My Toshiba laptop had frequent problems in the past with overheating. I used to put books underneath the two sides and leave enough space underneath for circulation so that the fans (located under the laptop) didn’t have to work as hard. This was cumbersome and begged to be improved upon.

My solution was to to build a tray/stand for the laptop. It can sit on top of a desk or comfortably on my lap.

If you want to jump ahead and see pictures of the laptop holder as well as the description of it then feel free to go to the website link below.

The laptop holder is made of wood and stands about 16” wide, 12.5” deep, and 7” high, with a hollow inside. It weighs roughly 10 lbs. There is adequate space underneath the laptop for air circulation. In addition, there’s storage room inside the hollow to put headphones, microphone, etc.

The holder resembles a table with four flat areas at the corners for support. The flats provide ample space for sideways movement of the laptop. At each of the four corners there are guards which are 0.25" high - slightly less than the thickness of the support pads underneath the laptop. The height of the guards is just high enough to prevent the laptop from sliding out, but low enough so that all the jacks, USB, power cord, etc. can be accessed, and the CD/DVD tray have the room to eject.

When I put the holder on my lap it’s at a comfortable height and I don’t have to slouch to type. I just sit back the whole time. The holder with laptop on it weighs about 20 lbs. The two wooden members underneath the holder distribute the weight evenly, so it can sit on my lap for hours without any discomfort.

To see pictures and description of a DIY laptop holder, visit http://assortedtips.blogspot.com/2007/09/diy-laptop-holder.html

Source: www.articlesbase.com