The computer table prototype

You might have noticed that I haven't posted about woodworking in quite a while, but it doesn't mean I haven't done anything in the shop. On the contrary ' a month or so ago I made a small computer table, and this last weekend I made a few revisions.

The table was a solution to the problem of no longer having a coffee table. With Ginny (our 8 month old) needing a lot of space for crawling and whatnot, out coffee table ended up across the room and not very handy for setting a laptop on. I wanted something I could use as a simple computer table, and then could roll out of the way when needed.

What you see above is it. I think it needs to be a tad taller and wider (maybe 2'), and it needs to be a bit heavier to provide tip resistance. The little space provided for the mouse is surprisingly useful, I can even surf while sharing the space with a drink. I do plan to add a box for holding a drink, though.

I added the remote-carrier box on the back this last weekend, which has effectively ended the nightly 'who has the remote?' scavenger hunt, and gives a nice spot to put bills. I've added an outlet strip and a 7'port usb hub. I zip-tied the cord to the leg to minimize the dangling-cord-attraction for Ginny, and so far she's ignored it.

For those of you who are curious, it's made of solid maple (scraps from other projects) and birch plywood. Mortise and tenon joints along with biscuits were used, although the add-on remote box was simply butt-jointed ' it is a prototype, after all.

Once I get the design settled down, I plan to build an uber-nice one out of cherry. Until then, I'll just keep hacking on this one.

[UPDATED] Here are some more pictures.

[UPDATED AGAIN] It's now for sale.