Also I can't find whoever it was on here who talked me into building my own monitor stand months ago, but thank you. It's been great fun, and the base is finished. And could probably survive being run over by a tank.
Turns out that metalwork is very viscerally satisfying. Even cleaning your materials is cathartic, with the sparks and the WHRRRRRR and icky rust magically turning into shiny polished metal.