I have seen slopes, lapdesks, and writing desks in folks avatars or pictures. (I especially like Denis's) I have been searching the web for descriptions, places to buy them etc.

I have noticed that most "vintage" desks or slopes origonate in the UK. They were only used for a while as "campaign desks" during our Civil War. It is almost impossible to fingd a current maunfacturer in the US or tha UK for that matter and when you do they are frightfully expensive.

As I progress to hone my writing skills and hopefully start writing letters I started to wonder...
What are the advantages or disadvantages? Can they help me become a better writer? Do they allow for longer periods of writing pleasure?

Any information I can learn from you folks I really appreciate it

sal

I know very little about the beautiful slopes in the pictures and was curious myself.

Personally I use the slightly less glamarous Writing Slopes and Writing Boards featured here. I do find them much more comfortable and would recommend them.

Hi Sal,

Ancient scribes used slanted writing desks or boards, usually at about a 45 degree slant, for more than one reason. They were using dip pens and the slant helped control the flow of the ink. You can also see your work without hunching over, thus helping your posture. In by-gone days, scribes were usually copying manuscripts which would have been seen with a foreshortened view if they were working flat and bending over their work.

Today, posture is still important even if you are using a fountain pen and not copying anything. Books will usually recommend sitting with your feet flat on the floor with your work straight in front of you and using a slanted desk.

Here in the U.S. the slanted desks/writing boards aren't cheap, either. Hopefully, the info from zxc will help you to find a suitable one.

Best, Ann

Levengers has sloped writing things as well if you look in drafting supply sections of hobby stores. I know that my drafting desk had a 45 degree slope and it did make it more comfortable to write. As well many of the calligraphy books that I have suggest using a slope to write on. A really inexpensive version I have seen is just a board about 2' x 2' that you prop in your lap against a table.


Kurt H

I've been using a slanted desk for a number of years, and it's helped my back immensely. I purchased my desk through Levenger, but here's a direct link to the Ergo Desk company. Ergo Desk

Here's one I asked a friend to make for me.



It's based on the Levenger's model, but larger and heavier gauge, for gigantic dictionaries, art and textbooks.

Regards,
J

The nice thing about your desk, Jeen, is that it has a thick ledge to hold papers and those books you mentioned. If there's one drawback to the Levenger model, it's the absence of a thick ledge; however, the Ergo Desk people offer an attachment that permits a writer to work on larger, bulkier mss. without having to worry about papers sliding everywhere.

That's a beautiful desk, Jeen. Your friend did you a big favor.

David

Does the ledge get in the way of writing at all?

Of course, I'd forgotten but my old school desks used to have a slope along with a pen groove and a hole for a porcelain inkwell.

The lid lifted up and all your stuff went inside.
The bench seat was pretty hard on the rear end after a while!

I wonder where they all ended up - the desks I mean

Chris

Good point Chupie,

I have a Crane's desk pad that is the same thickess as the lip, and I place it on the sloped surface when I use it for writing.
So I have no intereference from the lip, and I have a padded surface lined by blotting paper.
But the lip is very useful when I use it for reading large, heavy books.
The desk also has a smaller ledge on top for smaller books, papers, pens.

Regards,
J

Edit P.S.
I agree with those who said that using a sloped surface makes writing more comfortable.

For those who asked about the dimensions:

All of the pieces are 3/4" solid red oak.
The writing surface is 25 x 14"
The lip (see prior photo) is 1.5" in height and runs the entire width of the desk.
The ledge (between the writing surface and the back stop is 2" wide
The backstop is 7 3/4" at its highest at its center, and its shoulders are a little shorter.
The stand is 4" in height and runs the entire width of the desk

Some additional photos:




A picture from beneath:


The desk is fixed (not collapsible).

I'm sorry I don't know how the joints were put together, but the unit is very sturdy.

Good luck,

J

Note: I use a deskpad that's flush with the lip when writing, and remove it when using the desk as a book stand. You could instead consider a detachable lip or one that spans only the mid third.