Dave become a Novation Launchpad stand

Materials: 1 Dave, 1 25x25cm piece of wood, 8 corner joints

Description: I needed a cheap stand for my Novation Launchpad and looking around the Internet I've found nothing under 60 �.

So I went to IKEA and found a beautiful Dave waiting for me.

The process to build this stand is quite simple: instead of attaching the default Dave tabletop to the leg, screw the 25x25cm wood piece on it (you will need to cut out a little pin in the plastic and to use self-threading screws, no big deal).
That's it, you will have your Launchpad stand ready to be used!

But... wait... there's more! What if I would like to use Dave as a table sometimes?
A little hack in the hack!

* Take the default Dave top, put it on a table with the bottom upward, and lay down the wood piece in the middle of it;
* Now surround the piece of wood with corner joints screwed to the Dave top (self-threading screws here also).

Now you can use Dave as you normally would (putting the default top above the wood piece), or as Launchpad stand!

If your launchpad is slipping from the stand (mine doesn't), you can optionally add a Velcro strip on the wood piece and on the Launchpad back.

~ Francesco Verdoja, Rivalta (TO), Italy

Dave's Low/High Rider (laptop table hack)

Materials: Ikea Dave, 1/4" wood insert, furniture tabs, Induru tripod, Manfrotto Joystick Tripod Mount

Description: I immediately enjoyed the use of Dave once assembled. However, after some use I discovered it was not as stable as I would have liked. Meaning, it was not meant for leaning or piling extra accessories on.

Then, my kids had their fun with it and put it to its test. I thought it would be ok for my son to use as a Lego platform for a day. All was well but I failed to share the delicate nature of Dave. Soon thereafter Dave had a stripped tightening knob and was collapsed to its lowest height permantly.

Before making a trip back to Ikea I felt allowed to do something along the lines of a hack that my wife would not mind especially after it being 6 days old.

Not only does it seem more stable but with my Manfrotto joystick tripod mount I can achieve angles like before. I still need to be careful about too much weight but this has been a pleasant and happy accident. Just today I raised the tripod to stand up desk level and dig it even more.

I also drilled 1/4 inch holes and added furniture tabs to hold an IPad or laptop at an angle. Something that was missing fom the original design.

I realize the tripod look does not have th Ikea flair but for any creative professional who lugs around gear and needs to set up shop anywhere this is vey handy. Paying for a traditional laptop table would easily start at $100 or more.

~ Rick, So Cal

Contemporary Laptop Counter

Materials: Dave laptop workstation, Vika Kaj adjustable leg, Dioder LEDs

Description: I work for a small start-up company in high-tech medical equipment. We participate regularly at exhibitions during conventions. I used to rent a counter from the congress organizers. Renting such a counter for 3 days costs between 200 and 350 �. Now I found an alternative, which also looks better compared to the worn-out, overpriced rental� I can use it again and is easy to transport if by car.

At Ikea I found "Dave", a plastic, modern looking laptop workstation. Since this a table, it was too low to make presentations on a laptop while standing in front of it. How to turn this workstation into a counter?

I picked-up "Vika Kaj" at Ikea. This is a white adjustable leg. Both ends of "Dave" are very different and I could not find a quick way to make Dave's leg longer to fit the height of the laptop station to my needs. With a grinder I cut Vika Kaj in two. Also with the grinder I made a slot of about 5 cm at the bottom. The aim was to make the bottom end conic, similar to the original leg. After inserting the half Vika Kaj in the original leg, I drilled 3 holes, put self-tapping screws in it and painted the bare metal parts in white.

Dave was now high and stable enough for my purpose. To make the whole workstation look slicker, I attached 2 bars of colored leds lights "Dioder", using double sided tape.

The result: an original, high-tech looking counter for my booth at exhibitions. I have just used it during 3 days on an exhibition in Germany and it did the job!

Total price:
Dave: 99�
Vika Kaj: 10�
Dioder: 29,95�
Total: 138,95�

~ Herve, Belgium

Wheelie Dave laptop stand

Materials: Dave laptop table, 3 casters, 12 wood screws, and Mighty Putty

Description: I really like my Dave laptop stand for using my laptop on my couch, but it was hard to drag across the carpet and always seemed in danger of tipping over. IKEA seems to put casters on everything else, so I was surprised that this didn't come with them too.

You need 3 casters, one for each leg. I had left-over casters from an Alex drawer unit, but IKEA also sells casters separately. You want the kind that have a flat metal plate for attaching to a flat surface, not the kind with a post.

You need something to screw into to attach the casters to the legs, but the bottom of the legs are hollow with a honeycomb of supports. So I used Mighty Putty (As Seen on TV!), which is a 2 part epoxy putty, to fill the voids in the honeycomb and attach my screws. I used about 3 sticks total.

Turn the Dave upside down and pry off the gray plastic slider feet at end of each leg. Line up the casters so that the screw holes are close to corners in the honeycomb, but also keeping them as close to the end of each leg as possible for stability. Mix the putty per package instructions and then fill the area under each screw hole. You don't have to fill the entire void, just the corners around each screw. While the putty is still soft, gently screw through the metal plates into the putty. Do not push the screws in because the putty won't get into the threads and won't hold as well. Leave the Dave upside down until the putty hardens completely. Voila! a laptop stand that rolls smoothly over any surface.

~ Nicole, California