There has already been some excellent discussion here and elsewhere about adjustable height desks, but I think I'll bring a bit of a new twist to the question.
I want to rebuild a bedroom into an office. I intend on placing in-wall bookshelves around the entire room, excluding where the windows are. Here I'd like to use the window frame as "runners" of a sort for an adjustable height desk. I'm thinking of using a pulley system to make all of this happen.
I've included a graphic with front and side views of how I imagine this might look, but it isn't entirely clear that the pulley system I'm envisioning would be triangular…but in any case, I'm open to other suggestions as well.
My main concern is the ability to adjust the height significantly (e.g. a few feet) and for the underside to be sufficiently clear to use my folding recumbent bike should I so desire…or perhaps even a treadmill.
Best Answer
one simple answer and one complex answer...
first: is to use twin slot shelving to create a large, adjustable shelf/desk.. where you could quite easily create a light duty desk. I have an image, however the shelf in the picture is too small to be a desk, i have personally used a heavy duty version as my desk (safely holding one desktop pc, CRT screen and printer)
Second, is to use some sort of linear drive where you have the shelf run up and down some form of runner (or drawer slide).. this would be something close to the screw jacks that are used to jack up your car at the service station. - probably a little too complicated for use as a desk.