Fixing flex on table ends. (1 Viewer)

Marhault

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Ok, so my main table was a repurposed/rebuilt table. I put a new surface on it with a custom cloth from Tony and new pad. I also put gorilla folding legs on it since the old legs were in rough shape. I still have one remaining issue and I'm not sure if I've posted here about it before or not. My table on the ends that extend out beyond the gorilla legs bend when weight is placed on them. Not a lot, but enough I don't like it.

What are my best options to stabilize this? A friend recommended putting a post leg on each end of the table but that feels less than ideal. It was also suggested attaching like 2 pieces of angle iron the length of the table to prevent the flex at the ends, again not sure this is ideal.

Any suggestions are appreciated. I think ideally I should just replace the surface but I'm hoping to avoid that if I don't have to. I can provide photographs if needed or measurements.

Thanks!
 
I stiffened up my table ends by attaching two pieces of 1” black iron plumbing pipe to the underside. These run almost the whole length of the table, about 8 inches apart, inside the leg brackets.

I connected them to the plywood with u-shaped galvanized pipe straps.

If the pipe would interfere with your legs folding properly, you could use two shorter pieces on either end, at a length which stays clear of the legs.

Notes: It’s possible a single pipe would do. Also, I did not bring the pipe all the way up the end to preserve some leg clearance.

E9D040B4-DC25-480B-A0D2-EA308E2D375F.jpeg
 
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I stiffened up my table ends by attaching two pieces of 1” black iron plumbing pipe to the underside. These run almost tut whole length of the table, about 8 inches apart, inside the leg brackets.

I connected them to the plywood with u-shaped metal brackets.
Does it do a good job?
 
Yes. Even a very heavy player is not going to bend iron pipes like that. Might even get away with 1/2-inch.

I contemplated using flat perforated steel or iron pieces instead, but they can flex much more than pipe.
 
I don’t remember. I have fairly standard steel folding legs. I didn’t attach the pipe right up against the legs, more like 8” apart down the center.
 
Looking at an old post of mine, it seems that I used 3/4” iron pipe, in 6-foot lengths. If your table is long, these could be staggered, or you could cut down 10-foot pieces.
 
If it holds the pipe securely to the table, good enough. The type I posted a pic of above worked great.

These are pretty inexpensive, so use as many as you feel are necessary. Just be sure to use screws short enough that they don’t poke through the foam and felt, obv.
 
If it holds the pipe securely to the table, good enough. The type I posted a pic of above worked great.

These are pretty inexpensive, so use as many as you feel are necessary. Just be sure to use screws short enough that they don’t poke through the foam and felt, obv.
Awesome. I'm gonna give it a go on my days off thanks!
 
Here’s a not very good pic… I have the table stored on the wall, and didn’t want to take it down.

You can see the two pipes are staggered. The table is about 88-89” long. Each pipe extends to about 4” from its respective end of the table. This is more than enough to stiffen up any give from the overhang. They are spaced closer apart than I remembered.

BFE1AB27-F976-4784-9058-9EDB40A12D77.jpeg
 
Ok, so I finally got a pic of the bottom of my table. Do you think putting the pipes on the outside of the legs extended down as far as I can go will add enough stability? Or would it be better to do something with like a 2x4 with a wooden riser to lift it above the leg support?
20211130_143317.jpg
 
You could try and see if 1/2” pipe would fit down the center.

But to be honest, based on your photograph it is surprising that there is any sagging at the ends of your table. The legs look like they are positioned pretty close to the ends.

Is the top made of a very weak material? If so I’m not sure this would help. You might have to cut a sheet of plywood roughly matching its footprint instead.
 
You could try and see if 1/2” pipe would fit down the center.

But to be honest, based on your photograph it is surprising that there is any sagging at the ends of your table. The legs look like they are positioned pretty close to the ends.

Is the top made of a very weak material? If so I’m not sure this would help. You might have to cut a sheet of plywood roughly matching its footprint instead.
It's 3/4 plywood, it's just an older table. It's not sagging at all, the problem is when weight is put on either extreme end of the table it bows down. You don't think I could just put the pipes on the outside of the table leg upper crossbar and get the stability I'm looking for?
 
You could try and see if 1/2” pipe would fit down the center.

But to be honest, based on your photograph it is surprising that there is any sagging at the ends of your table. The legs look like they are positioned pretty close to the ends.

Is the top made of a very weak material? If so I’m not sure this would help. You might have to cut a sheet of plywood roughly matching its footprint instead.
This is my crappy drawing but similar to this.

20211130_143317.jpg
 

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