Im not a wood worker at all but thought maybe you guys
could give me some help.

I spend LONG hours in front of a PC at home.

Im trying an experiment. Instead of setting at a
traditional desk where I get EXTREMLY tired... butt
sore, etc. I have moved a full Lazy Boy recliner into
computer room and setting in that with feet in the air.

So far so good

But what I need on either side of the Lazy Boy is some
longish low tables....somethng like coffee tables...
such that I can set my monitor on one on left side of
me...and rest of PC equip on right side of me.

What I need to know is the typical dimensions of a
coffee table....esepcialy the height.

This setup has worked VERY well so far for LONG hrs in
front of a PC. Its almost like setting in the cockpit
of an airplane.... with controls (PC monitor and CPU
case) on either side of me.

wrote in message

What I need to know is the typical dimensions of a
coffee table....esepcialy the height.

Coffee tables for my own consumption I generally make about 17" tall. End
tables about 22-23" tall.

ymmv.

--
www.e-woodshop.net
Last update: 7/10/04

Measure an approximate height to place the objects on a plane that will meet
your needs...
Then build or buy something that tall G.
Tom
wrote in message
...
Im not a wood worker at all but thought maybe you guys
could give me some help.
snipped 4 BW

wrote:

Im not a wood worker at all but thought maybe you guys
could give me some help.

I spend LONG hours in front of a PC at home.

Im trying an experiment. Instead of setting at a
traditional desk where I get EXTREMLY tired... butt
sore, etc. I have moved a full Lazy Boy recliner into
computer room and setting in that with feet in the air.

So far so good

But what I need on either side of the Lazy Boy is some
longish low tables....somethng like coffee tables...
such that I can set my monitor on one on left side of
me...and rest of PC equip on right side of me.

What I need to know is the typical dimensions of a
coffee table....esepcialy the height.

This setup has worked VERY well so far for LONG hrs in
front of a PC. Its almost like setting in the cockpit
of an airplane.... with controls (PC monitor and CPU
case) on either side of me.

If you can afford it just get a projection monitor and a wireless keyboard.

--
--John
Reply to jclarke at ae tee tee global dot net
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)

If you can afford it just get a projection monitor and a wireless keyboard.

Ouch! Id love a digital projection monitor...... but
last time I checked they were still PRICEY!

Has that price fallen lately tho?

Still tho you have a good idea!

You did give me a thought tho.... I could buy a combo
keyboard with built in mouse, couldn't I?

A friend does all his Auto-Cad work at home. He uses a recliner with
very wide arm rests to place the mouse and mouse pad. The keyboard
goes on his lap. The 21" monitor is hung from a wall using a TV wall
mount.

On Tue, 10 Aug 2004 10:27:34 -0500, wrote:

Im not a wood worker at all but thought maybe you guys
could give me some help.

I spend LONG hours in front of a PC at home.

Im trying an experiment. Instead of setting at a
traditional desk where I get EXTREMLY tired... butt
sore, etc. I have moved a full Lazy Boy recliner into
computer room and setting in that with feet in the air.

So far so good

But what I need on either side of the Lazy Boy is some
longish low tables....somethng like coffee tables...
such that I can set my monitor on one on left side of
me...and rest of PC equip on right side of me.

What I need to know is the typical dimensions of a
coffee table....esepcialy the height.

This setup has worked VERY well so far for LONG hrs in
front of a PC. Its almost like setting in the cockpit
of an airplane.... with controls (PC monitor and CPU
case) on either side of me.

Height: 15-18
Length: 30-50
Width: 22-30

....inches, of course.

David


wrote:

Im not a wood worker at all but thought maybe you guys
could give me some help.

I spend LONG hours in front of a PC at home.

Im trying an experiment. Instead of setting at a
traditional desk where I get EXTREMLY tired... butt
sore, etc. I have moved a full Lazy Boy recliner into
computer room and setting in that with feet in the air.

So far so good

But what I need on either side of the Lazy Boy is some
longish low tables....somethng like coffee tables...
such that I can set my monitor on one on left side of
me...and rest of PC equip on right side of me.

What I need to know is the typical dimensions of a
coffee table....esepcialy the height.

This setup has worked VERY well so far for LONG hrs in
front of a PC. Its almost like setting in the cockpit
of an airplane.... with controls (PC monitor and CPU
case) on either side of me.

wrote:

If you can afford it just get a projection monitor and a wireless
keyboard.

Ouch! Id love a digital projection monitor...... but
last time I checked they were still PRICEY!

Has that price fallen lately tho?

Entry level for XGA is about $1200--you don't want to go below XGA. Catch
is that there's a $400 light bulb that gets changed every 1000-4000 hours
depending on model. Going above XGA is still approaching "new car" money,
but sometimes you find good discounts if you look hard.

Still tho you have a good idea!

You did give me a thought tho.... I could buy a combo
keyboard with built in mouse, couldn't I?

They exist, but quite honestly the cordless keyboards with built-in mouse
don't work very well, at least not the ones I've tried--if anybody knows of
one that works really well I'd be happy to hear about it.

You might want to take a look at
http://store.yahoo.com/pckeyboards/keyboards.html--they have several
corded keyboards based on the old IBM designs that implement a mouse in
various ways--their cordless keyboard is not very good though.

Personally I've been using a Logitech bluetooth keyboard and mouse on the
entertainment machine of late and they've been pretty satisfactory--only
real problem I notice is that if I haven't used the keyboard in an hour or
so then it takes it a few seconds to "start"--not sure exactly what's going
on though.

--
--John
Reply to jclarke at ae tee tee global dot net
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)

There is a nifty device that does what you need. It is a floor-mounted
articulating arm with mounts on the end for keyboard/mouse tray and an
LCD monitor. Found it in a magazine once and filed in grey cells for
future retrieval.

I would caution against having your monitor so low you have to peer
around to look at it. Sounds like a neck injury waiting to happen.

Here are a few links:

http://members.ee.net/mdbailey/products2.htm
http://www.officeorganix.com/Ergopod1.htm

For more, type "keyboard monitor stand recliner" into google and see
what turns up.

Coffee (or occasional) table heights are from 1 to 2 feet high. The
ones closer to 2 feet are more practical. Experiment with various
heights (a board stacked on books, etc) and see what's right for you.

What about something like this?

http://www.rockler.com/ecom7/product...=table%20riser

or this

http://www.rockler.com/ecom7/product...coffee%20riser


Wayne


"J. Clarke" wrote in message
...
wrote:

Im not a wood worker at all but thought maybe you guys
could give me some help.

I spend LONG hours in front of a PC at home.

Im trying an experiment. Instead of setting at a
traditional desk where I get EXTREMLY tired... butt
sore, etc. I have moved a full Lazy Boy recliner into
computer room and setting in that with feet in the air.

So far so good

But what I need on either side of the Lazy Boy is some
longish low tables....somethng like coffee tables...
such that I can set my monitor on one on left side of
me...and rest of PC equip on right side of me.

What I need to know is the typical dimensions of a
coffee table....esepcialy the height.

This setup has worked VERY well so far for LONG hrs in
front of a PC. Its almost like setting in the cockpit
of an airplane.... with controls (PC monitor and CPU
case) on either side of me.

If you can afford it just get a projection monitor and a wireless
keyboard.

--
--John
Reply to jclarke at ae tee tee global dot net
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)

Yup, that's about the size of my morning Coffee... And I take a
second to work with me too.



On Tue, 10 Aug 2004 13:53:31 -0700, David wrote:

Height: 15-18
Length: 30-50
Width: 22-30

...inches, of course.

David


wrote:

Im not a wood worker at all but thought maybe you guys
could give me some help.

I spend LONG hours in front of a PC at home.

Im trying an experiment. Instead of setting at a
traditional desk where I get EXTREMLY tired... butt
sore, etc. I have moved a full Lazy Boy recliner into
computer room and setting in that with feet in the air.

So far so good

But what I need on either side of the Lazy Boy is some
longish low tables....somethng like coffee tables...
such that I can set my monitor on one on left side of
me...and rest of PC equip on right side of me.

What I need to know is the typical dimensions of a
coffee table....esepcialy the height.

This setup has worked VERY well so far for LONG hrs in
front of a PC. Its almost like setting in the cockpit
of an airplane.... with controls (PC monitor and CPU
case) on either side of me.

On Tue, 10 Aug 2004 10:27:34 -0500, calmly ranted:

Im not a wood worker at all but thought maybe you guys
could give me some help.

I spend LONG hours in front of a PC at home.

Grok that.


Im trying an experiment. Instead of setting at a
traditional desk where I get EXTREMLY tired... butt
sore, etc. I have moved a full Lazy Boy recliner into
computer room and setting in that with feet in the air.

I bought a $159 chair from Office Depot. It's thickly
padded, adjustable for height, depth, and seat/back
angles. It made a definite difference in my ergonomic
happiness, lemme tell ya. I also swapped a mouse for a
portable trackball. No more carpal tunnel noises from my
wrists!


So far so good

But what I need on either side of the Lazy Boy is some
longish low tables....somethng like coffee tables...
such that I can set my monitor on one on left side of
me...and rest of PC equip on right side of me.

You don't want that. Keep everything in line with your
torso. I tried an offset monitor once and was sore for
a week after a single day at it.


What I need to know is the typical dimensions of a
coffee table....esepcialy the height.

From a dimensional glossary in some furniture design book
I read (a Taunton IIRC) coffee tables average 15-16" tall
with a width range of 22-26" and length 36-60". End tables
average 20", with an 18-24" range, plus width 18-20 and
depth 24-28".

--
-------------------------------------------------------
Never underestimate the innate animosity of inanimate objects.
----
http://diversify.com Dynamic Website Applications

Larry Jaques wrote:

On Tue, 10 Aug 2004 10:27:34 -0500, calmly ranted:

Im not a wood worker at all but thought maybe you guys
could give me some help.

I spend LONG hours in front of a PC at home.

Grok that.


Im trying an experiment. Instead of setting at a
traditional desk where I get EXTREMLY tired... butt
sore, etc. I have moved a full Lazy Boy recliner into
computer room and setting in that with feet in the air.

I bought a $159 chair from Office Depot. It's thickly
padded, adjustable for height, depth, and seat/back
angles. It made a definite difference in my ergonomic
happiness, lemme tell ya. I also swapped a mouse for a
portable trackball. No more carpal tunnel noises from my
wrists!

Just a comment--I went through several of those--bases busted where the post
attached to the seat--one of 'em dang near impaled me. Just weren't up to
my weight and I'm not all _that_ heavy. I finally figured out that if I'd
bought an Aeron to begin with I'd have saved money, said "to Hell with it"
and called Herman Miller.

So far so good

But what I need on either side of the Lazy Boy is some
longish low tables....somethng like coffee tables...
such that I can set my monitor on one on left side of
me...and rest of PC equip on right side of me.

You don't want that. Keep everything in line with your
torso. I tried an offset monitor once and was sore for
a week after a single day at it.


What I need to know is the typical dimensions of a
coffee table....esepcialy the height.

From a dimensional glossary in some furniture design book
I read (a Taunton IIRC) coffee tables average 15-16" tall
with a width range of 22-26" and length 36-60". End tables
average 20", with an 18-24" range, plus width 18-20 and
depth 24-28".


--
--John
Reply to jclarke at ae tee tee global dot net
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)

What about something like this?

http://www.rockler.com/ecom7/product...=table%20riser

or this

http://www.rockler.com/ecom7/product...coffee%20riser

Very interesting!

Thanks

A friend does all his Auto-Cad work at home. He uses a recliner with
very wide arm rests to place the mouse and mouse pad. The keyboard
goes on his lap. The 21" monitor is hung from a wall using a TV wall
mount.

Interesting!

Autocad is what I do for a living as well... tho not at
home

The reason Im on the PC so much at home is surfing
newsgroups. Im a HEAVY Usenet user

So does he have all his PC equip in the front room?
The cpu and everything is on the floor next to the 21"
monitor hung from wall?

BTW.... is that monitor a TUBE monitor.... or a flat
LCD model?

Also is his keyboard and mouse both wireless?

Experiment with various
heights (a board stacked on books, etc) and see what's right for you.

Will do. Thanks

Maybe I will just go buy some cheap used coffee table
at second hand store just for this experiment

You don't want that. Keep everything in line with your
torso. I tried an offset monitor once and was sore for
a week after a single day at it.

So even having the monitor off to the side even just a
BIT is not recommended?

You feel it must be directly in line with my body, huh?

I finally figured out that if I'd
bought an Aeron to begin with I'd have saved money, said "to Hell with it"
and called Herman Miller.

Still tho.....Id have to use an Aeron with a
traditional desk, right?

I mean can the Aeron actually fully "recline" say like
a dentist chair?

I agree with Larry; unless you are a limber contortionist,
you won't be comfortable with your monitor off to one side,
esp. if you spend a fair amount of time with it.

David

wrote:

You don't want that. Keep everything in line with your
torso. I tried an offset monitor once and was sore for
a week after a single day at it.


So even having the monitor off to the side even just a
BIT is not recommended?

You feel it must be directly in line with my body, huh?

wrote:

I finally figured out that if I'd
bought an Aeron to begin with I'd have saved money, said "to Hell with it"
and called Herman Miller.

Still tho.....Id have to use an Aeron with a
traditional desk, right?

I mean can the Aeron actually fully "recline" say like
a dentist chair?

Wasn't suggesing an Aeron for your use, just a cautionary tale about the
Office Depot and Staples chairs. Difference between "good" and "cheap"
office chairs is that the "good" stuff seems to last forever--one case
where you really do get what you pay for. I've got a couple of Eero
Saarinen chairs from Knoll that are nearly as old as I am and still look
practically new. Got 'em for about 50 bucks a shot--one of the best ebay
deals I've ever gotten.

Want a comfortable chair to sit back and relax in, try an Ekornes Stressless
Chair.

As far as alignment of the display goes, yeah, you'll get a crick in your
neck if it's off-center more than just a little--been there, done that.

One of the OSHA recommendations is that the top of the monitor be at or just
below eye level--this is a good one if you are sitting upright in an office
chair--if you're in a recliner I suspect you want it positioned so that you
can look at it with your neck reasonably straight--this might mean having
it fairly high.







--
--John
Reply to jclarke at ae tee tee global dot net
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)

I agree with Larry; unless you are a limber contortionist,
you won't be comfortable with your monitor off to one side,
esp. if you spend a fair amount of time with it.

OK.... point taken

So Ive been rethinking this and maybe I should put a
long coffee table in FRONT of the recliner rather than
along the sides..... that way the monitor is in line
with my body and eyes.

Ive already moved the recliner into my computer room at
home and definitely know that this is the way to sit
for long stretches of time vs the old traditional desk
chair approach..... so Im sold on the recliner chair

Now its just a matter of how to "arrange" the PC equip
around the recliner

Is your monitor an LCD? IF so, it wouldn't be all that
impractical to have a swing away platform that would place
the monitor "over" you, after you've reclined. Just a
thought...

David

wrote:

I agree with Larry; unless you are a limber contortionist,
you won't be comfortable with your monitor off to one side,
esp. if you spend a fair amount of time with it.


OK.... point taken

So Ive been rethinking this and maybe I should put a
long coffee table in FRONT of the recliner rather than
along the sides..... that way the monitor is in line
with my body and eyes.

Ive already moved the recliner into my computer room at
home and definitely know that this is the way to sit
for long stretches of time vs the old traditional desk
chair approach..... so Im sold on the recliner chair

Now its just a matter of how to "arrange" the PC equip
around the recliner

Is your monitor an LCD? IF so, it wouldn't be all that
impractical to have a swing away platform that would place
the monitor "over" you, after you've reclined. Just a
thought...

Nope.....its a big honkin 21" tube! And its heavy!

I may get an LCD someday soon tho

You might find this link interesting.

http://www.displaymate.com/lcds.html

I read it very carefully recently as I contemplated ditching
my trust 19" CRT for an LCD. I think I'll stick with the
19" for now. Too many negatives for someone who uses Photoshop.

David

wrote:

Is your monitor an LCD? IF so, it wouldn't be all that
impractical to have a swing away platform that would place
the monitor "over" you, after you've reclined. Just a
thought...


Nope.....its a big honkin 21" tube! And its heavy!

I may get an LCD someday soon tho

The tray tables they use in the hospital would be about right, I should
think.

wrote in message
...
I agree with Larry; unless you are a limber contortionist,
you won't be comfortable with your monitor off to one side,
esp. if you spend a fair amount of time with it.

OK.... point taken

So Ive been rethinking this and maybe I should put a
long coffee table in FRONT of the recliner rather than
along the sides..... that way the monitor is in line
with my body and eyes.

On Wed, 11 Aug 2004 10:11:41 -0500, calmly ranted:

You don't want that. Keep everything in line with your
torso. I tried an offset monitor once and was sore for
a week after a single day at it.

So even having the monitor off to the side even just a
BIT is not recommended?

You feel it must be directly in line with my body, huh?

I checked with my chiro when I went to get straightened
out and he agreed: "DO NOT OFFSET! You have 14 lbs of skull
up there and holding it in a strange position (laterally or
vertically) will give your body ever-increasing problems."

Ever slept on your stomach with your head up on the pillow?
I rest my case.

------------------------------
REAL men don't need free plans
------------------------------
http://diversify.com REAL websites

On Wed, 11 Aug 2004 14:02:49 -0500, calmly ranted:

Now its just a matter of how to "arrange" the PC equip
around the recliner

You'd be doing yourself a BIG favor if you got something
like these exec chairs instead:

http://www.officedepot.com/ddMainSCF...l=SC&id=803011
"Mission" looks nice, similar to my own Raynor. I have at least
3-1/2" of foam under me and it sure feels nice after 6 hours,
and dreamy after 10 hour stretches. I no longer need to see
the chiro so often since I moved to a furniture vs. task type
chair. Task chairs absolutely SUCK.

When I want to relax, I'll pull the keyboard down into my
lap and compute there for awhile. The portable trackball is
limber like that, too.

G'luck, and remember to keep good posture for long hours
in the chair. I also get up and walk around at least twice
an hour, usually 3. (get coffee, recycle coffee, and for
exercise/relaxation/eye-relief, etc.) The 19" monitor with a
fast refresh rate helps, too.

------------------------------
REAL men don't need free plans
------------------------------
http://diversify.com REAL websites

On Wed, 11 Aug 2004 13:15:33 -0700, David calmly
ranted:

You might find this link interesting.

http://www.displaymate.com/lcds.html

I read it very carefully recently as I contemplated ditching
my trust 19" CRT for an LCD. I think I'll stick with the
19" for now. Too many negatives for someone who uses Photoshop.

Absolutely! I thought of LCDs for about a minute once and
remembered that I -design- with this thing and CAN'T change.
It's like moving from CAD to an Etch-a-Sketch for laying out
a cabinet.

------------------------------
REAL men don't need free plans
------------------------------
http://diversify.com REAL websites

The tray tables they use in the hospital would be about right, I should
think.

Yep.... that would work pretty good for holding the
keyboard and mouse in good position while in recliner,
wouldn't it?

Wonder where to buy one?

You'd be doing yourself a BIG favor if you got something
like these exec chairs instead:

http://www.officedepot.com/ddMainSCF...l=SC&id=803011
"Mission" looks nice, similar to my own Raynor. I have at least
3-1/2" of foam under me and it sure feels nice after 6 hours,
and dreamy after 10 hour stretches. I no longer need to see
the chiro so often since I moved to a furniture vs. task type
chair.

It doesn't appear to be anyway to put feet UP with
chair above?

I need/want something that allows feet to be held up in
air.... just like a Lazy Boy recliner does.

Task chairs absolutely SUCK.

Agree on that!!

I checked with my chiro when I went to get straightened
out and he agreed: "DO NOT OFFSET! You have 14 lbs of skull
up there and holding it in a strange position (laterally or
vertically) will give your body ever-increasing problems."

Point well taken. I promise I wont do that

Instead I will still use the recliner.... but position
the monitor on a table right in front of recliner.

I will then have table off to side that holds PC and
equip.

Or get wireless keyboard and mouse for use

At any rate...... I will NOT place monitor off to a
side....wil have it direct in front of me

On Thu, 12 Aug 2004 10:13:40 -0500, wrote:

I checked with my chiro when I went to get straightened
out and he agreed: "DO NOT OFFSET! You have 14 lbs of skull
up there and holding it in a strange position (laterally or
vertically) will give your body ever-increasing problems."

Point well taken. I promise I wont do that

Instead I will still use the recliner.... but position
the monitor on a table right in front of recliner.

I will then have table off to side that holds PC and
equip.

Or get wireless keyboard and mouse for use

At any rate...... I will NOT place monitor off to a
side....wil have it direct in front of me



so... I'm running 3 monitors. at least 2/3rds of the time my monitor
is offset from my body. when can I expect my head to fall off?

so... I'm running 3 monitors. at least 2/3rds of the time my monitor
is offset from my body. when can I expect my head to fall off?

But how are you aligned with these monitors when
setting in front of them?

Are they all three side by side right in front of you
so that's its just a "minor" shift of your head?

Or is say two of them on your left side near left
arm...while one is on your right side near right arm??

On Thu, 12 Aug 2004 13:46:48 -0500, wrote:

so... I'm running 3 monitors. at least 2/3rds of the time my monitor
is offset from my body. when can I expect my head to fall off?

But how are you aligned with these monitors when
setting in front of them?

Are they all three side by side right in front of you
so that's its just a "minor" shift of your head?

Or is say two of them on your left side near left
arm...while one is on your right side near right arm??




the three are together in a cluster. my chair swivels, so it's really
not all that bad G