This is a set of brackets that mounts a shelf that slides under a desk.

Hi! This design is the result of my need to free desk space and lower the keyboard height as the desk is too tall for me. I spent over an hour looking for sliding keyboard trays and none met my needs/wants.

Designed in SolidWorks for Makers, printed with a Creality Ender 3 V2 printer with custom 1st Layer firmware and board.

Features:

• Big enough to hold plenty of peripherals and more
• Slides under desk to reduce footprint and add some dust protection
• Solid. Very solid. Even when extended, the natural binding of the peripheral and hand weight “locks” the shelf in any position
• Uses common or easily available materials, this aluminum extrusion is very stiff and practical
• Can be adapted to any desk and shelf size without changing the 3D prints, fully dependent on the extrusion lengths

Designed for 3D printing, considerations:

• The front desk mount piece uses four screws since it will hold most of the weight
• The recommended print orientation maximizes the layers along the shear forces
• No supports required, nada.
• The extrusion mating parts include an inner “rib” that makes contact in the extrusion slots before the side walls to reduce sliding friction and considerably increasing the holding strength
•  Not only functional, but also spent some time shaping for a nicer look and feel

Downsides:

• It binds when trying to slide-in or out caused by uneven force on the ends when doing so, the solution is to frame the shelf with additional length-wise aluminum extrusion to force squareness
• It doesn’t make tacos but it does free your desk to hold them

For the future: Can’t stop thinking about using v-slot wheels for that smooth and satisfying slide but initial thoughts makes it look clunky, obtrusive, and more expensive. But I like the challenge and more options are good so stay tuned!

All-in-all, I’m extremely happy with this solution, it’s very solid, holds peripherals clearing my desk and stows away. I’m publishing this free hoping that my time and effort go further than just meeting my needs.

Published and available to download in Maker World

Prototyping gallery: