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What is iMac stand made of

MacHiavelli

MacHiavelli

macrumors 65816
Original poster
May 17, 2007
1,255
920
new york
I want to lower the height of a 24 inch iMac. I want to take the stand off, cut it in half and then rebolt the two halves together, but overlapping them where they meet so I can drop the height by about 3 inches.

but I need to know what the stand is made of... anyone know. Solid aluminium? Plastic and aluminium?

Thanks
 
I'd imagine its solid aluminium... chopping the stand in half doesn't sound like a good idea to me. It'd probably alter the balance of the computer. If it’s a new iMac hacking bits off won't help with the guarantee either.

Why do you need to change the hight? if its a 24" you can wall mount it with a Vesa mount.

arkitect said:
I would assume solid aluminium…

Instead of sawing it in half and then bolting it together again — Franken-iMac — have you considered a VESA attachment?
Click to expand...

See... we agree :)
 
I want to lower the height of a 24 inch iMac. I want to take the stand off, cut it in half and then rebolt the two halves together, but overlapping them where they meet so I can drop the height by about 3 inches.
Click to expand...

Good God. Sounds like a recipe for disaster.

Remember, you're slashing the resale value by doing that.
 
Thanks for the advice. There's no wall near where I need it to go and I can't find a VESA desk stand that I like. It is a couple of months old, but I'm not really worried about the warranty because it won't get used much more as it is and so the only thing that will give it more life will be if I can lower its height.

If it is solid aluminium, then I reckon I can cut and lower it. (BIG IF!)
 
I think this inspires a collective shudder from Mac users through out the world... Why is it so imperative to lower it if I can ask?
 
MacHiavelli said:
Thanks for the advice. There's no wall near where I need it to go and I can't find a VESA desk stand that I like. It is a couple of months old, but I'm not really worried about the warranty because it won't get used much more as it is and so the only thing that will give it more life will be if I can lower its height.

If it is solid aluminium, then I reckon I can cut and lower it. (BIG IF!)
Click to expand...
I would never cut it, unless you have an artistic design modification. Otherwise, you probably will never be able to sell it. Also, if you do that, you may have a hard time convincing Apple that you didn't try some other mods inside should you need to repair it.

There are so many VESA desk stands out there. One has to work for you I would think.
 
Well… Good luck! :(

But crikey, it feels to me like I'd be sawing my own leg in half…
Think carefully before you tie the poor iMac down. :eek::eek:
 

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amiga said:
I think this inspires a collective shudder from Mac users through out the world... Why is it so imperative to lower it if I can ask?
Click to expand...

I provided the iMac for a colleague who is 5 foot 2; and the top of the screen is a few inches above her eye line and causing her to feel uncomfortable. If I can get the screen lower, she'll be okay. If I can't, I'll have to replace the iMac with a MPB and a 23 inch ACD. No one else here needs or wants the iMac, so it is either a case of finding a way to adapt it or simply bin it/sell it. It will probably just collect dust if I can't chop its legs down a bit, which is a waste.
 
Yeah I've seen that before - thought cutting and bolting would give a more stable and permanent solution ... so long as the base really is solid alu...
 
Can't you raise or lower the chair or desk, or cut an inch off the table legs? It just feels wrong hacking up the iMac.
 
a456 said:
Can't you raise or lower the chair or desk, or cut an inch off the table legs? It just feels wrong hacking up the iMac.
Click to expand...

We've tried raising the chair, but that means her arms don't sit comfortably on the desk. We've got the desk as low as it will go. The problem really is down to the fact that the stand does not offer any height adjustment. If I can find out for sure if it is solid aluminium, then I'll cut and bolt it. I am not worried about the warranty - if I ever need to take it to Apple I'll put a VESA mount on the back and just say it normally hangs on a wall - they'll never see the adapted stand. Maybe I should put a pilot drill hole through it to see what it is made of - that will show if it can be cut and bolted together.
 
surely rather than hacking the imac up you could just modify the desk? Cut out a square where the imac stand sits, and re-attach it a few inches lower (using very strong/stable struts/connections of course so it'll still take the weight). Do the desk before the imac, it'd be far easier unless its a glass desk or something odd.
 
Go ahead and cut . . .

Go on, just cut the stand and bolt it back together with some nice slots to allow height adjustment in case you need one inch below for cooling. The desk idea is a good one too. . .
 
Poor iMac :( Most the time im at mine, I have my eyes level with the apple logo, probably not good for me :p
 
I am Sampson said:
surely rather than hacking the imac up you could just modify the desk? Cut out a square where the imac stand sits, and re-attach it a few inches lower (using very strong/stable struts/connections of course so it'll still take the weight). Do the desk before the imac, it'd be far easier unless its a glass desk or something odd.
Click to expand...

I would prefer this idea. Cut it out, get some bolts and maybe metal play and then bolt it in the same spot but lower. And that way you arent chopping up your imac
 
This type of thing reminds me of what a great design the G4 iMac was. I wish Apple could have found a way to retain that arm in the G5 and Intel models.
 
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