Just in time for July 22, National Hammock Day (of course that's a thing), is the DIY Hammock Desk. A frame for a desk and hammock stand to attach to each other.

I was building standing desks for myself and my girlfriend, when I thought that maybe we didn't want to stand all day, what if we could also lay down at a desk. So I put this stand together, and added one hammock from Amazon, and a board from Lowe's for the tabletop. I surprised her with it last night in celebration of Hammock Day, the best holiday ever.

It's built with "lean pipe" (sometimes called "creform"), a pipe-building system that lets you attach pipe to each other without threading it. The pipe has a plastic coating and the joints grip the pipe. I adjusted the hammock and desk height to the point where I'm basically laying down. All pipe/joint parts are from my small business, Fitz Kits. All the components are listed in the next step. The benefit to using this kind of system is that you can change it easily if you want (add supports, add features, etc). You can just cut the poles to size with a hacksaw, you should put them into a vise for support though. If you don't want to do that yourself we'll be making a kit of all the poles - check back here on 7/23.

You'll need to take a little time to adjust the desk height, the footrest height and how far apart the hammock supports are to fit your body and whichever hammock you use with it. Goofy hat and sunglasses not necessary, they just felt "hammocky".

I don't know what the weight limit is for this, but I weigh 240 lbs and it holds me fine. Note that if you weigh more you may have to reinforce it, but that's not difficult to do.

(OK, I've already had people message me about this, this is NOT designed as a "swing" for, uh, "other activities". I have no idea if it would be safe, comfortable or sturdy enough for such use)

Step 1: Parts and Tools Needed

You can either make this kit from scratch or using a kit. To make this from scratch, the only tools needed are a hammer, M5 metric hex wrench, and a hacksaw.

A kit will include all the poles already cut and a hex wrench. They'll be available at this link soon.

Accessories:

- Standard-size hammock chair (with approx. 40" spreader bar)

I used this one, it's just a very basic one though so you may want one with more cushioning.

- 36" x 20" wooden board from Lowe's

- Pillow or cushion for your legs

Frame parts (from Fitz Kits):

- 12 x L-joints

- 8 x end joints

- 8 x angle joints

- 2 x double angle joints

- 2 x double swivel joints

- 6 x plastic foot caps

- 4 x rubber feet

- 12 x end caps

- 4 x corner supports

- 3 x 15" G3 poles

- 3 x 6.5" G3 poles

- 1 x 12" G3 pole

- 4 x 56" G3 poles

- 2 x 3.5" G3 poles

- 4 x 24" G3 poles

- 2 x 4.25" G3 poles

- 4 x 29" G2 poles

- 4 x 35" G1 poles

- 4 x 18.5" G1 poles

Step 2: Building the Desk Frame

Assemble the desk frame using these parts:

- 2 of the 18.5 inch G1 pipes (sides)

- 2 of the 35 inch G1 pipes (front and back)

- 4 of the 29 inch G2 pipes (legs)

- 4 L-joints

Lay the parts on the floor and start building the desk upside-down as shown in the picture, just to get the basic frame put together. Sometimes it helps to pre-assemble a joint partway then just slide the pipes into it. Put the end caps into the tops of the 4 vertical leg pipes and the rubber feet on the bottoms.

Tap the end caps and rubber feet in with a mallet, piece of wood or

Flip the frame over, and assemble the "foot rest" as seen in the pictures. It's made of 2 18.5-inch G1 pipes and one 35-inch G1 pipe, two L-joints and two end joints. I'd suggest that you not make the joints too tight at first in case you want to raise or lower it later.

Place the corner supports on the top of the frame and gently tap them in place with a hammer. There are holes that you can use to mount them more permanently in place if you want, but it's not necessary.Corn

Set the wood piece on top. You can loosen the joints on top slightly if you have any trouble fitting the wood in, then gently push down on it.

If you want to finish the top more, I'd suggest sanding the wood with a 220 grit sandpaper and putting 2 or 3 coats of polyurethane on it. You can even use spray can poly if you don't want to make a mess.

Step 3: Assemble the Chair Frame

The entire hammock chair frame is made with "G3" pipes.

First assemble the base out of:

Six L-joints

Three 15" pipes

Two 49" pipes

Three of the corner legs are 6.5" long

One of the corner legs - the leg that will be hinged to the desk assembly - is 12" long. Make sure that's on the side that you want it to be. You swivel the chair assembly slightly to sit in it so it should be on the opposite site from where you plan to get in the hammock.

The two center legs are 4.25" long.

Put the foot caps on the bottoms of all the legs before assembling them - just tap them on gently with a hammer.

The "wings" are 56", attached to the base with angle joints as in the photos. They're fastened 16" from the ends of the base, although you can adjust that somewhat if necessary.

Both wings are attached to each other at the top with a "double angle" joint, and supported with a 24" support pole, attached to the base with an end joint and attached to the wing with an angle joint.

Step 4: Attach the 2 Sections, and Hang Your Hammock Chair

Basically all hammock chairs have the same construction: a spreader bar on top, with one large loop around each end of the bar (you may want to make sure that your hammock is designed in a similar way). Remove the spreader bar from the hammock chair, and hook the loops over the top of the chair arms.

Then snap the four "double swivel joint" plastic inserts to the pipes, 2 on the 12" pipe and two on one of the 29" legs.

then, bolt the two metal halves of the double swivel joints over the plastic inserts, make sure to line up the little plastic nubs with the grooves in the metal.

Step 5: Use Your Hammock Desk!

Find a pillow or other cushion to put your legs up on the footrest under the desktop.

Adjust the height of the desk portion so that it's the right height for you as well. If you plan on sitting upright most of the time you can put it a few inches taller, or if you want to lay down more you can lower it on the 29" legs.

You'll have to tweak your hammock to fit your needs, you can adjust the angle of the "wings" that hold it up, you can shorten the support poles or add more if you need, that's the benefit of lean pipe.

Make sure to tighten all the joints very snugly once you've adjusted everything.

- You can add wire clips to the pipes to organize your cords

- You can add hooks to hang things (like headphones or spare cords) or even help hold your hammock in place

To get in and out of it, you just swivel the chair a foot or so and pull it up behind you.

While you're here be sure to check out our other 'Ibles! Hope you enjoyed this project!