Make a keyboard tray out of a desk drawer

Make a keyboard tray out of a desk drawer

Make a keyboard tray out of a desk drawer : Multi-thousand tips to make your life easier.

You have just purchased your new desktop computer and upgraded it with the latest specs you wanted. You now also have a large LCD screen to display your system's capabilities. You are ready to play games and work, but you forgot one thing: you don't have a computer table yet. You don't have enough money to buy a new computer table. What do you do? Luckily, you have a spare desk drawer. You quickly browse the Internet and find this. Follow the easy steps to convert that drawer into your new or temporary table with a pull-out keyboard tray.

• Remove the drawer. Remove the cabinet drawer from the desk and set it aside. Clean the inside of the drawer. It may have some insects and droppings if it hasn't been used for a while. Sand the inside if needed. This is to let your cabinet drawer slide in and out with ease.
• Cut the front cover. Take the drawer you set aside and place it on a sawing board. If you don't have one, any flat surface will work. Wear your goggles and saw off the front of the cabinet using your power or traditional saw. When using a saw, work with safety in mind to avoid any accidents.
• Place the catches. You can place the catches or stoppers on the interior of the drawer. You can do this by screwing the stoppers on. You may choose a drill with a screw top to do this job easily, or a regular screwdriver if the power tool is not available. Screw the stoppers on the front corners of the drawer. Also do the same for the cabinet interior. Make sure they are aligned to work properly. Place the drawer cabinet back in and slide it in and out to make sure the stoppers work fine. This ensures you don't pull the cabinet too far and drop the makeshift tray when you are using it.
• Drill a hole. Before you drill a hole, mark the area you are drilling with a pencil. Use a drill bit slightly larger than your keyboard plug. You may choose the back part of the cabinet drawer or the bottom of the cabinet drawer. If needed, also drill the back part or bottom part of your table drawer. Make sure the holes are aligned to work properly. The back part, though, is a better choice as the cable can freely pass through the holes. If you are using a Bluetooth keyboard, you may skip this step.
• Place the front cover back. You may choose to nail the front side of the drawer back onto your tray, but it is better if you use wood glue to attach them back together. Follow the instructions on how to use the wood glue and apply pressure if necessary.

The new table drawer is ready for use. You may also want to look for secondhand computer tables with pull-out keyboard trays if you feel you are not ready to convert your desk drawer. You can find really good bargains at thrift shops and garage sales if you are patient. This saves you time and energy in the process.