Slowly sinking dining table

[sundancer 87]

The other day I noticed I was having to lift the table to its highest position and reposition the locking rod under the table. The table wouldn't sink that much but it would get lower over time. This hit me as another engineering "oh well" so I took things into my own hands.

I studied the bottom of the table and its locking mechanism to see if I could improve upon the locking design. Also to see if I could beat the real engineers in their ideas.

What is down there is the locking rod and a hard plastic block in a carrier. Apparently the rod is supposed to fit against the plastic block and lock the table at the proper height.

The problem is with the plastic block. It's smooth and slick and doesn't have any kind of friction surface thereby allowing the locking rod to simply roll off the block. The more weight the easier the rod rolls off the block to allow the table to sink.

The fix is simple. Put the table in the proper place, lock the table in place with the rod as it was dreamed would work. Take a Sharpie or pencil and scribe the bottom portion of the rod where it contacts the plastic block.

Remove the block and simply cut a groove in the plastic block. Using the mark you made as a guide cut the groove above the line about the diameter of the locking rod.

I used the edge of a 4 inch grinder, perhaps a sharp round or triangular file would cut the plastic also. The groove doesn't have to be deep, just enough of a cut to let the locking rod settle into the plastic block.

Mine hasn't moved since the reengineering process and the rod stays where it's supposed to stay. No more knee knockers and no more thinking you've grown taller.