This isn't exactly a home repair but I figured someone here could help. I
purchased one of these desks back in Aug.

http://www.icebergenterprises.com/snapeasedesk.html

The specific desk I have is not pictured but to give you an idea, the
problem I am having is with the pullouts. There are two. One is the
keyboard tray. The second is the little mouse pullout at the side of that
tray.

My desk has exactly the same setup shown although the desk top is a little
different and it is bigger. I love the desk itself but... Clearly having
pullout problems.

To assemble, you merely snap the desk pieces together. As in the sides and
the top. You then turn it upside down and line up the metal pieces that
come pre-assembled on the keyboard pullout with the depressions on the
underside of the desk top. You then take two plastic pieces, snap them in
place and slide them over. Easy peasy!

The instructions did say that I might need to tighten the screws that were
put in at the factory. The screws are on the metal pieces of the pullout.
But... In tightening them, I have discovered that they prevent the pullout
from pulling out. I had to loosen them in order to slide it out because
they were hitting on something. Hard to explain because I can't see well
down there. But then over time, they will loosen too much and the pullout
will fall in my lap! I think I have solved this by putting the piece back
on, keeping the screws loose enough to pull it out, then tightening but...
Based on past experiences with other pullouts, this could well happen again.

Next problem? The snap on plastic pieces that hold the pullout on have
fallen off twice. I think this happens when I accidentally bump the pullout
from underneath with my knees. Easy to put back on when the desk is upside
down. Not so easy to do when you are working blind, underneath the desk and
trying to hold the pullout in place. I think I have solved this problem by
duct taping the pieces in place and by trying to be more careful.

Now the BIG problem! The little pullout for the mouse pad. I will try to
explain how it works. It came preassembled so even if I were able to get
replacement pieces, I don't think I could put them on by myself.

At the right side of the pullout are two white plastic tracks, underneath.
They are made of thin, cheap, brittle plastic. They are shaped sort of like
the letter O except that it is much skinnier. Picture taking the O and
pushing the top and bottoms towards each other so that you have a long, thin
track with a straight top and bottom and curved sides.

The little pullout has tabs that fit into this track and it can slide back
and forth. Technically you could slide it underneath the pullout if you did
not need it. But I always left it out because I always use it. Until...
The track broke!

What happened was that because the plastic is brittle, the top portion of
the front track, cracked all the way through right at the inside of where it
curves. I thought about this for a while. I cut off the thick top off of a
zip top bag, tied it around this broken top and tied it tightly to shore it
up. This after several failed Super Glue repairs. Then to make sure that
it stayed, I put duct tape on top.

Great for a few weeks! But then? The piece cracked again. This time about
a 1" chunk fell off of the top. There was no way to tie it back together
again because all that is left at the top is somehow attached to the bottom
of the pullout. There is nothing to wrap anything around.

So... I took the trusty duct tape and cut some shortish pieces, sticking it
to the underside of the mouse pullout and up around the broken piece to the
underside of the keyboard pullout.

The problem with this? Nothing is smooth or flat underneath. Especially
the little mouse pullout. Hard to describe but it is like there are ridges
of plastic under there. So I did the best that I could but after a week or
even a few days, the tape falls off and I have to start all over again.

I did notify the company. They told me they are no longer making any desks
with pullouts and they did not keep any parts. If they could send me a
whole new pullout, this would solve the problem, at least for now but...
Clearly a poor design and no doubt it would only be a matter of time before
the new one breaks.

I don't want to scrap the desk. It wasn't cheap and it is a sturdy desk and
the perfect size for me.

So... Any clues how I can repair this little mouse pad? Pretty sure it is
falling off because of the weight of my hand on it while using the mouse. I
am trying to be careful and not apply much pressure but as I'm sure you
know, this isn't always easy to do. The good thing is that that this part
of the desk is the exact color of your standard silver/gray duct tape. But
I need a more permanent fix. Thanks!

On Wed, 12 Feb 2014 19:31:21 -0800, "Julie Bove"
wrote:

This isn't exactly a home repair but I figured someone here could help. I
purchased one of these desks back in Aug.

http://www.icebergenterprises.com/snapeasedesk.html

The specific desk I have is not pictured but to give you an idea, the
problem I am having is with the pullouts. There are two. One is the
keyboard tray. The second is the little mouse pullout at the side of that
tray.

My desk has exactly the same setup shown although the desk top is a little
different and it is bigger. I love the desk itself but... Clearly having
pullout problems.

To assemble, you merely snap the desk pieces together. As in the sides and
the top. You then turn it upside down and line up the metal pieces that
come pre-assembled on the keyboard pullout with the depressions on the
underside of the desk top. You then take two plastic pieces, snap them in
place and slide them over. Easy peasy!

The instructions did say that I might need to tighten the screws that were
put in at the factory. The screws are on the metal pieces of the pullout.
But... In tightening them, I have discovered that they prevent the pullout
from pulling out. I had to loosen them in order to slide it out because
they were hitting on something. Hard to explain because I can't see well
down there. But then over time, they will loosen too much and the pullout
will fall in my lap! I think I have solved this by putting the piece back
on, keeping the screws loose enough to pull it out, then tightening but...
Based on past experiences with other pullouts, this could well happen again.

Next problem? The snap on plastic pieces that hold the pullout on have
fallen off twice. I think this happens when I accidentally bump the pullout
from underneath with my knees. Easy to put back on when the desk is upside
down. Not so easy to do when you are working blind, underneath the desk and
trying to hold the pullout in place. I think I have solved this problem by
duct taping the pieces in place and by trying to be more careful.

Now the BIG problem! The little pullout for the mouse pad. I will try to
explain how it works. It came preassembled so even if I were able to get
replacement pieces, I don't think I could put them on by myself.

At the right side of the pullout are two white plastic tracks, underneath.
They are made of thin, cheap, brittle plastic. They are shaped sort of like
the letter O except that it is much skinnier. Picture taking the O and
pushing the top and bottoms towards each other so that you have a long, thin
track with a straight top and bottom and curved sides.

The little pullout has tabs that fit into this track and it can slide back
and forth. Technically you could slide it underneath the pullout if you did
not need it. But I always left it out because I always use it. Until...
The track broke!

What happened was that because the plastic is brittle, the top portion of
the front track, cracked all the way through right at the inside of where it
curves. I thought about this for a while. I cut off the thick top off of a
zip top bag, tied it around this broken top and tied it tightly to shore it
up. This after several failed Super Glue repairs. Then to make sure that
it stayed, I put duct tape on top.

Great for a few weeks! But then? The piece cracked again. This time about
a 1" chunk fell off of the top. There was no way to tie it back together
again because all that is left at the top is somehow attached to the bottom
of the pullout. There is nothing to wrap anything around.

So... I took the trusty duct tape and cut some shortish pieces, sticking it
to the underside of the mouse pullout and up around the broken piece to the
underside of the keyboard pullout.

The problem with this? Nothing is smooth or flat underneath. Especially
the little mouse pullout. Hard to describe but it is like there are ridges
of plastic under there. So I did the best that I could but after a week or
even a few days, the tape falls off and I have to start all over again.

I did notify the company. They told me they are no longer making any desks
with pullouts and they did not keep any parts. If they could send me a
whole new pullout, this would solve the problem, at least for now but...
Clearly a poor design and no doubt it would only be a matter of time before
the new one breaks.

I don't want to scrap the desk. It wasn't cheap and it is a sturdy desk and
the perfect size for me.

So... Any clues how I can repair this little mouse pad? Pretty sure it is
falling off because of the weight of my hand on it while using the mouse. I
am trying to be careful and not apply much pressure but as I'm sure you
know, this isn't always easy to do. The good thing is that that this part
of the desk is the exact color of your standard silver/gray duct tape. But
I need a more permanent fix. Thanks!

Post a picture on a free hosting site, with a link back here in a
reply. Sounds like a cleat in the back of the mouse pull out could be
adapted to support the weight of your needed support. Hard to say
without seeing it.

We love Duct Tape, here.

On Wed, 12 Feb 2014 19:31:21 -0800, "Julie Bove"
wrote:

I did notify the company. They told me they are no longer making any desks
with pullouts and they did not keep any parts. If they could send me a
whole new pullout, this would solve the problem, at least for now but...
Clearly a poor design and no doubt it would only be a matter of time before
the new one breaks.

I don't want to scrap the desk. It wasn't cheap and it is a sturdy desk and
the perfect size for me.

You got it wrong. It was not an "inexpensive" desk, but it definitely
was a "cheap" desk

So... Any clues how I can repair this little mouse pad? Pretty sure it is
falling off because of the weight of my hand on it while using the mouse. I
am trying to be careful and not apply much pressure but as I'm sure you
know, this isn't always easy to do. The good thing is that that this part
of the desk is the exact color of your standard silver/gray duct tape. But
I need a more permanent fix. Thanks!

On 2014-02-12 10:31 PM, Julie Bove wrote:
This isn't exactly a home repair but I figured someone here could help.
I purchased one of these desks back in Aug.

http://www.icebergenterprises.com/snapeasedesk.html

The specific desk I have is not pictured but to give you an idea, the
problem I am having is with the pullouts. There are two. One is the
keyboard tray. The second is the little mouse pullout at the side of
that tray.

My desk has exactly the same setup shown although the desk top is a
little different and it is bigger. I love the desk itself but...
Clearly having pullout problems.

To assemble, you merely snap the desk pieces together. As in the sides
and the top. You then turn it upside down and line up the metal pieces
that come pre-assembled on the keyboard pullout with the depressions on
the underside of the desk top. You then take two plastic pieces, snap
them in place and slide them over. Easy peasy!

The instructions did say that I might need to tighten the screws that
were put in at the factory. The screws are on the metal pieces of the
pullout. But... In tightening them, I have discovered that they prevent
the pullout from pulling out. I had to loosen them in order to slide it
out because they were hitting on something. Hard to explain because I
can't see well down there. But then over time, they will loosen too
much and the pullout will fall in my lap! I think I have solved this by
putting the piece back on, keeping the screws loose enough to pull it
out, then tightening but... Based on past experiences with other
pullouts, this could well happen again.

Next problem? The snap on plastic pieces that hold the pullout on have
fallen off twice. I think this happens when I accidentally bump the
pullout from underneath with my knees. Easy to put back on when the
desk is upside down. Not so easy to do when you are working blind,
underneath the desk and trying to hold the pullout in place. I think I
have solved this problem by duct taping the pieces in place and by
trying to be more careful.

Now the BIG problem! The little pullout for the mouse pad. I will try
to explain how it works. It came preassembled so even if I were able to
get replacement pieces, I don't think I could put them on by myself.

At the right side of the pullout are two white plastic tracks,
underneath. They are made of thin, cheap, brittle plastic. They are
shaped sort of like the letter O except that it is much skinnier.
Picture taking the O and pushing the top and bottoms towards each other
so that you have a long, thin track with a straight top and bottom and
curved sides.

The little pullout has tabs that fit into this track and it can slide
back and forth. Technically you could slide it underneath the pullout
if you did not need it. But I always left it out because I always use
it. Until... The track broke!

What happened was that because the plastic is brittle, the top portion
of the front track, cracked all the way through right at the inside of
where it curves. I thought about this for a while. I cut off the thick
top off of a zip top bag, tied it around this broken top and tied it
tightly to shore it up. This after several failed Super Glue repairs.
Then to make sure that it stayed, I put duct tape on top.

Great for a few weeks! But then? The piece cracked again. This time
about a 1" chunk fell off of the top. There was no way to tie it back
together again because all that is left at the top is somehow attached
to the bottom of the pullout. There is nothing to wrap anything around.

So... I took the trusty duct tape and cut some shortish pieces,
sticking it to the underside of the mouse pullout and up around the
broken piece to the underside of the keyboard pullout.

The problem with this? Nothing is smooth or flat underneath.
Especially the little mouse pullout. Hard to describe but it is like
there are ridges of plastic under there. So I did the best that I could
but after a week or even a few days, the tape falls off and I have to
start all over again.

I did notify the company. They told me they are no longer making any
desks with pullouts and they did not keep any parts. If they could send
me a whole new pullout, this would solve the problem, at least for now
but... Clearly a poor design and no doubt it would only be a matter of
time before the new one breaks.

I don't want to scrap the desk. It wasn't cheap and it is a sturdy desk
and the perfect size for me.

So... Any clues how I can repair this little mouse pad? Pretty sure it
is falling off because of the weight of my hand on it while using the
mouse. I am trying to be careful and not apply much pressure but as I'm
sure you know, this isn't always easy to do. The good thing is that
that this part of the desk is the exact color of your standard
silver/gray duct tape. But I need a more permanent fix. Thanks!
Next time build it out of pine and plywood. Almost every piece of
furniture in my house is from this and it never does me wrong.

I'm sorry I can't help, it sounds like a nightmare desk. I don't think
it's your fault though, the picture looks like a desk for a kid and
probably not built to withstand use.

"Oren" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 12 Feb 2014 19:31:21 -0800, "Julie Bove"
wrote:

This isn't exactly a home repair but I figured someone here could help. I
purchased one of these desks back in Aug.

http://www.icebergenterprises.com/snapeasedesk.html

The specific desk I have is not pictured but to give you an idea, the
problem I am having is with the pullouts. There are two. One is the
keyboard tray. The second is the little mouse pullout at the side of that
tray.

My desk has exactly the same setup shown although the desk top is a little
different and it is bigger. I love the desk itself but... Clearly having
pullout problems.

To assemble, you merely snap the desk pieces together. As in the sides
and
the top. You then turn it upside down and line up the metal pieces that
come pre-assembled on the keyboard pullout with the depressions on the
underside of the desk top. You then take two plastic pieces, snap them in
place and slide them over. Easy peasy!

The instructions did say that I might need to tighten the screws that were
put in at the factory. The screws are on the metal pieces of the pullout.
But... In tightening them, I have discovered that they prevent the
pullout
from pulling out. I had to loosen them in order to slide it out because
they were hitting on something. Hard to explain because I can't see well
down there. But then over time, they will loosen too much and the pullout
will fall in my lap! I think I have solved this by putting the piece back
on, keeping the screws loose enough to pull it out, then tightening but...
Based on past experiences with other pullouts, this could well happen
again.

Next problem? The snap on plastic pieces that hold the pullout on have
fallen off twice. I think this happens when I accidentally bump the
pullout
from underneath with my knees. Easy to put back on when the desk is
upside
down. Not so easy to do when you are working blind, underneath the desk
and
trying to hold the pullout in place. I think I have solved this problem
by
duct taping the pieces in place and by trying to be more careful.

Now the BIG problem! The little pullout for the mouse pad. I will try to
explain how it works. It came preassembled so even if I were able to get
replacement pieces, I don't think I could put them on by myself.

At the right side of the pullout are two white plastic tracks, underneath.
They are made of thin, cheap, brittle plastic. They are shaped sort of
like
the letter O except that it is much skinnier. Picture taking the O and
pushing the top and bottoms towards each other so that you have a long,
thin
track with a straight top and bottom and curved sides.

The little pullout has tabs that fit into this track and it can slide back
and forth. Technically you could slide it underneath the pullout if you
did
not need it. But I always left it out because I always use it. Until...
The track broke!

What happened was that because the plastic is brittle, the top portion of
the front track, cracked all the way through right at the inside of where
it
curves. I thought about this for a while. I cut off the thick top off of
a
zip top bag, tied it around this broken top and tied it tightly to shore
it
up. This after several failed Super Glue repairs. Then to make sure
that
it stayed, I put duct tape on top.

Great for a few weeks! But then? The piece cracked again. This time
about
a 1" chunk fell off of the top. There was no way to tie it back together
again because all that is left at the top is somehow attached to the
bottom
of the pullout. There is nothing to wrap anything around.

So... I took the trusty duct tape and cut some shortish pieces, sticking
it
to the underside of the mouse pullout and up around the broken piece to
the
underside of the keyboard pullout.

The problem with this? Nothing is smooth or flat underneath. Especially
the little mouse pullout. Hard to describe but it is like there are
ridges
of plastic under there. So I did the best that I could but after a week
or
even a few days, the tape falls off and I have to start all over again.

I did notify the company. They told me they are no longer making any
desks
with pullouts and they did not keep any parts. If they could send me a
whole new pullout, this would solve the problem, at least for now but...
Clearly a poor design and no doubt it would only be a matter of time
before
the new one breaks.

I don't want to scrap the desk. It wasn't cheap and it is a sturdy desk
and
the perfect size for me.

So... Any clues how I can repair this little mouse pad? Pretty sure it
is
falling off because of the weight of my hand on it while using the mouse.
I
am trying to be careful and not apply much pressure but as I'm sure you
know, this isn't always easy to do. The good thing is that that this part
of the desk is the exact color of your standard silver/gray duct tape.
But
I need a more permanent fix. Thanks!

Post a picture on a free hosting site, with a link back here in a
reply. Sounds like a cleat in the back of the mouse pull out could be
adapted to support the weight of your needed support. Hard to say
without seeing it.

We love Duct Tape, here.

Sorry but there is no way for me to get a good pic of it plus it is all
covered with duct tape. I am no good at taking pics anyway but I would have
to somehow crawl under the desk and look up to get the pic. I don't fit
down there well.

Not sure about a cleat but I don't think there is one.

wrote in message
...
On Wed, 12 Feb 2014 19:31:21 -0800, "Julie Bove"
wrote:

I did notify the company. They told me they are no longer making any
desks
with pullouts and they did not keep any parts. If they could send me a
whole new pullout, this would solve the problem, at least for now but...
Clearly a poor design and no doubt it would only be a matter of time
before
the new one breaks.

I don't want to scrap the desk. It wasn't cheap and it is a sturdy desk
and
the perfect size for me.

You got it wrong. It was not an "inexpensive" desk, but it definitely
was a "cheap" desk

The desk part is fine. It's the design of the pullout and the crappy
materials they used on that part.

So... Any clues how I can repair this little mouse pad? Pretty sure it
is
falling off because of the weight of my hand on it while using the mouse.
I
am trying to be careful and not apply much pressure but as I'm sure you
know, this isn't always easy to do. The good thing is that that this part
of the desk is the exact color of your standard silver/gray duct tape.
But
I need a more permanent fix. Thanks!

On Wed, 12 Feb 2014 19:31:21 -0800, "Julie Bove"
wrote:

This isn't exactly a home repair but I figured someone here could help. I
purchased one of these desks back in Aug.

http://www.icebergenterprises.com/snapeasedesk.html

The specific desk I have is not pictured but to give you an idea, the
problem I am having is with the pullouts. There are two. One is the
keyboard tray. The second is the little mouse pullout at the side of that
tray.

My desk has exactly the same setup shown although the desk top is a little
different and it is bigger. I love the desk itself but... Clearly having
pullout problems.

To assemble, you merely snap the desk pieces together. As in the sides and
the top. You then turn it upside down and line up the metal pieces that
come pre-assembled on the keyboard pullout with the depressions on the
underside of the desk top. You then take two plastic pieces, snap them in
place and slide them over. Easy peasy!

The instructions did say that I might need to tighten the screws that were
put in at the factory. The screws are on the metal pieces of the pullout.
But... In tightening them, I have discovered that they prevent the pullout
from pulling out. I had to loosen them in order to slide it out because
they were hitting on something. Hard to explain because I can't see well
down there. But then over time, they will loosen too much and the pullout
will fall in my lap! I think I have solved this by putting the piece back
on, keeping the screws loose enough to pull it out, then tightening but...
Based on past experiences with other pullouts, this could well happen again.

Next problem? The snap on plastic pieces that hold the pullout on have
fallen off twice. I think this happens when I accidentally bump the pullout
from underneath with my knees. Easy to put back on when the desk is upside
down. Not so easy to do when you are working blind, underneath the desk and
trying to hold the pullout in place. I think I have solved this problem by
duct taping the pieces in place and by trying to be more careful.

Now the BIG problem! The little pullout for the mouse pad. I will try to
explain how it works. It came preassembled so even if I were able to get
replacement pieces, I don't think I could put them on by myself.

At the right side of the pullout are two white plastic tracks, underneath.
They are made of thin, cheap, brittle plastic. They are shaped sort of like
the letter O except that it is much skinnier. Picture taking the O and
pushing the top and bottoms towards each other so that you have a long, thin
track with a straight top and bottom and curved sides.

The little pullout has tabs that fit into this track and it can slide back
and forth. Technically you could slide it underneath the pullout if you did
not need it. But I always left it out because I always use it. Until...
The track broke!

What happened was that because the plastic is brittle, the top portion of
the front track, cracked all the way through right at the inside of where it
curves. I thought about this for a while. I cut off the thick top off of a
zip top bag, tied it around this broken top and tied it tightly to shore it
up. This after several failed Super Glue repairs. Then to make sure that
it stayed, I put duct tape on top.

Great for a few weeks! But then? The piece cracked again. This time about
a 1" chunk fell off of the top. There was no way to tie it back together
again because all that is left at the top is somehow attached to the bottom
of the pullout. There is nothing to wrap anything around.

So... I took the trusty duct tape and cut some shortish pieces, sticking it
to the underside of the mouse pullout and up around the broken piece to the
underside of the keyboard pullout.

The problem with this? Nothing is smooth or flat underneath. Especially
the little mouse pullout. Hard to describe but it is like there are ridges
of plastic under there. So I did the best that I could but after a week or
even a few days, the tape falls off and I have to start all over again.

I did notify the company. They told me they are no longer making any desks
with pullouts and they did not keep any parts. If they could send me a
whole new pullout, this would solve the problem, at least for now but...
Clearly a poor design and no doubt it would only be a matter of time before
the new one breaks.

I don't want to scrap the desk. It wasn't cheap and it is a sturdy desk and
the perfect size for me.

So... Any clues how I can repair this little mouse pad? Pretty sure it is
falling off because of the weight of my hand on it while using the mouse. I
am trying to be careful and not apply much pressure but as I'm sure you
know, this isn't always easy to do. The good thing is that that this part
of the desk is the exact color of your standard silver/gray duct tape. But
I need a more permanent fix. Thanks!
You can buy a complete replacement keyboard tray - complete with the
mouse-board from any good office supply. Don't be surprized if a GOOD
one costs as much or more than the desk. 3M makes a decent one - The
AKT100 is $316.45 in Canada - and the AKT151LE is "only" $286.40

You can buy cheaper ones - like the Fellowes FEL9140301from WallMart
for $53, or their FEL8031301 for $170, or the 8035901 for about $290.

With the "cheap" ones you will be right back where you started but a
few dollars poorer

"Adam Kubias" wrote in message
...
On 2014-02-12 10:31 PM, Julie Bove wrote:
This isn't exactly a home repair but I figured someone here could help.
I purchased one of these desks back in Aug.

http://www.icebergenterprises.com/snapeasedesk.html

The specific desk I have is not pictured but to give you an idea, the
problem I am having is with the pullouts. There are two. One is the
keyboard tray. The second is the little mouse pullout at the side of
that tray.

My desk has exactly the same setup shown although the desk top is a
little different and it is bigger. I love the desk itself but...
Clearly having pullout problems.

To assemble, you merely snap the desk pieces together. As in the sides
and the top. You then turn it upside down and line up the metal pieces
that come pre-assembled on the keyboard pullout with the depressions on
the underside of the desk top. You then take two plastic pieces, snap
them in place and slide them over. Easy peasy!

The instructions did say that I might need to tighten the screws that
were put in at the factory. The screws are on the metal pieces of the
pullout. But... In tightening them, I have discovered that they prevent
the pullout from pulling out. I had to loosen them in order to slide it
out because they were hitting on something. Hard to explain because I
can't see well down there. But then over time, they will loosen too
much and the pullout will fall in my lap! I think I have solved this by
putting the piece back on, keeping the screws loose enough to pull it
out, then tightening but... Based on past experiences with other
pullouts, this could well happen again.

Next problem? The snap on plastic pieces that hold the pullout on have
fallen off twice. I think this happens when I accidentally bump the
pullout from underneath with my knees. Easy to put back on when the
desk is upside down. Not so easy to do when you are working blind,
underneath the desk and trying to hold the pullout in place. I think I
have solved this problem by duct taping the pieces in place and by
trying to be more careful.

Now the BIG problem! The little pullout for the mouse pad. I will try
to explain how it works. It came preassembled so even if I were able to
get replacement pieces, I don't think I could put them on by myself.

At the right side of the pullout are two white plastic tracks,
underneath. They are made of thin, cheap, brittle plastic. They are
shaped sort of like the letter O except that it is much skinnier.
Picture taking the O and pushing the top and bottoms towards each other
so that you have a long, thin track with a straight top and bottom and
curved sides.

The little pullout has tabs that fit into this track and it can slide
back and forth. Technically you could slide it underneath the pullout
if you did not need it. But I always left it out because I always use
it. Until... The track broke!

What happened was that because the plastic is brittle, the top portion
of the front track, cracked all the way through right at the inside of
where it curves. I thought about this for a while. I cut off the thick
top off of a zip top bag, tied it around this broken top and tied it
tightly to shore it up. This after several failed Super Glue repairs.
Then to make sure that it stayed, I put duct tape on top.

Great for a few weeks! But then? The piece cracked again. This time
about a 1" chunk fell off of the top. There was no way to tie it back
together again because all that is left at the top is somehow attached
to the bottom of the pullout. There is nothing to wrap anything around.

So... I took the trusty duct tape and cut some shortish pieces,
sticking it to the underside of the mouse pullout and up around the
broken piece to the underside of the keyboard pullout.

The problem with this? Nothing is smooth or flat underneath.
Especially the little mouse pullout. Hard to describe but it is like
there are ridges of plastic under there. So I did the best that I could
but after a week or even a few days, the tape falls off and I have to
start all over again.

I did notify the company. They told me they are no longer making any
desks with pullouts and they did not keep any parts. If they could send
me a whole new pullout, this would solve the problem, at least for now
but... Clearly a poor design and no doubt it would only be a matter of
time before the new one breaks.

I don't want to scrap the desk. It wasn't cheap and it is a sturdy desk
and the perfect size for me.

So... Any clues how I can repair this little mouse pad? Pretty sure it
is falling off because of the weight of my hand on it while using the
mouse. I am trying to be careful and not apply much pressure but as I'm
sure you know, this isn't always easy to do. The good thing is that
that this part of the desk is the exact color of your standard
silver/gray duct tape. But I need a more permanent fix. Thanks!
Next time build it out of pine and plywood. Almost every piece of
furniture in my house is from this and it never does me wrong.

I'm sorry I can't help, it sounds like a nightmare desk. I don't think
it's your fault though, the picture looks like a desk for a kid and
probably not built to withstand use.

They are designed for use in medical facilities, military, zoos, other
places where chemicals and spills might happen. The materials they are made
of are supposedly impervious to such things.

I was attracted to the snap together design. I am pretty good at assembling
things but when it comes to computer desks, I always seem to struggle with
something. Usually the pullout and wouldn't you know, the pullout is
causing the problem here.

As I said... My desk is bigger and has a different top. The top has a
raised lip to it. I do love that. Much less chance of my pens, lip balm,
nail polish, etc. will roll off. Heh.

And they do claim them to be sturdy. Which I think the desk part is. No
issues there whatever. But big pullout issues. I also think it is odd that
they say they are no longer using this design and yet it is still shown on
their website.

wrote in message
...
On Wed, 12 Feb 2014 19:31:21 -0800, "Julie Bove"
wrote:

This isn't exactly a home repair but I figured someone here could help. I
purchased one of these desks back in Aug.

http://www.icebergenterprises.com/snapeasedesk.html

The specific desk I have is not pictured but to give you an idea, the
problem I am having is with the pullouts. There are two. One is the
keyboard tray. The second is the little mouse pullout at the side of that
tray.

My desk has exactly the same setup shown although the desk top is a little
different and it is bigger. I love the desk itself but... Clearly having
pullout problems.

To assemble, you merely snap the desk pieces together. As in the sides
and
the top. You then turn it upside down and line up the metal pieces that
come pre-assembled on the keyboard pullout with the depressions on the
underside of the desk top. You then take two plastic pieces, snap them in
place and slide them over. Easy peasy!

The instructions did say that I might need to tighten the screws that were
put in at the factory. The screws are on the metal pieces of the pullout.
But... In tightening them, I have discovered that they prevent the
pullout
from pulling out. I had to loosen them in order to slide it out because
they were hitting on something. Hard to explain because I can't see well
down there. But then over time, they will loosen too much and the pullout
will fall in my lap! I think I have solved this by putting the piece back
on, keeping the screws loose enough to pull it out, then tightening but...
Based on past experiences with other pullouts, this could well happen
again.

Next problem? The snap on plastic pieces that hold the pullout on have
fallen off twice. I think this happens when I accidentally bump the
pullout
from underneath with my knees. Easy to put back on when the desk is
upside
down. Not so easy to do when you are working blind, underneath the desk
and
trying to hold the pullout in place. I think I have solved this problem
by
duct taping the pieces in place and by trying to be more careful.

Now the BIG problem! The little pullout for the mouse pad. I will try to
explain how it works. It came preassembled so even if I were able to get
replacement pieces, I don't think I could put them on by myself.

At the right side of the pullout are two white plastic tracks, underneath.
They are made of thin, cheap, brittle plastic. They are shaped sort of
like
the letter O except that it is much skinnier. Picture taking the O and
pushing the top and bottoms towards each other so that you have a long,
thin
track with a straight top and bottom and curved sides.

The little pullout has tabs that fit into this track and it can slide back
and forth. Technically you could slide it underneath the pullout if you
did
not need it. But I always left it out because I always use it. Until...
The track broke!

What happened was that because the plastic is brittle, the top portion of
the front track, cracked all the way through right at the inside of where
it
curves. I thought about this for a while. I cut off the thick top off of
a
zip top bag, tied it around this broken top and tied it tightly to shore
it
up. This after several failed Super Glue repairs. Then to make sure
that
it stayed, I put duct tape on top.

Great for a few weeks! But then? The piece cracked again. This time
about
a 1" chunk fell off of the top. There was no way to tie it back together
again because all that is left at the top is somehow attached to the
bottom
of the pullout. There is nothing to wrap anything around.

So... I took the trusty duct tape and cut some shortish pieces, sticking
it
to the underside of the mouse pullout and up around the broken piece to
the
underside of the keyboard pullout.

The problem with this? Nothing is smooth or flat underneath. Especially
the little mouse pullout. Hard to describe but it is like there are
ridges
of plastic under there. So I did the best that I could but after a week
or
even a few days, the tape falls off and I have to start all over again.

I did notify the company. They told me they are no longer making any
desks
with pullouts and they did not keep any parts. If they could send me a
whole new pullout, this would solve the problem, at least for now but...
Clearly a poor design and no doubt it would only be a matter of time
before
the new one breaks.

I don't want to scrap the desk. It wasn't cheap and it is a sturdy desk
and
the perfect size for me.

So... Any clues how I can repair this little mouse pad? Pretty sure it
is
falling off because of the weight of my hand on it while using the mouse.
I
am trying to be careful and not apply much pressure but as I'm sure you
know, this isn't always easy to do. The good thing is that that this part
of the desk is the exact color of your standard silver/gray duct tape.
But
I need a more permanent fix. Thanks!
You can buy a complete replacement keyboard tray - complete with the
mouse-board from any good office supply. Don't be surprized if a GOOD
one costs as much or more than the desk. 3M makes a decent one - The
AKT100 is $316.45 in Canada - and the AKT151LE is "only" $286.40

You can buy cheaper ones - like the Fellowes FEL9140301from WallMart
for $53, or their FEL8031301 for $170, or the 8035901 for about $290.

With the "cheap" ones you will be right back where you started but a
few dollars poorer

Pretty sure those would not attach to this desk though. Aren't they for
wooden desks?

Have you gone back to whereever you bought the desk and told them of your problems?

wrote in message
...
Have you gone back to whereever you bought the desk and told them of your
problems?

Ha! Mail order. I did call them initially when I thought some parts were
missing. Now due to a comedy of errors, I have two extra sets of those
parts. They weren't missing. They were sitting on my old computer desk.
No clue how they got there as I don't remember doing that at all and they
were sitting very visibly on top for a good three weeks until I found them
there. Store eventually did help me but only after I contacted the company
myself. Initially they wanted me to box it up and ship it back via UPS. I
was not willing to do that. And I doubt they would or could do anything now
as it has been 5-6 months. They can't fix it and if they could do anything
at all, it would be to replace it with another. And it would be no better.

On 2/13/2014 3:25 AM, Julie Bove wrote:

Ha! Mail order. I did call them initially when I thought some parts
were missing. Now due to a comedy of errors, I have two extra sets of
those parts. They weren't missing. They were sitting on my old
computer desk. No clue how they got there as I don't remember doing that
at all and they were sitting very visibly on top for a good three weeks
until I found them there. Store eventually did help me but only after I
contacted the company myself. Initially they wanted me to box it up and
ship it back via UPS. I was not willing to do that. And I doubt they
would or could do anything now as it has been 5-6 months. They can't
fix it and if they could do anything at all, it would be to replace it
with another. And it would be no better.

I'd ask a the hardware store, maybe you can find
a handyman who is near to you, and can work on this
kind of thing. Sounds like the group's collective
wisdom is letting you down.

Might check with the shop teachers at the local high
school. Perhaps one of the shop nerds can help?


--
..
Christopher A. Young
Learn about Jesus
www.lds.org
..

Julie,

Didn't read your whole post, it's too long. Here's your first problem.
When you tighten some screws firmly they block part of thj mechanism.
Everything works ok when the screws are slightly slack but they then work
loose.
Ok, the screws area little too long. Take out the screw and head to the
hardware store. Buy a shorter screw. Now find some washers that fit your
screw. Now head home. Try the shorter screws. Fixed? If not take the old
screws and put a washer or two on them and try them. Fixed? If not we head
back to the store and buy Loctite thread cement. Get the Blue one, it's
medium strength. Use the glue on the threads and reassemble. When the glue
dries it should prevent the screws from slackening.
So, what's the next problem?

Dave M.

On Wed, 12 Feb 2014 21:52:41 -0800, "Julie Bove"
wrote:


wrote in message
.. .
On Wed, 12 Feb 2014 19:31:21 -0800, "Julie Bove"
wrote:

This isn't exactly a home repair but I figured someone here could help. I
purchased one of these desks back in Aug.

http://www.icebergenterprises.com/snapeasedesk.html

The specific desk I have is not pictured but to give you an idea, the
problem I am having is with the pullouts. There are two. One is the
keyboard tray. The second is the little mouse pullout at the side of that
tray.

My desk has exactly the same setup shown although the desk top is a little
different and it is bigger. I love the desk itself but... Clearly having
pullout problems.

To assemble, you merely snap the desk pieces together. As in the sides
and
the top. You then turn it upside down and line up the metal pieces that
come pre-assembled on the keyboard pullout with the depressions on the
underside of the desk top. You then take two plastic pieces, snap them in
place and slide them over. Easy peasy!

The instructions did say that I might need to tighten the screws that were
put in at the factory. The screws are on the metal pieces of the pullout.
But... In tightening them, I have discovered that they prevent the
pullout
from pulling out. I had to loosen them in order to slide it out because
they were hitting on something. Hard to explain because I can't see well
down there. But then over time, they will loosen too much and the pullout
will fall in my lap! I think I have solved this by putting the piece back
on, keeping the screws loose enough to pull it out, then tightening but...
Based on past experiences with other pullouts, this could well happen
again.

Next problem? The snap on plastic pieces that hold the pullout on have
fallen off twice. I think this happens when I accidentally bump the
pullout
from underneath with my knees. Easy to put back on when the desk is
upside
down. Not so easy to do when you are working blind, underneath the desk
and
trying to hold the pullout in place. I think I have solved this problem
by
duct taping the pieces in place and by trying to be more careful.

Now the BIG problem! The little pullout for the mouse pad. I will try to
explain how it works. It came preassembled so even if I were able to get
replacement pieces, I don't think I could put them on by myself.

At the right side of the pullout are two white plastic tracks, underneath.
They are made of thin, cheap, brittle plastic. They are shaped sort of
like
the letter O except that it is much skinnier. Picture taking the O and
pushing the top and bottoms towards each other so that you have a long,
thin
track with a straight top and bottom and curved sides.

The little pullout has tabs that fit into this track and it can slide back
and forth. Technically you could slide it underneath the pullout if you
did
not need it. But I always left it out because I always use it. Until...
The track broke!

What happened was that because the plastic is brittle, the top portion of
the front track, cracked all the way through right at the inside of where
it
curves. I thought about this for a while. I cut off the thick top off of
a
zip top bag, tied it around this broken top and tied it tightly to shore
it
up. This after several failed Super Glue repairs. Then to make sure
that
it stayed, I put duct tape on top.

Great for a few weeks! But then? The piece cracked again. This time
about
a 1" chunk fell off of the top. There was no way to tie it back together
again because all that is left at the top is somehow attached to the
bottom
of the pullout. There is nothing to wrap anything around.

So... I took the trusty duct tape and cut some shortish pieces, sticking
it
to the underside of the mouse pullout and up around the broken piece to
the
underside of the keyboard pullout.

The problem with this? Nothing is smooth or flat underneath. Especially
the little mouse pullout. Hard to describe but it is like there are
ridges
of plastic under there. So I did the best that I could but after a week
or
even a few days, the tape falls off and I have to start all over again.

I did notify the company. They told me they are no longer making any
desks
with pullouts and they did not keep any parts. If they could send me a
whole new pullout, this would solve the problem, at least for now but...
Clearly a poor design and no doubt it would only be a matter of time
before
the new one breaks.

I don't want to scrap the desk. It wasn't cheap and it is a sturdy desk
and
the perfect size for me.

So... Any clues how I can repair this little mouse pad? Pretty sure it
is
falling off because of the weight of my hand on it while using the mouse.
I
am trying to be careful and not apply much pressure but as I'm sure you
know, this isn't always easy to do. The good thing is that that this part
of the desk is the exact color of your standard silver/gray duct tape.
But
I need a more permanent fix. Thanks!
You can buy a complete replacement keyboard tray - complete with the
mouse-board from any good office supply. Don't be surprized if a GOOD
one costs as much or more than the desk. 3M makes a decent one - The
AKT100 is $316.45 in Canada - and the AKT151LE is "only" $286.40

You can buy cheaper ones - like the Fellowes FEL9140301from WallMart
for $53, or their FEL8031301 for $170, or the 8035901 for about $290.

With the "cheap" ones you will be right back where you started but a
few dollars poorer

Pretty sure those would not attach to this desk though. Aren't they for
wooden desks?
Wooden compressed sawdust, steel - no matter. Might require a bit of
McGuyvering on that particular desk, but I'd make it work in short
order if I didn't have the option of replacing the desk with something
half decent.

On Wed, 12 Feb 2014 22:05:03 -0800 (PST), "
wrote:

Have you gone back to whereever you bought the desk and told them of your problems?
Likely bought online - cheaper than buying from a "real " store ----.
Yup - but no support. There's a "gotcha" every time.

"Stormin Mormon" wrote in message
...
On 2/13/2014 3:25 AM, Julie Bove wrote:

Ha! Mail order. I did call them initially when I thought some parts
were missing. Now due to a comedy of errors, I have two extra sets of
those parts. They weren't missing. They were sitting on my old
computer desk. No clue how they got there as I don't remember doing that
at all and they were sitting very visibly on top for a good three weeks
until I found them there. Store eventually did help me but only after I
contacted the company myself. Initially they wanted me to box it up and
ship it back via UPS. I was not willing to do that. And I doubt they
would or could do anything now as it has been 5-6 months. They can't
fix it and if they could do anything at all, it would be to replace it
with another. And it would be no better.

I'd ask a the hardware store, maybe you can find
a handyman who is near to you, and can work on this
kind of thing. Sounds like the group's collective
wisdom is letting you down.

Might check with the shop teachers at the local high
school. Perhaps one of the shop nerds can help?

Thanks! Only handymen I know of charge $250 minimum and I don't think our
high school has a shop. Guess I'll keep taping it.

"David L. Martel" wrote in message
...
Julie,

Didn't read your whole post, it's too long. Here's your first problem.
When you tighten some screws firmly they block part of thj mechanism.
Everything works ok when the screws are slightly slack but they then work
loose.
Ok, the screws area little too long. Take out the screw and head to the
hardware store. Buy a shorter screw. Now find some washers that fit your
screw. Now head home. Try the shorter screws. Fixed? If not take the old
screws and put a washer or two on them and try them. Fixed? If not we head
back to the store and buy Loctite thread cement. Get the Blue one, it's
medium strength. Use the glue on the threads and reassemble. When the glue
dries it should prevent the screws from slackening.
So, what's the next problem?

Dave M.

Thanks! But that's one problem I think I have fixed. Next problem is the
broken mouse pullout but I'm not going to type it all out again.

wrote in message
...
On Wed, 12 Feb 2014 22:05:03 -0800 (PST), "
wrote:

Have you gone back to whereever you bought the desk and told them of your
problems?
Likely bought online - cheaper than buying from a "real " store ----.
Yup - but no support. There's a "gotcha" every time.

Not cheaper. I just didn't want a wooden desk. I had my eye on this one
for a long time. And yes, bought online because I couldn't find it anywhere
else and I wanted it delivered.

Julie,

If it's not worth your time then it's not worth mine.

Dave M.

"Julie Bove" writes:

"Stormin Mormon" wrote in message
...
On 2/13/2014 3:25 AM, Julie Bove wrote:

Ha! Mail order. I did call them initially when I thought some parts
were missing. Now due to a comedy of errors, I have two extra sets of
those parts. They weren't missing. They were sitting on my old
computer desk. No clue how they got there as I don't remember doing that
at all and they were sitting very visibly on top for a good three weeks
until I found them there. Store eventually did help me but only after I
contacted the company myself. Initially they wanted me to box it up and
ship it back via UPS. I was not willing to do that. And I doubt they
would or could do anything now as it has been 5-6 months. They can't
fix it and if they could do anything at all, it would be to replace it
with another. And it would be no better.

I'd ask a the hardware store, maybe you can find
a handyman who is near to you, and can work on this
kind of thing. Sounds like the group's collective
wisdom is letting you down.

Might check with the shop teachers at the local high
school. Perhaps one of the shop nerds can help?

Thanks! Only handymen I know of charge $250 minimum and I don't think
our high school has a shop. Guess I'll keep taping it.

As I understood it, the mouse tray is no good.
Can you put a wider tray on the keyboard tray?

Maybe construction adhesive would work better than
duct tape.

--
Dan Espen

On 2014-02-13 5:38 PM, Julie Bove wrote:

wrote in message


I just didn't want a wooden desk.

But, but, but... wood.

"David L. Martel" wrote in message
...
Julie,

If it's not worth your time then it's not worth mine.

I already typed it out once.

"Dan Espen" wrote in message
...
"Julie Bove" writes:

"Stormin Mormon" wrote in message
...
On 2/13/2014 3:25 AM, Julie Bove wrote:

Ha! Mail order. I did call them initially when I thought some parts
were missing. Now due to a comedy of errors, I have two extra sets of
those parts. They weren't missing. They were sitting on my old
computer desk. No clue how they got there as I don't remember doing
that
at all and they were sitting very visibly on top for a good three weeks
until I found them there. Store eventually did help me but only after
I
contacted the company myself. Initially they wanted me to box it up
and
ship it back via UPS. I was not willing to do that. And I doubt they
would or could do anything now as it has been 5-6 months. They can't
fix it and if they could do anything at all, it would be to replace it
with another. And it would be no better.

I'd ask a the hardware store, maybe you can find
a handyman who is near to you, and can work on this
kind of thing. Sounds like the group's collective
wisdom is letting you down.

Might check with the shop teachers at the local high
school. Perhaps one of the shop nerds can help?

Thanks! Only handymen I know of charge $250 minimum and I don't think
our high school has a shop. Guess I'll keep taping it.

As I understood it, the mouse tray is no good.
Can you put a wider tray on the keyboard tray?

Maybe construction adhesive would work better than
duct tape.

Is construction adhesive a glue? If so, then no. The one piece is totally
broken. And I can't change the tray.

"Julie Bove" writes:

"Dan Espen" wrote in message
...
"Julie Bove" writes:

"Stormin Mormon" wrote in message
...
On 2/13/2014 3:25 AM, Julie Bove wrote:

Ha! Mail order. I did call them initially when I thought some parts
were missing. Now due to a comedy of errors, I have two extra sets of
those parts. They weren't missing. They were sitting on my old
computer desk. No clue how they got there as I don't remember
doing that
at all and they were sitting very visibly on top for a good three weeks
until I found them there. Store eventually did help me but only
after I
contacted the company myself. Initially they wanted me to box it
up and
ship it back via UPS. I was not willing to do that. And I doubt they
would or could do anything now as it has been 5-6 months. They can't
fix it and if they could do anything at all, it would be to replace it
with another. And it would be no better.

I'd ask a the hardware store, maybe you can find
a handyman who is near to you, and can work on this
kind of thing. Sounds like the group's collective
wisdom is letting you down.

Might check with the shop teachers at the local high
school. Perhaps one of the shop nerds can help?

Thanks! Only handymen I know of charge $250 minimum and I don't think
our high school has a shop. Guess I'll keep taping it.

As I understood it, the mouse tray is no good.
Can you put a wider tray on the keyboard tray?

Maybe construction adhesive would work better than
duct tape.

Is construction adhesive a glue? If so, then no. The one piece is
totally broken. And I can't change the tray.

Yes, it's glue. Dries like a rock.

I was thinking of attaching a board or plastic to the bottom of the
keyboard tray with a edge that sticks out for a mouse tray.
Leave the tray, just add an extension.

--
Dan Espen

On Fri, 14 Feb 2014 03:19:00 -0800, "Julie Bove"
wrote:


"Dan Espen" wrote in message
...
"Julie Bove" writes:

"Stormin Mormon" wrote in message
...
On 2/13/2014 3:25 AM, Julie Bove wrote:

Ha! Mail order. I did call them initially when I thought some parts
were missing. Now due to a comedy of errors, I have two extra sets of
those parts. They weren't missing. They were sitting on my old
computer desk. No clue how they got there as I don't remember doing
that
at all and they were sitting very visibly on top for a good three weeks
until I found them there. Store eventually did help me but only after
I
contacted the company myself. Initially they wanted me to box it up
and
ship it back via UPS. I was not willing to do that. And I doubt they
would or could do anything now as it has been 5-6 months. They can't
fix it and if they could do anything at all, it would be to replace it
with another. And it would be no better.

I'd ask a the hardware store, maybe you can find
a handyman who is near to you, and can work on this
kind of thing. Sounds like the group's collective
wisdom is letting you down.

Might check with the shop teachers at the local high
school. Perhaps one of the shop nerds can help?

Thanks! Only handymen I know of charge $250 minimum and I don't think
our high school has a shop. Guess I'll keep taping it.

As I understood it, the mouse tray is no good.
Can you put a wider tray on the keyboard tray?

Maybe construction adhesive would work better than
duct tape.

Is construction adhesive a glue? If so, then no. The one piece is totally
broken. And I can't change the tray.
If the broken piece is Styrene,butyrate, ABS or acrylic you may be
able to repair it with Ambroyd ProWeld. Won't make it any better than
the crap it was when you bought it though.. Mabee make a replacement
part out of wood - is it the actual mouse tray that is broken, or the
slide it fits into? If the tray - no problem. If the slide part, good
luck

On Fri, 14 Feb 2014 03:19:00 -0800, "Julie Bove"
wrote:



Is construction adhesive a glue? If so, then no. The one piece is totally
broken. And I can't change the tray.

You'll just have to do without the tray. This is why I avoid
keyboard/mouse trays. Most are junk and poorly designed.
That besides the bad ergonomics.
Even the ones on most of the commercial office desks, which is where I
learned to avoid them.
Better off with a sturdy table for a computer or big old
"traditional" desk.
You found out the hard way.

On Wed, 12 Feb 2014 19:31:21 -0800, "Julie Bove"
wrote:

This isn't exactly a home repair but I figured someone here could help. I
purchased one of these desks back in Aug.

http://www.icebergenterprises.com/snapeasedesk.html

The specific desk I have is not pictured but to give you an idea, the
problem I am having is with the pullouts. There are two. One is the
keyboard tray. The second is the little mouse pullout at the side of that
tray.

snipped problem description

I don't want to scrap the desk. It wasn't cheap and it is a sturdy desk and
the perfect size for me.

So... Any clues how I can repair this little mouse pad? Pretty sure it is
falling off because of the weight of my hand on it while using the mouse. I
am trying to be careful and not apply much pressure but as I'm sure you
know, this isn't always easy to do. The good thing is that that this part
of the desk is the exact color of your standard silver/gray duct tape. But
I need a more permanent fix. Thanks!

From the problems you have had, the numerous fixes you've tried that
have failed, other recommendations that have been offered that for
whatever reason, in your opinion, won't work it's time to resign
yourself to the fact that your desk is a piece of crap. Get rid of it
and buy something of higher quality. You'll be glad you did.

"Dan Espen" wrote in message
...
"Julie Bove" writes:

"Dan Espen" wrote in message
...
"Julie Bove" writes:

"Stormin Mormon" wrote in message
...
On 2/13/2014 3:25 AM, Julie Bove wrote:

Ha! Mail order. I did call them initially when I thought some parts
were missing. Now due to a comedy of errors, I have two extra sets
of
those parts. They weren't missing. They were sitting on my old
computer desk. No clue how they got there as I don't remember
doing that
at all and they were sitting very visibly on top for a good three
weeks
until I found them there. Store eventually did help me but only
after I
contacted the company myself. Initially they wanted me to box it
up and
ship it back via UPS. I was not willing to do that. And I doubt
they
would or could do anything now as it has been 5-6 months. They can't
fix it and if they could do anything at all, it would be to replace
it
with another. And it would be no better.

I'd ask a the hardware store, maybe you can find
a handyman who is near to you, and can work on this
kind of thing. Sounds like the group's collective
wisdom is letting you down.

Might check with the shop teachers at the local high
school. Perhaps one of the shop nerds can help?

Thanks! Only handymen I know of charge $250 minimum and I don't think
our high school has a shop. Guess I'll keep taping it.

As I understood it, the mouse tray is no good.
Can you put a wider tray on the keyboard tray?

Maybe construction adhesive would work better than
duct tape.

Is construction adhesive a glue? If so, then no. The one piece is
totally broken. And I can't change the tray.

Yes, it's glue. Dries like a rock.

I was thinking of attaching a board or plastic to the bottom of the
keyboard tray with a edge that sticks out for a mouse tray.
Leave the tray, just add an extension.

Okay. Thanks!

wrote in message
news
On Fri, 14 Feb 2014 03:19:00 -0800, "Julie Bove"
wrote:


"Dan Espen" wrote in message
...
"Julie Bove" writes:

"Stormin Mormon" wrote in message
...
On 2/13/2014 3:25 AM, Julie Bove wrote:

Ha! Mail order. I did call them initially when I thought some parts
were missing. Now due to a comedy of errors, I have two extra sets
of
those parts. They weren't missing. They were sitting on my old
computer desk. No clue how they got there as I don't remember doing
that
at all and they were sitting very visibly on top for a good three
weeks
until I found them there. Store eventually did help me but only
after
I
contacted the company myself. Initially they wanted me to box it up
and
ship it back via UPS. I was not willing to do that. And I doubt
they
would or could do anything now as it has been 5-6 months. They can't
fix it and if they could do anything at all, it would be to replace
it
with another. And it would be no better.

I'd ask a the hardware store, maybe you can find
a handyman who is near to you, and can work on this
kind of thing. Sounds like the group's collective
wisdom is letting you down.

Might check with the shop teachers at the local high
school. Perhaps one of the shop nerds can help?

Thanks! Only handymen I know of charge $250 minimum and I don't think
our high school has a shop. Guess I'll keep taping it.

As I understood it, the mouse tray is no good.
Can you put a wider tray on the keyboard tray?

Maybe construction adhesive would work better than
duct tape.

Is construction adhesive a glue? If so, then no. The one piece is totally
broken. And I can't change the tray.
If the broken piece is Styrene,butyrate, ABS or acrylic you may be
able to repair it with Ambroyd ProWeld. Won't make it any better than
the crap it was when you bought it though.. Mabee make a replacement
part out of wood - is it the actual mouse tray that is broken, or the
slide it fits into? If the tray - no problem. If the slide part, good
luck

The slide is broken.

"Vic Smith" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 14 Feb 2014 03:19:00 -0800, "Julie Bove"
wrote:



Is construction adhesive a glue? If so, then no. The one piece is totally
broken. And I can't change the tray.

You'll just have to do without the tray. This is why I avoid
keyboard/mouse trays. Most are junk and poorly designed.
That besides the bad ergonomics.
Even the ones on most of the commercial office desks, which is where I
learned to avoid them.
Better off with a sturdy table for a computer or big old
"traditional" desk.
You found out the hard way.

Thanks! Yeah. Bro and SIL are both programmers. They don't use the trays.

"Gordon Shumway" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 12 Feb 2014 19:31:21 -0800, "Julie Bove"
wrote:

This isn't exactly a home repair but I figured someone here could help. I
purchased one of these desks back in Aug.

http://www.icebergenterprises.com/snapeasedesk.html

The specific desk I have is not pictured but to give you an idea, the
problem I am having is with the pullouts. There are two. One is the
keyboard tray. The second is the little mouse pullout at the side of that
tray.

snipped problem description

I don't want to scrap the desk. It wasn't cheap and it is a sturdy desk
and
the perfect size for me.

So... Any clues how I can repair this little mouse pad? Pretty sure it
is
falling off because of the weight of my hand on it while using the mouse.
I
am trying to be careful and not apply much pressure but as I'm sure you
know, this isn't always easy to do. The good thing is that that this part
of the desk is the exact color of your standard silver/gray duct tape.
But
I need a more permanent fix. Thanks!

From the problems you have had, the numerous fixes you've tried that
have failed, other recommendations that have been offered that for
whatever reason, in your opinion, won't work it's time to resign
yourself to the fact that your desk is a piece of crap. Get rid of it
and buy something of higher quality. You'll be glad you did.

Not an option.

On Sat, 15 Feb 2014 03:02:01 -0800, "Julie Bove"
wrote:


wrote in message
news
On Fri, 14 Feb 2014 03:19:00 -0800, "Julie Bove"
wrote:


"Dan Espen" wrote in message
...
"Julie Bove" writes:

"Stormin Mormon" wrote in message
...
On 2/13/2014 3:25 AM, Julie Bove wrote:

Ha! Mail order. I did call them initially when I thought some parts
were missing. Now due to a comedy of errors, I have two extra sets
of
those parts. They weren't missing. They were sitting on my old
computer desk. No clue how they got there as I don't remember doing
that
at all and they were sitting very visibly on top for a good three
weeks
until I found them there. Store eventually did help me but only
after
I
contacted the company myself. Initially they wanted me to box it up
and
ship it back via UPS. I was not willing to do that. And I doubt
they
would or could do anything now as it has been 5-6 months. They can't
fix it and if they could do anything at all, it would be to replace
it
with another. And it would be no better.

I'd ask a the hardware store, maybe you can find
a handyman who is near to you, and can work on this
kind of thing. Sounds like the group's collective
wisdom is letting you down.

Might check with the shop teachers at the local high
school. Perhaps one of the shop nerds can help?

Thanks! Only handymen I know of charge $250 minimum and I don't think
our high school has a shop. Guess I'll keep taping it.

As I understood it, the mouse tray is no good.
Can you put a wider tray on the keyboard tray?

Maybe construction adhesive would work better than
duct tape.

Is construction adhesive a glue? If so, then no. The one piece is totally
broken. And I can't change the tray.
If the broken piece is Styrene,butyrate, ABS or acrylic you may be
able to repair it with Ambroyd ProWeld. Won't make it any better than
the crap it was when you bought it though.. Mabee make a replacement
part out of wood - is it the actual mouse tray that is broken, or the
slide it fits into? If the tray - no problem. If the slide part, good
luck

The slide is broken.
Then just glue the tray in place with construction adhesive and be
done with it.

"Julie Bove" wrote in message ...
This isn't exactly a home repair but I figured someone here could help. I
purchased one of these desks back in Aug.

http://www.icebergenterprises.com/snapeasedesk.html

The specific desk I have is not pictured but to give you an idea, the
problem I am having is with the pullouts. There are two. One is the
keyboard tray. The second is the little mouse pullout at the side of that
tray.

My desk has exactly the same setup shown although the desk top is a little
different and it is bigger. I love the desk itself but... Clearly having
pullout problems.

To assemble, you merely snap the desk pieces together. As in the sides and
the top. You then turn it upside down and line up the metal pieces that
come pre-assembled on the keyboard pullout with the depressions on the
underside of the desk top. You then take two plastic pieces, snap them in
place and slide them over. Easy peasy!

The instructions did say that I might need to tighten the screws that were
put in at the factory. The screws are on the metal pieces of the pullout.
But... In tightening them, I have discovered that they prevent the pullout
from pulling out. I had to loosen them in order to slide it out because
they were hitting on something. Hard to explain because I can't see well
down there. But then over time, they will loosen too much and the pullout
will fall in my lap! I think I have solved this by putting the piece back
on, keeping the screws loose enough to pull it out, then tightening but...
Based on past experiences with other pullouts, this could well happen again.

Next problem? The snap on plastic pieces that hold the pullout on have
fallen off twice. I think this happens when I accidentally bump the pullout
from underneath with my knees. Easy to put back on when the desk is upside
down. Not so easy to do when you are working blind, underneath the desk and
trying to hold the pullout in place. I think I have solved this problem by
duct taping the pieces in place and by trying to be more careful.

Now the BIG problem! The little pullout for the mouse pad. I will try to
explain how it works. It came preassembled so even if I were able to get
replacement pieces, I don't think I could put them on by myself.

At the right side of the pullout are two white plastic tracks, underneath.
They are made of thin, cheap, brittle plastic. They are shaped sort of like
the letter O except that it is much skinnier. Picture taking the O and
pushing the top and bottoms towards each other so that you have a long, thin
track with a straight top and bottom and curved sides.

The little pullout has tabs that fit into this track and it can slide back
and forth. Technically you could slide it underneath the pullout if you did
not need it. But I always left it out because I always use it. Until...
The track broke!

What happened was that because the plastic is brittle, the top portion of
the front track, cracked all the way through right at the inside of where it
curves. I thought about this for a while. I cut off the thick top off of a
zip top bag, tied it around this broken top and tied it tightly to shore it
up. This after several failed Super Glue repairs. Then to make sure that
it stayed, I put duct tape on top.

Great for a few weeks! But then? The piece cracked again. This time about
a 1" chunk fell off of the top. There was no way to tie it back together
again because all that is left at the top is somehow attached to the bottom
of the pullout. There is nothing to wrap anything around.

So... I took the trusty duct tape and cut some shortish pieces, sticking it
to the underside of the mouse pullout and up around the broken piece to the
underside of the keyboard pullout.

The problem with this? Nothing is smooth or flat underneath. Especially
the little mouse pullout. Hard to describe but it is like there are ridges
of plastic under there. So I did the best that I could but after a week or
even a few days, the tape falls off and I have to start all over again.

I did notify the company. They told me they are no longer making any desks
with pullouts and they did not keep any parts. If they could send me a
whole new pullout, this would solve the problem, at least for now but...
Clearly a poor design and no doubt it would only be a matter of time before
the new one breaks.

I don't want to scrap the desk. It wasn't cheap and it is a sturdy desk and
the perfect size for me.

So... Any clues how I can repair this little mouse pad? Pretty sure it is
falling off because of the weight of my hand on it while using the mouse. I
am trying to be careful and not apply much pressure but as I'm sure you
know, this isn't always easy to do. The good thing is that that this part
of the desk is the exact color of your standard silver/gray duct tape. But
I need a more permanent fix. Thanks!

Can you explain in more detail?

wrote in message
...
On Sat, 15 Feb 2014 03:02:01 -0800, "Julie Bove"
wrote:


wrote in message
news
On Fri, 14 Feb 2014 03:19:00 -0800, "Julie Bove"
wrote:


"Dan Espen" wrote in message
...
"Julie Bove" writes:

"Stormin Mormon" wrote in message
...
On 2/13/2014 3:25 AM, Julie Bove wrote:

Ha! Mail order. I did call them initially when I thought some
parts
were missing. Now due to a comedy of errors, I have two extra sets
of
those parts. They weren't missing. They were sitting on my old
computer desk. No clue how they got there as I don't remember doing
that
at all and they were sitting very visibly on top for a good three
weeks
until I found them there. Store eventually did help me but only
after
I
contacted the company myself. Initially they wanted me to box it
up
and
ship it back via UPS. I was not willing to do that. And I doubt
they
would or could do anything now as it has been 5-6 months. They
can't
fix it and if they could do anything at all, it would be to replace
it
with another. And it would be no better.

I'd ask a the hardware store, maybe you can find
a handyman who is near to you, and can work on this
kind of thing. Sounds like the group's collective
wisdom is letting you down.

Might check with the shop teachers at the local high
school. Perhaps one of the shop nerds can help?

Thanks! Only handymen I know of charge $250 minimum and I don't
think
our high school has a shop. Guess I'll keep taping it.

As I understood it, the mouse tray is no good.
Can you put a wider tray on the keyboard tray?

Maybe construction adhesive would work better than
duct tape.

Is construction adhesive a glue? If so, then no. The one piece is
totally
broken. And I can't change the tray.
If the broken piece is Styrene,butyrate, ABS or acrylic you may be
able to repair it with Ambroyd ProWeld. Won't make it any better than
the crap it was when you bought it though.. Mabee make a replacement
part out of wood - is it the actual mouse tray that is broken, or the
slide it fits into? If the tray - no problem. If the slide part, good
luck

The slide is broken.
Then just glue the tray in place with construction adhesive and be
done with it.

I can't! The piece that would hold it there is broken to the point where
there is a chunk missing now.

"Guv Bob" wrote in message
m...
"Julie Bove" wrote in message
...
This isn't exactly a home repair but I figured someone here could help. I
purchased one of these desks back in Aug.

http://www.icebergenterprises.com/snapeasedesk.html

The specific desk I have is not pictured but to give you an idea, the
problem I am having is with the pullouts. There are two. One is the
keyboard tray. The second is the little mouse pullout at the side of that
tray.

My desk has exactly the same setup shown although the desk top is a little
different and it is bigger. I love the desk itself but... Clearly having
pullout problems.

To assemble, you merely snap the desk pieces together. As in the sides
and
the top. You then turn it upside down and line up the metal pieces that
come pre-assembled on the keyboard pullout with the depressions on the
underside of the desk top. You then take two plastic pieces, snap them in
place and slide them over. Easy peasy!

The instructions did say that I might need to tighten the screws that were
put in at the factory. The screws are on the metal pieces of the pullout.
But... In tightening them, I have discovered that they prevent the
pullout
from pulling out. I had to loosen them in order to slide it out because
they were hitting on something. Hard to explain because I can't see well
down there. But then over time, they will loosen too much and the pullout
will fall in my lap! I think I have solved this by putting the piece back
on, keeping the screws loose enough to pull it out, then tightening but...
Based on past experiences with other pullouts, this could well happen
again.

Next problem? The snap on plastic pieces that hold the pullout on have
fallen off twice. I think this happens when I accidentally bump the
pullout
from underneath with my knees. Easy to put back on when the desk is
upside
down. Not so easy to do when you are working blind, underneath the desk
and
trying to hold the pullout in place. I think I have solved this problem
by
duct taping the pieces in place and by trying to be more careful.

Now the BIG problem! The little pullout for the mouse pad. I will try to
explain how it works. It came preassembled so even if I were able to get
replacement pieces, I don't think I could put them on by myself.

At the right side of the pullout are two white plastic tracks, underneath.
They are made of thin, cheap, brittle plastic. They are shaped sort of
like
the letter O except that it is much skinnier. Picture taking the O and
pushing the top and bottoms towards each other so that you have a long,
thin
track with a straight top and bottom and curved sides.

The little pullout has tabs that fit into this track and it can slide back
and forth. Technically you could slide it underneath the pullout if you
did
not need it. But I always left it out because I always use it. Until...
The track broke!

What happened was that because the plastic is brittle, the top portion of
the front track, cracked all the way through right at the inside of where
it
curves. I thought about this for a while. I cut off the thick top off of
a
zip top bag, tied it around this broken top and tied it tightly to shore
it
up. This after several failed Super Glue repairs. Then to make sure
that
it stayed, I put duct tape on top.

Great for a few weeks! But then? The piece cracked again. This time
about
a 1" chunk fell off of the top. There was no way to tie it back together
again because all that is left at the top is somehow attached to the
bottom
of the pullout. There is nothing to wrap anything around.

So... I took the trusty duct tape and cut some shortish pieces, sticking
it
to the underside of the mouse pullout and up around the broken piece to
the
underside of the keyboard pullout.

The problem with this? Nothing is smooth or flat underneath. Especially
the little mouse pullout. Hard to describe but it is like there are
ridges
of plastic under there. So I did the best that I could but after a week
or
even a few days, the tape falls off and I have to start all over again.

I did notify the company. They told me they are no longer making any
desks
with pullouts and they did not keep any parts. If they could send me a
whole new pullout, this would solve the problem, at least for now but...
Clearly a poor design and no doubt it would only be a matter of time
before
the new one breaks.

I don't want to scrap the desk. It wasn't cheap and it is a sturdy desk
and
the perfect size for me.

So... Any clues how I can repair this little mouse pad? Pretty sure it
is
falling off because of the weight of my hand on it while using the mouse.
I
am trying to be careful and not apply much pressure but as I'm sure you
know, this isn't always easy to do. The good thing is that that this part
of the desk is the exact color of your standard silver/gray duct tape.
But
I need a more permanent fix. Thanks!

Can you explain in more detail?

---

Sorry. I don't think so.

On Sun, 16 Feb 2014 00:44:37 -0800, "Julie Bove"
wrote:


wrote in message
.. .
On Sat, 15 Feb 2014 03:02:01 -0800, "Julie Bove"
wrote:


wrote in message
news On Fri, 14 Feb 2014 03:19:00 -0800, "Julie Bove"
wrote:


"Dan Espen" wrote in message
...
"Julie Bove" writes:

"Stormin Mormon" wrote in message
...
On 2/13/2014 3:25 AM, Julie Bove wrote:

Ha! Mail order. I did call them initially when I thought some
parts
were missing. Now due to a comedy of errors, I have two extra sets
of
those parts. They weren't missing. They were sitting on my old
computer desk. No clue how they got there as I don't remember doing
that
at all and they were sitting very visibly on top for a good three
weeks
until I found them there. Store eventually did help me but only
after
I
contacted the company myself. Initially they wanted me to box it
up
and
ship it back via UPS. I was not willing to do that. And I doubt
they
would or could do anything now as it has been 5-6 months. They
can't
fix it and if they could do anything at all, it would be to replace
it
with another. And it would be no better.

I'd ask a the hardware store, maybe you can find
a handyman who is near to you, and can work on this
kind of thing. Sounds like the group's collective
wisdom is letting you down.

Might check with the shop teachers at the local high
school. Perhaps one of the shop nerds can help?

Thanks! Only handymen I know of charge $250 minimum and I don't
think
our high school has a shop. Guess I'll keep taping it.

As I understood it, the mouse tray is no good.
Can you put a wider tray on the keyboard tray?

Maybe construction adhesive would work better than
duct tape.

Is construction adhesive a glue? If so, then no. The one piece is
totally
broken. And I can't change the tray.
If the broken piece is Styrene,butyrate, ABS or acrylic you may be
able to repair it with Ambroyd ProWeld. Won't make it any better than
the crap it was when you bought it though.. Mabee make a replacement
part out of wood - is it the actual mouse tray that is broken, or the
slide it fits into? If the tray - no problem. If the slide part, good
luck

The slide is broken.
Then just glue the tray in place with construction adhesive and be
done with it.

I can't! The piece that would hold it there is broken to the point where
there is a chunk missing now.
Glue the top of the mouse tray to the bottom of the keyboard tray -
permanently - no adjustment. That "snot" will fill a pretty good gap
and still hold tight.

wrote in message
...
On Sun, 16 Feb 2014 00:44:37 -0800, "Julie Bove"
wrote:


wrote in message
. ..
On Sat, 15 Feb 2014 03:02:01 -0800, "Julie Bove"
wrote:


wrote in message
news On Fri, 14 Feb 2014 03:19:00 -0800, "Julie Bove"
wrote:


"Dan Espen" wrote in message
...
"Julie Bove" writes:

"Stormin Mormon" wrote in message
...
On 2/13/2014 3:25 AM, Julie Bove wrote:

Ha! Mail order. I did call them initially when I thought some
parts
were missing. Now due to a comedy of errors, I have two extra
sets
of
those parts. They weren't missing. They were sitting on my old
computer desk. No clue how they got there as I don't remember
doing
that
at all and they were sitting very visibly on top for a good three
weeks
until I found them there. Store eventually did help me but only
after
I
contacted the company myself. Initially they wanted me to box it
up
and
ship it back via UPS. I was not willing to do that. And I doubt
they
would or could do anything now as it has been 5-6 months. They
can't
fix it and if they could do anything at all, it would be to
replace
it
with another. And it would be no better.

I'd ask a the hardware store, maybe you can find
a handyman who is near to you, and can work on this
kind of thing. Sounds like the group's collective
wisdom is letting you down.

Might check with the shop teachers at the local high
school. Perhaps one of the shop nerds can help?

Thanks! Only handymen I know of charge $250 minimum and I don't
think
our high school has a shop. Guess I'll keep taping it.

As I understood it, the mouse tray is no good.
Can you put a wider tray on the keyboard tray?

Maybe construction adhesive would work better than
duct tape.

Is construction adhesive a glue? If so, then no. The one piece is
totally
broken. And I can't change the tray.
If the broken piece is Styrene,butyrate, ABS or acrylic you may be
able to repair it with Ambroyd ProWeld. Won't make it any better than
the crap it was when you bought it though.. Mabee make a replacement
part out of wood - is it the actual mouse tray that is broken, or the
slide it fits into? If the tray - no problem. If the slide part, good
luck

The slide is broken.
Then just glue the tray in place with construction adhesive and be
done with it.

I can't! The piece that would hold it there is broken to the point where
there is a chunk missing now.
Glue the top of the mouse tray to the bottom of the keyboard tray -
permanently - no adjustment. That "snot" will fill a pretty good gap
and still hold tight.

Okay. Thanks!