Extension table not square

[Isaiah Barker]

Hello, I would love some help with this project I am working on for a client. I am building an extendable leaf table that measures about 88” long by 35 1/2 “ wide when it’s fully put together. The leaf is 24 inches. I’m using biscuits for aligning the table when removing and adding the leaf. The main issue that I’m having is that when it is fully put together it is not sitting square, yet when I collapse the table the the offset is less noticeable. I believe it has something to do with the table slides or that the top is not fastened to the base properly. I cannot remove the two end table tops as they are secured to the apron with glue. Any ideas?

[wtnhighlander]

My first guess is that extension slide mechanism is sagging when it is extended. Does that align with what you see? Is the outer section of the table tilting down from the plane of the table top?

Or perhaps by out of square you mean there is a gap at one side of the seam where the sections meet?

[Isaiah Barker]

Image 3.1 is where the left side connects to the leaf when the table is fully assembled. 
Image 3.4 is where the right side connects to the left on the table is fully assembled.

And image 3.3 is when the leaf has been removed.

 

I don’t believe there is a sagging issue when the table is fully extended. But yes it has more to do with the inconsistent gap width. 
 

i’ve been wondering if I can scribe a parallel line that matches the offset and making that cut. But my concern with that approach is if it will make the gap even more severe when the table is closed.

[Ronn W]

I installed latches similar to window latches on the underside of m y dingin table - latches draw the table togther nicely.

 

[Isaiah Barker]

Ronn, I have those mounted underneath. I’ve found that they did little as far as bringing them together, THOUGH, I do think they might not be heavy duty enough for this application and I may get some new ones. 
 

I think the problem is more with the alignment along the width than pulling them together along its’ length. 

[Robby W]

This may sound stupid, but is the floor level! That can cause all kinds of problems if the leveling is different between open and closed.

[wtnhighlander]

To me, it looks like the edges are not consistently straight, but have a bit of 'wave' to them. Were they cut with a saw that might have some flex to the blade? A circular saw and straight edge, maybe? 

[krtwood]

To fudge it to make it work, first get the two edges of the table to meet perfectly without the extension.  I would probably cut through the seam with my track saw.  Then adjust only the extension to meet with the table.

[gee-dub]

On 12/11/2020 at 2:23 PM, Isaiah Barker said:

I cannot remove the two end table tops as they are secured to the apron with glue.

Here is where I think things went wrong.  Table tops are normally attached with wood movement in mind.  This would also allow them to align under the slight pressure of the "locks".  If the tops are solid wood as they appear and they are glued to the aprons that table's future is not looking good.  Maybe I misunderstood that statement, can you talk about that a bit more?  It seems that to correct one fixed situation, the other will increase.  Any chance to un-glue the tops and attach them more traditionally?

[Isaiah Barker]

Thanks for the support on this one guys. 
 

I don’t think it has to do with the floor being level or not, though I’ll think that through a bit more. I even have levelers on the feet.  
 

I used my makita track saw which I haven’t had any wandering issues previously, so I don’t think that’s it either...

[Isaiah Barker]

21 hours ago, krtwood said:

To fudge it to make it work, first get the two edges of the table to meet perfectly without the extension.  I would probably cut through the seam with my track saw.  Then adjust only the extension to meet with the table.

I’m thinking similarly, but I’m worried that though it may look seem-less when closed, the offset gap will look greater when expanded... what do you think?

[krtwood]

On 12/14/2020 at 12:51 AM, Isaiah Barker said:

I’m thinking similarly, but I’m worried that though it may look seem-less when closed, the offset gap will look greater when expanded... what do you think?

I'm not sure what you mean by offset gap, but you would be essentially scribing the extension to match whatever is there when it's expanded.  As long as you only make the adjustment to the extension then you aren't going to alter anything about how it meets up without the extension.  I would say run the track saw through the gap with it closed first and then see what that does to how the extension fits.  Maybe you won't even have to do anything to it.

[Isaiah Barker]

So what I’ve done to address the issue, is run the tracksaw down the center, splitting the two seams of the table when it’s closed. This is definitely the solution to the problem. But this actually showed what the real issue was all along that I was unaware of. My Makita track saw needs to be adjusted. It is not cutting perfectly at 90°, and it is also wobbling left to right. The wobble is either due to the blade not being tightened up or not being secured correctly on the track. So I’m gonna have to do some minor adjustments to figure this out. 
 

The combination of an acute angle and wobbly cut is the result of the seams not matching up perfectly.

 

if I fix this issue, I’ll post a picture soon.

 

Thanks everyone!