Mount keyboard directly to tray arm?

[robo]

I know keyboard trays have a bad reputation, but I find that they do serve a purpose. I like my keyboard low, and my desk free for a notebook or tablet, and a tray is great for that. A good quality, properly mounted tray should not bounce or wobble.

My daily driver is a Model F reproduction, which weighs just over 8 lbs, and I currently have it in a fairly narrow (20") metal tray (see photo). It works decently, but i still bump into the corners of the tray and wish it wasn't there.

IMG_8926.jpeg (337.89 KiB) Viewed 36940 times

The keyboard itself is far sturdier than the tray, and it occurred to me that I could probably mount the keyboard itself directly to one of those keyboard tray arms, discarding the board, like this: https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=24639

That way, there would be nothing in the way. I'm not averse to drilling some holes in the bottom of the metal case to attach it to the arm, or maybe I can make use of the existing two holes toward the back....

Thoughts?

[depletedvespene]

I know keyboard trays have a bad reputation, but I find that they do serve a purpose. I like my keyboard low, and my desk free for a notebook or tablet, and a tray is great for that. A good quality, properly mounted tray should not bounce or wobble.

"A good quality, properly mounted tray should not bounce or wobble." is, indeed, half of the reason keyboard trays get their bad wrap. The only good enough keyboard tray I've ever seen was a custom-built one, by someone who shared the same opinion as you and I regarding bouncing or wobbling.

The other half is... they're never wide enough — if having the mouse at a differing height from the keyboard works for you, more power to you, but for most people, keyboard and mouse should be side by side, and the standard trays I've seen in the last decades barely fill this requirement using <=75% units, with TKL keyboards reducing the mouse space below usability, and Enhanced or Converged keyboards ("full-size" and "battleships", respectively) being out of the question, the latter with the added problem of being "too tall".

[modelf]

I bought a "new" desk (beautiful hardwood, 300 lbs/136 kg, took 3 guys to move it, me included... and was $10 at Goodwill!) specifically because it doesn't have a keyboard tray, and my old desk did. Keyboard trays are awful. But I can envision some kind of metal arm that swings in and out that could serve the same purpose. My advice is to build a custom rig that holds the keyboard and can swing in and out from under the desk. If you have a bit of welding experience (or have a friend who does), it could be a fun project.

[robo]

The other half is... they're never wide enough — if having the mouse at a differing height from the keyboard works for you, more power to you, but for most people, keyboard and mouse should be side by side...

That's a good point - luckily not an issue for me. I discovered that I actually like my trackball to be above the keyboard, actually even more centered than in the picture - I have it roughly over the backspace key. I find that lifting my arm up to there is _less_ out of the way than to the side for even a tenkeyless, way less than for a full keyboard, and similar to a 60%. With my keyboard mounted low, the trackball level is still comfortable. It's kind of like a (musical) keyboard instrument with multiple manuals



As for the tray being solid, the current tray is a cheap one from Amazon, but I discarded the cheap included mounting hardware and bolted it very solidly to the underside of the desk, and also added heavy duty binder clips to the sliders (out of sight, under the desk) so that the tray stays put wherever it is pulled out to (not just at the max extension). It's mildly ghetto, but there's no bounce or wobble. The mass of the keyboard probably helps a bit too. It's got some serious inertia.

[robo]

...But I can envision some kind of metal arm that swings in and out that could serve the same purpose. My advice is to build a custom rig that holds the keyboard and can swing in and out from under the desk. If you have a bit of welding experience (or have a friend who does), it could be a fun project.

I was hoping that a decent quality articulated metal keyboard tray like the Monoprice one linked in the first post might be exactly that... Depending on how it's mounted, its materials and tolerances, and given that I'm only interested in mounting a TKL width keyboard, so less side to side leverage than with a full kbd + mouse, it seems like it _could_ be rock solid. I might have to find something better quality than the Monoprice though. It's hard to judge that from a small product photo.

[MyDogSaysHi_42]

I few years ago I made a temporary keyboard table from scraps from other projects. I was only going to use it until I could get a good keyboard tray. I still use it . Sturdy, nice and wide, room enough for coffee (much better than putting coffee on the desk which then ends up falling on my keyboard ).

IMG_20240415_193126.jpg (139.15 KiB) Viewed 36237 times

[The Laptop Lagger]

I'm gonna be rather blunt and suggest high end double sided tape over drilling holes

[robo]

I'm gonna be rather blunt and suggest high end double sided tape over drilling holes

Don't worry, I won't desecrate the board. I was looking and the two existing holes would be more than enough to mount it securely, I think.