What sort of wood joint should I use for a hanging LCD Mount?

Asked by shadowfelldown (389

) September 12th, 2009

I am living in a dorm where I cannot drill holes in any of the walls or furniture. I have a wardrobe at the foot of my bed that I would like to mount my LCD monitor onto the side of. (to allow me to be completely lazy and use my computer from my bed.)
I have a standard articulating LCD mount, but because I cannot drill any holes into the actual wardrobe, I have decided to try and hang an L shaped wooden mount down from the top of the wardrobe that I can screw the mount into.
I will hopefully have a wooden piece running across the entire top of the wardrobe (about 4’ wide by 2’ deep) with a quite heavy (40 pound or so…) computer sitting on top of it. There will be a second board that will probably hang down a foot or two at a right angle from the piece of wood on the top of the wardrobe, and the mount will then be screwed onto the hanging board as per usual.
the monitor is a 24 inch that weighs about 14 pounds, and the mount extends to a maximum of 23 inches from the wall
First off, Is this likely to go badly?
I figure that leverage is on my side, as long as I have my 40 pound monster weighing the top board down, It would seem to me that even when the mount is extended to the maximum it will not be a problem. (perhaps I am wrong)
what I am really worried about is how I should go about making the joint in the two boards so that it will be as strong as possible and not drop my monitor.
I am rubbish at woodworking, so I really don’t know what the best way to approach this kind of problem would be. Is there some sort of relatively simple wood joint that will withstand the strain better than a simple butt joint. Should I use some of those metal L shaped shelf bracket things to reinforce the joint?
any help or opinions would be appreciated.

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7 Answers

I’d be afraid to commit that kind of weight and leverage to a butt joint, and any kind of more sophisticated joint may be a reach for your skill level and resources.

In your place, I’d consider doing the following: Buy a pair of pipe clamps from Home Depot, two 4½ ft. lengths of ¾” black pipe with one threaded end (they can thread it for you), a 1” spade drill bit and, if you don’t already have it, a chunk of wood for the actual mounting plate (I’m picturing something like a 2 ft. long piece of 2X10).

Near what will be the top end of the mounting plate, 2 ” in from the end, drill two holes for the pipe to pass through. The two lengths of pipe will lie along the top of the wardrobe and the mounting plate will hang from their ends. The pipe clamps will then be attached to the two ends of the pipes and tightened to clamp the plate firmly to the side of the wardrobe. The computer on top of the pipes completes the system.

Harp (19179

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Could you draw a diagram of what you want to do? We might be able help you better.

J0E (13172

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@Harp
so if I am getting your plan correct, the final product will look something like the following diagram I have meticulously rendered with my amazing ms paint skills. find it here

shadowfelldown (389

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Exactly!

Harp (19179

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@shadowfelldown Love the grin on his face, wonder what he’s watching…

rebbel (35553

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Mortice and Tennant

ASoprano (109

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you might try using heavy duty “L” brackets that are bent on the “flat” to join the flat piece above to the vertical piece under it. They should be long enough to go both directions so as to afford room for the screws, more = better, that will be tying the whole affair together. The heavy object on top should keep it from flopping over the edge although you could lay a thin rubberized mat under it to ensure there is no slippage. Better yet use another set of “L” brackets on the backside for even more insurance. HTH, R

woodcutter (16382

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