Mount or attach the tray before finishing assembly, position it at the back edge clear of your knees, route the power cord through it, then test clearance at both the lowest and highest desk positions.
A tray buried under a finished desk is the classic regret: crooked screws, brackets over the control panel, and a tray too far forward to use. Setting up cable management on a desk with a built-in tray is mostly about order of operations, and getting that order wrong costs you a second attempt. The instructions that ship with Vari and Uplift Desk trays hinge on placement and timing, not fancy hardware.
Should You Install The Tray Before Or After Assembling The Desk?
Attach the tray before the legs go on if you are building the desk new, because the desktop is still face down and the mounting points are easy to reach. Vari’s instructions say to attach the tray while the desktop is still in the box, face down, before the legs are fitted.
That order matters: once the desk is upright and loaded, you are working overhead with a drill, guessing at hole locations, and risking a pilot hole through the finished surface.
- New desk: install the tray first, desktop face down.
- Existing desk: flip it if you can, or work on your back with a short screwdriver.
- Clamp-on trays: no drilling, but check they clear the legs and any monitor arm clamps before you commit.
Most trays clamp or screw to the crossbeam or straight to the underside of the tabletop toward the back edge, keeping the tray out of reach of knees at sitting height.
| Placement Point | Where It Goes | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Bracket alignment | Over the pre-drilled holes and dowel hole opposite the control panel | Keeps the tray from fouling the control panel |
| Tray edge | Back edge of the desktop, not the front | Clears knees and sit-stand travel |
| Pilot holes | Only as deep as the screw tip | Prevents drilling through the desktop |
| Screw length | Shorter than the desktop thickness | Stops screws poking through the surface |
| Power strip | 1–2 inch air gap above the tray floor | Leaves room for heat and airflow |
| Second tray | Anywhere routing demands it | Uplift says more than one tray is fine |
How Do You Route Power And Cables Without Pinching Them?
Load the cables and power bar into the tray, then move the desk through its full range before calling it finished. A sit-stand desk that pulls a cord tight at standing height will unplug something or fray a cable within weeks.
Run the power cord through the tray per Vari’s instructions, then do the two-position test:
- Raise the desk to full height and check nothing catches, pulls, or stretches.
- Lower it to minimum height and confirm your knees clear the tray.
- Leave slack at both extremes so the cable has room to move.
Uplift’s instructions say to mark both the tray and screw holes, then drill pilot holes only deep enough for the screw tip, and caution against drilling through the desktop surface. Drill slowly, especially into MDF, which cracks under a fast bit. If you are still deciding what to mount this on, a roundup of desks built for cable management covers models that already have the mounting points.
For drilling specifics, Uplift Desk’s under desk wire tray instructions spell out pilot-hole depth and screw-length checks in detail.
What Are The Most Common Tray Setup Mistakes?
Most failures come down to timing, torque, and position — three things you control before the first cable goes in.
- Installing the tray after full assembly when the manufacturer specifies pre-assembly installation.
- Over-tightening screws, or using screws longer than the desktop is thick.
- Pushing the tray too far forward, where it hits knees or blocks sit-stand movement.
- Filling the tray with cables and never checking strain at both height extremes.
- Drilling pilot holes too deep, or clean through the desktop.
- Mounting a power strip with no clearance — a 1–2 inch air gap is recommended.
Also check the tray against monitor arm clamps and legs before you drill. Some clamp-on systems need desk-edge clearance and will not fit where a monitor arm clamp already lives.
FAQs
Can I add a tray to a desk that is already built?
Yes, though it is harder. You will be working under an assembled top, so flip the desk if you can, or use a short screwdriver from below. Confirm the tray clears your legs and any monitor arm clamps first, and mark hole positions carefully before drilling.
How thick does my desktop need to be?
Check that your screws are shorter than the desktop thickness, and drill pilot holes only deep enough for the screw tip. Thinner or hollow-core tops may not hold screws well, so a clamp-on tray suits those better.
How much space should a power strip have inside the tray?
Leave a 1–2 inch air gap between the tray surface and the power strip. That gives heat somewhere to go, keeps the strip from sitting flush, and leaves room to add or swap cables later without pulling the tray apart.
References & Sources
- Vari. “Cable Management Tray — Varidesk Instruction Sheet.” Source for pre-assembly installation order, bracket alignment, and routing the power cord through the tray.
- Uplift Desk. “Under Desk Wire Tray Instructions.” Source for pilot-hole depth, screw-length checks, and the note that more than one tray can be installed.
- StarTech. “Under-Desk Cable Management Tray Manual.” Supporting reference for under-desk tray mounting and cable routing.