Wobbly trestle table.

[cistrans]

Hi - first post, quick question.

Fairly standard dining trestle table, seats 4, stretcher runs between the two trestles near to the ground, mortice and tusk tenon at each end.

The tabling is "racking", or to put it another way, if you place your hand on the top, you can move it from side to side: it changes from a square shape to a parallelogram.

What's the easiest, quickest way (for a non-carpenter) to stiffen it up? (Without taking it apart, etc.)

It doesn't have to be perfect, or last forever.

Obviously, when you push it one way, a small gap (couple of mil.) opens up at the interface between the stretcher and the inside of the trestle at that end; Would sticking some wood glue or NMN into that gap bond the stretcher to the trestles, stop that gap from opening up, and solidify the table a little?

Cheers.

 

[Dave54]

As far as I know there's no easy and quick way to mend something like this. Because of the leverage and pressure exerted on the joint any "mend" involving trying to fill the gaps will only give the illusion of a repair temporarily, as will screws and plates etc. Sorry to say that the only satisfactory way to do it is disassemble it, clean up and make any necessary adjustment, new wedges if necessary, and re assemble. The same goes doubly for chairs incidentally.

 

[gregers]

perhaps using some paper and some poly glue try and force the glue into the joints,then spray some water on it.then let the glue/moisture do its job and hopefully might stop it from moving?