Recommended stain for natural walnut finish

[Mollie Peery]

Thanks for everyone's response. I went with an amber GF finish (4 coats) and the table looks great. Now, however, I have a wee bit of a problem. My completed walnut slab coffee table is 2" x 13.5" x 42" x 18.5" high.

It has: a tapered 2" x 10.5" x 16.5" high slab leg on one end;
a 2" x 2.25" x 28" "floor beam?" that is cross-lapped with the slab leg;
a 1.25" x 1.25 x ~18" rod set at a 70-degree angle from the "floor beam" to the bottom of the slab on the other end;
and a 2" x 2.25" x 10.5" cross-lap on the "floor beam" at the point of the diagonal rod.

This table sits perfectly level on the workbench with no wobble; however, on carpet it becomes unsteady. Because the table is already glued, screwed and finished my options are quite limited. Could the table be top-heavy? I need HELP.

My first thought was to drill some holes along the bottom of the "floor beam" and ends of the cross-lap pieces on the floor and fill them with some sort of weighted material like lead shot. My second thought is that there MUST be someone on this forum who has a simple solution.

Many thanks for your suggestions.
Mollie

[Jamie Buxton]

A pic would be helpful.

[Mollie Peery]

IMG_0392.jpgIMG_0393.jpgIMG_0391.jpg

Although not seen well in these pictures, the bottom "cross beam" extends through the slab leg.

It has: a tapered 2" x 10.5" x 16.5" high slab leg on one end;
a 2" x 2.25" x 28" "floor beam?" that is cross-lapped with the slab leg;
a 1.25" x 1.25 x ~18" rod set at a 70-degree angle from the "floor beam" to the bottom of the slab on the other end;
and a 2" x 2.25" x 10.5" cross-lap on the "floor beam" at the point of the diagonal rod.

[Jamie Buxton]

How 'bout you drive some finish nails into the bottoms of the legs, clip off the heads, and file them to points. When you put the table down on the carpet, the nail tips stab through the carpet, through the carpet pad, and rest on the subfloor.

[Scott Holmes]

I suggest adding screw-in disc round feet that can help level it. Put them on the 4 outer most corners.

[Tim Howell]

It looks like the total base is all on the same plane. Therefore all the weight is distributed evenly across the bottom. The carpet padding is holding the weight spread out.Therefore it can rock on the padding. Press your finger into the carpet and see how must indentation you make, and put a shim at 4 corners equal to the amount you were able to indent the carpet. Something like a 1x1” x ? Keep the overall base just flush with the carpet i.e. be able to slide a piece of paper under the table. That should give you 4 foundation points. The carpet will sink down more with the weight. In a week or two you may need to add 1/8" more shim. Check it out before you go driving nails in the piece and your floor. When you think you got it –radius the shim edges and double back tape it to the bottom of the table. Someday you may get new carpet or move it elsewhere.

[Jim Becker]

Judging from the photos, I indeed do think that your table base is potentially narrow enough to be less stable than you likely prefer, especially on a surface that "gives" like carpet. The other thing is that also comes to mind is what Scott mentions...you really want some "feet" at the corners to provide a stable base on whatever surface the table might sit on. That raises the wood up off the floor all around and only puts four small points in direct contact with the floor.

[Mollie Peery]

Thanks to all. Special thanks to Tim who explained the mechanics of why the table is unstable on carpet. I used scrap walnut and made 2 sets of shims (1/4" & 3/8"). Tested 3/8" set on my carpet and it's fine. This table is going to my daughter who lives with apartment-grade carpet/padding so one set should fit just fine. Thanks again.

[Mollie Peery]

Judging from the photos, I indeed do think that your table base is potentially narrow enough to be less stable than you likely prefer, especially on a surface that "gives" like carpet. The other thing is that also comes to mind is what Scott mentions...you really want some "feet" at the corners to provide a stable base on whatever surface the table might sit on. That raises the wood up off the floor all around and only puts four small points in direct contact with the floor.

Hi Jim,
You posted while I was writing so missed your comment earlier. Your suggestion is similar to Scott's. I think I understood the term "shim" better than "feet". Are you talking about the "feet" from Lowes? The ones I'm familiar with are chrome with a black rubberish spacer and are nailed on. If this is what you mean, then my neighbor can turn some walnut for me that I can screw onto the 4 ends of the two cross pieces. Do you think round risers would work better than squarish shims? What diameter should they be?

[Greg Portland]

Waterlox + dark grain filler really pops the grain.