Have you ever built gaming furniture?

[Erik_Twice]

As I eye yet another monitor I'm forced to remember that I have to put it somewhere. And that made me think about my table.

- It's too small. I need it to be 50cm longer to fit two monitors.
- It probably cannot take 50kg in monitors plus 15kg of the computer.
- It's weak and shakes when I type.
- The keyboard's support is too narrow for two Beatmania controllers

So I began to think about building my own furniture because I'm a nerd. And I wonder, have you ever done that? What did you take into account? Is a pre-made solution a better idea? What do you think?

[Ziggy]

I've never built anything (yet) myself, but I've seen posts here and there where people built there own stuff. I've been thinking about it for a LONG time but I guess I've just been to lazy. Making something to tailor fit your needs, yeah, that's always gonna be better than anything you can buy.

I can't wait until I finally get around to making a new computer desk. I've tried looking for something to buy, but I just can't ever find something that's even close to what I want. I almost had to build a TV stand but I lucked out and found something close enough.

Anyway, if you have the skills and the drive (and the tools) then go for it!

[CRTGAMER]

As I eye yet another monitor I'm forced to remember that I have to put it somewhere. And that made me think about my table.

So I began to think about building my own furniture because I'm a nerd. And I wonder, have you ever done that? What did you take into account? Is a pre-made solution a better idea? What do you think?

Be sure there is a center vertical support under each CRT. That or have a front cross board to prevent the table top from warping due to the weight of the CRTs. For a computer desk, solid oak or steel is the way to go, hit the Thrift Stores!

Modded a Coffee table
This is not for the CRTs, but a spot for the consoles, I added a second wooden full across shelf and wire basket shelves to one side under my oversized coffee table. The second shelf for storing my flex plastic shoe boxes of controllers and the wire baskets underneath the top table to keep all the cable slack off the floor from the eight (yes 8 on the table!) game consoles. A big coffee table, all consoles can be reached from the couch with wired controllers attached.

Game Storage Guide: Game Controllers and Accessories
http://www.racketboy.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=625519#p625519

[fastbilly1]

Anyway, if you have the skills and the drive (and the tools) then go for it!

Seconded.

I typically try to find a solution that is close, then modify it to what I want. It usually cost me less, but I do live in a good area for thrifting. But I am not afraid of groundup builds or extensive retrofits.

I am actually trying to build a a stand right now. I mostly work in wood, 2x4s are my friends, I stray from metal work since I have lost all the hair on my arms a few times to it. Here is a crappy picture of my chicken scratch design:

The plan is for it to sit in line with my arcade cabinets (just six inches taller), function as a DDR/Stepmania cab, and hold all the main consoles - two per shelf. All wires will go to a junction box which will allow either for a 10x2 analog matrix or a series of crossovers (and a space for the Vectrix to sit on top) - That is the funny box at the bottom. So either of the PCs or any of the consoles, can be wired up to either CRT. With 24inch deep shelves, and 2 inches between each system, there should be enough air flow even for passively cooled systems.

It is on my to build list this year, just have to decide on if I want to fix my table saw or just buy a track saw first.

[Erik_Twice]

Be sure there is a center vertical support under each CRT. That or have a front cross board to prevent the table top from warping due to the weight of the CRTs. For a computer desk, solid oak or steel is the way to go, hit the Thrift Stores!

Only the PC would have room for my legs, so the CRTs could be well-supported without much of a hassle.

The big issue is how to place everything. Ideally, the "table" would only support the screens and the loudpspeakers, with consoles, amplifier and switchers below. But they are all different sizes and they are all ugly-looking devices so I haven't found an appropiate design yet.

The plan is for it to sit in line with my arcade cabinets (just six inches taller), function as a DDR/Stepmania cab, and hold all the main consoles - two per shelf.

That sounds tough depending on how tall you are but those 18 cm sound like will help a lot. Seems it wouldn't be lower than some DDR/PIU cabs.