thinking of buying the large made2fly desk. Any pros or cons out there.
BillMc
Hey Bill,
Several previous threads on this desk.
You may have already used the search to find
them. If not, I found this one very
informative. Warm regards, Jim
Made2Fly Tying Station
wschuette
Member posted 11 November 2003 08:18 AM
I thought I would let everyone know about my experience with the Made2Fly Fly Tying Station. I was looking for a fly tying desk on the internet and thinking about buying a furniture grade desk for about $1000 when I came across this product for $289 with free shipping through Flymart.com. The reviews on the product indicated that it was well designed and stable. Since the desk was not going in the living room or den, I decided to save the $700 and ordered it. It arrived about 2 1/2 weeks later via UPS in 2 large boxes of about 50 lbs each.
The bad news is that there are a lot of parts. I am reasonably mechanically inclined and it took me about 7 hours over three days to complete the assembly without assistance. The good news – all parts were present with a package of extra parts. The assembly instructions were reasonably clear with both detailed written instructions and pictures.
The only tools necessary were a large Phillips head screwdriver (one with ratcheting action helps a lot) and a hammer for driving small nails. I would not use a power driver for the screws as it would be very easy to over tighten them. The structural pieces are joined together using a cam bolt and cam lock system typical for self assembled office furniture. The parts were well designed and manufactured requiring no modification to fit together as intended. The finish on the visible surfaces was acceptable with only small flaws and marks. All parts were clearly numbered so there was no confusion about what the right v. left upright was. Made2Fly should consider using different labels that are easier to remove and leave less adhesive behind. However, label placement was generally where it would not show when completed. A small number (about 5) of the cam bolts were difficult to install. I found only one mistake in the instructions. There are 5 metal brackets designed to hold Spirit River Pro 20 hook/bead boxes that are screwed into the left side of the tower. These are installed prior to putting the top on the tower. However, when the top bracket is installed, the left side cam locks to lock the top down cannot be installed or turned. However, it is easy to install the top metal bracket after the top has been locked down.
Completed, the station has the appearance of contemporary office furniture. It has sturdy powder coated steel legs with strong casters and hard rubber wheels. It is very stable. The table top is large. While I did not measure it is probably about 36 inches long and maybe about 20 deep. There is a large drawer that can be mounted on either the right or left side. The tower runs most of the length of the table top and has 3 small and 4 large metal drawers and numerous other spaces to store tools and material. All visible surfaces are covered with a reasonable walnut grain laminate.
This is a well conceived and manufactured product. Made2Fly does not tell you upfront that it is manufactured in China. Although I prefer to buy American, there really is nothing similar in its price range. For anyone looking for a permanent tying station that will not break your bank account, take a close look at this product.
Bill
Bill,
I have it and like it a lot. The metal trays are well thought out for storing items and it is relatively easy to keep clean. For the price it is a great deal. It does take some time to assemble but not hard at all. Hope you get it and enjoy it.
<*(((((><
Jim in CO