Stupid wobbly table...

[halesowenmum]

Ok so I bought a table off ebay. Well, two tables actually one coffee table and on console table.

'Urban, recycled' look was advertised. How could I have known that this meant 'Constructed with absolutely no skill so as to be incapable of create a straight, true table that doesn't wobble necessitating the purchase of legs of different heights to address that problem'.

So what can I do with it so that I can reconstruct it (I've just taken it apart) and need to make it so that it can have the hairpin legs attached and it not wobble as I am at risk of spilling my wine (which is not acceptable).

Would ply be strong enough if I placed the sections of wood on top of that, would that be enough to render it level/true??

What can I do?

The wobbling is a nightmare. I tried to pack the legs underneath but the tables are so out of whack that they needed so much packing it's completely visible and looks appalling.

This is v v similar: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Industria...yle-hairpin-/122293200211?hash=item1c793e2553

although on mine it's not two pieces of wood, for the console table it's 3, for the coffee table it's 4.

Ideas on how to reconstruct the coffee table that I've taken apart, so I can actually use it?!?

 

[Tigercubrider]

What does the base of your foot look like?

If you have a flat base about 20mm round/square you could drill it and fit a screw foot

https://www.amazon.co.uk/furniture-rubber-adjustable-height-castor/dp/B00E3FJ18K

Each would either screw into a tapped hole or fit a nut on either side
This allows adjustment for wonky floors

Or add a small bit of packing wood/washer between the leg and top
Or 4x wooden feet that you craft individually to each leg

A three legged stool/table can't wobble as the whole point of a tripod is it is used on wonky floors!

 

[halesowenmum]

Thanks for the ideas. They are hairpin legs so no adjustability and I kinda need to stick with them because I paid for them and they're part of 'the look' - and the tables match each other. The packing I tried but they're so out of kilter that the packing is very very visually obvious and it looks really awful.

It's not the floor that's wonky, it's the table top itself. The table top as constructed, plus the individual component pieces of wood.

 

[JohnD]

pack the bottom of the table and refix the leg to it. Preferably a back one.

 

[Tigercubrider]

Can you post a pic of the bottom of the leg?
(Edit - took a Google and probably a no go to fix the bottom )

Also - if packing the top, screw the leg to the top away from the edge (1-2") so the fix can't be easily seen

 

[halesowenmum]

Do you mean pack the place where the legs attach?? If so, I've tried this but you literally can't pack it enough without it being totally totally totally obvious and incredibly ugly. There's too much variation.

This is what I'm asking about - how to pack the bottom of the table - how do I do that? If I can get it level underneath so the legs don't wobble due to ending up at different heights that's great, but how exactly? If I attach the pieces of wood to say a piece of marine ply or other hardboard of some type, will it be strong enough to not be pulled out of true??

 

[halesowenmum]

It's a standard metal hairpin leg?

 

[Tigercubrider]

I meant that where the leg meets the table, add a piece of timber accurately cut or use several metal washers to create a unique spacer per leg

By fixing away from the edge, you should only be able to se the bodge by kneeling down and looking under it- or create a small wooden frame to surround the join as a mask

I can't think of an easy way to fit a foot to the leg bottom unless you weld or fix a wooden block to the bottom- maybe not acceptable .

Measure the legs - are they bent in some way? Hard to see how they can be far out?