Custom Monitor Shelf

Introduction:

This is a personal Monitor Shelf project! The primary shelf stands at ~ 90 mm tall, and optional laptop shelf is ~ 36 mm from the desk surface. 

I was looking to upgrade my office and improve my seating ergonomics by adjusting my monitor to the correct height, using a  desk shelf purchased from Amazon as my platform. The Amazon shelf actually comes with two shelves that I found to be too high to work with, so I designed two sets of “Arms” to use either the “top” or “bottom” shelf. Please choose the correct parts based on the shelf you choose to use. I recommend using the “bottom” shelf, as using the “top” shelf will require the additional purchase of 4x M6 3030 drop in nuts.

Originally, this project was only intended to set my monitor at the ‘correct’ height, but after upgrading to a dual monitor setup for work, I found the need for an additional laptop shelf to free up some working space. At the moment, the laptop shelf has cutouts to accommodate a 13 in MacbookPro's 4 USB-C ports. If you are interested in making accommodations for ports on your laptop, please feel free to reach out with dimensions for your laptop and I can add a custom part.

Considerations / printer requirements before building:

The shelf arms can be printed on pretty much any printer, but if you choose to print the optional laptop shelf, you will need to consider your printer's build surface. I have uploaded a second two-part version of the laptop shelf to accommodate printers with a build area less than 300 mm squared.

Extras:

If you're interested in cable management under the monitor shelf, please visit my Magnetic Cable Management project to find several options for cable management, in addition to magnetic mounts HDMI and USB adapters.

Bill of Materials:

For Basic Shelf (BOTTOM, RECOMMENDED):

• Single unit Desk shelf from Amazon (CAXXA 2-Tier Metal Laptop PC Monitor Stand Riser MAX 50 LBS Loading for Monitor, Printer,Black) 
• Two units of 2020 x 250mm Aluminum Extrusion 
• Mounting Hardware
  • 4x M5 x 10 Socket Head Screws
  • 4x M5 2020 drop in nuts
• Your favorite 3D printing filament

For Basic Shelf (TOP, REQUIRES ADDITIONAL HARDWARE):

• Single unit Desk shelf from Amazon (CAXXA 2-Tier Metal Laptop PC Monitor Stand Riser MAX 50 LBS Loading for Monitor, Printer,Black) 
• Two units of 2020 x 250mm Aluminum Extrusion 
• Mounting Hardware
  • 4x M5 x 10 Socket Head Screws
  • 4x M5 2020 drop-in nuts
  • 4x M6 3030 drop-in nuts
• Your favorite 3D printing filament

For Optional Laptop Shelf

• Mounting Hardware
  • 16x M5 x 10 Socket Head Screws
  • 16x M5 2020 drop-in nuts
• Your favorite 3D printing filament

Printing and Construction:

I have completed all my parts with 0.4 mm nozzle and 0.2 mm layer heights. If you have a tuned profile for 0.6 mm nozzles, I would highly recommend trying it out for the optional laptop shelf, as that is a rather large part and very time consuming. Additionally, all parts were printed with 30-40% infill with ABS plastic, but any thermoplastic should do as this is intended for indoor applications.

Basic Shelf:

1. For the bottom shelf, I have uploaded two parts labelled MS_BOTTOM_ARM_FRONT and MS_BOTTOM_ARM_BACK, you will need to print TWO of each. If you are constructing your shelf with the top section, please print the parts labelled MS_TOP_ARM_FRONT and MS_TOP_ARM_BACK.  
2. After printing the parts, install the M5 hardware on each arm individually, don't tighten the drop in nuts all the way.
3. Slide the Monitor Shelf Arms over the 2020 extrusion, and test fit alignment with the sheet metal shelf to ensure the original hardware lines up
4. Install the original hardware, being careful to only tighten as necessary to snug up printed parts against metal.
5. If you are using the “top” shelf, install the shelf with the original hardware, and use 4x 3030 drop-in nuts to secure the shelf to the arms, tightening the hardware until snug.
6. Enjoy your new monitor stand

Optional Laptop Shelf:

WARNING: If you do not have a 300x300 mm build area, you will need to download the two-part shelf

NOTE: To install the Optional Laptop Shelf on an existing shelf, you will need to first remove the Arms. To install the Optional Laptop Shelf on a new shelf, first install the optional laptop shelf, followed by installation of the Monitor Stand Arms.

1. If you have a 300 mm squared build surface, print the MS_LS_LEFT and MS_LS_RIGHT parts. If you have a printer with less than a 300 mm squared build surface, you will need to print MS_LS_LEFT_1 and MS_LS_LEFT_2 in addition to MS_LS_RIGHT_1 and MS_LS_RIGHT_2.
2. After printing the parts, install M5 hardware on each part individually. (8x M5x10mm SCHS + 8x M5 drop-in nuts)
3. Pre-align the drop-in nuts so they are horizontal with the aluminum extrusion
4. Slowly slide the laptop shelf over the 2020 extrusion, taking care to ensure the drop-nuts remain in their horizontal position during installation, and adjust the part so the ends are flush with the ends of the 2020 extrusion
5. Gently tighten the screws on the laptop shelf
6. Install the monitor stand arms and test fit shelf alignment prior to installing shelf with original hardware
7. Enjoy your new monitor stand with optional laptop shelf!!

Other Models and Projects:

• Apple Keyboard Slim Risers
• Magnetic Cable Management Project