My wife likes to stay active. Of course, as the CEO of a family business, as well as the family bookkeeper, she has a LOT of desk work to do. So I converted our treadmill into a treadmill desk using stuff we had laying around.
In order to work, the treadmill desk needed to have a work surface, a place for the computer, and a display, all while not interfering with the normal operation of the treadmill.
The work surface was easy enough. It is simply a black-finished particle board shelf with a piece of vinyl stair nosing* screwed onto both sides. The vinyl keeps stuff from falling off the shelf when the treadmill is being used. The treadmill originally had dense foam handrests supported by metal brackets. I removed the foam handrest part so I could bolt the shelf to the metal brackets beneath. The nut is countersunk into the shelf for a flush surface. The low profile of the shelf allows for the treadmill display to be unaffected so the treadmill can still be used as usual.
The computer, in this case PJ’s laptop, sits on the side table near the treadmill. It is controlled by the wireless mouse and keyboard* that sit on the work surface. Since the rubber edges can be rough on the wrists, I added a gel foam wrist support for both the mouse* and the keyboard*. This keeps the wrist from hitting the vinyl edge and is comfortable for working.
Also attached to the computer is the ethernet cable to access the internet, and the HDMI cable* that runs up to the first flat screen TV we ever bought. The DVD part stopped working years ago, but the display is still good, and it works well sitting up on an old wall bracket that was made for a CRT television. The base is actually bolted onto it so it cannot just tumble off if it gets bumped.
I added the power strip* for convenience and just cable tied* it to the treadmill so PJ could turn everything off at once if she wanted.
The only drawback to the whole thing is that the treadmill is very old. We got it about 18 years ago and have used it more often than not. Somehow it just keeps going. As long as it keeps working we can save the expense of buying one of those really nice treadmill desks* you can find online!
