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You Want Me To Do What.....?

Stuart Ablett

Stuart Ablett

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Location
Tokyo Japan
So a customer calls me....

Customer: "We have this desk at the office, it's Oak or something, do you think you could cut 2" off the legs?"
Me: Shorten some desk legs, yeah, should be possible....
Customer: Yeah the desk is kind of too high for the person using it, a couple of inches off the legs should solve the problem.
Me: "Do you have a picture?"
Customer: Sure do, sending them now....


ball&claw1.jpgball&claw2.jpg

Me: ........:doh:

I've expressed my reluctance to butcher this fine looking desk, and I've taken a meeting tomorrow, going to have a look, at least it is close by.

Other solutions.... like a cushion, or a taller chair?

Could be a customer worth a bit of work, so I'll have to be diplomatic, but in the end if they will pay me and they want it done..... :( I feel dirty already.... LOL

Yikes!
 
I guess if they have money and the desire to spend it you could look to do a more elegant solution and perhaps have new shorter legs made. Speaking for myself I sit on a solid surface at my desk, no cushion thats what God gave me a tush for. It helps with all sorts i have found. So adding a cushion for height adjustment would be a no no to me. Each to their own. But i have never been a fan of ball and claw so i would have no problem cutting those feet off myself. :eek::rofl: If the piece has some sentimental attachment to them perhaps they would spring for new legs that could be made shorter but then the piece will look real odd. If no attachment offer to build them a more fit for purpose custom desk, after all this is a business proposition and you making a house call that needs to have revenue attached to it.
 
If the problem is that the person has to dangle their legs, then maybe I could make a foot rest box the sits on the floor, and we could raise the chair....?

We shall see tomorrow, could be a new big deep pocket client, so I'll have to see what is what :D
 
Looking at it, I would think the proper way to do it would be to remove the legs from under the carcass, and cut 2" off the top. It would be a shame to do, however. Perhaps you could suggest that shortening the legs will reduce the value of the desk should they ever want to sell it. A taller chair and a foot rest might be a better idea. You could make them a matching foot rest.
 
Stuart Ablett said:
If the problem is that the person has to dangle their legs, then maybe I could make a foot rest box the sits on the floor, and we could raise the chair....?

We shall see tomorrow, could be a new big deep pocket client, so I'll have to see what is what :D
Click to expand...

Thet's whut ah sayed. :p ;)

I finished typing that about 15 minutes ago, but was interrupted so you snuck in first, Stu.
 
You could make a chair platform, shaped like a carpet protector, with anti-rolloff edges.

What will they do when the desk is too low for the next user?
 
After 40 years in business, I am quite sure the customer is always wrong. This just proves it again and is one of the reasons I only deal with the idiot public a few hours each week when there isn't someone more diplomatic available.
 
OK met with the client, nice guy, he totally understands that it would be a bad idea to cut down the legs, but he needs to use the desk. The desk is 82cm or 32-1/4" tall, I understand that 28" to 30" is standard for computer desks. The chair he is using is not adjustable for height and is only 43cm or 17" tall, most computer chairs are 17" to 19", so it looks to me like the chair needs to be raised about 2" or 5cm, so that is what we are going to try to do, I can put a block of wood under the seat of the chair where the swivel legs attach, should be straight forward and easy to do, if that does not solve the problem, it would be possible to lop about an inch off the bottoms of the legs without really messing the desk up. The desk is new, an cheap reproduction from Malaysia, made from Mahogany, and cost about $800 new.

Could turn into an interesting client they have a bunch of other small things they might need done around their office, as well as being full of highly paid foreign executives.

I'll keep you posted.
 
Roger Tulk said:
Perhaps they should buy an adjustable office chair, with a range through 19".
Click to expand...

Yep, I suggested that, but they have a certain look for their office, like an old English Gentlemen's club, and they want to keep that.

desk_chair.JPG

This should work out just fine. A nice bit of work, a good payday and my foot in the door, a very high end group of people who like nice stuff. The owner is the founder and president of the Rolls Royce and Bentley Club of Japan.

Cheers!
 
Ted Calver said:
They just want you to make new, shorter legs to match the piece....a test of your carving skills:thumb::D
Click to expand...

If they definitely want them shorter this is what I would suggest as well. Another issue would be taking the existing ones apart.
As they don't seem to value it another possibility is to offer them to make simpler and more modern desk in exchange for this one.

From your last pics Stu, you could also suggest retrofit the chair on the pic with a pneumatic raising/lowering cartridge, it would be almost invisible, and would fulfill the need.
 
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