$6 IKEA Coat Rack Offers Solid Cable Management
Weblog BitsOfMyMind shares a very simple idea that turns an inexpensive coat-hanger rack into a simple and streamlined cord management solution.
Back when I detailed how to go cordless in your workspace, I championed a cable management add-on from IKEA. I’ve since gotten several emails from readers unable to find the cable management accessory in stores, which is why I love this coat-hanger workaround.
It was built by screwing Ikea Antonius coat hangers to the underside of the desk using long enough wood screws. To give it a bit of stability, I used a hollow tube (like piping cut to length) for the hangers to sit on.
You can find the Antonius coat hanger BitsOfMyMind used here, but it looks like you’ll have to head into stores to to buy it. The point, though, is that you really don’t need to buy this particular coat hanger—any similarly constructed coat hanger could do the trick nicely. (Though we do love the paltry price tag on this one.)
Cable management [BitsOfMyMind via Hack a Day]
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Comments (AU Comments | US Comments)
The worst mistake I've made in my life is to buy a glass desk...
mocanlagunas
This is the best resolution for wire management I have ever seen and I used to make furniture for a living. Great job, lifehackers!
this is why I love lifehacker, thank you I needed this!
@[www.office-supplies.us.com]
sl0play
@abdul+rahmansibahi: It's a tradeoff; you sacrifice portability for neatness. If you find yourself frequently needing to unplug something, then don't throw it into the cable-management system.
But if you find yourself maybe unplugging it once a month or less, then the slight hassle of getting it out is probably worth the cable clutter you cut down on.
I'd rather have messy cords than get mauled by the crowds in IKEA.
FamiCube64
why does everyone think that workstations with "cable management" are great and awesome ? They do look like a huge mess to me , especially if i wanted to unplug something and have to untangle every other wire to get it . Just horrible .
@RexgregBr: If you can get a wide enough surface area, you can get double-sided tapes that are removable. Another option may be small clamps.
Do you guys have any tips on how I could attach one of those (or any of the other solutions, such as rain gutters or baskets) to my desk without actually screwing them into the desk?
I had the desk made custom to what I wanted/needed and I'm really put off by the idea of drilling into it.
Caveat: I live in Brazil. No IKEA or Home Depots around... :-(
I saw something like hooks that you could attach to a board without using screws (I think they are called Sargent hooks here, I don't know why), but I couldn't find them on the nearby stores.
RexgregBr
Well this post inspired me to finally tidy up my cables.
I still had a box of IKEA Montera cable fasteners and other little things lying around, so it wasn't hard. Looks great now. :)
Schendje
Wasn't there something like this already posted on LH? I might've seen it somewhere else, but I'm almost certain it was here.
fauxtrot
wow, I sure could use this setup, I have all my cables in a big spiderweb mess on the floor behind my desk.
barcodejames
Oooh, clever.
Has enough bars to contain any length of excess cable. Also hung one on the wall to hold usb cables and such.
MarvinMar
Great setups with lousy seats rule!
SigmundTheSeaMonster
Oh, I'm liking this. This one's going in the "I might actually get this and actually USE this hack on my next trip to Ikea" folder.
I thought of that, too, but this one wins by price.
$5 for 20.5" (52 cm)
vs.
Signum $20 for 28.5" (72.7 cm)
jeffk
I wish everything could be wireless... only downside is cancer and even then it's probably worth it!
I just recently bolted one of these [bit.ly] spice racks from home depot under my desk and zip tied a whole lot of cables, adapters and external HDDs to it. It works pretty well and I can even detach the whole thing from my desk without unscrewing anything if have to.
It also gves me a nice little shelf right at the edge under my desk for putting random stuff.