I was thinking about getting a standing desk, but when I saw all the mechanisms, the first thing I concluded is that they were over-engineered with a lot of motors and stuff. I was thinking about a mechanism that locks in position and that can be hand lifted. I googled something just to see if someone had already figured it out and there it is, a very elegant solution with counter weights. Congratulations! You may consider a patent, this is very marketable.

The author does like to from scratch, kzfaq.infoUgkxbnOKZBE4evMO5V2vroHeCjq6d_MV6wJO shaping and trimming wood from large blocks into fine finished products. As another reviewer mentioned, most projects require a lot of high-dollar equipment that most of us don’t have the room or budget for. But, knowing how to do these things, even if we won’t be able to practise the full stack project, is still great.

Perfect. I love how problems are solved with pure craftsmanship without involving electrical or digital stuff. Things like this never cease to amaze me.

First I want to thank KZfaq for recommending this video to me and second you for doing it. I've been designing a height adjustable workbench in my head for years. This video has changed my idea completely. Great job and thanks again.

Great engineering. Very impressive weight handling capacity for such a simple design. Nice job.

4:17 I really enjoyed that proud grin when he lowered the desk back down after putting 250 lbs on it. Something about engineering some great craftsmanship that just fills a man with bubbling pride. 😁

I was looking for a standing desk recently and wanted something that didn't require electricity. I then figured I would rather make one for a fraction of the price and thought it may be fun to build. This is a great desk design that perfectly meets all the criteria I was looking for!

That is an amazing piece of wooden engineering! Greetings from a Danish cabinetmaker!

Bravo ! I'm building one on wheels to roll over my bed. The desk top will be 40" from the floor. 3 legs made of 4x4. much like a hospital bed that rolls under the bed. I'll watch your other vids. My kind of thinking & creating !! Keep on Truckin'

Great job! I like your creativity.

I love it. I would make one change though. I would make the counterweight a bit heavier and move it inward (towards the center) a bit. But, I would make them slide along the shaft to different points. That way when a person has the desk loaded they can slide the weights out from center until they have a neutral balance.

Oh wow! I was looking for something simple for a working desk but for drafting. This is way better than the overpriced antiques people damage and then sell as "vintage" damaged goods. Thank you for this option it's 10x better and unexpected.

Great build!!, very medieval & inspiring, i might try build something like this today.. id like to make it compactable though, so think id go with bolts, threadeded inserts and nuts and maybe a few 2kg cast iron dumbell plates.. might even experiment with pulleys.. imo this build is waaayYYYY better than all the automated versions with actuators..

That's pretty fantastic. Challenge: Make it desk fold up against the frame for small spaces, or the ability to integrate that into your wall. I'm thinking of tiny houses.

That flex, amazed it didn't snap.

I was looking for motorized desks, but thankfully, youtube also showed my this alternative. Excellent work.

holy shit, that weight test in full extension, had me nervous. lol

Great mechanism and design maybe you can add cover to he back part like a box for cleaner look.

this desk would be the perfect addition to my production suite

He talks about flex. I agree with him. I have a table i made and i fixed 3 boards together side by side with pocket screws. Because i used screws, when i lean on it, it flexes a TON but there is no way i will ever break it.

Skillful Woodworkers can really do mind blowing work.

Wow. This is a work of art. Tremendously cool. Bravo.

This is stunningly beautiful. I'd love to make one of these.

Most impressive! I didn't expect it to hold the full weight! I thought the locking mechanism would snap. I know feel a bit more secure about making my desk from metal, just needs to hold a lot more weight!

Yes! I was searching for a project such as this! It'll definitely be a HUGE help while I continue to look at Woody Hyezmar's plans which I found on his website.

I really want to build this table...I'd call it a bench or 'taboret' since I'd be using it mostly for paint and palette as well as laptop, but I might use it in some woodworking too, I guess I just want to say great job and I appreciate you & your work. You are a pleasant individual & I enjoy watching you. Your videos are very good and inspirational! God bless you man! oh yeah! 4:01 tells it and sells it for me!!! Definitely a worthy work!!!

If you don't want to make your own wheels - something useful to do with offcuts - you could easily use in-line skate or skate board wheels instead - sealed ball bearings, no lubrication required. You could also buy HDPE or similar self lubricating plastic in various sized rods, just cut off slices and drill centre holes as required.

Now if I wasn't all thumbs I would be building this today. Excellent thanks for the design, build and video.

2 years passed & you still got thumbs up from me on this...big toes too!

Very Cool! I created one using a $46 motorcycle jack from Ebay that's rated for 1100 lb's. It does take sometime to crank it up and down but it does the job. It goes up about 12" which is good enough for me :)

Dude, you are a wizard.

I so want one of these. If only I had a workshop.

I wanted to build my own standing desk, and this just about fits the bill!

Hi Scott, This project was awesome. I did the same thing with the boxes to adjust the height of the 'desk'. But this project will be something I will definitely look into when I have the time. Thanks for the video!

I like your desk idea. It is fast, it is easy, it is silent, and needs no power. Even if you pack 20lbs of stuff on the top (monitors,speakers, a few books, etc.) it would still be pretty easy to lift. In the past I had an AC powered electric raising desk and one thing I did not like about it was just the fact I had to hold a button for 15 seconds to raise/lower it. I like the idea of having to burn our own calories to raise and lower it -just seems more healthy then holding a button 15 seconds 2-4 times a day. Just a thought... - Make it so the weights can be moved up and down the bar - that way it can be adjusted for how much stuff might be on top of the desk? - Instead of sand, how about using water bottles for weight? Maybe removable plastic water container can be used so it can be adjusted or even emptied when moving the desk around. The water can double as disaster preparedness water also. =) Overall, nice work and I like your garage! If I ever build another desk I think I might use your gravity assist idea to balance the desk.

I'm in the process of building from the purchased plans. It would be simpler to simply cut away the ends of the cross piece to make two tenons than is the diagrammed method of making 4 mortises. The top is going to be from an Ikea Lack Coffee Table kit (so not as wide but just as deep)

love this table, i plan to make one but in the meantime ive got to build a workshop and fit it out, then im ready, well done on a great job

I like this. Was looking for ideas and had just about given up. Thanks

Bro you’re a genius, great video! I’m really interested in counter weights (primitive technology), I love how you’re utilising it here

That's fantastic!!! Love it!

You are awesome, I was thinking of similar solutions but this one fits my needs very well, thanks for sharing !!!

That is the coolest thing l have seen in ages.

Dude !!! I LOVE THIS !!!! >>>>>>>>> I am so going to build one of them myself. Great job...thanks for sharing.

Clever and elegant. I want one.

Great design. The best cheapest densest weights I've found are barbell iron weights. They cost about $1 a pound, but I'll bet the nails were at hand, probably cheaper, and they fit the shape of the boxes. (I wanted to try ballast in a kayak, I'm sure we went through the same process, sand, pricing lead shot.... ) Ikea's desk drops to 27.5". I'm 5'8", in a regular chair the desktop height best for me to type comfortably is about 29" or a little lower. I can see why you have the 'towers'. I guess there's no good way to get to the height without them, unless you have three section legs-which overly complicates. The base and legs are strong, but they're flexing too much. It's just the leg/column. Make'em deeper. (All cantilevers eventually-sag. Just repeat that a thousand times. Still use them, just don't complain about building code requirements for cantilevers, just double everything they require, especially if you're going to live there or own it--unless it's ornamental or minor roof extension.) Springs are an option for the counterweight, you'd want to use really heavy springs but run pulleys and cable. Hooke's Law, as springs get stretched the force increases. Keeping the springs within a short range of movement while using leverage for the distance you need. The table moves up and down a lot , but the springs move less. (I've done this a few times). Look into them. Take a look at pantograph arms (the dentist's light) and especially Garret Brown's Steadicam design. I'll bet you could do some amazing things with these mechanisms. (Be careful though, to lift 50 pounds there might be several hundred pounds of tension.) Not criticism, just another guy with a table saw making widgets just shooting the breeze. I studied your expanding table for hours. Thank goodness I could find no reason to make one, or I'd still be working on it.

Excellent design! and greatly done! Congratulations!👍

Are you marketing this? this is like 10x better more efficient and just cooler than any standing desk out there

genius design sir ..

Well done! Now I want one just to play with the mechanism.

Dude this is amazingly creative !

Would love to see how it lifts with load on it - e.g. a desktop computer, books, etc. that won't be taken off during raising and lowering. I assume the counterweights would make it *easier* but wouldn't accommodate the extra load inherently.

VERY impressed, Scott (i don't know which end of a hammer to hold). But someone I know might be VERY interested).

Great work!I Imagine this principle applied to a coffee/ dining-table.

"life is short, i dont want to wait for my desk to catch up" I dont think I'll ever hear someone say those words together in my life

This is brilliant! Would love to adapt this idea for a bed in my high-rise van. : )

Nice. I was like for a wooden one like this.

Very cool! Simple and effective!)

Fantastic, i am making this for sure

life is short. i don't want to spend it waiting for my desk to catch up. amen brother.

Very impressive strength test!

Now that's incredible! Great job Scott!

Good lord if you just sold this desk instead of the plans I would be ALL OVER IT!!! But i have no idea how to wood work even a little.

Absolutely stunning.

should add some cross beams on the top because there seems to be very little lateral reinforcement

Impressive. good work on the table and video.

this is so awesome. can't believe it took me this long to find your video. Incredible work, well done. Just gotta find space to put a desk to give me an excuse to buy the plans and make it :)

Hey Scott. I love this design! I'm curious though, would it be better to have the locking mechanism spring-loaded so that you can never accidentally leave it unlocked? I feel like this would be a relatively small addition that would really refine the design a lot more.

Great project.

Really nice design, well done!

Nice Table, Clever Idea !

This is an amazing design, nicely done!

Very nicely done.

Very cool idea

genius in simplicity

Really like your design idea Scott! Does the locking mechanism lock it into position at any height or just highest/lowest setting? Thanks

cool. finally someone who doesn't just assemble UpDesk and call it an DYI.

Really great engineering in that, impressive!!

That's freakin awesome! I wish i had the time to make one.

I think despite the strength I would include a pair of drop down legs in the front. Great design overall.

Diction apologize for my writing, I do not even speak English, I write the following message by google translator. Very good your project is that it is very versatile

Clever piece of kit, thanks. Its standard practice to test until destruction! (just kidding)

Very cool design

I'm at the computer a lot. I really need something like this.

Wow, cool one. you did a nice job man.

I want this table. Awesome. But if it has multi notch that would be perfect.

Nice job !

Very nice project!

Very cool desk!

Wow...now that's a DESK !!

I wanted to make a suggestion. It might be cool to try and make the high adjustable so that you can stop it at any point between the maximum and minimum heights. I think you could use a system like typical adjustable gate to keep children in areas. They have notches in an arm that you use to lock it at a certain length. What I was thinking you could do is put notches on the arms connecting the counterweights and the table. Then you could put some metal rods in to lock it in place, that would slide through the middle support arm. I could see you also doing a similar trick like you have for the locking system now where there is a little arm you can grab that would pull/push the pins out and in.

Excellent design work, thanks for sharing this. Subscribed!

"It's fast" is the best part. As someone that has forever hated power seats in cars I understand completely.... (also, as a former auto tech of 15 years that is now going back to school for programming, I will happily sit on my ass and never have any desire to stand)

Fantastic solution to mechanic/manual position change! Question is, can you choose different heights, due to people's variable hight?

Excellent Video, loaded with content

This is fantastic and I’ve been thinking about building this for quite some time. However, I wonder if there isn’t a way to have a different locking mechanism that could allow the table to be at multiple positions, instead of just 2? I would also be interested to make a skinny shelf beneath the table for lightweight stationary.

I was having problems sitting all day, this gives the option to sit / stand, brilliant! Loved the progress videos and the thinking out. Matthias Wandel would be proud. Did you consider finger joints for the feet leg table support joints. What a class job.

Very nice work, congratulation !!!!!

brilliant idea.

Great design

Sweet design