I present to you, the Jer-la-pita!

just2cool

Gawd
Joined
Sep 22, 2005
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Mods...feel free to move this as I don't really know where I should have put it. Technically, it is a modification...but not for cases.

Anyway, due to the amount of PMs I've been receiving of people being interested in how to build this, I've decided to create a thread dedicated to my (easy) project.

So, let's begin. When I first saw the jerker with all the shelves, I thought it was a cool idea, but I did not like the lack of width nor did I really liked the way it looked (the metal bars going up so high). After going through Ikea, I came up with this idea that I could add a big shelf to the table-style jerker with (ideally) buying everything from Ikea. I decided upon the following materials:
mydesk1.jpg

Jerker (table) = $99.00 SKU: 90062277
Capita (set of 2 legs) = $9.99 SKU: 40051196
Lack (73" bookshelf) = $19.99 SKU: 40103751
which comes out to roughly $128.98 plus tax. The Lack shelf comes in ALL 3 different jerker colors.
(Ok...the name I gave it sucks but I'm an engineer so I have an excuse for no creativity.)

Next, let's move onto some pictures of the desk.
mydesk2.jpg


mydesk3.jpg


mydesk4.jpg


mydesk5.jpg


mydesk6.jpg


Some ugly, but somewhat effective cable management for a newbie:
mydesk7.jpg


mydesk8.jpg





These are the Capita legs/brackets. All of the necessary hardware comes with it. Drill 2 holes approx. 10.5" in from both sides. Use the diagram below (taken from the back of the Capita manual) as only a reference since the actual numbers refer to a different project.
mydesk9.jpg

mydesk10.jpg





Now, the slightly harder part of this project is mounting the bracket to the shelf. There is a caveat that you all need to be aware of: the shelf is somewhat hollow. There's a lot of cardboard inside the shelf that supports it, as well as some wood where the 2 screws on the left as shown in this picture are FIRMLY drilled into. As for the other two screws on the right, they're holding quite well in there, but not like the two on the left. If you go to an Ikea, they'll most likely have one of these shelves cut open so you can see how it's made inside. I can't really describe it anymore except for stating that it's holding very solid. They even use the same type of stuff for benches, which should tell you how strong these things are. Also, that brown hole you see came with the shelf, but you can't put a screw in it. Just try to drill where I did, then you'll hit solid wood for the left two screws of the bracket (or right two if you're doing the other bracket).
mydesk11.jpg






Shove the bolts (that come already attached to the bottom of the legs) through the holes, and then put the 2 washers and nuts on the opposite side.
mydesk12.jpg


mydesk13.jpg





Some of you may think this is overkill and rightfully so. However, this is a typical day/night for my desk, and as such I find it very handy to have this much space when I have the ability to slide my keyboard and mouse under my monitor.
mydesk14.jpg


mydesk15.jpg


mydesk16.jpg





So that's it. If you have any questions, feel free to add to the thread or PM me if you want. The desk and the shelf have been very sturdy for quite a long time now and I expect nothing different for the life of ownership.
 
Very nice. IKEA ftw!!! We just got an IKEA here in Michigan, its about 20 mins from me. I have went like 10x already lol. I need to find another good computer desk. That looks like a really nice one. ^_^
 
love the "action shots" with all the books and the close up to what the pens are doing. LOL ..
 
That's a really nice looking setup. :)

But I'd question the ergonomics just a bit. Can you add a keyboard tray? Because desk height is usually too high. When you're typing, your hands should never be higher than your elbows.
 
That is absolutely beautiful. Genius idea and I take it you are majoring in electrical engineering.
 
GBoo:
I was just trying to take pics of both sides of the shelf; it just so happens my pens were there :p

Lethal:
I guess it's possible to add the standard jerker keyboard tray to it, but my hands are actually about 10-15 degrees lower than my elbows when I type and I haven't felt any discomfort yet. I've just never really been a big fan of trays, though.

CPT:
Close guess. I'm actually a junior in computer engineering. I felt very comfortable in programming before I came to college, so I decided to force myself to learn something new and thought the hardware/electrical aspect side of things would be interesting. However, I didn't think I'd love the EE side of things as much (which is turning out to be true) so that's why I'm in CE. Essentially, I just wanted to broaden my education as much as possible.

P.S. I'm surprised that no Browns/Ravens/Bengals fan has made fun of my Steelers decorations yet.
 
IKEA is great for stuff on the cheap. And for the most part is pretty good in the build quality. I have to take some drugs though before I go to the one we have here in San Diego as I think there are more people there than all the malls, its absolutely crazy. Oh yeah, love the desk :).
 
Great lookin desk you've got there. I just use a Sulivan L-shaped computer desk. It was a pita to put together, but I got it on sale for $75 shipped. Nice to see another MS Trackball Explorer user out there. Not too many people using these MS trackballs anymore. Too bad MS discontinued them. When I busted mine, I had to resort to ebay to get a replacement. Anyways, nice setup! :)
 
autobot said:
Great lookin desk you've got there. I just use a Sulivan L-shaped computer desk. It was a pita to put together, but I got it on sale for $75 shipped. Nice to see another MS Trackball Explorer user out there. Not too many people using these MS trackballs anymore. Too bad MS discontinued them. When I busted mine, I had to resort to ebay to get a replacement. Anyways, nice setup! :)

Yeah, I love this thing. I've had it since late 2001 and it's been flawless for me. I have yet to see another trackball released that's better than this one. Not to mention that I find it much more relaxing to use a trackball than a regular mouse, but to each their own.

Anyway...if anyone decides to do this project, I'd be interested to see the setup...especially if you do it in another color.
 
I envy you, with so few cables :).

With the amount of cabling I have... I CAN'T have it all neat lol...
 
What does everyone think of me having my 37" olevia 62 lb monitor on the shelf this guy has?? Think it would be sturdy enough? I will have it up against a wall as well.... or do you think i need to get 4 of the legs instead of only two?? Thanks guys..

-j0sh
 
another MS Trackball user here... wonderful things they are :) mines is runing for over 4 years now, excelent mouse, wish they didnt discontinue it :(

i'm gonna take a wild guess here and say you love it cuz you found out its awesome for CAD?

Just like I love mines when I found out it was awesome for MAYA!
 
What does everyone think of me having my 37" olevia 62 lb monitor on the shelf this guy has?? Think it would be sturdy enough? I will have it up against a wall as well.... or do you think i need to get 4 of the legs instead of only two?? Thanks guys..

-j0sh

I'd go with 4, or the 90° legs instead.
 
That looks great but how high above the desk does the monitor sit. I spend entirely too much time staring at my screens and I would hate to have to look up at them.
 
That looks great but how high above the desk does the monitor sit. I spend entirely too much time staring at my screens and I would hate to have to look up at them.

Ok here's my idea... i'm going to get this setup.... the only thing is I don't know if i'm going to like the height of the rear shelf either as I have a 37" lcd.... so i was considering getting 4 of these that cost 10 bux for 4.....

http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/stor...=12&langId=-1&catalogId=10103&productId=25954

you have the choice of 4" 6" or 8" legs..... the only bad thing i don't like is these legs go straight up instead of a slight direction like the ones above.... oh well it will have to do. plus i think my 62lb needs the 4 legs to insure I don't have a broken porno pleasing display. ;] I'm going to buy this and set it up tomorrow... I will share pics of mine as well. If anyone has any more ideas for me let me know :]

-j0sh
 
Ok here's my idea... i'm going to get this setup.... the only thing is I don't know if i'm going to like the height of the rear shelf either as I have a 37" lcd.... so i was considering getting 4 of these that cost 10 bux for 4.....

http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/stor...=12&langId=-1&catalogId=10103&productId=25954

you have the choice of 4" 6" or 8" legs..... the only bad thing i don't like is these legs go straight up instead of a slight direction like the ones above.... oh well it will have to do. plus i think my 62lb needs the 4 legs to insure I don't have a broken porno pleasing display. ;] I'm going to buy this and set it up tomorrow... I will share pics of mine as well. If anyone has any more ideas for me let me know :]

-j0sh


I'm thinking a similar setup with two smaller shelfs with a space in the middle for monitors would be the most Ideal for me. Or May be just a shelf on one side for the printer.

I'm debating between this and building my own custom desk.
 
I'm thinking a similar setup with two smaller shelfs with a space in the middle for monitors would be the most Ideal for me. Or May be just a shelf on one side for the printer.
vika_amon_x2_rated_g.jpg

I had the shelf for a printer, but I added an LCD. I'm currently sanding down another plank to put the CRT on (with more capita legs, and the routers will go underneath it), so the two monitors will be the same height.
 
vika_amon_x2_rated_g.jpg

I had the shelf for a printer, but I added an LCD. I'm currently sanding down another plank to put the CRT on (with more capita legs, and the routers will go underneath it), so the two monitors will be the same height.

Hey so are those capita legs these that i'm considering ??

http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/stor...=12&langId=-1&catalogId=10103&productId=25954

How big are the ones you got? 4" 6" or 8" it looks to be like you got the 4" do you think 4 of those would hold up the shelf that the guy who created this post has with a 37" 62lb lcd on it?? thanks for any help....

-j0sh
 
I had the shelf for a printer, but I added an LCD. I'm currently sanding down another plank to put the CRT on (with more capita legs, and the routers will go underneath it), so the two monitors will be the same height.

I like that.
 
Hey so are those capita legs these that i'm considering ??

http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/stor...=12&langId=-1&catalogId=10103&productId=25954

How big are the ones you got? 4" 6" or 8" it looks to be like you got the 4" do you think 4 of those would hold up the shelf that the guy who created this post has with a 37" 62lb lcd on it?? thanks for any help....

-j0sh
Yah, they're the 4" legs. However, they don't screw into the desk, like the angled capitas. Though, I'm sure you can get a bolt to secure it to a desk instead of using its feet. If you're using the lack shelf and a 2 row config (2x2), then it might work, but I'd get 6 (2x3) to be sure. If you're goin with the angled capitas, I think 4 (1x4) will do. Man... that thing is 62lbs? thats as heavy as my CRT... hmm... I was thinking about getting one soon, too, lol. I might go with that same lack shelf and some capitas, too, lol.

Thanks DeChache... I would build my own desk, but no woodshop in the garage =( I guess I'll get a table saw soon, since I already have a mitre saw... maybe then I could build my dream desk, haha!
 
Damn...this thread sparked out of nowhere.

What does everyone think of me having my 37" olevia 62 lb monitor on the shelf this guy has?? Think it would be sturdy enough? I will have it up against a wall as well.... or do you think i need to get 4 of the legs instead of only two?? Thanks guys..
-j0sh
Considering how stable mine has been for 5 months now and how I've intentionally tried to break it a few times, I'd say go for it, but test it out first with something that weighs a lot that you don't care about.

another MS Trackball user here... wonderful things they are :) mines is runing for over 4 years now, excelent mouse, wish they didnt discontinue it :(

i'm gonna take a wild guess here and say you love it cuz you found out its awesome for CAD?

Just like I love mines when I found out it was awesome for MAYA!

Actually, back when I got it in 2001, I was into Unreal Tournament pretty heavily. Now that I don't game anymore, I just like it for anything really. I haven't really done too much CAD work, but yeah, I'm sure it would be awesome for that. Hey, if it ever breaks, there's always ebay. I'm thinking of buying one and not using it until this one breaks (if it ever does).

That looks great but how high above the desk does the monitor sit. I spend entirely too much time staring at my screens and I would hate to have to look up at them.
If I put my monitor down all the way, then the very top of the screen is at eye level. The way I have it now, though, my eyes align with the center of the screen. I don't think this would be an issue for you.

Yah, they're the 4" legs. However, they don't screw into the desk, like the angled capitas.
That's exactly right. I think the reason why the desk is very stable is because of the large bolts, so I don't know if I would recommend getting the other legs.



If anyone decides to do this project, please post pics...ESPECIALLY if you do it in a different color! :)
 
That's a nice desk, lots of room. I would like something like that if I didn't already have a good desk, but my only gripe about it is that the monitor would be too high for me (Only about 5' 7" here, 15 years old) but maybe it's different in person... How tall are you?
 
Well I built the desk today.... went to ikea which was about 5 mins from my house, Got a nice little bonus finding out my co worker knows a guy that works in the 'as is' department of ikea that was willing to take this desk and accessories to the department, open them up and mark the 'as is' price to 40% off!! Got this whole setup for under 100 bux. I did plan on spending about 150 though so I got a pretty nice deal!! My other buddy bought a regular jerker that goes for 129 for about 80 bux or so too. Anyway, I bought 4 legs instead of only two as I have a heavier monitor than most... seems to be perfect! I angled the two inner legs to give it a little style... Let me know what you guys think but for now here is a LOW res camera phone pic that I took. I will post some more good quality pics when i get my room cleaned up and arranged. This is the greatest desk! Looks so nice displays my 37" so nicely. Thanks for the great idea!!!!

-j0sh


Photo_012707_002.jpg
 
I like the design, and the 4 post version! Only thing that scares me is the angled support and whether it's truly structurally sound. The post has a bearing surface on top and to beef it up, but I would also put another bearing surface on the bottom. The simple washer under the nut doesn't give me warm feelings!

The angled support will create a "moment" load on the structure which will tend to bend the table top. The large bearing surfaces top/bottom help to minimize the stresses. Problem is the bearing surface on bottom needs mainly to extend out where the metal cross member is. I would maybe try to move the upper shelf in and mount the posts inside of the metal cross bar. Then you could fashion a larger bottom support (metal plate, baltic birch ply, phenolic, etc) that will fit on the bolt provided. Seems like there's space to do it between the table's metal crossmember and the large cross support on the legs.
 
Lookin' good trip!

That's a nice desk, lots of room. I would like something like that if I didn't already have a good desk, but my only gripe about it is that the monitor would be too high for me (Only about 5' 7" here, 15 years old) but maybe it's different in person... How tall are you?
No need to worry -- I'm just a bit over 5' 8" and I'm 21 (damn Italian genes!)

I like the design, and the 4 post version! Only thing that scares me is the angled support and whether it's truly structurally sound. The post has a bearing surface on top and to beef it up, but I would also put another bearing surface on the bottom. The simple washer under the nut doesn't give me warm feelings!

The angled support will create a "moment" load on the structure which will tend to bend the table top. The large bearing surfaces top/bottom help to minimize the stresses. Problem is the bearing surface on bottom needs mainly to extend out where the metal cross member is. I would maybe try to move the upper shelf in and mount the posts inside of the metal cross bar. Then you could fashion a larger bottom support (metal plate, baltic birch ply, phenolic, etc) that will fit on the bolt provided. Seems like there's space to do it between the table's metal crossmember and the large cross support on the legs.

Hmm. I'm not a mechanical/civil engineer (and if you aren't you should consider it!) but what I think you're saying is, in due time, the legs might cause the wood to split given the amount of pressure on such a small area of the wood?

I thought about that a while before I built it. The jerker wood is pretty hard, though (lol, there's no other good way to say it). We shall see if it holds up for the test of time. I'm contemplating about sitting on the shelf and taking a picture, but I'm not so sure that it could handle 156 pounds on 2 legs.

Regardless, though, given how cheap the jerker and all these other accessories are, if it somehow begins to show signs of wear after a few years I wouldn't mind purchasing another one.
 
Really cool if you're not into gaming :).


that's all i do is game! and watch movies.... ;] don't see why it's not cool for gaming? i'm not looking UP at it... and i'm not too close to it either. It makes me play counter strike til 4 a.m. when i have to be at work at 8. haha i was thinking it might be too high but it really isn't. When I am sitting up in my chair my eye level is about 1 inch below the center of the screen... works perfect.

-j0sh
 
God damn! that looks nice!!!
now you have me thinking about adding that extra self to my desk...
I build a desk ~4 years ago (surface is 24"X70 something inches) Its really nice, but i think adding that self would be really nice.... Hrmmm

Thanks for the great idea

BTW Computer Engineering FTW!! (finishing my 4th semester at NDSU in Fargo, ND)
 
Does Ikea still sell this desk? I have searched their site, and cant find any table that even look closely to that.
 
It seems all those parts are discontinued..What are the alternatives as I only see the Frederik as a sub for the jerker??
 
What what? You didn't spend 10k on it.

I'm not impressed. Maybe you can line it with some NASA approved sound dampening material or something.
 
What what? You didn't spend 10k on it.

I'm not impressed. Maybe you can line it with some NASA approved sound dampening material or something.

Daily 10k desk reference satisfied.

Wasn't it amazing. 10k.
 
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