For those of you with more laptops than anyone reasonably needs, does anyone have any creative storage solutions?
I have 4 laptops that I regularly use, and as many as 3 more that I’d like to have easy access to. They currently just live stacked up in order of structural integrity, but I’ve long dreamed of some sort of creative solution to have them neatly and space-efficiently organized, contained, and protected (mostly from toddler hands). I’ve tried to find a tall chest of drawers just large enough for the largest laptop (a 2010 16" Toshiba), but couldn’t find anything quite right. I’ve thought of something wall mounted like two slotted pieces of wood, sort of like a gun rack (maybe? I don’t know, I don’t have a gun collection), but I’d rather not drill into the walls of a house I intend to sell soon. I think my favorite idea is a tabletop version of that, holding them up vertically, sort of like a dish rack, but nicer and beefier.
I imagine there’s probably a simple solution, either something purpose-made or something easily adapted, but I am open to building my own. I have enough power tools, It’s just hard to find the time for elective projects right now.
I’ve thought about making such a solution, but the biggest issue that came in mind would be the amount of heat generated by all of those components and the poor airflow.
The design I planned was to put a few laptops in a box in their vertical position with the vents pointing upwards. Then I would have two intake fans into the box with some mesh to reduce dust and an exhaust at the top of the box. This way there is high static pressure to prevent too much dust and the fans will help to better circulate cool air to the laptops.
This was just a design though and I never implemented it (Didn’t have enough time or money to do this project because I wanted to buy better components for my pc).
A simple desktop solution would be taking a piece of plywood (like 0.75") and make two simple rectangles like 12" x 8" wide for the top and bottom and then make ends that are longer than the tallest laptop and as many dividers in-between as you have laptops. See my ASCII art below…
You can set it on the desk and slide the laptops in each of the slots as needed. Use some simple nails or screws to hold it together. If you wanted go really fancy, cut some rabbet groves on each end of the 12x8" boards and dado grooves every X" and then glue it all together.
I wasn’t imagining ever having them powered on when stored. I don’t even think I’d charge them in this state since it might be a while before I pick one up again so I like to keep the batteries at around half for health reasons. The exception would probably be a couple of the older ones that tend to drain their battery more when powered down. I’d probably plug those in every now and then just to keep from draining the main and CMOS batteries, but I wouldn’t power them on.
Maybe something exactly like that. Thank you! I knew there had to be such a thing out there already. “Laptop organizer” yields much better search results than what I was getting. I’ll have to take a look and see if anything has enough spaces and enough width and support for the older chonkier units.
I considered trying to 3D print something, but I was a bit worried it would get big fast to have enough strength for the Toshiba. Look up a Satellite A505, we’re talking probably 8lb. and 15x10x2in. It’s got an extended battery so it’ll have to sleep nose down, and all that weight 10 inches in the air is going to create some torque on those dividers. Maybe I’ll make two versions, with the antiques getting a much beefier design. This looks like a great place to start, thanks!
Of all designs, I think I like this the best. Having the dividers go all the way up offers the best support, and having a top is nice so I can put other things on top of it. Being the largest design, it makes it more a piece of furniture so I’d want to make it look as nice as possible, which may be a challenge for me since I don’t even know what a rabbet groove is. Perhaps it’s time to learn!
Thanks everyone for the ideas! I think I may start with something purchased or printed just to get them in a better situation quicker, but I think I may ultimately build something out of wood.
Where I work we use these lockable drawer systems with KVM extenders for our laptops. The cabinet has a PDU to power everything in each drawer and fans built in to keep the laptops from cooking themselves. While it is costly, if you wanted to DIY your own version it’ll give you an idea of how to set one up.
Yeah I like that. Without the power supply, I think this would be pretty close to perfect. Looks like those drawers would be big enough to even keep the chargers alongside the laptops. Not sure I could DIY something with drawers at this point in my woodworking career, but it surely is a good example.
Found this guy making pretty attractive units out of wood. Not too cheap, but when you think about it, not really that expensive for what you’re getting.
Lots of options, but none quite right for my fleet. I could get two, but I’ve inquired about the 8-bay models with some customized spacing. Again, not cheap at all, but this would both solve my immediate need and prevent me from taking on another project, something I am notorious for and am really trying to be better about!
His site showcases a lot of the work. It does say that he can make some custom stuff too just have to contact him and work it out. He makes nice things. If you told him that you did not need it as fancy as what he makes I am positive he could still make something custom for you at a price you both can agree upon.
You might ask him about the simple design I suggested above. Even if it was made of nice Plywood and then stained it would look sharp. Basically a box with dividers in it for each laptop. He could even ship it unassembled and pre drill it for the screws? Save on shipping and it might be a hair lower in cost too. Just a thought. Good find!
I know it’s a bit of a radical idea, but if you don’t use the other laptops, sell them. You then won’t need to store them and someone else might benefit from using them.
Not a bad idea if he comes back too expensive. Still waiting on a reply.
Yup, already considered that. It would probably work for small laptops or tablets, but I don’t think there’s one out there that would fit my larger laptops, or support their weight.
Thanks for the tip, but I do use all these laptops, hence me wanting to have an efficient storage solution to keep them handy.
