aluminum or steel?

[Ken Fitzgerald]

There is absolutely no need for wear strips. With gear slides, the wear surfaces are on the inside of the slides. There are no rack and pinion slides that I know of. They are either gear slides or equalizer slides. Maybe you are looking at some new tech?

Richard it's a matter of which words you and I choose to use. Here's a illustration of a rack and pinion assembly.

R&P.jpg

That sure looks like what is you are calling a gear slides or equalizer slides?

The reason for the wear strips is that I believe when extended, with the extension in use, the weight will end up being supported on the table rails so I want to insure that minimize wear on the table top when being extended and retracted.

I agree the wear should be on the inside of the slides but with weight on the table I am concerned about sag resulting in the tabletop riding on the rails of the table.

[Richard Coers]

Richard it's a matter of which words you and I choose to use. Here's a illustration of a rack and pinion assembly.

R&P.jpg

That sure looks like what is you are calling a gear slides or equalizer slides?

The reason for the wear strips is that I believe when extended, with the extension in use, the weight will end up being supported on the table rails so I want to insure that minimize wear on the table top when being extended and retracted.

I agree the wear should be on the inside of the slides but with weight on the table I am concerned about sag resulting in the tabletop riding on the rails of the table.

Please show me the model slide you intend to use, I've never seen a rack and pinion table slide. The wear WILL be inside the slides, not should be. The slides I am talking about is in the video I've shown in another post. I'm just trying to share my experience here, I won't be adding anything more.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Please show me the model slide you intend to use, I've never seen a rack and pinion table slide. The wear WILL be inside the slides, not should be. The slides I am talking about is in the video I've shown in another post. I'm just trying to share my experience here, I won't be adding anything more.

Richard, again, you want to call them "geared or equalizer slides" but in fact they use a form of rack and pinion as I showed in the illustration.

Here's what I am using. https://www.leevalley.com/en-us/shop...s?item=17K1510

[Maurice Mcmurry]

UHMW tape is pretty amazing. If it is stuck on good hard wood I would expect a long operational life without the need for steel or aluminum. We stuck UHMW tape to MDF and used it against the table saw top, wood, other MDF, and Lexan. It lasted for several years of daily use in a factory environment. Your table sounds like a neat project. I posted an old video of a Scottish maker displaying his butterfly leaf a while back. I can't find it just now.

This is not the one but it is good.

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[Ken Fitzgerald]

UHMW tape is pretty amazing. If it is stuck on good hard wood I would expect a long operational life without the need for steel or aluminum. We stuck UHMW tape to MDF and used it against the table saw top, wood, other MDF, and Lexan. It lasted for several years of daily use in a factory environment. Your table sounds like a neat project. I posted an old video of a Scottish maker displaying his butterfly leaf a while back. I can't find it just now.

This is not the one but it is good.

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Maurice, I have watched this video a dozen times, at least. It was one of the things that inspired me to build one. My wife and I are at an age that getting the extensions up and down the stairs from our utility room is getting more difficult. I wanted new project to give me something to do and this table is it.

[Maurice Mcmurry]

The butterfly leaf is so clever! That will be a neat project!