Inspired by a $50 laptop stand he saw in a store, Lifehacker reader Aaron Kravitz went out and built a stand himself out of “$8 worth of metal, a hacksaw, and a few strips of leather.”

The results, I think you will agree, are quite magnificent and if you take the suggestion of one reader, to use rubber instead of leather, you should be able to build a more durable stand that has a better grip on the laptop bottom.

If you want a little more inherent stability, one could opt for two well-spaced bent bars and three wider supports (two at the base and one about half-way up). It would take the cost up a little but would be pretty much bulletproof. [Lifehacker]