Laptop / Reading Table

Instructions

Whilst it is possible to undertake all of this build using Shaper there are a few points where I chose to use more traditional approaches. BASE I made the base (legs) each in three parts in order to get the grain running in the best direction for strength. However the ‘side view’ file contains the whole leg which could be done in one piece if using sheet plywood. The ‘side view’ file can also be used to tweak the overall size and shape of the leg if you wish to do so. I cut each of the three parts of each leg using Shaper and then joined then with 2 Dominos in each joint, but you could alternatively add a fixed mortise and tenon of use one of the Digital Mill joints shown elsewhere on this hub. I positioned the base stretcher by eye and then used Shaper to cut the mortises and tenons. TOP I initially planned to make both top pieces using a panel and mitred frame (files: Top - Top, Left, Right, Bottom) but in the end decided on a simpler approach to joint three oversize planks (x 2 for both panels) cut the overall width to 540mm, add a 30mm breadboard to each end and then cut the overall shape with Shaper using the Top Frame file. Each of the two panels are identical. I then cut the top panel at about 140mm from the left hand side - removing about 12mm of material, added two 7(ish)mm off-cut strips and then planed these back to give the necessary fit between the fixed and tilting parts of the upper panel. Making the final adjustment in the off-cut strips rather than the outside frame ensured that the widths of the upper and lower breadboard ends remained equal. DOCUMENT REST These isn’t a file for the document rest at the bottom edge but I made this directly on Shaper. I put another off-cut about 350mm long x 20mm wide x 75mm tall onto workstation and then profiled the top using Shaper’s onboard tools as a rectangle 340mm x 12mm with 6mm radiuses and a cut depth of about 10mm. I used a router to round off the top edges and then used double-sided tape to stick it on it’s side and cut it off at about 6mm using a track saw (I don’t have a table or band saw). SUPPORTS The two supports and corresponding cutout are fairly self-explanatory and I again positioned the assembled supports by eye, pencil-marked an anchor point and cut the recess using Shaper. The small cutouts for the support legs are actually positioned to also allow the hinges to recess into the bottom panel when the top is laid flat and I again just eyed these in and used Shaper’s on-board tools to cut rectangular slots about 3mm deep. Finally I used Shaper’s on-board tools to recess all of the hinges and these obviously need to be sized to match your particular hinges. (Note: the Illustrator files contain all of the original shapes plus a few other bits and bobs that didn’t make the final cut!)