★★★★★ 4
Fantastic style, good stability, customizable finish, and great customer service
Size: M Desk Unfinished 3/4-in and 1/2-in
Put this together in about April 2020 right about the crazy lockdown/quarantine/work-from-home timeframe. I knew that I wanted a simple hardwood desk with no drawers or stuff below the top. I have an ergonomic keyboard tray that I have attached to all my work desks for many years now, and it was too long for my old home desk, which was also made of MDF and was falling apart. Boo.
Enter this kit plus a butcher block top from the big box store. This kit went together easily. I had lost the instructions but a quick email to the JS Supplies company, and they hooked me up. By the time they sent it, I had actually figured out the part that was puzzling, which was what the all-thread pieces were for (the couplers between the elbows and the flanges on the top side).
I degreased all the parts with a simple Simple Green-type solution diluted in a 5 gallon bucket. I then sprayed the pieces with a satin nitrocellulose laqcuer (Minwax brand that I got from the home improvement big box). Worked great. I thought about doing a sealed rust finish using a science project volcano--vinegar and baking soda for a quick layer of rust on the outside--but I decided against it, as I wasn't sure of how stable the final product would be, even after a clear spray finish. The satin nitro finish looks great without even looking like a finish. I also coated the pieces with paste wax after the finish dried, just for good measure.
The one thing that is a bit disappointing is the stability... WITH MY TOP, mind you.I should be clear that the top that I'm using is a 1-3/4" thick monster piece of birch butcher block that is 60" x 30". I'm guessing that it's 40-50 pounds? Maybe more. This is probably WAY more weight than this leg set is made for. I also have the aforementioned keyboard tray that sticks out (torque equals force times lever arm) and causes even more torque. I get some shaking with the top with this setup. I have the desk on carpet; I was concerned that maybe the carpet and pad were not giving enough stability with the feet, so I made some plywood platforms for the feet. I also carefully leveled the feet to make sure it wasn't just uneven legs that was causing the instability. Still shakes no matter what I tried.
I think it's just that I have such a heavy top--more than this thing is spec'd for. That's totally fine, and I don't want to knock off a bunch of stars for that. I leave these comments more as a "don't do what I did" thing. Just be advised that you need to limit the weight of the top to something reasonable.
The design of one upright on each side of the desk with a pipe coupler in between is probably the weak spot with my heavy desktop; I'm thinking of either adding tension on either side (with some threaded rod and turnbuckles) or some extra supports with something like the Steel-Tek pieces from Lowe's.
Overall, I'm very satisfied with the product and the company!
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Reviewed in the United States on June 23, 2020
