Sit to stand workstation

[hoggy]

Does anyone use one of these?

I'm thinking about adapting my desk at work with a monitor arm so I can lift the monitor up and stand in front of my desk (have to sort something out with the keyboard - currently thinking about using an alphagrip).

I'd welcome any thoughts/ideas on the topic.

[wellington1869]

hoggy i've looked into these and saved some links. I'm in NJ for the holiday weekend but will post what i found here when i get back home.  There are some neat solutions out there. I also made a sit/stand desk myself, will tell you what i did that worked well.

[hoggy]

That would be great, thanks!

[hyperlinked]

I have a partial sit to stand station. My "sit to stand station" consists of a large 30" monitor that's comfortable to view when in a standing position and a ~$250 3M keyboard platform that pulls out into a standing position.

I don't stand all that often though. I only do it once in a while when my back is acting up and I need to give it a break. I'm 5'10" and the keyboard tray comes out just high enough for me to type and mouse on it comfortably.



Here's some more info on that keyboard tray:
http://geekhack.org/showpost.php?p=170311&postcount=4

[hoggy]

That's a pretty convincing argument for a rising keyboard tray - will have to look into one of those!

[Zalusithix]

Still, I can't imagine that looking down like that is comfortable for all but the shortest time spans. There's a number of products on the market specifically tailored to the sit/stand/walk adjustable workstations. (http://details-worktools.com/products/adjustables/) Of course, anything dedicated like that is going to cost more than a retrofit that sorta-kinda does the job, but I feel in situations like this, you get what you pay for. Monitor arm + keyboard tray will require each to be adjusted separately every time you want to switch positions, and the desk itself will then be a bit out of reach for any reference materials you might want handy if you're standing.

Still, something is better than nothing. It really comes down to how often you'd be switching and how much you value the convenience.

[o2dazone]

I use one at work (sorry for the poor quality, I didn't take it!)
http://yeahstu.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/zappos2.jpg

You can sit at it, and then a level uses spring pressure to elevate the desk. It's nice, but for the most part, I sit. Standing in place kills my feet. The keyboard area also moves around, which makes it easy to adjust. It can even angle. Not sure what the name of the brand of desk is, I can get the name if you're interested

Here'a few more photos I took around the office, so excuse the weirdness. They do show off the desks though

http://a.yfrog.com/img256/6818/8kix.jpg

http://a.yfrog.com/img59/7038/7ay.jpg

[hyperlinked]

Still, I can't imagine that looking down like that is comfortable for all but the shortest time spans.

It's certainly not an ideal setup, but it does the trick at a fraction of the cost of a proper sit-to-stand station if you only need a couple of hours here and there of standing time to give your back a break or if you just want to try working while standing to see if you can get used to it.

It'd be better if I had the monitor on an arm that could raise it about a foot, but if your monitor does have to be out of your direct plane of sight, it's best for it to be below your normal viewing plane rather than above it.

While not ideal, looking downward at a mild angle to read isn't uncomfortable, whereas having to look upward at all is more stressful to your neck. Think about it, you actually look down all the time to read stuff and a lot of workstations used by public facing workers actually are designed with lowered monitors so that the screen doesn't get between them and the person they're helping.

It does feel funny to have to look downward a little, but I find that I get used to the viewing angle and it's only a minor annoyance. The more noticeable issue is that my sense of balance is thrown off a little from gazing downward. You can't lean on a keyboard tray to stabilize yourself.

I'm not in any danger of falling over or anything like that, but it does make standing to work less comfortable if you're having difficulty keeping your weight distributed evenly.

Monitor arm + keyboard tray will require each to be adjusted separately every time you want to switch positions, and the desk itself will then be a bit out of reach for any reference materials you might want handy if you're standing.

The height of the person will have to be taken into account to as to whether a retrofit like mine will work at all. For me to improve my setup to an ideal setup would only cost me an extra $200-$350 for a quality VESA arm mount and a mounting kit for the monitor. If I was any taller than 5'10", I would need an adjustable table so I could raise the keyboard platform a few inches to allow the setup to work right. Even if you could find a keyboard tray that would allow you to use a standard height desk, you might have problems with knee clearance from having such a long tray arm, especially if you're already too tall for a standard height desk.

[hyperlinked]

Here'a few more photos I took around the office, so excuse the weirdness. They do show off the desks though

Dude! You guys spent too much money on the workstations and couldn't afford to buy real streamers so you had to raid the bathrooms for your party! It's like a long road trip with a driver that doesn't want to make any pit stops. I hope you "went" before you got to work.

[microsoft windows]

I usually just sit or kneel. There just aren't too many monitor arms that mount easily on concrete walls and hold a 70 pound CRT.

But let me tell you all something--That Samsung CRT's a great piece of equipment. One of the sharpest monitors I've ever used.

[o2dazone]

Dude! You guys spent too much money on the workstations and couldn't afford to buy real streamers so you had to raid the bathrooms for your party! It's like a long road trip with a driver that doesn't want to make any pit stops. I hope you "went" before you got to work.

The rival department used really soft expensive TP. I'd be lying if I said I didn't take some home with me :x

BTW, standing will definitely remind you how much you've been at your computer. Subtle weight distribution makes it feel like you've ran a marathon at the end of the day.

[hyperlinked]

The rival department used really soft expensive TP. I'd be lying if I said I didn't take some home with me :x

Stealing office supplies again are we?

[wellington1869]

hoggy i've tried each of these solutions.  I like to stand when I work (i also pace sometimes, i also kneel sometimes -- anything but sitting still which i hate to do for too long. I find i focus and concentrate better if i'm a bit uncomfortable actually).  In addition to the below, I'd like to eventually try a standing lectern next to my desk; a treadmill (why not), and one of those bouncy balls that people sit on at their desk (friend had one, tried it, I thought it took too much effort to sit on it, tho he swears by it), and an ergonomic kneeling chair (never tried one but am intrigued).
I did try an excercise disk by the way, and thought it actually tired me out after a while. My goal isnt to get tired out, lol, but to simply remain alert and be able to stretch a bit sometimes.

Sit-to-stands:

1. fully articulated keyboard platform: Despite the mediocre reviews, this was the model I once owned, and it moves the keyboard around in an incredibly wide range, tho it takes some work to install it under your desk, it WILL allow you to stand easily (the keyboard platform can simply be pulled upward to any height).
Pricey.  You can find them on ebay sometimes for about 100 bucks tho.
Note that this model is a true "sit to stand" keyboard platform; ie, its not simply a minimally adjustable one for comfort, its range of motion is HUGE.

Incidentally i also at one point owned one of those ergotron monitor arms and it was very adjustable tho I eventually went back to a simpler monitor stand when I upgraded my monitor. But the monitor arm worked well with the keyboard platform.


2. I also infamously have (and occasionally use, lol) one of these.
http://connect-a-desk.com/
:-/  You should see me using it with my miner's light strapped to my head.

Truth be told its handy if you're a pacer, as I am.  I dont put my laptop on it tho, just paper. I also use it to prop up books against my chest while typing at my desk.
Not a true sit-to-stand but thought i'd mention it.

3. In my dreams though, I own this:
http://www.geekdesk.com/default.asp?contentID=604
I mean, come on! This to me is the ultimate sit-to-stand solution. Whole desk rises electronically. Btw there are a number of manufacturers making these now, not just one.
Pricey as heck but worth it I think. I'll get one some day, probably two of them actually.

4. My current sit-to-stand solution is considerably cheaper but works very very well.  Inspired by this vaporware product, I convinced an ebay seller of plexiglass to create this for me. He took a long sheet of plexi and bended it for me and shaped the edges smooth. Works 100% for this purpose. I leave a keyboard plugged in on my regular keyboard tray, and above it, i put the plexi tray, which holds my second keyboard. I leave both keyboards plugged in constantly, so if i want to stand -- i simply stand and keep typing.



My monitor can be raised by just pulling it up with one hand, if needed, while i'm standing.  Works well for the moment and is very cheap.  I like the two-level keyboard effect, and its nice to simply stand and keep typing without having to adjust anything or plug anything in.

[kishy]

That's actually a very workable setup welly.

Me, I don't actually use the computer standing up, but if I'm around the house doing stuff and come back to check for MSN messages or whatever, I'll tilt back the monitor, fire off a quick message or two, then tilt it back down. Rather low height of keyboard makes that very "unworkable" for anything except the type of usage I described.

[hyperlinked]

bouncy balls that people sit on at their desk (friend had one, tried it, I thought it took too much effort to sit on it, tho he swears by it)

Exercise balls are a good alternate chair. I wouldn't recommend it as your only chair though unless you're a master yoga practitioner with fanatical core strength.

ergonomic kneeling chair (never tried one but am intrigued).

I'm not a fan of these. You're better off with an exercise ball if you want to get one of these for posture. They're too restrictive for movement and when you get tired, you'll slouch anyway. You'll just be forced to slouch in a more awkward way and the less expensive kneeling chairs are bad for leg circulation.
 

fully articulated keyboard platform: Despite the mediocre reviews, this was the model I once owned, and it moves the keyboard around in an incredibly wide range, tho it takes some work to install it under your desk, it WILL allow you to stand easily (the keyboard platform can simply be pulled upward to any height).

Mine is the equivalent of this, but better. I replaced a regular Kensington keyboard tray with a 3M tray. Much better! Although it'd be hard to compare a basic Kensington product to the top of the line 3M tray I got, they just seem to be worlds apart in build quality.... not that the Kensington is flimsy. The 3M is just that much better.
 

4. My current sit-to-stand solution is considerably cheaper but works very very well.

That is genius! How much do you charge for your autograph?

[wellington1869]

That is genius! How much do you charge for your autograph?

the genius part was convincing the plexiglass seller on ebay to make this for me Its a single sturdy piece of plexiglass bent into 2 right angles for the legs with the edges nicely smoothed down. Elegant in its simplicity  I convinced him that there were hordes of eager typists on standby just waiting to buy such a over-the-keyboard transparent shelf (I do kind of believe that, i cant believe no one has made this as a keyboard accessory product. Its great to put drinks/food/papers/books over the keyboard, or in this case, another keyboard).

The nice thing is, as a result my over-the-keyboard-shelf is a custom-fit (i got to tell him the exact height, width, even strength/thickness of the plexi) that I wanted for my particular workspace. It came out really nice. Not bad for under $30.

I think the guy had fun making it too, and he liked the concept (and said something about maybe offering it as a finished product on ebay), tho I havent touched base with him since then.

[hoggy]

Really useful responses - I'd never heard of a sit to walk station - but it's genius! - they really should be required by law or something.

I like the fitballs to sit on, but you do have to swap back to a proper chair after a while.  If you're tempted, just how think how much fun you can have by a little bounce every now and again.  Even if people are watching...

Really tempted by the keyboard tray idea but I'll probably start with the monitor arm (problem with my neck means I'd rather not have to look down quite so far) and prop a keyboard on a box as a stop gap.  The persplex platform might work well as a simple, but effective upgrade.  The lack of adjustability might ultimately encourage me to get an expensive tray.

[itlnstln]

Hey, Welly.  Are you still rocking the Desk-o-Bra?

[wellington1869]

Hey, Welly.  Are you still rocking the Desk-o-Bra?

tee hee. I find it gives me great support

hey it could be worse

[wellington1869]

another argument for standing and working

sit less, live longer

[hyperlinked]

another argument for standing and working

sit less, live longer

That bit of news has been making the rounds at all major papers and networks lately. I don't have time to track down and read the medical articles that are generating the buzz, but I'm hoping to soon.

I don't think it'd be hard to agree with the premise that spending less time on your butt is a good idea, but the news on this topic has some holes in it.

The Gupta blog was much much better in reporting this news than some of the other outlets which were basically equating sitting with DEATH (period).

[wellington1869]

That bit of news has been making the rounds at all major papers and networks lately. I don't have time to track down and read the medical articles that are generating the buzz, but I'm hoping to soon.

I don't think it'd be hard to agree with the premise that spending less time on your butt is a good idea, but the news on this topic has some holes in it.

The Gupta blog was much much better in reporting this news than some of the other outlets which were basically equating sitting with DEATH (period).

yea. also i thought it was interesting that the benefits were far greater (twice as good) for women than men. For some reason.

[hyperlinked]

yea. also i thought it was interesting that the benefits were far greater (twice as good) for women than men. For some reason.

I didn't notice that part, but did now. It may have something to either with that men whose jobs don't involve a lot of sitting have more dangerous jobs so some of those who might otherwise live longer could die in accidents or develop illness due to exposure to hazardous materials.

[Parak]

Does anyone use one of these?

I'll unlurk to show (off?) mine, as I've also wanted a sit/stand workstation, although with a bit of a hefty requirement: three monitors, and a single surface to lower/raise instead of just a keyboard tray.

Pics: http://www.flickr.com/photos/13176014@N03/sets/72157623592317745/

[wellington1869]

I'll unlurk to show (off?) mine, as I've also wanted a sit/stand workstation, although with a bit of a hefty requirement: three monitors, and a single surface to lower/raise instead of just a keyboard tray.

Pics: http://www.flickr.com/photos/13176014@N03/sets/72157623592317745/

hi [strike]keith[/strike] parak!

nice setup!

[hoggy]

Well, I've finally got my solution.  Ergotron do a sit to stand monitor and keyboard mount.



Haven't had chance to take a picture of it yet - so here's one from their website.


It's really easy to adjust, you just pull it up or push it down.  You can even adjust the monitor/keyboard separately.

Sadly the keyboard tray isn't all that large, and only supports upto 1.4kg.

A filco tenkeyless with round 1 keycaps or a choc mini look just right as accessories.

The monitor is a bit closer than I would like, but you soon forget about it as you start working.

Feeling much better at the end of the day already.

[keyboardlover]

Another Welly Necro!

[hoggy]

Anyone seen hyperlinked recently?