How do I fix a wobbly table?

[Erik Holmes]

Hello all,

I am a fairly new woodworker with much still to learn, and this is my first time posting to these forums, which have been very helpful to me. I am working on a nightstand with a simple mortise and tenon frame. When I glued it up (haven't put the tabletop on yet), it wobbles back and forth between two legs on opposite corners. The legs are all the same length, so I guess something is out of square somewhere in my joinery.

My question is, how do I fix the wobble? I read one article that suggested putting the nightstand on my benchtop to where three legs are even and not wobbling and allow the fourth one to hang off the edge, then mark where the benchtop hits and sand flush to that mark. Is that the best way to go? It make sense, but I'm interested in how others have solved this problem.

Thanks in advance for the help.

Erik

[Lee Schierer]

I would wait until after the top is attached and see how bad the wobble is. Make sure you are checking it on a flat surface. Most floors are not as flat as they seem. When you do you adjustments after the top is on, be sure to proceed slowly and check for level often so you don't cut off too much. If the table is to be placed on a carpeted floor, you may not need to do anything to the legs.

[Matt Day]

There was an article in FWW last month I think it was about using the TS to fix it. Basically, use the TS as the flat reference surface, set the blade to protrude only about 1/16" or less, and run the long leg over the blade multiple times to shave it down.

Welcome to the forum!

[John Coloccia]

As said, floors often aren't flat. Anyhow, if you do it with the leg hanging off the bench method, it may not wobble but it also may not be level when you're done. If you really want all 4 legs to be dead flat in a plane, and the top to be level:

1) put it on something FLAT
2) shim it as necessary to get the top level
3) scribe a line around all 4 legs....if you did a good job, you're only off by a little and a pencil sharpened to a flat will do. Put the flat part UP so that the top of the line is always at the same level This is one place where a carpenters pencil might be useful because it's already flat.
4) cut, sand, whatever and make the line disappear....split the line...whatever you're comfortable with. Because you sharpened to a flat, the TOP of the line is the true common height.

That's will give you a perfect plane with a flat top. If there's a leg that's obviously out and too high, fix that first. It should be obvious as you're shimming if it's wobbling on something.

There are lots of variations on this technique, but this is the basic technique. Then, when you put it where it's going, take a matchbook and shim the wobbly leg to account for the crooked floor

[Ryan Lee]

Sugar packets?

[Erik Holmes]

I found the video of the FWW technique Matt Day referenced. Pretty clever little trick -- although I'm a little concerned about screwing it up. Here's the video: http://www.finewoodworking.com/how-t...tablelegs.aspx

[Erik Holmes]

Thanks, John. That makes sense.