Workbench Setup – Part 2

After about 1.5 years with my previous workspace setup, a move to a new apartment, and a Facebook ad, I felt the need to try out a new desk.

Current Setup!

TL;DR

Considerations for the desk

Like the last time I looked into a new desk, I wanted a standing desk setup. My workbench from this past entry had served me well.

Here are general things I've wanted in the past:

In the past, I was kept away this due primarily to cost. Shockingly, a Facebook ad led me to the Autonomous site to find out they were offering a setup at $250!

lol, Facebook ad.

After reading a variety reviews, watching some videos, and moving into a new apartment, I decided to go for it and grab the black top/gray leg desk setup.

Order, Shipping, and Delivery

Overall, the shipping and delivery process has been the most frustrating part of this desk. Bear in mind they tell you this up-front, but from payment to delivery it took 42 days for the desk to arrive

For me, the trade off of waiting a while for an affordable and good quality desk was worth it.

However one may not get this desk for one of these reasons:

In addition, extra parts that I had ordered were not included. According to their support desk (which was very helpful) they were out of the extra parts and will be shipping out in a few weeks. A label for the extra package was printed, and I was never notified that they were out or this would be shipped later.

Why they didn't just say this takes extra time or they were out up-front, I don't know. If they had, I wouldn't have even mentioned this point.

Assembly

Putting this desk together was overall straightforward, where the most confusing part was the drive shaft assembly. Even this was not very difficult though.

You'll receive two major boxes – the top, and the leg assembly.

The boxes

The docs and online videos for the process are really helpful. Follow those for the best and most accurate details!

In general though, it's a matter of

Adding brackets


The instructions have you add the brackets (where the top mounts to) onto the legs first. Bracket

This is OK if the top's predrilled holes match up with the brackets. I found that the pre-drilled holes in mine did not line up.

To make that issue easier to deal with:

  1. I removed the brackets from the legs and put them onto the table top.

  2. I matched up the pre-drilled holes as well as I could and added new holes where needed.

  3. I then put the top onto the frame, and screwed the brackets into the legs.

Setting the drive shaft


Getting the drive shaft is the most strange part of the assembly to me. Note that this is for the single-motor version of the desk. The dual motor version may be easier to deal with.

This is a matter of unscrewing the center rod, adjusting it so that it passes through both legs, and then screwing the center rod back down.

I found that the screws won't cover the entire thread. I'm not sure if that's right or not. I adjusted it to be as tight as I could get it. This seems to be holding up.

Drive Shaft Screw

The other factor is that a portion of the rod holder in the motor can move. If you're not careful, you'll end up with it grinding on part of the leg. This is both unpleasant and potentially damaging.

Drive Shaft Grind

Quality Notes

The desk when assembled is very nice!

In respect to the last point, here's an example of what I think acceptable noise levels are: https://www.youtube.com/embed/-_VpKk5TOAI

The desk I have at work tends to be a bit more quiet, but overall the noise this desk makes is perfectly fine for what I need.

Final Verdict

This desk is definitely awesome!

So, what are you waiting for? Check it out!