How to Build a Floor Standing Monitor Arm for Reclined Surfing

Step-by-Step Guide

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   Step 1: Call the hardware store to find out the diameters of PVC tubing you can buy.

   It may take a while to arrive. ,, the chair from the base, leaving as much of the stem attached to the base as you can. (Keep the seat for a billy-cart?) , My pole was wooden, so I could sand it down a bit when the fit got too tight at the base of the chair. (If you use a metal pole, it could go either inside or outside the stem of the chair base.) If it's too loose, find the centre of a roll of kitchen paper towels, cut a slit down the length of it, and use it to pad around the pole. ,, Your sofa height and preferred monitor height will differ from mine.
   
   You'll have to guess a bit, but don't worry, the end product is fairly adjustable. ,, This is pretty key to maintaining rigidity of the frame.
   
   Leave about 50mm at the top for the PVC joint. ,, Use cardboard tubing to pad again if required. ,, (search online for it's tech specs, or use bathroom scales) , (My 19" monitor weighs 7kg so I tested with 10kg.) Leave it a day or so to be sure it can take the weight. ,, (Mine bent quite a lot, as my pole wasn't long enough to provide support to the vertical PVC section, but it bounced back into place when I reduced the test weight to my target 7kg.) , (Mine has been in daily use for over a year now, and apart from a mild bend that appeared in the first week, it's been rock solid.) ,, (I had to, as I used this pink PVC primer that made a real mess.) ,,,,
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   Step 2: Find a second-hand chair with a stem of the closest possible diameter to one of the PVC diameters you just noted.

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   Step 3: Order your VESA donut pole mount off the net

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   Step 4: to match the diameters chosen above.

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   Step 5: Buy 2m of PVC tubing and a 1m (at least) pole that will fit snugly inside both the PVC tubing and the chair's stem.

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   Step 6: Detach (saw off?)

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   Step 7: Get the pole to fit securely in the stem of the chair base.

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   Step 8: Place the Bessa Block or weightlifting barbells over the top of the pole

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   Step 9: to rest on the chair's feet.

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    Step 10: Before cutting your PVC and pole to the right lengths

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    Step 11: you'd do well to sketch up a little diagram to figure out your size.

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    Step 12: Cut the PVC into two 500mm sections (horizontal and diagonal) and a longer vertical section (length determined from your sizing diagram)

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    Step 13: Cut the pole to fill/strengthen as much of the longer vertical PVC section as possible.

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    Step 14: Glue the two 500mm sections of PVC tubing and the longer section into the two 45 degree angle joints

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    Step 15: according to instructions on the bottles of PVC glue & primer.

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    Step 16: Get the longer (vertical) section of the PVC tubing to fit snugly over the pole

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    Step 17: with just enough movement to rotate the finished monitor arm away from you without wobbling.

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    Step 18: If you'd like to adjust the height of your monitor by more than the 150mm or so that the VESA donut mount will give

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    Step 19: you might want to cut one or two PVC riser sections with a 15-30mm wide lengthwise slot so you can just pull the PVC frame up off the pole a bit and clamp the extra PVC riser section over the pole in the gap you just made.

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    Step 20: Find out how much your monitor weighs

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    Step 21: without the base.

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    Step 22: Test your frame by hanging a shopping bag full of flour/tins that adds up to a few kilos more than your monitor.

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    Step 23: If it falls over

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    Step 24: put another brick/barbell on the base.

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    Step 25: If it bends too much

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    Step 26: shorten the lengths of PVC.

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    Step 27: If it breaks

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    Step 28: go back to the drawing board and thank God you didn't fix your precious monitor to it yet.

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    Step 29: If you're nervous (I was) change the test weight to the target weight of your monitor and leave it hanging another day or two.

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    Step 30: Paint it

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    Step 31: if you like.

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    Step 32: Attach the VESA mount to the back of your monitor

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    Step 33: according to instructions.

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    Step 34: Install your new handy-dandy Supine Computing Solution (floor-standing monitor arm) into place beside your favourite La-Z-Boy sofa

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    Step 35: bed or divan.

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    Step 36: Affix the monitor and VESA donut mount to the finished monitor arm.

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    Step 37: Give it a burl

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    Step 38: buddy!

Detailed Guide

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