Am I the only one who thinks those super wide desk tops are just asking for monitor arm problems?

I tried a 72 inch butcher block from Home Depot last month and the flex in the middle from my dual monitor arm setup was so bad I had to bolt a steel bracket underneath, so why does everyone act like a solid wood slab is automatically stable?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_jana1d ago

Man, I feel you on that. That "solid wood slab" marketing is total bs when you actually set it up. I tried a 72 inch butcher block from Home Depot too, and the moment I clamped my monitor arm on it, the whole middle section started sagging like a cheap shelf. Had to do the same thing with a steel bracket, and even then I still get a tiny wobble when I type hard. Everyone acts like thick wood is bulletproof, but they don't mention how much it can flex under the weight of two monitors.

andrewh951d ago

Oh yeah, the "solid wood slab" thing gets thrown around way too loosely. But actually, a lot of those butcher blocks from Home Depot are edge-glued strips, not one solid piece of timber. That makes them way more prone to bowing under weight since the glue joints can let go a little under stress. For a true solid slab, you'd need something like a single 1.75 inch thick piece of hardwood, not the common 1.5 inch glued strips they sell as "butcher block." Still, even a real slab can sag if it's spanning 72 inches without center support, so the bracket fix is pretty much mandatory.