Todd

"Don’t let this sleek laptop stand fool you—it’s just as mighty as the Greek god it’s inspired by."

- Todd Dermody

Materials

Tools

Today, our friend Simon is joining us all the way from our Bellevue Dunn Lumber location. He’s sharing a clever DIY contraption of his own design: the "Atlas," an adjustable laptop stand named after the Earth-wielding Greek god it’s inspired by.

Looking for a simple way to prop up the base of his laptop, Simon went through a few different designs (pictured below) before he landed on the right combination of materials. Some iterations were too bulky, others weren’t sturdy enough to live up to Atlas's name. Then he discovered a perfectly simple solution: base moulding. Simon's resulting design cleverly pairs the moulding with adhesive-backed felt to create an accordion-like folding mechanism, which makes the stand height-adjustable.

Grab your tools and materials and let’s get started!

To Build an Adjustable Laptop Stand<br /> Different designs of the “Atlas” DIY wooden laptop stand.<br />

Step 1: Measure and cut moulding

Measure and mark 12” on your base shoe moulding. Cut at 12” using a handsaw. Repeat 11 more times for 12 total pieces.

Note: We measured our first piece using a level with an integrated ruler, then used the cut piece to measure the rest.

Measuring fir base shoe moulding with a level with integrated ruler.

Measuring and marking fir base shoe moulding with a level with integrated ruler and a pencil.

Cutting fir base shoe moulding with a handsaw.

Holding cut piece of fir base shoe moulding up to uncut fir base shoe moulding and marking length with pencil.

Cutting fir base shoe moulding with a handsaw.

Twelve pieces of fir base shoe moulding cut to the same length and arranged side by side.

Step 2: Sand

Sand your moulding pieces using a sanding sponge, paying particular attention to the cut ends.

Remove excess wood dust with a tack cloth.

Sanding cut fir base shoe moulding with a sanding sponge.

Close-up of sanding cut fir base shoe moulding with a sanding sponge.

Step 3: Arrange pieces

Lay out your cut moulding pieces in an alternating pattern. Per the diagram, the ¾” flat sides will face down and the ½” flat sides will face each other.

Measure the total width of the moulding pieces when arranged. It should not exceed the width of the felt backing, which is 9”. Remove any excess pieces.

Diagram showing how to arrange the fir base shoe moulding pieces in pairs, with the ½” sides facing each other and the ¾” sides facing down.

Laying out the cut fir base shoe moulding pieces side-by-side.

Laying out the cut fir base shoe moulding pieces side-by-side.

Holding a level with integrated ruler up to the arranged fir base shoe moulding pieces.

Step 4: Stain

Stain each of the moulding pieces on all sides and ends, except the ¾” sides, which will be glued to the felt backing. Let dry per the instructions on the can.

We used Varathane Wood Stain in Mahogany.

The cut fir base shoe moulding pieces arranged side-by-side. Two of them have been stained.

Varathane Red Mahogany Wood Stain and a paintbrush above two stained pieces of cut fir base shoe moulding.

Step 5: Prepare felt backing

Peel off the backing paper and place the felt sticky side up on your work surface.

Peeling backing paper off of felt with adhesive backing.

Close-up of peeling backing paper off of felt with adhesive backing.

Step 6: Assemble pieces

Carefully place each piece of moulding with the ¾” side down on the sticky side of the felt. Be sure to match the 12” side of the felt with the 12” length of the moulding. Place the pieces as closely as you can to each other.

Once all the pieces have been placed, press firmly down to flatten and ensure adhesion.

Placing the cut and stained fir base shoe moulding pieces on the adhesive side of the felt.

Close-up of placing the cut and stained fir base shoe moulding pieces on the adhesive side of the felt.

Placing the last piece of cut and stained fir base moulding on the adhesive side of the felt.

Close-up of placing the last piece of cut and stained fir base moulding on the adhesive side of the felt.

Step 7: Trim excess felt

Using a utility knife, cut off any excess felt.

Cutting off excess felt edges with a utility knife.

Close-up of cutting off excess felt edges with a utility knife.

Atlas DIY wooden adjustable laptop stand, assembled.

Step 8: Add straps (optional)

If you would like additional portability, adding velcro straps is an easy way to roll up your stand to take it on the go. You can get creative here, but we recommend applying glue to the back of the velcro and attaching it to the 12” side of the felt. Let dry per instruction on the glue bottle before using.

Scotch Indoor Velcro strips and Weldwood Instant Adhesive wood glue.

A laptop resting on the partially rolled-up atlas DIY wooden adjustable laptop stand.

A laptop resting on the fully rolled-up atlas DIY DIY wooden adjustable laptop stand.

Simon from Dunn Lumber Bellevue standing behind his laptop resting on the partially rolled-up atlas DIY DIY wooden adjustable laptop stand.

Typing at a laptop resting on the partially rolled-up atlas DIY DIY wooden adjustable laptop stand.

And that's all there is to it! If you're looking for more ways to upgrade your office setup, be sure to check out our DIY laptop case, and stay organized with our DIY bulletin board.