- Joined
- Jun 27, 2013
- Location
- Mesa, Arizona
Alright, so hopefully this is in the right place, as I wasn't sure where it made sense to post this.
So, I'm a couch gamer. My main and only rig is in the living room. It's essentially a HTPC with gaming. It's a great setup, and has worked beautifully for the last few years. However, I've *always* been a console gamer, and as such have always used an xbox/ps3 controller to game.... I know... I don't deserve to be a pc gamer
But, I've recently decided to start making the switch to mouse and keyboard. I started using the coffee table as a "desk", but after 30 minutes of play my shoulders are a mess. So I started to look for another solution and found the couchmaster setup that nerdytec makes. I decided to give one a shot, however, after it arrived it was clear that the crossboard wasn't large enough, the arm cushions were too tall, and the vinyl it was wrapped in would stick to your skin. I ended up sending it back to the vendor within a few days after it arrived.
What was abundantly clear after I saw this setup in person was how easy it would be to make my own version. I could make the crossboard the right length, shorten the cushions, and wrap it in a more skin friendly material. It would lack some of the cool features of the cord routing and the pockets to stash your mouse and whatnot, but it would ended up costing me under half the price of the unit I ordered.
So below are pictures of the process and finished product. Hope you enjoy!
I decided to go with a automotive grade micro-suede-esque fabric that would be easy to clean and not stick to my skin. Below is a photo of the material and the bottom zipper of the are cushion stitched in.
The finished cushion. I used a slightly more dense foam, as the weight of the cross-board may squish the less dense stuff. And it worked perfect. Enough to support the board without sinking, and it's comfortable on the arms.
The finished product. I used cheap pressed wood for the upper half of the board, and fabric welded/wood glued a wrapped piece of thin plywood to the other side to make the board look more seamless. The board has just the right weight too it and it sounds nice and solid under keystrokes on the keyboard. It was important to me that the board was nice and solid, as I didn't want the keystrokes amplified or feel wobbly.
Plenty of room for the m&k.
I also needed to come up with a storage solution. While it's not ugly, the whole setup is bulky and we have dogs/cats that may find it a nice place to rest or a fantastic chew toy. We needed a new coffee table, so a quick trip to American Furniture Warehouse provided the solution below. You'll notice I drilled holes in the bottom of the ottoman to allow poke-through of USB cables that were run under the carpeting.
Everything fits nicely.
Out of sight (which made the OCD fiance happy) and protected from potential animal attacks (the parties in question pictured as well)
So that's about it. It works awesome, and I'm pretty impressed with myself. I did all the sewing with the help of my mother in a matter of a few hours, and had the board cut, routered, and wrapped in an hour. All for less than half the cost of a produced version, and more to my requirements. I'm sure for some people and couch sizes that the produced versions would work perfect, but I was just a little more particular.
So, I'm a couch gamer. My main and only rig is in the living room. It's essentially a HTPC with gaming. It's a great setup, and has worked beautifully for the last few years. However, I've *always* been a console gamer, and as such have always used an xbox/ps3 controller to game.... I know... I don't deserve to be a pc gamer
But, I've recently decided to start making the switch to mouse and keyboard. I started using the coffee table as a "desk", but after 30 minutes of play my shoulders are a mess. So I started to look for another solution and found the couchmaster setup that nerdytec makes. I decided to give one a shot, however, after it arrived it was clear that the crossboard wasn't large enough, the arm cushions were too tall, and the vinyl it was wrapped in would stick to your skin. I ended up sending it back to the vendor within a few days after it arrived. What was abundantly clear after I saw this setup in person was how easy it would be to make my own version. I could make the crossboard the right length, shorten the cushions, and wrap it in a more skin friendly material. It would lack some of the cool features of the cord routing and the pockets to stash your mouse and whatnot, but it would ended up costing me under half the price of the unit I ordered.
So below are pictures of the process and finished product. Hope you enjoy!
I decided to go with a automotive grade micro-suede-esque fabric that would be easy to clean and not stick to my skin. Below is a photo of the material and the bottom zipper of the are cushion stitched in.
The finished cushion. I used a slightly more dense foam, as the weight of the cross-board may squish the less dense stuff. And it worked perfect. Enough to support the board without sinking, and it's comfortable on the arms.
The finished product. I used cheap pressed wood for the upper half of the board, and fabric welded/wood glued a wrapped piece of thin plywood to the other side to make the board look more seamless. The board has just the right weight too it and it sounds nice and solid under keystrokes on the keyboard. It was important to me that the board was nice and solid, as I didn't want the keystrokes amplified or feel wobbly.
Plenty of room for the m&k.
I also needed to come up with a storage solution. While it's not ugly, the whole setup is bulky and we have dogs/cats that may find it a nice place to rest or a fantastic chew toy. We needed a new coffee table, so a quick trip to American Furniture Warehouse provided the solution below. You'll notice I drilled holes in the bottom of the ottoman to allow poke-through of USB cables that were run under the carpeting.
Everything fits nicely.
Out of sight (which made the OCD fiance happy) and protected from potential animal attacks (the parties in question pictured as well)
So that's about it. It works awesome, and I'm pretty impressed with myself. I did all the sewing with the help of my mother in a matter of a few hours, and had the board cut, routered, and wrapped in an hour. All for less than half the cost of a produced version, and more to my requirements. I'm sure for some people and couch sizes that the produced versions would work perfect, but I was just a little more particular.
