No Products in Your Cart
Monitor / Laptop Riser[8/4 · 2ft · 5-Pack]
One pack. One build. All 5 boards used. • Makes 1 riser
Shop Black Walnut 8/4 · 2ft Pack Shop All Speciesselect 2' Lengths / 4-6"
How it goes together
Black Walnut
Hard Maple
Cherry
White Oak
Red Oak
Ash
Hickory
Ambrosia Maple
Sapele*
Padauk*
Purpleheart*
*Exotic — not available for shipment to US customers.
Lift your screen to eye level and get your desk back. This riser is a thick 1¾" hardwood top on two legs and a back stretcher, with room underneath for a keyboard, notebook or laptop dock. Three boards glue up into the top; the other two make the base. Screws hold it together — no tricky joinery.
Quick Build — for experienced woodworkers
| Part | Qty | From | S4S size | S2S size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top pieces | 3 | Boards 1–3 | 22" × 4" × 1¾" | 22" × 3½" × 1¾" |
| Legs | 2 | Board 4 | 11½" × 4" × 1¾" | 10" × 3½" × 1¾" |
| Back stretcher | 1 | Board 5 | 18½" × 4" × 1¾" | 18½" × 3½" × 1¾" |
Top: three 22" pieces edge-glued, grain left to right.
Legs to top: 3 × #10 × 2½" pan-head screws per leg, driven up from the bottom edge through ⅝" counterbores. Outer holes slotted front to back. No glue (cross grain).
Stretcher to legs: 2 × #10 × 3" screws through each leg into the stretcher end. No glue (end grain).
Finished size: S4S 22" W × 12" D × 5¾" H · S2S 22" × 10½" × 5¼". Clear space under the top: 18½" wide × 4" tall (S4S) or 3½" (S2S).
Before You Start
Shopping List
- 1 lumber pack — 8/4 · 2ft (S4S or S2S)
- Wood glue (Titebond II or III)
- 6 × #10 × 2½" pan-head (or washer-head) screws + 6 washers
- 4 × #10 × 3" flat-head wood screws
- Felt pads
- Sandpaper 120 / 180 / 220
- Finish: wipe-on oil, hardwax oil or water-based poly
Tools
- Saw for crosscuts (mitre saw or circular saw with a speed square) — with a stop block
- Drill/driver, countersink bit, pilot bits, ⅝" spade or Forstner bit
- 3–4 bar clamps, 18" or longer
- Tape measure, combination square, pencil
- Random-orbit sander or sanding block
- S2S only: jointer, straight-line rip jig or hand plane
S4S or S2S? S4S boards arrive flat and square on all four sides — cut and build. S2S boards have rough edges you straighten first. No jointer? Choose S4S.
Our sizing assumptions: ⅛" per saw cut · S4S boards 1¾" × 4", ¼" to square an end · S2S boards trimmed ½" each end and ¼" off each rough edge (3½" clean); we plan S2S at 1¾" thick · sizes drawn for the narrowest board in the pack. Wider boards give you a bigger offcut or a wider part — never a shortage.
Step-by-Step
S4S Lumber Pack
Surfaced 4 sides — no jointing
- 1 Plan the boards. Boards 1–3 make the top, board 4 the two legs, board 5 the back stretcher. Put your three best-looking faces on the top.
- 2 Crosscut. Square one end of each board. Cut boards 1–3 to 22". Cut two legs at 11½" from board 4. Cut the stretcher at 18½" from board 5.
- 3 Glue up the top. Edge-glue the three top pieces into one panel, 22" × 12". Keep the ends flush. Clamp, scrape off the squeeze-out once it turns rubbery, and leave it overnight.
- 4 Flatten and sand. Scrape or sand the glue seams flush. Sand the top and all parts 120 → 180 → 220 and ease the edges.
- 5 Drill the legs. On the bottom edge of each leg, mark 3 holes on the centre line: one in the middle and one 1" from each end. Drill a ⅝" counterbore 2¾" deep at each mark, then a ¼" clearance hole the rest of the way. Rock the drill front to back to stretch the two outer holes into ⅜" long slots.
- 6 Drill for the stretcher. On the outside face of each leg, mark two holes ⅞" from the back end, 1" from the top and bottom edges. Drill clearance holes for #10 screws and countersink them.
- 7 Build the base. Stand the legs on edge with the stretcher between them, flush with the back ends and the top edges. Clamp it, drill pilot holes into the stretcher ends, and drive #10 × 3" screws. This is end grain, so screws only — no glue.
- 8 Attach the top. Lay the top face down on a blanket. Set the base on it upside down, legs flush with the ends and ¼" in from the front and back. Drill pilot holes into the top through the leg holes — tape the bit at 1¼" so you can't go through. Drive #10 × 2½" pan-head screws with washers. Keep the outer screws centred in their slots. No glue: the top's grain crosses the legs.
- 9 Finish. Wipe on oil, hardwax oil or water-based poly, 2–3 coats. Stick felt pads under the legs.
S2S Lumber Pack
Surfaced 2 sides — straighten edges first
- 1 Prep the boards. Trim ½" off each end to remove any end checks. Joint one edge straight, then rip the other edge parallel (¼" off each rough edge is our planning allowance). S2S boards finish 1¾" thick, so screws and some sizes change — use the sizes in this column.
- 2 Plan the boards. Boards 1–3 make the top, board 4 the two legs, board 5 the back stretcher. Put your three best-looking faces on the top.
- 3 Crosscut. Square one end of each board. Cut boards 1–3 to 22". Cut two legs at 10" from board 4. Cut the stretcher at 18½" from board 5.
- 4 Glue up the top. Edge-glue the three top pieces into one panel, 22" × 10½". Keep the ends flush. Clamp, scrape off the squeeze-out once it turns rubbery, and leave it overnight.
- 5 Flatten and sand. Scrape or sand the glue seams flush. Sand the top and all parts 120 → 180 → 220 and ease the edges.
- 6 Drill the legs. On the bottom edge of each leg, mark 3 holes on the centre line: one in the middle and one 1" from each end. Drill a ⅝" counterbore 2¼" deep at each mark, then a ¼" clearance hole the rest of the way. Rock the drill front to back to stretch the two outer holes into ⅜" long slots.
- 7 Drill for the stretcher. On the outside face of each leg, mark two holes ⅞" from the back end, 1" from the top and bottom edges. Drill clearance holes for #10 screws and countersink them.
- 8 Build the base. Stand the legs on edge with the stretcher between them, flush with the back ends and the top edges. Clamp it, drill pilot holes into the stretcher ends, and drive #10 × 3" screws. This is end grain, so screws only — no glue.
- 9 Attach the top. Lay the top face down on a blanket. Set the base on it upside down, legs flush with the ends and ¼" in from the front and back. Drill pilot holes into the top through the leg holes — tape the bit at 1¼" so you can't go through. Drive #10 × 2½" pan-head screws with washers. Keep the outer screws centred in their slots. No glue: the top's grain crosses the legs.
- 10 Finish. Wipe on oil, hardwax oil or water-based poly, 2–3 coats. Stick felt pads under the legs.
Why screw the legs on from below? The top stays clean — no screw heads or plugs where your monitor sits. The counterbores let a 2½" screw reach through the tall leg into the top.
Why slotted holes? The 12" top is glued from three boards with the grain running left to right, so it grows and shrinks front to back with the seasons. The legs run front to back and don't. The middle screw holds the top in place; the slotted outer holes let it move.
Why pre-drill? Maple, oak and hickory split if you drive a screw without a pilot hole. Pre-drill every screw and countersink so the heads sit flush.
Make It Yours
- Cable hole: drill a 2" hole through the middle of the stretcher to pass cables to the back.
- Open front, open back: leave the stretcher off and use two short cleats under the top instead if you want to slide things through from behind.
- Two-tone: a walnut top on maple legs, or the reverse.
Safety and Care
- Wear eye and hearing protection. Use a push stick for every rip under 4" wide.
- Pre-drill every screw — hardwoods split without a pilot hole.
- Check the riser sits flat and doesn't rock before you set a monitor on it. Keep the monitor centred over the legs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Not for S4S boards — they arrive flat and square on all four sides. S2S boards need their edges straightened: a jointer, a table saw with a straight-line jig, or a hand plane all work. No jointer? Choose the S4S pack.
Plenty for a monitor, laptop or printer — the 1¾" top barely flexes over 18½". Keep heavy loads centred and don't stand or sit on it.
Yes. There's about 4" (S4S) or 3½" (S2S) of clear height and 18½" of width under the top — room for most keyboards, a notebook or a laptop dock.
Yes. Edge-glue a strip of the same wood under each leg and the stretcher, grain running the same way, and lengthen the counterbores. You will need a little extra wood for the strips.
Planned offcuts only: the end trim, about 1" off the end of boards 1–3, a sliver (S4S) or about 2⅞" (S2S) of board 4, and about 4½" of board 5 — enough for a matching phone stand or coasters. All 5 boards go into the riser.
Yes. A 4ft pack makes two risers: crosscut every board in half first, then follow this plan twice. Or use the extra length for a wider 46" riser over two monitors.
