Building a treadmill desk

[Moonliner]

Originally Posted by BarTopDancer

Perhaps you can utilize an adjustable under-desk drawer to manage your monitor and mouse. Lower it as you need it, raise it as you don't.

Humm, I might be able to use the hardware from two of those to attach to a larger wood desktop. Thanks.

[Kevy Baby]

Originally Posted by Not Afraid

The next thread Moonie creates will be one that is titled something like "I broke my ankle using my treadmill desk". (Or at least that what would happen to me.)

I'm surprised you haven't already broken your ankle just reading this thread.

[blueerica]

I am really intrigued, and keep thinking about what a great idea it would be to have one. Heck, if not just for work, how cool would it be to play certain video games and NOT worry about what all that sitting will do to your rear end?

You could burn mega calories during a raid... Just sayin'...

[Moonliner]

Progress Report:

I unboxed the beast and completed the basic setup.

I'm planning to mount the desk so that I can comfortably rest my elbows on it while walking. At that height the desk will need to be mounted about 1/3 down from the top of the instrument cluster (which I found out has a fan and speakers in it).

The good news is that there are two square cup holders on either side of the instrument cluster. I'd judge they are just the right size for a small fence post cut to the right height. I can easily drill through the bottom of each cup holder and bolt the post to the holder making a nice stable mounting point. I'll cut a small U-shape opening at the top of the desk for the cluster and a larger U-shaped opening at the bottom for me. I think I can stand back as far as the end of the arms and still have sufficient tread left not to fall off the end while walking.

This will leave the desk high enough up that I will be able to easily reach the treadmill controls.

The only unsolved issue I still have is how to attach the bottom of the desk to the arms of the treadmill including an ~1ft height extension on each side.

(Construction photos coming soon....)

[Snowflake]

Originally Posted by Moonliner

(Construction photos coming soon....)

Waiting breathlessly!

[Alex]

Before you do all of that might I suggest that you put a keyboard on it in some way and try it out with walking? My gym had web enabled treadmills for a while that included keyboards and a lot of people found it near impossible to type while walking.

It'd suck for you to build it all out and then find that you couldn't use it. (But if you already did that, ignore me.)

[Moonliner]

Originally Posted by Alex

Before you do all of that might I suggest that you put a keyboard on it in some way and try it out with walking? My gym had web enabled treadmills for a while that included keyboards and a lot of people found it near impossible to type while walking.

I will try that as soon as I get the treadmill fully operational but I think it's just a matter of speed. In the gym people are looking to get the most benefit from a small amount of time. Running or even walking fast would make typing a challenge. I'm planning to walk at just over 1/2mile per hour for hours on end (look at the video link in the first post to get an idea of the speed) I don't foresee having a problem.

[Moonliner]

Prototyping - Day-1

I completed the basic setup of the treadmill yesterday.

Here you can see the control panel and the two cup holders I'm planning to use to hold the mounting supports for the front of the desk.

Prototyping the desk using the box / packing material the treadmill came in.

These are the four supports, despite the look from this angle they are in fact pretty much level to each other. I played around with the height a bit and decided that the desk should be high enough that I can rest my elbows on it while typing/walking. This gives me an added bit of stability and makes typing easier. To give the desk stability, I will be able to bolt the front posts to the treadmill by drilling holes through the bottom and sides of the cup holders. The rear posts give me more concern. I think I will have to drive a pair of bolts through each arm to secure them to the post.

With the posts set the desk just lays on top.

You can see how the keyboard fits and there is plenty of room for the mouse plus at least a few papers. (Wow another benefit! I'll be forced to keep my desk cleaner). The monitor will be mounted on an arm and sit above the instrument cluster.

The one issue I'm not happy with.

Getting to the instrument cluster is going to be a challenge. Bending over and reaching in while the tread is moving.... Still I'm only going to use one setting so I won't have to dive in there too often. Perhaps I can better address this issue if/when I build Desk v2.0. (Oh and say hi to Jack who's hiding in the photo)

Ta da! A side view of the setup

So this is what I'm planning to build over the weekend. I'm still not sure of what to use for the desktop (wood, drywall, acrylic, etc...) or how I'm going to cut the posts to the right size (I might need more power tools!) but this is the direction I'm heading in. Comments and suggestions for improvements are most welcome!

[scaeagles]

I might suggest going with a clear desktop - acrylic or some thick plastic or something - so that you can see the controls. Then reaching under shouldn't be as much of a problem as you can see the controls without bending over.

How thick is the bottom of the cupholders? I'm sure your desk will be a bit heavier than the typical water bottle so you may need to reinforce them in some fashion.

[Snowflake]

Originally Posted by Moonliner

Prototyping - Day-1
(Oh and say hi to Jack who's hiding in the photo)

Hi Jack! You're a cutie!

Originally Posted by Moonliner

Ta da! A side view of the setup

Who's that skulking behind the couch?

Good job Moonie! This looks doable, but for me, I'd never be able to get the darn treadmill turned off. Wonder if some Harmony universal remote works for this kind of item?