Woodworking Plans laptop stand

Learn how to make a simple DIY laptop stand for a desk using scrap wood with this easy to follow tutorial. Your neck and back will thank you! It is also a great beginner project and gift idea!

You will also love these easy scrap wood project ideas and these beginner woodworking project ideas.

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This project has been a long time coming.

Almost 2 years ago, I built myself a desk that I love!

My work set up uses a large monitor tethered to my laptop in a dual screen mode – which by the way, if you haven’t tried, you have got to!

Unfortunately, there was one problem; the laptop screen wasn’t at the same level as the monitor.

For a good ergonomic posture and really to help your eyes travel from one screen to the next, the two screens should be roughly at the same height.

I temporarily solved it by putting a few of my old books to good use. Sometimes you work with what you’ve got!

What if you don’t have a monitor tethered? You still need this to make the laptop screen at eye-level for ergonomic reasons. You should NOT be hunching over looking down at a screen. Yes, you will need an external keyboard and mouse but all of that will help your shoulders and back. Trust me!

It was high time to fix the situation with a permanent solution.

I went into my workshop aka garage and whipped up a quick project using scrap wood.

RELATED: DIY foot rest for under the desk using scrap wood.

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Materials needed to make a DIY laptop desk stand

DIY Laptop Stand Plans

Grab a copy of printable plans to build this DIY laptop stand by clicking the button below.

DOWNLOAD PLANS FOR THE LAPTOP STAND

How to Make a Wooden Laptop Stand

Step 1: Cut the boards

Using a miter saw, cut the 1×4 and the 1×3 board per the cut list.

Step 2 – Attach the first board to the side

Start by attaching one 1″ x 3″ board to the 1″ x 4″ board at a right angle using wood glue and finish nails [as shown below.]

Step 3 – Attach rest of the slats

Layout and attach the rest of the 1″ x 3″ boards with ¾” spacing between them.

TIP – Use a scrap ¾″ thick board to get the right spacing every time.

Step 4 – Attach the other end-board

Attach the second 1″ x4″ board to the other end of the 1″ x 3″ boards using wood glue and finish nails

Step 5 – Paint and Finish

Paint or stain the color of your choice [I chose to paint my stand with a coral wood stain to add some color to my workspace.]

I also added a little industrial detail by attaching metal corner braces

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And we are done!

I love the functionality of my new wooden laptop stand!

My desk looks a lot less cluttered PLUS I have space underneath to keep notepads and sticky notes.

But let’s not forget the biggest advantage of all! An ergonomically arranged laptop screen.

It was such a quick and easy project, I’m not sure why I waited so long to build this.

Don’t forget you can get the printable plans for this Laptop stand by clicking here.

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More DIY project ideas for your desk –

My husband and I have both been working from home since March. Each of us have a laptop for work and at least one additional monitor that we use to improve our productivity. To get the laptop at the same level as the other monitor we used whatever we had laying around the house to prop it up. In my husband’s case it was a few text books from college. I’m tired of looking at these books so this past week I built a DIY wood laptop stand that matches the desk that I built a few years ago. Below is a full tutorial for this build.

Here is the before picture so that you can see what I was working with. 

I wanted the stand to match the furniture that I built for that room so for me the obvious choice was to use an oak top with faux metal legs.  That said, you could choose whatever species of wood or finish that you want to make it your own!  I would love to see this stand with some rose gold legs and a white top.  Here are the basics of what you will need for this build.  I’ve also linked sources to the specific materials that I used.  

*This post contains affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will make a commission if you click-through and make a purchase

Materials

1×10 board [I ripped mine down to 8.5″ in width since I didn’t need the full 9.25″ width for my laptop.]

1×2 board

Wood glue

Wood Filler

Sand Paper

[6] 1-1/4″ Pocket Hole Screws

Stain

Polyurethane

Spray paint

Tools

Miter Saw 

Drill

Table saw [only needed if you are trimming the width of your top board

Pocket hole jig 

Clamps

Safety glasses

Ear protection

Dust mask

Directions – How to Make a DIY Wood Laptop Stand

Step 1 – Measure your laptop to determine the laptop stand dimensions 

The first thing that you’ll want to do is measure your laptop.  My husband’s laptop was roughly 8.5″ deep and 13.5″ wide.  To align the screen of his laptop with the bottom of his desktop monitor screen I needed to raise the laptop by roughly 3.5″.  Below are the specific measurements that I used. 

The faux metals legs are all made with 1×2 pine board.  The top piece is made with 1×10 oak board that I ripped to an 8.5″ width to match the depth of his laptop.  The overall dimensions of this laptop stand are 14″ wide x 8.5″ deep and 3.5″ tall.  

Modify these dimensions as needed to accommodate your laptop.  

Step 2 – Cut the boards 

For the cut list, I used the following:

• [1] 1×10 oak board ripped to 8.5″ width and 11″ length
• [4] 1×2 pine boards @ 7″ in length
• [4] 1×2 pine boards @ 3.5″ in length

Step 3 – Glue the legs

I glued the legs together as shown below and let them sit in the Clamps overnight.  

Step 4 – Drill pocket holes in the top board

Inspect your top board to determine if there is one side that is better than the other.  If so, make the worse side the bottom and drill 3 pocket holes on opposite sides of the bottom as shown below.  The pocket screws will attach the top to the legs so be sure to drill the holes on the sides that match up with the dimensions of the legs.  

Step 5 – Apply wood filler and sand

Since I went for a faux metal look on the legs I loaded up the end grain with wood filler to give it a smoother look.  Below is a picture of the wood filler after I had applied it.  Once it dried I sanded it all smooth with 120 grit and then 240 grit sand paper.  I also sanded the top oak board.  

Step 6 – Apply the finish

There are endless options for finishes.  I chose to spray paint the legs to look like iron.  One trick that I’ve learned when using faux metal spray paint is to first spray the pieces with a flat black primer.  It creates a perfect base coat and will save you so much time and money since you won’t need nearly as many metal coats.  I used one coat of primer and three coats of the metal spray paint.  

For the top board I used Minwax Early American stain and a semi gloss polyurethane.  

Step 7 – Attach the Legs to the Top

I used my Bessey Clamps to align the legs with the top board and then used 1-1/4″ pocket hole screws to attach the top to the legs.  Don’t forget wood glue for this step but be careful not to use too much.  If it squeezes out it will make a mess on your finished pieces.  

DIY Wood Laptop Stand

Here are the finished photos of this laptop stand.  I’m much happier with the way that this desk looks now.  Plus I won’t have to be reminded of how hard dynamics class was when I walk into that room.  😉 

Before/After

This laptop stand is a great way to raise your laptop to align with other monitors.  It’s also a great way to raise your laptop to eye level so that you aren’t looking down all day.  Not only is that bad for your neck, on video calls everyone looks up your nose and trust me, it isn’t flattering for anyone.  One other thing that I really like about the design is that you can store stuff underneath it like a notepad and pen or maybe your cellphone.  

If you like the look of this laptop stand you’ll love the other furniture tutorials that I have for this room.  

• DIY Modern Industrial Desk
• IKEA Nordkisa Nightstand Hack
• DIY Oak Wall Shelves

I hope that you found this tutorial helpful.  If you make one of your own please tag me on Instagram or Facebook so that I can share it!