Home and desk

Make a cup holder that clamps to your desk edge

This tool builds a mug and cup holder that clamps to the edge of your desk without drilling, and exports it as STL. Enter the cup diameter, basket height and desk thickness in millimetres; the mug sits outside the desk, away from the keyboard and papers.

The clamp is a C that slides over the desk edge, with parallel upper and lower jaws. The pad at the lower jaw tip sits on a spring tongue; it leaves a gap 0.6 mm under the desk thickness, so the tongue flexes and grips. The basket prints separately and slides down onto a dovetail rail on the clamp. The ring is 1.5 mm wider than the cup; the handle slot keeps the handle outside.

Free, no sign-up. Change the sizes in millimetres and download the STL.

Mug basket with a handle slot clamped to a desk edge

Ready-made variants

Each variant is the same template with different settings. Follow the link and the editor opens with those values.

Adjustable sizes

These values are edited in the editor's template panel. A number outside the range is clamped to the nearest limit automatically.

SizeRangeDefault
Shape
Holder typeBasket with bottom, Tapered ringBasket with bottom
Dimensions
Cup diameter60–110 mm84 mm
Basket height30–120 mm70 mm
Taper angle *2–15 °6 °
Wall thickness2–5 mm3 mm
Mounting
Desk thickness12–50 mm25 mm
Clamp depth15–60 mm35 mm
Clamp width20–60 mm30 mm
Arm thickness5–12 mm7 mm
Options
Handle slotOn / OffOn
Slot width *10–40 mm22 mm

Sizes marked with a star appear in the panel only when the related shape, style or option is active.

What it is used for

  • Keeping a coffee mug away from the keyboard where it cannot tip
  • Drink space on a gaming desk
  • Holding a paper coffee cup in a tapered ring
  • Carrying a water bottle or pen pot on a workbench

Printing tips

Orientation
Print the clamp lying on its side with the C profile on the bed. Print the basket upright on its bottom.
Layer height
0.2 mm layers. On the side-printed clamp the layers run along the C, so bending loads the filament, not the layer bonds.
Infill
30 percent infill and at least 4 walls; the spring tongue and the rail neck draw their strength from the walls.
Supports
Not needed. The dovetail rail flanks and the slot ceiling in the basket are 45° overhangs.
Material
Use PETG or ASA: the clamp holds by flexing, PLA loosens over time and can soften next to a hot mug.

Tips

  • Measure the desk with calipers; edge banding can change the thickness.
  • A 7 mm arm safely holds a full 500 ml mug; use 9-10 mm for a heavy flask.

Basket with a bottom or tapered ring?

The basket is for straight sided mugs: the mug rests on a ring shaped bottom and the basket wraps half its height. The tapered ring has no bottom and narrows downwards; paper coffee cups and flasks wedge into it.

  • Ceramic mug with handle: basket and handle slot
  • Paper cup: tapered ring, 6-8°
  • Water bottle: basket, no slot

Weight and arm thickness

A full 500 ml mug weighs about 0.7 kg and sits 50-60 mm outside the desk edge. That moment causes bending stress in the clamp back, which the tool shows in MPa. With the default 7 mm arm and 30 mm clamp width it is about 1.4 MPa, far below the safe 10 MPa limit for PETG layers.

  • Mug: arm 7 mm, width 30 mm
  • Flask or large mug: arm 9-10 mm
  • Thin desk: keep clamp depth above 30 mm

Frequently asked questions

The clamp is loose on my desk. What should I do?

Measure the desk with calipers and enter the exact value. The mouth is always 0.6 mm narrower than the desk; edge banding can add a few tenths of a millimetre.

Will a hot mug soften the holder?

PETG and ASA withstand more than 70 °C, so a mug of boiling water is fine. PLA can soften at that temperature.

Does it work on a rounded desk edge?

Yes, but increase the clamp depth so the upper jaw and pad sit on flat surfaces.

Similar templates

Set the sizes to fit your part

Open the template in the editor, enter your values and download a print-ready STL. No account needed.

Open in editor