cool but I know they are expensive.

I have previously had those cheap £40 Ikea 100cm Linmon desks which were fine, but I tend to found the legs were really shoddy and they wobbled like crazy. I'm happy to pay for something more premium.

Dis86 · 8 Nov 2020 at 21:40

Sorry, I don't want to get charged with aiding and abetting.

Tephnos · 8 Nov 2020 at 21:42

Are you talking about ADILS legs? Throw some threadlocker onto the part where they screw in, and they'd be a lot more solid.

Also do the exact same thing but get a heavier KARLBY top instead.

Actual_Criminal · 8 Nov 2020 at 21:42

Dis86 said:
Sorry, I don't want to get charged with aiding and abetting.

Haha

Don't worry, I have a normal job in addition to my extra extracurricular activities

Dis86 · 8 Nov 2020 at 21:44

Actual_Criminal said:
Haha

Don't worry, I have a normal job in addition to my extra extracurricular activities

In that case I recommend using a pair of Alex drawers and a desktop of your choosing. Very stable and good height.

Actual_Criminal · 8 Nov 2020 at 21:44

Tephnos said:
Are you talking about ADILS legs? Throw some threadlocker onto the part where they screw in, and they'd be a lot more solid.

Also do the exact same thing but get a heavier KARLBY top instead.

Do the KARLBY tops have pre-defined screw holes for the legs like the Linmon desks or do you have to drill holes yourself?

Tephnos · 8 Nov 2020 at 21:46

Actual_Criminal said:
Do the KARLBY tops have pre-defined screw holes for the legs like the Linmon desks or do you have to drill holes yourself?

Have to drill them yourself, but that gives you flexibility with placement.

Jay794 · 8 Nov 2020 at 21:53

Dis86 said:
In that case I recommend using a pair of Alex drawers and a desktop of your choosing. Very stable and good height.

The standard "youtube desk" then?

Tephnos · 8 Nov 2020 at 22:21

Jay794 said:
The standard "youtube desk" then?

Yup.

However, if you're not around 6ft tall, the standard 70cm height of non-adjustable desks may have ergonomic consequences for you (they sure do to me). In that case you're better off with a sit/stand frame or OLOV legs.

Boggles my mind that 70cm was decided as the standard when the average male isn't even 6ft and women are just screwed.

Archy · 9 Nov 2020 at 10:53

Can second the Karlby/Alex drawers combo. I ended up getting the 246cm version, 2 sets of Alex drawers, and an Olov adjustable leg to prevent any sag in the middle, as I have my 2 monitors desk mounted to it.

dirtychinchilla · 9 Nov 2020 at 11:10

Tephnos said:
Yup.

However, if you're not around 6ft tall, the standard 70cm height of non-adjustable desks may have ergonomic consequences for you (they sure do to me). In that case you're better off with a sit/stand frame or OLOV legs.

Boggles my mind that 70cm was decided as the standard when the average male isn't even 6ft and women are just screwed.

Sounds like someone is upset

Actual_Criminal · 9 Nov 2020 at 11:17

Archy said:
Can second the Karlby/Alex drawers combo. I ended up getting the 246cm version, 2 sets of Alex drawers, and an Olov adjustable leg to prevent any sag in the middle, as I have my 2 monitors desk mounted to it.

Yeah but I just don't like the fact you have to drill the holes yourself in the table.

I'm not really DIY orientated and would probably **** it up.

Haggisman · 9 Nov 2020 at 11:36

dirtychinchilla said:
Sounds like someone is ~~upset~~ short

FTFY

Actual_Criminal said:
Yeah but I just don't like the fact you have to drill the holes yourself in the table.

I'm not really DIY orientated and would probably **** it up.

It's pretty easy to be honest.

Put the desk top face down on the floor
Measure an equal distance from each corner you want the legs and mark a line
Put the screw plates of the legs in the right position against the lines
Mark each of the holes
Put a bit of tape around your drill bit about half the depth of the desk top
Drill each hole up to the tape
Screw plates to desk top
Screw legs to plates

The only thing you can really **** up badly is drilling too deep and going through the top of the desk.

Archy · 9 Nov 2020 at 12:00

Actual_Criminal said:
Yeah but I just don't like the fact you have to drill the holes yourself in the table.

I'm not really DIY orientated and would probably **** it up.

I didn't have to drill any holes. Bought 2 Alex drawer sets, set karlby worktop on top, using the provided rubber "bumpers" that come with the alex drawers to stop the worktop from sliding about on the drawers. The only DIY part was building the drawers, and I screwed the leg support halfway along the worktop using the screws provided, no drilling needed.

The room isn't finished yet, but I'll get a photo of how it turned out later and post it here.

Edit - How much space do you have? There are 2 lengths of Karlby, the shorter one I think would be tight to get 2 Alex units under and enough comfortable room to sit at, in which case 1 Alex unit and 2 legs at the other end would be preferable I guess.

Rids · 9 Nov 2020 at 12:37

I've been considering a new desk for ages but nobody seems to do desks that fit the dimensions I'm after. Really I'm looking for something 240cm x 90cm - and nothing seems to fit that bill. The Karlby thing seems like a great idea but its just lacking the depth I need

Actual_Criminal · 9 Nov 2020 at 12:37

Archy said:
I didn't have to drill any holes. Bought 2 Alex drawer sets, set karlby worktop on top, using the provided rubber "bumpers" that come with the alex drawers to stop the worktop from sliding about on the drawers. The only DIY part was building the drawers, and I screwed the leg support halfway along the worktop using the screws provided, no drilling needed.

The room isn't finished yet, but I'll get a photo of how it turned out later and post it here.

Edit - How much space do you have? There are 2 lengths of Karlby, the shorter one I think would be tight to get 2 Alex units under and enough comfortable room to sit at, in which case 1 Alex unit and 2 legs at the other end would be preferable I guess.

Loads of space. I want a large desk.

Actual_Criminal · 9 Nov 2020 at 12:38

Rids said:
I've been considering a new desk for ages but nobody seems to do desks that fit the dimensions I'm after. Really I'm looking for something 240cm x 90cm - and nothing seems to fit that bill. The Karlby thing seems like a great idea but its just lacking the depth I need

Why not just get 2 120cm x 90cm?

Archy · 9 Nov 2020 at 12:45

Actual_Criminal said:
Why not just get 2 120cm x 90cm?

Rids said:
I've been considering a new desk for ages but nobody seems to do desks that fit the dimensions I'm after. Really I'm looking for something 240cm x 90cm - and nothing seems to fit that bill. The Karlby thing seems like a great idea but its just lacking the depth I need

This is one drawback of the Karlby, its quite shallow at 63.5cm front to back. It doesn't bother me but if you're used to a deeper desk I can see it being an issue.

An actual kitchen worktop supplier should be able to provide something with the required depth I would have thought?

randomshenans · 9 Nov 2020 at 12:47

Jay794 said:
The standard "youtube desk" then?

I have this lol It's perfect tbh

Rids · 9 Nov 2020 at 12:50

Archy said:
This is one drawback of the Karlby, its quite shallow at 63.5cm front to back. It doesn't bother me but if you're used to a deeper desk I can see it being an issue.

An actual kitchen worktop supplier should be able to provide something with the required depth I would have thought?

Literally just thought of that after browsing this thread, something like a breakfast bar worktop has the required depth.

Now just need to conceptualise the DIY involved to make it into a desk.