The desk will be unloaded at the curb by your house. Here's how to unpack and assemble it.
1. If possible, have the truck driver unload the crate laying flat; the shipping labels are on the top and top front.
2. You'll need a cordless power driver with a #2 Phillips head screwdriver bit to disassemble the crate. Remove all the screws in the each of the side and front panels and discard the crate.
3. Carefully remove the foam sheets; they're held only by 2" tape, which can be pulled off. Do not use a knife. If you try to cut the tape you might jab the desk. You'll find the following parts:
4 legs
2 side stretchers
1 back stretcher
1 desk top
4. Unwrap the plastic wrap on only the legs and stretchers carefully; don't cut it.
5. Lay the wrapped desk upside down on a carpet or other pad. Leave the plastic on the desk top to protect it, except cut the plastic away from around the leg braces, enough so you can get the plastic bag of hardware taped to the underside of the desk. The plastic bag contains:
4 washers
4 nuts
6 connector bolts
1 4mm Allen wrench
1 1/2" hex wrench
6. Each leg is numbered; match up the legs to the corresponding numbers on the desk:
7. Install the legs, using a washer and a nut for each leg, but only finger-tighten the nuts a few turns. The legs must be able to move in order to install the stretchers:
8. The stretchers are also numbered at one end; match up the side stretchers to the corresponding numbers on the legs:
The arrow points down toward the bottom of the desk. The dowels are loose; they serve only to locate the stretcher and to keep it from twisting. If a dowel falls out, just push it back in.
9. Install the side stretchers first: insert one set of dowels at a slight angle just far enough to get the other end in position. You might have to loosen the leg nuts if you tightened them too much. Wiggling the stretcher up and down a little helps seat the dowels.
Once the dowels are in their holes push the legs toward the stretchers a little to seat the dowels.
10. Match up the number on the back stretcher to the corresponding leg and install it the same way as you installed the side stretchers.
When all the stretchers are installed, go around and seat the dowels. Don't worry if you can't push them all the way in; the connector bolts will pull the stretchers in completely.
11. Install the connector bolts in each leg; they go through the legs and screw into threaded inserts in the stretchers. For now, just finger-tighten them.
12. Once all the connector bolts are started, you can begin to tighten them with the 4mm Allen wrench, but don't tighten them completely—just enough to seat the bolt heads in their recesses in the legs.
13. Next, tighten the nuts on the leg bolts with the 1/2" hex wrench. Don't over-tighten them; the bolt should just barely protrude from the nut and the leg should not wiggle.
Once the legs are tight, go back and tighten the connector bolts—snug but not too tight.
14. To stand the desk up, grip it by the ends of the front apron and roll it up 90° onto its back legs. Do not lift the desk by the narrow portion of the front apron under the drawer. Next, grip the top at the ends and roll the desk up to its upright position.
If the desk seems loose, tighten the leg nuts and connector bolts a little: just enough to make the desk feel solid.
15. Remove the rest of the plastic by cutting it carefully from underneath the disk.
If you ever need to install the drawer make sure the slides are pushed all the way in. Hold the drawer by the lower side edges and insert the drawer portion of the slides into the channels in the black portion of the case member of the slides. Slowly but firmly push the drawer all the way in to engage the slides; it will stick as you push it in, so be firm but don't force it. Once engaged, the drawer will open/close with only a light touch, except for the last 1/4", which requires a noticeable push/pull to seat/unseat the drawer slide members in the rubber bumpers at the back of the slides. These bumpers keep the drawer closed.
You're done!
If you want, you can put a light coat of paste wax on the top, but don't use Pledge or other waxes that contain solvents. Clean the dresser with a clean cotton cloth dampened with soapy water.
November 2003.