Okay, gang, next case.
Now I need to make a computer lap desk, the kind that has a hard top and a pillow on the bottom.
I don’t anticipate any problems with the top, it’s just going to be a chunk of flat wood.
Where I’m at a lost is how to build, fill and attach the “pillow” to the bottom. It needs to be “folded in” on all four sides, and I don’t even know how to cut it.
Any thoughts?
Replies
jammersix
My thought would be to attach two elastic straps to the bottom of the wood top (staples, tacks??) and create two loops that you can slip the pillow through. Makes it easy to replace the pillow too.
If you have flexibility with the size, maybe you can buy a ready made pillow and size things accordingly.
Any seamstress
Any upholsterer or even seamstress can make you a pillow to your specs. Attach it with Velcro strips to the underside of the board.
Pillow
Jammersix,
I think you are concentrating on the wrong aspect of the pillow. Folding, cutting and sewing of the fabric should be a snap - but what are you going to fill it with?
I think foam would be too unstable and 'bouncy'; packing-peanuts would provide a"moulding" effect over your knees but may be too light. Sand would mould to your knees but perhaps would be too heavy. Do you get my drift? What do you intend to use?
Frosty
Buckwheat hulls would be appropriate. They would feel relatively cool, and provide a stable base, not bouncy.
Stuffing
Great suggestion, Steve.
Frosty
P.S. I wonder who will 'hull the buckwheat'?
Details
I should have been more specific-- I want the pillow permanently attached to the bottom of the desk.
If you haven't seen one of these desks, think of a pillow with one side made of wood.
I don't see how to attach the bag seamlessly to the bottom of the desk-- I can see how to attach two or three sides, (staples, I think) but not all the way around.
The question then become why permanently attached. Fabric is much more likely to need cleaning than the wood top will need refinishing.. As long as the attachment is secure so that there are no hassles for the user removable should be superior. Ring's velco suggestion sounds good to me.
But permanent isn't all that hard.
After a pillow has been stapled around it's edges to the board, then one solution would be to sew a trim that covers the staples to the turned under edges to hide the staples. Another alternative would be to use decorative upholstery nails to hold the pillow in place, either with or without a trim around the edges. You could also cover the edges with a wood trim.
Jammer,
1- fold the fabric over a separate piece of plywood and tack all round. Attach plywood to the underside of the lapdesk. Like a slip seat.
2- attach snaps to a strip of welting, nail welting to bottom of lapdesk. Snaps in edge of cushion mate with snaps in welting.
3- work a shallow rabbet around the bottom of the sides of the lap desk. Tack the cushion's fabric into the rabbet. Cover edge of fabric with gimp or decorative brass tacks. Like an over-the-rail chair seat.
Ray
Number One!
I'm thinking that the plywood option sounds right, although the rabbit intrigues me. The rabbit could just as easily be covered with an edging that was glued on, too.
It also occurs to me that I could staple (is that how you do it?) the material to the bottom of a two piece desk, fill it with whatever, and THEN glue up the top
Well, maybe not. I couldn't send it through the planer that way.
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