$15 DIY Walking Desk

3 Materials
I've been wanting a walking desk for a while now--like over 2 years, but when I saw how much they cost for a pre-made, I came up with my own $15 idea.
I've been wanting a walking desk for a while now--like over 2 years, but when I saw how much they cost for a pre-made, I came up with my own $15 idea.
Here's what we started with, the only spot I have availble to store my poor treadmill.
Now, if I had my treadmill in my office, and I worked 6 of the 10+ hours I spend in my office on the treadmill, I might take the plunge. But it's a big plunge to take if you're not even sure if you'd use it all the time or if you could type/work while walking. So being the creative person I am, I started researching ways I could make one on the budget friendly side. Sure there were quite a few pins and such out there, but a lot of them just required more work than I thought necessary. So, the hubby, being the resourceful man that his is (and by that I mean cheap), came up with a plan to make a quick and easy walking desk for me to use. Like as in under $15 cheap.


And I like it. A lot.
For starters, I purchased a 3/4 x 16 x 72 piece of paint grade wood from my local home improvement store for under $15. You could buy it shorter, but I have plans for the remaining wood.
We then took the measurement for the width of the treadmill which just happened to be 36".
We added 1 and 1/4 inches to accommodate the side rails and cut the 3/4 x 16 x 72 board down to the 37 1/4".
Then we cut two 3" pieces from the leftover material for the side supports.
Once cut, we used wood glue and pre-drilled holes to sink the 2" wood screws into.
And then slid it over the treadmill rails for a nice snug fit.
And let me tell you that desk isn't going anywhere! I've already been trying it out and it fits like a glove. Now, I'm not running while I'm writing or working on the computer, which would be a little crazy dangerous, but a slow pace is allowing me to not only bring movement to my legs but also getting my mind working with more ideas!
My own piece of heaven...in the garage of all places! lol But heck, I'll take what I can get since I don't have a basement or spare room for it.
Pretty snazzy, right?
Suggested materials:
  • 3/4x16x72 paint grade lumber   (Lowes)
  • 8 - 2" screws   (Lowes)
  • Wood glue   (Lowes)
Author Lisa L Wiedmeier
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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 3 comments
  • DP DP on Nov 02, 2016
    Great job, my treadmill has buttons on the arms though for speed and incline so this wouldn't work for me, wish it would, it fits nicely.
    • Author Lisa L Wiedmeier Author Lisa L Wiedmeier on Nov 02, 2016
      Well, that's a really cool feature on the arms! I do have to reach under the table to plug in the safety release, but I'm all good with it. I'm hoping to get good use out of it, especially come January when the exercise bug really kicks in. :)
  • Brenda  S. Brenda S. on Nov 03, 2016
    This is such a great idea!! It looks great :D
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