Mini Galant and Media Stand

Materials: Galant Conference table, Galant tabletop extension half round with frame (2) and Galant A-frame legs (4)

Description: I had a Galant conference table with the half round ends. I just moved into a new space and didn't need such a big table for dining but needed a small table. So I took the two half round ends and secured them together. I used the frames that came with them and turned them so the little extension pieces slid in and provided support for the center. I purchased 4 A-frame Galant legs and secured them and Viola! a new round table for two!


I took the table and converted it to a media stand. So I got two pieces of furniture for the price of a set of 4 legs.

~ Lisa Wilcox, United States

Improved Cat Box Cabinet

Materials: 2 Ikea Galant (?) Add-on Cabinets, Ikea Rationell Variera Drawer Mat, Ikea Hinges, Magnetic Cat Door, Saw, Drill, Forstner bit

Description: I know this hack has been shown a million times, but I think I added a couple improvements. I found 2 Galant (I think) add-on units in the '??As-Is' section of Ikea. Each had 2 sides and 2 ends. I disassembled one, making a 3rd side and lid. I drilled hinge holes into the lid and mounted it so it could be opened from the top. I also cut-down one of the ends to fit inside as a partition. I cut 2 'cat door size'?� holes, one in the end and one in the partition and install a store bought cat door on the outer end. I also lined the bottom with the Rationell Variera drawer mat.

A couple of advantages:
- The partition keeps the cat box itself at one end. It also helps to '??chamber' the smell.
- The cat door has a magnetic catch to keep the door closed, also helping to keep down the odor.
- The mat helps to keep moisture down, preventing 'stuff' from soaking into the wood.
- The mat also works to help remove litter from the cat'??s feet - I only find just a couple pieces of litter outside the box each week. (Yeah, I find because of the no-odor and no-litter, I clean it less now.)

~ Chris H., Round Rock, Texas

Notification Desk

Materials: Ikea Galant, LED Strips, Arduino

Description: Network connected RGB LEDs provide event notifications by shining through a frosted glass desk. As seen at Bay Area Maker Faire 2012!

* Cut peg board to match frame of Galant.
* Arrange lights and microcontroller
* connect power and signal wires
* upload code to controller
* send commands to desk over http

Detailed instructions of the LED desk light here.

~ Michael LaGrasta, San Diego, Ca

Biginfrikinhevi: Red and black home studio desk

Materials: Parts listed below, Tools: junior hacksaw, screwdriver, uber-weak drill, dremel (stronger than the drill)

Description:
Ikea Parts:
Desktop: Besta Tofta door - Gloss Black 60cm x 192cm (As-Is)
Frame: Galant desk frame 60cm x 160m
Legs: Galant A-leg
Drawer Base: Besta Tofta door - Gloss Red 60cm x 128cm
Drawer sides: Abstrakt drawer front - Gloss Red 60cm x 13cm (As-Is)
Cable management: Galant cable management 135cm x 12 cm
Computer base: Akurum wall cabinet door 30cm x 76cm - White (As-Is)
Speaker stand tops: Lantliv plant stands
Backlight: Dioder 4-piece light strip - white

Other Parts:
L-brackets, 22" drawer slides - Home Depot
Speaker stands: old Atlantic stands I had kicking around
Wire corner rack - Canadian Tire

------

After finding the Gloss black door in the "As-Is" I figured that it would make a cheap desktop at only $30... then I added a new frame and legs... then more... Gah!

I started by assembling the Galant frame as per instructions and centering the black Besta door on top.

Needing a cable management system, I returned to Ikea and picked one up. Because the cable tray was too wide to put on normally, I had to straddle the frame and put it on backwards. This turned out for the better since it completely hides all the cables from the front and flushed with the back of the desk.

I assembled my computer and found that the speakers were definitely too low, the monitor; also too low, the keyboard; too high, and overall it was rather shallow at 60cm deep. Not liking Ikea's rather flimsy attempt, I sought a better keyboard drawer.

Searching through Google images, I stumbled upon a studio setup that was completely hand-made and had a secondary desk that rolled out from underneath. It held a regular keyboard and mouse as well as a full controller keyboard. I fell in love with the size... but didn't like the secondary desk idea.

Still stuck on the drawer format and looking for a full size desk solution, I took a few measurements and POW, it struck me! I'd seen a couple of drawer fronts at the "As-Is" area that I figured were the same depth as the desk... figuring them to be about 2cm thick and a drawer slide to be about 15mm, I did the math and found that I had *almost* 128cm remaining between the frame edges on the bottom of the desk. Nice! I remember seeing 128cm in the Besta door sizes!

A quick visit to Home depot to pick up the largest drawer slides (22") they carried and various L-brackets, then off to Ikea again. The slides were exactly the size I thought they would be and the two drawer fronts were slightly thinner at 18cm. This left the needed 128cm: the exact described width of the Besta door. Since the drawer fronts were red/brushed chrome and I already had a black/white/red/chrome theme going in my apartment, the gloss red Besta seemed like the only rational choice.

After getting home and laying everything out on the upside-down desk, I realized that I would have to work around the frame and the cable management tray. A few cuts (and beers) later, I was able to secure the drawer fronts snugly into the frame, covering the ends of the cable tray.

I had to place the slides slightly lower than planned so that the drawer bottom cleared the cable tray. This left the bottom perfectly flush with the sides and allows the drawer to close completely flush with the front when I need to move.

Having not measured the height of my controller keyboard and also having fully assembled the desk, I had a moment of panic when I placed it on the drawer and realized that I may not be able to slide it in! Luckily, there was clearance... but <2mm!

Dioder lights: I used the supplied foam tape tabs and mounted them to the back of my monitor.

As for the speaker stands: I just center-mounted the caster-less Lantliv stands on top of my existing stands so that I could avoid putting holes in the bottom of my speakers. This allowed me to put them exactly at ear height. Being behind my desk, I have no fear of tipping them.

Done! (now.. the cable management!)

~ HeavenIsDigital

GALANT chopping board storage unit

Materials: GALANT desktop

Description: We don't have a lot of storage space in our kitchen and we were in need of a place to store all of our cutting/chopping boards. I took a GALANT desktop that I found in the "as is" section for 40 bucks and cut it into 5 pieces. Two side boards approx. 25x36 and 3 middle pieces approx 4x25.

I connected the pieces with regular wood screws. I wanted it to sit a little lower than our stove so it could double as a shelf for oil, seasonings etc. It has worked out great for us.

~ Brian

Galant gets gorgeous

Materials: Galant

Description: Hello, just checking the mainstream gaming websites (I work in the industry, so I have to keep current), and I thought you might appreciate this Galant hack.

Overclock.net community member Kaxtos started with a Galant unit as his base and then worked all the way up to curvy seduction with sandblasted decorations on Plexiglas and of course, tons of blue LED lighting, which Kotaku says is the hallmark of a proper PC case mod.

See more of the built-in desk PC. [via Kotaku]

~ Tony

Galant Stand-Up Desk and Rationell Variera monitor stands

Materials: Already owned Galant right-corner desk (currently $160.00) Galant right-corner desk frame ($40.00) Hardware - ~$14.00 8 8" 5/16 hex head bolts 8 5/16 hex nuts 16 5/16 washers 1 length of 1" PVC (Home Depot only sells this in 10' lengths) Lumber - ~$14.00 2 Rationell Variera monitor stands - $20

Description: I had bought a Galant desk about 6 years ago because it had adjustable legs and I wanted to try a stand-up desk. Unfortunately when i got it put together did I realize that the legs only extended to 38" (it helps to read the description on the IKEA website before buying). Since I am 6' tall, having a desk surface that is only 39" tall would not work, so I set the legs at proper sitting height and forgot about it.

The past year or so I had been reading a ton of articles about the health benefits of standing while working. I looked all over for standing solutions. I found several on IKEA hacks and almost tried the Utby bar table solution. But I liked my current desk so I gave my Galant a second look. The solution I came up with turned out to be incredibly simple (no drilling or structural modification required) and easy to put together.

To get the desk work surface to the recommended 43-44" all I needed was to create an 7-8" extension on top of the existing work surface. This was done by elevating another frame - the part that the legs are screwed into and the desktop is mounted on - above the existing one. Eight 8" hex bolts were inserted through the bottom of the existing frame (in factory drilled holes. A length of PVC pipe surrounding each of the bolt is what supports the top frame and the bolts are tightened down with a nut at the top. Then the tabletop is attached to the top frame normally.

This modification also allowed me to create a "sub desk" on the lower, original frame providing a space for routers, power supplies extra hard drives, etc. this was done simply with two lengths of lumber cut to the same length and width of the frame. (Home Depot allows for 2 free cuts on lumber, so you could probably just buy 1 8' sheet of wood and have them rip it to size to allow for a sold sub-desk). I just lined up the lumber on the frame and drilled holes for the hex-bolts to pass through.

Another small hack to go with my new desk was the monitor stands. OSHA recommends that the tops of your monitors should be fairly even with your eyeline. So, I needed some fairly tall monitor stands or spring for expensive monitor arms. The simple and cheap solution I found were the Rationell Variera 7.5" plate holders. I flipped the metal brackets upside-down, making a wider base and set the monitors on top of the wooden part. This brought my monitors up a little over 6.5" and directly into my eyeline. I was concerned they would be wobbly, but was really surprised at how sturdy they are.

So, for less than 90 bucks, I now have a great stand-up desk. Standing while working has been a blessing. Everything that's been said about it is true. I've added a GelPro Plush anti-fatigue mat which is like standing on air. I find I constantly stand "Captain Morgan" style, resting a foot on a small footstool underneath the desk.

~ Steev Kelly, United States

Ikea office desk with Corian top

Materials: Ikea Office Desk, Corian top

Description: We took some stock Ikea office desks, and covered the original top with Corian for longevity and ease of maintenance. (We own a solid surface shop, so it also shows our workmanship at the same time.)

~ Len Smith, Fallbrook, CA

Galant Megadesk

Materials: Galant tabletops, Galant frames, A legs, T legs, Capita legs, Signum wire management

Description: I made this desk quite some time ago, so I may forget to mention a few steps. I think this is a creative way of putting together a desk as large as you need/want with an elegant shelf. I have built or assisted with 4 similar desks of varying size. This one is (by far) the biggest.

The Setup
I had a formal living room that I wanted to turn into an office. Instead of putting several desks next to eachother, I really wanted to make a Galant that would fill 3 walls of the room. That would give me plenty of room for several computers, a TV, and some room for studying, etc. I started watching craigslist and visiting the As-Is section regularly. 


The Desk
I started with 2 large rectangular Galant desks (63 x 31.5 inches) and one small extension (23 5/8 x 31.5 inches). I arranged them as a corner desk, making an L shape, with the extension on one end. I didn't use a corner piece here because I wanted the desk on both of these walls to be 31.5 inches deep, not the 23 5/8 inches that a corner piece would have forced me into on one wall. The trick was using the right frame pieces to make it one solid desk. I used frames from a Galant corner desk and the 47 1/4 x 31.5 inch rectangular Galant, along with 2 bars from a large extension frame kit to join them together. Those frames covered the 2 large Galant desks, and I used the regular extension frame for the extension desk piece. If I used the frame as designed, it would have been too far to the back of one of the desks. I drilled my own holes in the corner frame where the two pieces of the frame bolt together. With my own holes, I had to use a nut at then end of 2 of the bolts. I also had to drill my own holes for the spots where the frame attaches to the table top, but only on one of the tables. I used T legs for the ends, and put A legs in the back of the desk where possible. If you prefer the look of the rounded corner, just put a Knos curved desk pad in the corner. It looks good and is strong enough to be used.

About a year later, I had finally acquired enough pieces to finish the rest of the desk. I used 2 corner Galant desks to complete the desk. I used one of them as a corner and I cut the other down to a 63 x 23 5/8 inch rectangle. I joined them using another set of extension bars, then joined that to my previous desk with yet another set of extension bars. I used 3 more T legs on this part of the desk. Due to the size of my room, I had to insert a 5 1/4 inch piece of scrap so the desk covered the whole wall.

The Shelf
So far I've described the actual desk. The part that really makes this hack-worthy is the shelf on top of the desk. I decided to use Galant desk pieces for the shelf since they look great with the desk, and I find the Lack shelves to be somewhat cheap. I used two corner Galant desk pieces and one small extension to create a shelf about 15 5/8 inches deep that covers the entire desk, except where the desk is only 23 5/8 inches deep. I think the diagram will show this much better and faster than I can write it. Simply take a Galant corner desk and cut where I have the red lines. Use Capita legs to elevate the shelf to whatever height you want, and put it on top of the desk.

I chose to have my shelf 6 inches above the desk, but the Capita legs are also available in 4 and 8 inch heights. I used 21 Capita legs due to the size of the shelf. When installing the Capita legs, use them to join multiple pieces of shelf/desk together at the joints (two screws into each piece of wood). Also make sure you place them far enough back in places where you plan on using the Knos desk pads. I have 2 corner Knos and 3 straight Knos on my desk. With the 6 inch Capita legs, I now have room under the shelf for some Kassett DVD boxes, and Kassett CD boxes.

I used 7 Signum wire managers on the underside of the desk with surge protectors zip tied to the bottom for very effective cable management.

~ Joshua, Virginia

Home Office Underbelly

Materials: Galant Desk, Ikea File Cabinet, Rubbermaid

Description: Basically, install Rubbermaid home items at time of desk setup, trial and error follows to put everything on the underbelly or lifted from the floor that does not need to be on the desktop. Make it functional.

I was motivated by sites like these but I could not find enough ideas. I thought my finished product mighht assist others' efforts.

See more of the Galant underbelly.

~ Stuart, Los Angeles

Coffee table advance

Materials: Malm Storage Unit, Galant Monitor Stand

Description: Only a little hack ;)

The Malm Storage Unit is perfect to hide things like the TV guides, bottle opener, the reserve of sweets, ... but they are not big enough for a coffee table. So I have expanded it with a Galant Monitor Stand and 3 short table-legs. To stop the stand from slipping I used double-sided adhesive tape (the black under the table-legs).

~ Ingo, Cologne, Germany

Coat Hanger Shelf Luxury Version

Materials: 2 Grundtal Haklei (60176925), Lansa handles 25cm (60138759), Galant board (60080541), 2 metal brackets, 2 screws

Description: A small hack inspired by the "Coat Hanger Shelf" posted some weeks ago plus a walk through IKEA.

The GALANT board was cut from 40x80 to 34x80. Grundtal Haklei is attached on the right and left side. Here you need 2 screws that are a bit longer than the original ones in order to attach them to the board. At the front you can see the LANSA handles for the coat hangers. Everything else is pretty easy: After attaching everything to the board, mount it on the wall using two or more metal brackets.

See more of Martin's coat hanger shelf.

~ Martin, Brunswick, Germany

Galant Dining table

Materials: GALANT meeting room table

Description: There was GALANT meeting room table in the bin. Table surface was in terrible condition but table legs were OK. I glued 8 mm plywood on the surface and beech baseboard list to the table edge.

White paint is excess from sailboat project ( Hemplel Brilliant Enamer ). You do not need to be an finnish software engineer and stingy in these projects - but it helps.

~ Heikki Tanner, Tampere Finland