DIY Dining Room Table - Need for 25th!

Financial_Savvy

Hello all, I am building a dining room table for 8 people to use on Christmas Day.

I have put 6 legs but not much in the way of brackets so it wobbles at the minute.

Do I need brackets between the legs and the top? If so are these from wood or shelving type brackets? Currently I have but a block either side of the leg and screwed the leg to this, but it still wobbles. If they are from wood what is the angle between the leg and the the table top?

The table did bow in the middle until I fitted the last two legs in the middle.

Are more legs the answer?

Please help!

wallbash

Are more legs the answer?

No

More like you need a bit of bracing !

You could try a piece of wood between the ends two legs , half way between floor and table top.

Better still is the diagonal brace, a triangle being more stable than the square.

andrew-b

Sounds far too organised a christmas to me! I'd screw timbers between the tops of the legs first and see if that's good enough. Does it matter if it wobbles a little? Everything will seem to wobble anyway if you drink enough!! :beer:

Could have used decorating table (begged/borrowed) and covered with paper cloth - folds away easy for storage for next year! Our lot bring a drop leaf table over that we push together with our table - fitted 9 around last year. In previous years we've bought the garden furniture in.

Don't forget the chairs! We bought a couple from argos last year : http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/6004921/c_1/1%7Ccat_10197552%7CDining+furniture%7C10197553/Trail/searchtext%3EFOLDING+CHAIRS.htm
...probably wouldn't take a heavy person though but adequate for occassional usage.

Andy :xmassmile

Financial_Savvy

Can I purchase any brackets that will do the job?

andrew-b

Not sure what you'd use.. you can get angle brackets but not sure if they would be man enough for the job. If your not bothered what it looks like I suppose you could use thin metal rods as diagonal struts from leg to tabletop and/or leg to diagonally opposite leg..bending the ends into hooks and hooking them into screw in eyelets to secure. Think triangles as already suggested they are the strongest way for building any structure (remember this from a bridge building competition in woodwork at school to see who could build the bridge that would take the most weight!).

Andy :xmassmile