For a while now I've been planning to put together a cheap computer workstation dedicated to the garage but I needed to organize my tools first and come up with an elegant way to mount the monitor. I've always wanted a rolling tool chest but couldn't justify the cost since I'm just a weekend tinkerer. That is, until I spotted this Walmart ad:
It ain't high quality but it does the job. It also came with a 1/4" and 3/8" ratchet & socket set! I bought a couple rolls of foam drawer liner from Home Depot (~$5 /roll) to keep my tools from sliding around inside. Overall, at this price, I'm very happy with the purchase
So, back to the workstation... I got to thinking about this again now that I had cleaned up the tools a bit. I really wanted to mount the workstation to the tool chest so that I could roll it around with me while working on the car, bike, etc. This meant it either had to be tethered to a power cord or be battery operated. I thought about buying a cheap laptop but then it hit me... a tablet would be perfect for this job! AND I just happened to have a Blackberry Playbook lying around (got it for free as a gift but not really thrilled with the device)
So I was good to go except I needed to come up with a way to mount the Playbook to the tool chest. I looked online and was really liking this gooseneck mount with magnetic base from snakeclamp.com but after shipping I was looking at spending close to $100. Seemed like a lot of money for such a simple product so I figured I'd make my own:
1. Gooseneck lamp from Walmart ~$12
2. Remove gooseneck from lamp. This requires cutting of the power cord, removing the bulb holder inside the lampshade and unfastening 2 nuts at both ends of the gooseneck arm.
3. Find or make something that will hold your tablet securely. I had an obscure computer accessory lying around that just happened to fit perfectly after a bit of dremelling.
4. Drill two holes. One into the tablet holder and one into the side of the tool chest about 1.25" from the top (with lid open). I'm not quite sure of hole size... somewhere between 3/8" and 1/2" (7/16"?)
5. Secure one end of the gooseneck to the tool chest and the other to the tablet holder. That's it! Total cost for me was $100 +tax. Add another $100 if you buy your own Playbook.
Here's the finished product...
It ain't high quality but it does the job. It also came with a 1/4" and 3/8" ratchet & socket set! I bought a couple rolls of foam drawer liner from Home Depot (~$5 /roll) to keep my tools from sliding around inside. Overall, at this price, I'm very happy with the purchase
So, back to the workstation... I got to thinking about this again now that I had cleaned up the tools a bit. I really wanted to mount the workstation to the tool chest so that I could roll it around with me while working on the car, bike, etc. This meant it either had to be tethered to a power cord or be battery operated. I thought about buying a cheap laptop but then it hit me... a tablet would be perfect for this job! AND I just happened to have a Blackberry Playbook lying around (got it for free as a gift but not really thrilled with the device)
So I was good to go except I needed to come up with a way to mount the Playbook to the tool chest. I looked online and was really liking this gooseneck mount with magnetic base from snakeclamp.com but after shipping I was looking at spending close to $100. Seemed like a lot of money for such a simple product so I figured I'd make my own:
1. Gooseneck lamp from Walmart ~$12
2. Remove gooseneck from lamp. This requires cutting of the power cord, removing the bulb holder inside the lampshade and unfastening 2 nuts at both ends of the gooseneck arm.
3. Find or make something that will hold your tablet securely. I had an obscure computer accessory lying around that just happened to fit perfectly after a bit of dremelling.
4. Drill two holes. One into the tablet holder and one into the side of the tool chest about 1.25" from the top (with lid open). I'm not quite sure of hole size... somewhere between 3/8" and 1/2" (7/16"?)
5. Secure one end of the gooseneck to the tool chest and the other to the tablet holder. That's it! Total cost for me was $100 +tax. Add another $100 if you buy your own Playbook.
Here's the finished product...
