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Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @JeffSmith. It's brilliant to have you join us, and many thanks for your question about creating a lapboard.
To make something similar to a lapboard, you'd essentially be recreating a central flat surface with two padded side bolsters to rest on your thighs. The idea is to raise the board to a comfortable height while allowing airflow around your legs and giving you a stable surface for your laptop.
You could start by making the two side bolsters out of timber – something like framing pine cut to size, roughly the width and height of your thighs when seated. These blocks would act as the core of the side cushions. Around these, you’d wrap a layer of foam or cushion wadding to soften the surface. Upholstery foam or even a repurposed foam mattress topper could work here. Once you’ve shaped and padded the sides, you’d need to cover them in fabric – a durable canvas or upholstery fabric would work well. You could staple the fabric underneath or hand-stitch it if you want a tighter finish. If you’re confident with a sewing machine, you might even make removable covers with zippers.
The top board, where your laptop sits, could be a solid panel like pine or plywood, cut to your desired width. You'd fix this securely across the two side sections with screws drilled into the side bolsters. Make sure the screws go into the timber core, not just the foam. You might want to round over the corners or sand the edges for comfort.
If you want to go a step further, you could even recess a mouse pad into one side of the board or add cable management holes.
I've created the below rendering to assist in construction.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Mitchell
