Adjustable Height Sitting and Standing Desk
If you are interested in trying out a standing desk, but you're not sure that you want to make the long term commitment, this is definitely the desk for you. This adjustable height desk can adjust from standard sitting desk height to standing desk height with a few simple adjustments.
This isn't the kind of desk that can be adjusted every day, but if you want to try standing up, find you don't like it and want to convert to sitting, no problem! This desk configuration is also helpful when you are managing a large group of people in a workplace. Now each employee can adjust their desk to their desired working height. An ergonomic dream come true!
We liked this desk design so much, we used it to build six new desks for our office. This desk isn't theoretical, we use them everyday and they are fantastic. Solid top, industrial base, easy to adjust - what more could you ask for in a desk?
How to Build and Adjustable Desk [Video]
We knew you were going to want to know exactly how we did this, so we shot a video when we built six adjustable height desks for our new office. Watch the video to get a quick idea of how this is done.
Parts and Supplies
Hopefully after watching the video and looking at the pictures, you saw how simple it was to construct your own adjustable height desk. So now that you want to build one of these desks yourself, here is some helpful information to get that done:
Desktop - We used the IKEA Gerton - These desktops are a great deal. They are solid wood and you can attach any type of base to it that you desire. Perfect! These tops come "semi-finished". You can use them "as is" or you can finish them off with some additional sanding and staining.
Fittings - Kee Klamp fittings are the magic behind this adjustable desk. Each fitting has a set screw that can be adjusted with a hex-head wrench. The set screw bites into the pipe making a strong (yet adjustable) connection. Each set screw can be loosened and tightened over and over again. Here are the Kee Klamp fittings that you will need to construct this desk.
NOTE: This desk uses two different size fittings because it uses two different sizes of pipe.
Pipe - As I just noted, this desk uses two different sizes of pipe. These pipe sizes listed below will work for someone who is up to 6'-4" in height. Use a standing desk height diagram to figure the right desk height for yourself. You can adjust the size of the pipe to suit your own desktop and height. The one thing to keep in mind is that you need to make the lower leg of pipe long enough so that several inches of pipe stays in the upper leg.
Height range for this configuration of pipe: 28" Sitting Height to 44" Standing Height. With these size pipes, the desk can be adjusted anywhere within this range.
Parts you'll need
Tips and Tricks for Assembling the Desk
Start by connecting the pipe and fittings for the legs.
We started by attaching the tees to the smaller leg pipes at the same length. If you want to use the desk as a sitting desk, then you probably want to tuck all the additional pipe into the top leg and put the 10-6 close to the edge of the pipe. If you're using it as a standing desk. Use this formula to determine your desk height:
Thickness of Desktop + Height of Upper Leg + Portion of Lower Leg Extending from Upper Leg = Height of Desktop
You'll figure it out. Just remember that you can always adjust the height after you are done.
If you're going to switch back and forth between sitting and standing, you can put a mark on the leg so you don't have to get out a tape measure every time you make the adjustment.
Connect the leg base to the desktop
This can be a little tricky because of the loose connections between the telescoping pipe sets. The important thing is to make sure that everything is straight. Use your level and common sense to make sure that everything is where you want it to be before you start to screw things in. In this configuration, the center of the flanges will be about 4" on center from all edges. Make sure that you get the legs centered on the desktop before screwing it down.
Flip the desk over (carefully)
Because of the telescoping nature of the desk, the top of the desk is held on by gravity. Tip the desk over slowly so that the bottom leg section doesn't come flying off!
Make final adjustments with a level
You probably didn't get the legs just right. That's fine, loosen some set screws, get the desk level and then tighten everything back down again.
Now Get to Work
Now that you have a fantastic standing OR sitting desk, it's time to put it to use and get to work. Tired of standing, switch it up! Tired of sitting, switch it down! You now have a desk that transforms to your needs.
The need to have a standing desk is very popular these days. If you liked this project, check out more standing desks in our project gallery. If you need further assistance in designing your desk, reach out to our projects team. They will be happy to answer your questions and even provide you with a quote for a custom configuration.
Simple Table™ Kits
- Modern, minimalistic look
- Easy to assemble
- Customize the height and width
- Heavy-duty construction
![Building an Adjustable Height Standing Desk [Video]](https://sbc-content.s3.amazonaws.com/catalog/product/cache/2/image/325x/040ec09b1e35df139433887a97daa66f/a/d/adjustable-standing-desk_1.jpg)
