{"id":264,"date":"2007-10-15T20:15:16","date_gmt":"2007-10-16T01:15:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/unitstep.net\/blog\/2007\/10\/15\/installing-a-keyboard-shelftray\/"},"modified":"2007-10-15T20:15:16","modified_gmt":"2007-10-16T01:15:16","slug":"installing-a-keyboard-shelftray","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unitstep.net\/blog\/2007\/10\/15\/installing-a-keyboard-shelftray\/","title":{"rendered":"Installing a Keyboard Shelf\/Tray"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Keyboard<\/a><\/p>\n

I recently got an IKEA FREDRICK<\/a> work station desk as part of my new furniture ensemble<\/a> after moving into a new apartment<\/a> and though I liked it a lot for its clean, open approach, I wished it had some sort of keyboard shelf. I didn’t use to be a fan of keyboard shelves, but after four years of university<\/a> with an $80 Wal-Mart desk that had a surprisingly good keyboard shelf, I’ve been somewhat hooked. (As hooked as one can get to a particular furniture feature)<\/p>\n

IKEA has their own SUMMERA<\/a> keyboard shelf, which is meant to be used with this desk. However, it wasn’t wide enough to accommodate my keyboard and mouse, something I believe is necessary for good ergonomics. Additionally, it didn’t feel too sturdy when I checked it out in-store. So, I had to resort to an online search to find the keyboard shelf I needed.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Big problems<\/h3>\n

The keyboard I’ve been using for well over a year has been the excellent Logitech G15 Gaming Keyboard<\/a>. Though I’m not a huge gamer, I like the keyboard for its traditional layout, backlighting and the LCD screen, which can run not only Logitech apps, but also some excellent third-party apps<\/a> developed with Logitech’s SDK. While I don’t use the extra macro keys, they’re nice to have in case I need them. As I’m very picky about keyboards – once I find one I like, Hell will freeze over before I switch to another – this has some unfortunate downsides. The G15, with all its extra features, is a very<\/em> wide keyboard – about 55 cm at its widest. Couple that with a mouse, and most keyboard shelves weren’t large enough for me. <\/p>\n

Looking around<\/h3>\n

I figured that I’d need a keyboard shelf around 75 cm (close to 30″) wide to accommodate both keyboard and mouse. Checking out some local retailers, I was disappointed to find that most weren’t this big. At best, I could hope to find one that would hold the G15, but not a mouse. Since the whole point of getting a keyboard shelf was for ergonomics – I find it most comfortable to have the keyboard lower than the desk height to keep my elbows close to a 90-degree angle – putting the mouse at a different height away from the keyboard was just not an option. The CDC guide to ergonomics<\/a> seems to agree with me on this.<\/p>\n

I did more searching on the Internet and was finally able to locate the Bush Universal Keyboard Shelf<\/a>. While looking somewhat plain, it fit the bill – it was around 29-30″ wide, and so would be able to hold everything I needed. Finding it from a Canadian supplier was a little bit harder, but I was able to get it from Office Depot<\/a> for a fair price with free shipping. They even shipped it using a local courier who was able to deliver it after-hours<\/a>, when I’d be home from work. <\/p>\n

Installation<\/h3>\n

Installation took about one and a half hours, mainly because I have little to no workmanship skills when it comes to this sort of stuff and wanted to make sure I did it right the first time. The installation guide included all the proper measurements and drill locations, so all I had to do was measure it out and drill. Measuring and marking the correct locations took longer than expected, since I only had a tape measure and a small ruler. But in the end, things were fairly straight. Drilling itself only took a few minutes with the cordless drill I borrowed from my helpful superintendent. After that, I just needed to screw the rails onto the underside of the desk, and then attach the shelf to the rails. <\/p>\n

\n\"Keyboard<\/a><\/p>\n

Overall, I’m happy with the results. The keyboard shelf is feels sturdy and quality-made; it’s covered in a nice grippy-texture that prevents things from slipping, but this means you must use a mousepad with it. No problems – I’ve always used one. It might have been a bit pricey, but getting things just the way you want them often does cost a bit. <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I recently got an IKEA FREDRICK work station desk as part of my new furniture ensemble after moving into a new apartment and though I liked it a lot for its clean, open approach, I wished it had some sort of keyboard shelf. I didn’t use to be a fan of keyboard shelves, but after […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[55,177],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitstep.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/264"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitstep.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitstep.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitstep.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitstep.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=264"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/unitstep.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/264\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitstep.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=264"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitstep.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=264"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitstep.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=264"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}