Angled Keyboard Stand With Attached Wrist Rest

Materials:

• 5/8 inch thick plywood, 24 inch x 36 inch will be more than enough
• 14 inch x 1 inch x ¼ inch thick wood strip for the keyboard support ledge
• 1 inch polyurethane (soft) foam, 14 inch x 5 ½ inch
• Vinyl material, 20 inch x 12 inch
• Sixteen 1 ¼ inch flathead wood screws
• Three very thin (1/16 inch thick) 5/8 inch nails
• Two 14 inch strips of pressure-sensitive Velcro hook tape and loop tape

Tools:

• Circular saw or band saw, drill press or hand-held power drill, electric sander and/or sandpaper, heavy-duty staple gun.

Measurements: The measurements provided support a keyboard that a keyboard that is 14 inches in width. The measurements for this device can be altered to accommodate the size of the keyboard that will be placed on the support. However, a larger keyboard is probable undesirable for someone who has ataxia or athetosis (if used in conjunction with device) because it requires a wider range of arm movements, which usually increases the involuntary movements. 

Base:

• Rectangle: 15 inch x 11 inch

Keyboard Support:

• Rectangle: 14 inch x 7 inch
• Two triangles: 3 ½ inch x 3 ½ inch x 5 inch
• Wood strip:  14 inch x 1 inch x ¼ inch

Wrist Rest:

• Rectangle: 14 inch x 5 ½ inch
• Two triangles: 1 ½ inch x 4 ½ inch x 4 ¾ inch

Assembly:

• Sand all pieces of wood. Attach triangular supports to keyboard support and wrist rest: Attach the two 3 ½ inch high triangle supports two inches from each of the keyboard support using two screws for each triangle. First drill pilot holes in the triangles and keyboard support at the appropriate locations. Then use a countersink to insert the screws into piece supporting the keyboard. Drill the countersink holes ¼ inch deep into the keyboard support over the already drilled pilot holes. These holes must be wider than the head of the screw. Then screw the screws from the front of the keyboard support into the wooden triangles. Repeat this procedure to attach the 1½ inch high triangle supports for the wrist rest into the wrist rest.

Padding the wrist rest:

• Lay the vinyl material face down on your work surface. Center the polyurethane (soft) foam on the vinyl, and place the plywood wrist rest on top of the foam. Fold the vinyl material up over the plywood and staple it in place using a heavy-duty staple gun. For best results, put a few staples at the center of each side to another the layers together, and then work outward to the corners. Trim off excess vinyl if desired. Form a ledge for the keyboard by nailing the long narrow piece of wood to the bottom of the keyboard support using the 3 thin nails.

Attach the keyboard stand and wrist rest to the base:

• Before screwing the keyboard stand or wrist rest to the base, set the whole contraption up (including the actual keyboard that is going to be used) and have the student experiment to determine the optimal distance between the keyboard stand and the wrist rest. With the pieces positioned correctly, trace the triangular supports where they contact the base. Mark where the screws should go within the tracings of the triangular supports, then countersink two screws from the underside of the base into the triangular supports –tow screws per triangular support.  To do this, drill the pilot hole form the top surface all the way through to the bottom, then turn the wooden base upside down and widen these holes using a countersink (drilling approximately ¼ inch deep). Screw in the screws. Attach two long horizontal strips of Velcro hook to the keyboard support and the Velcro loop to the back of the keyboard itself to help secure it in place. The easiest way to line this up is to adhere the loop tape to the keyboard.

Originally designed and built using Triwall by the author. Joseph E. Trickett, Carpenter, built this wood version while working at Cotting School.