How to Build a Car Laptop Stand
Many car owners bring their laptops on road trips, or use them when stopped to check directions. Installing a laptop stand in the front seat allows for easier access to the laptop. Laptop stands often cost upward of $300 dollars when bought from a store, but you can build one yourself from supplies found at any hardware store, using PVC pipe and a wooden tray. This laptop mount requires your car to have a cup holder, preferably one near the arm rest between the two front seats.
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Things You'll Need
- Two 1-foot-long, 2-inch-wide Straight PVC Pipe
- Two 5-inch-long, 2-inch-wide 90-degree PVC Elbows
- PVC Pipe Cutters
- PVC Glue
- PVC Flange
- Plywood Sheet
- Four bolts and nuts
- Velcro Strips
- Sander
- Pencil
- Circular Saw
Instructions
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Instructions
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1
Fit a 5-inch-long, 2-inch-wide 90-degree elbow on either end of a straight length of 1-foot-long, 2-inch-wide PVC pipe so that one elbow faces upward and the other faces downward. Slip one end of the elbows into the cup holder. Determine from this position whether you wish to cut the straight PVC pipe shorter to better fit in the front of your car. This step shows the preview of how long and high the stand will be in the car.
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2
Cut a small length of straight PVC from the 1-foot-long straight PVC. This smaller segment will go into the elbow facing the ceiling of the vehicle, and will attach to the flange that the tray rests on. Make this length of PVC between 2 and 5 inches, not too small so that it won't fit in the elbow, and not so long that the tray sits high in the vehicle.
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3
Glue the PVC stand preview pieces together by taking one elbow off at a time, spreading a thin line of PVC glue on the male end and inserting it into the female end. The male end is the end that goes inside the other end of the PVC. In addition, insert the smaller segment of PVC into the top facing elbow, gluing accordingly. Allow the PVC glue to bind based on the directions on the bottle.
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4
Fit a PVC flange over one of the 90-degree elbows. The flange will support the plywood sheet, which will be cut down to the shape of the laptop and act as a tray. Glue the flange onto the 90-degree elbow using the same method as described in Step 2.
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5
Place laptop on top of a sheet of plywood and trace the perimeter. This will give you the length and width of the tray. Cut out this shape using a circular saw. If you don't have one, many hardware supercenters, such as Home Depot or Lowe's, rent them.
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6
Place the glued-together PVC mounting arm into the cupholder and lay the plywood tray over the flange. Choose where you wish to bind the flange to the plywood tray, depending on what position is the best fit in your car. Most likely the center of the plywood tray is the best spot. Use the pencil to mark where you've chosen the flange to mount to the plywood tray.
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7
Bring the plywood tray and the PVC arm to a work table. Using a power drill, drill three or four holes into the flange lips at even spaces apart from each other. Trace these holes onto the plywood tray where you've chosen the flange to fit. Drill these holes into the plywood tray.
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8
Line up the holes of the flange with the holes of the plywood tray. Insert a bolt into each of these holes. Screw a nut onto each bolt to tighten the flange to the plywood tray.
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9
Place two or more strips of adhesive Velcro onto the bottom of your laptop. Press the laptop to the plywood tray exactly where you wish it to rest. The opposite face of the adhesive Velcro will stick to the plywood tray. Insert the bottom 90-degree elbow into the cupholder. The PVC arm and plywood tray now form a stand for your laptop.
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Tips & Warnings
Sand the 90 degree elbow into the cup holder if you wish it to have snug fit in the cup holder without damaging the cup holder by scratching it.
Connect the PVC pieces before gluing them to see whether they meet your desired fit.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Burke/Triolo Productions/Brand X Pictures/Getty Images
