Made at theCO: Monitor Stand

Whether you frequent theCO, work in an office space, or use a computer for anything on any desk, a common problem remains. There comes a point in time when space simply restricts productivity by creating an inevitable nest of clutter. Like birds making their nests in the spring, we try to fit an impossible amount of lunch menus, paper clips, pens, and sometimes trash onto a finite desk space.

Rather than resigning himself to a life of disorganized chaos, CO:member Joshua Guthrie took matters into his own hands by designing and creating monitor stands, which allow anyone to use the space on the desk normally reserved for those pesky monitors.

Guthrie’s stands serve a higher purpose than mere functionality, though. He designs each stand in a way that brings aesthetic comfort to an otherwise bland space on the desk. 

“The need came from my desk space at home,” Guthrie says. “My desk isn’t super deep, and I already had a couple of books under [the computer monitor] to sort of bring it up to eye level. And if I ever wanted to write in my journal or sketch something on my desk, then I’d have to pick my keyboard up and shove it to the side of my monitor. It was just an inefficient use of the space.”

Guthrie says he looked online, but none of the products he found quite matched what he wanted. He quickly realized that with his access to the CNC router at theCO, he could build his own stand.

After laying everything out in a sketchbook, he began designing the digital file that would be read by the router. Once the machine finished the cuts, he fastened the eight pieces of plywood using bolts and wood glue. From there, the stand is functional, but Guthrie says he likes to do a little sanding to make sure all of the plywood lines up just right.

With his new stand, Guthrie can easily slide the keyboard and mouse under the stand whenever he needs to use the desk space for something else. The benefit of designing the stands himself is that he can customize every aspect to fit just right on a specific desk.

After asking him if he plans on selling the stands, Guthrie said that is his goal. He is planning to participate in theCO’s upcoming CO.STARTERS course beginning May 22, in which he hopes to learn more about building a brand and marketing to possible clients. 

“You know, it’d be great if it could be some sort of industry where you’ve got lots of people coming in and out of your office space, and they see the product and ask, ‘Oh, where’d you get that?’” he says.

Guthrie says theCO has helped him with projects like this in two ways. The first is simply the access to all the machines that are made available to members; the second is theCO’s creative community.

“I thrive best when I’m around other people doing other creative things,” he says. “I look at someone else being creative, and I want to do that, too. I want to be creative in the same space as them.”

Right now Guthrie is hoping to see where this idea takes him. He is currently designing a laptop stand to go along with the two monitor stands he has created. While he admits that he does not know exactly where this is leading, he also says that he always has ideas and looks forward to working on them at theCO.

Follow @guthriestand on Instagram to learn more, or email Joshua for a custom order at guthriestand@gmail.com.