Desktop Micro-Riser

I seriously have too much stuff on my desk. I have my tools and knickknacks all over the place. I try to organize by storing the least used stuff in my drawers, but there are still too much essential stuff left over (Yes, my robot figure is essential). To alleviate this problem, one of the things I made is this: a desktop micro-riser.

This project needs the following materials:

• acrylic sheet
• T-slotted frame extrusions x4
• M5 (12mm length) pan head screws x4

The tools are the following:

• screwdriver
• 3D printer
• marker of some sort
• drill with step drill bit

Acrylic Sheet

I bought the acrylic sheet from HomeDepot. I got this guy: 24 in. x 36 in. x 0.118 in. Clear Acrylic Sheet. I had an employee cut the sheet into 6 x 6 inches (He wasn't happy about it since the acrylic sheet was thick). You can customize the dimensions if you want it longer or something. The bigger the cut, the happier the employee will be. The thickness is also by personal preference. I chose a thickness 0.118 inches because I want it to be robust.

T-slotted frame extrusions

The frame extrusions are used as posts for the micro-riser. I 3D-printed mine using one of KronBjorn's thingiverse creations (a.stl). You can change the length of the post or use actual aluminum extrusions. The screw size might vary if you do decide to change it up.

M5 (12mm length) pan head screws

I got my screws from the machine shop at my old university. Doing a quick search on google yielded some places you can purchase them from. The screw size varies according to the extrusion used and the acrylic sheet thickness. If you're following the materials I used, the M5 with a 12mm length should work.

Step drill bit

I'm not that experienced with drilling acrylics, so I just went ahead with a suggested method on the interwebs. I ended up purchasing a drill bit that has that wedged bottom thing. This is so I can use the bit with the drill I already have. Using regular drill bits can cause cracks or melting, which I didn't want to personally test. So I'll take other people's word on it.

Take out a frame extrusion and marker for this. Set the extrusion to the corner of the sheet and mark where the hole is. Do this for all the corners. Then drill a hole on each marked spot all the way to the 7/32 on the step bit. Make sure to drill straight down or else your post will be crooked. Now, the hole size is dependent on the screw that you're using. The M5 screw should go through your 7/32 inch hole after doing some math (M5 = 5 mm diameter, 7/32 inch = ~5.55mm).

Take off the plastic adhesive from both sides of the drilled acrylic sheet. Then start screwing in the posts with your trusty screw driver.

Your desktop micro-riser is done! I added a decal on mine to add a personal touch :]