Previously beside my desk I had a keyboard stand and my Edirol PCR-50. The Edirol would invariably become covered in papers and garbage which really hampered my workflow. I also bought a second smaller keyboard that I wanted access to as well.

After complaining about it here and multiple trips through IKEA looking for something that would work or be adaptable, I realized I had a much larger table in my basement that I could cut down to my purposes and install a keyboard shelf into.

So after a lot of planning and some nervous work with a table-saw, here’s my new side-table with the keyboard tray retracted:

Here it is with the keyboard tray extended:

The keyboard tray slides were around $36 and the pine board was $10. It works pretty well though I slightly brutalized the board cutting it to fit. I may sand and stain it later but I’m too lazy now.

The keyboard tray works well but I’m sure a better craftsman could have made it less wobbly when pushing it in.

But it does what I want. The large keyboard stays out of sight most of the time and I can’t cover it with junk. The small keyboard is accessible up top and there’s plenty of room on the left side for papers and garbage. Hooray papers and garbage!