by Jeannie Uss

Created on: March 22, 2009   Last Updated: March 24, 2009

A fly-tying desk is a very personal thing. Depending on the type of flies typically made during one session, the materials handling and tool use will be completely different from one user to the next. In this respect - any fly-tying desk will have a completely original design and consist of it's own tool and materials arrangement. This article aims to lay out the areas that need to be considered when building a purpose made fly-tying desk.

Vice height and position

There is nothing worse than getting up after a fly-tying session with back ache or sore shoulder and neck - the main consideration has to be for the welfare and comfort of the person using the desk. If you are building your own desk start with your favourite and most comfortable chair. Get someone to help you by measuring the preferred height for your vice - this should be at a position where you do not have to raise your shoulder muscles to wind the bobbin around the hook, and yet high enough that you will not give yourself a neck injury. Some people find that having their elbows at around 90 degrees works for them - I personally like mine slightly higher. Measure from the floor to your hands. This determines the height of the desk top where you will attach your vice.

Measure the space required to the side which will be needed to fasten your vice on the work surface. The jaws of the vice should be centered in front of you. Allow enough room for your legs to fit comfortably, and have a foot rest to ease your knees and hips as you tie. Space is required for your lighting, and a fastening point is required on the desk in an appropriate position.

Materials handling

You will require a space for specific materials while you tie. This will be a flat open space near your dominant hand where you can lay out the individual materials required for your project, e.g. twenty select hackle feathers, or a board with pegs attached which temporarily hold your twenty marabou bundles when you tie, and a smooth bowl which will hold the twenty hooks needed for the project. It should be a smooth surface away from the air movement created by your rotating hand where you can line up the materials required for the individual flies you will tie and where they will not get disturbed or knocked off. Suggested minimum space is around 14inches square.

Materials storage

Fly-tiers typically have a lot of materials which take up a lot of space. One way to deal with this is to have a separate bulk storage area away from the desk. I use large

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