I wanted a motorized BEKANT sitting/standing desk but ran into a space problem. My old desk is in a corner between a door and a bookshelf, and the smallest BEKANT table is 20 centimeters too wide.
Luckily, the motorized underframe can be bought separately, so the first problem was solved by buying a 100x60cm LINNMON tabletop.
Materials:
- BEKANT desk underframe
- Non-standard size tabletop (LINNMON)
- Rectangular 35x15mm hollow structural steel
Tools:
- Hacksaw
- Drill press
- Cordless drill
Resizing the BEKANT underframe
Now, the second problem: the BEKANT underframe is too wide for this table! Fortunately, a standard 35x15mm furniture tube fits perfectly inside the horizontal supports. This makes it easy to modify it into a telescoping frame that fits a range of sizes.
The first step was to cut two equal-sized lengths of furniture tube. The length of these should depend on whether you want to shorten or lengthen the desk underframe.
Next, I cut out a piece from the middle of both horizontal supports since I wanted a shorter frame. In the picture, you can see how the tube fits inside.
I drilled a series of holes into the extension pieces. The two holes in the middle are 20mm apart, and the rest are 30mm, center to center. Each hole is centered vertically. The holes must be positioned very accurately for the parts to be interchangeable.
Optional step: I spray-painted the extensions to match the frame. Powder coating would have been best for durability and a more professional look, but it would have cost a lot more, too.
Finally, I drilled two holes through each of the four frame pieces. The center of the first hole is 10mm from the edge and the second one 70mm. These should line up with the holes in the extension piece.
The holes allow the width of the frame to be adjusted in 30mm increments. Tightening the nuts compresses the frame against the extension and removes any slack.
Extra page for the assembly instructions booklet:
Now, the underframe fits the table perfectly.
The non-BEKANT table top lacks pre-drilled holes. A 10mm wood drill was perfect for the plastic inserts that came with the frame.
All done!
~ by Calle Laakkonen
