Need to stabilize this table

[Steve Eure]

How about an inverted V coming down from the center of the table to the center of each side. Outside of cross braces, I don't see any other way to keep it from racking unless it is made of welded metal. Some clients have no concept of what happens when things are built. They see things on pinterest and other sites and they think it looks cool, but have no idea of the concept or engineering involved to make it work.

[Yonak Hawkins]

If she won't go with brackets, how about an extended apron ? Other than that, it's simply a cumbersome design from an engineering standpoint, no matter how much glue you use.

Part of the problem may be those stretchers running across the floor. They do very little to shore up the stability and they, likely, will get kicked a lot.

[Steve Jenkins]

It looks like the base is painted. If so what’s the diff between painted wood and painted welded metal?

[Michael Furey]

Yes the base is painted, but it’s distressed. Metal Would t be able to be distressed like the wood is.

[glenn bradley]

The design offers no racking strength. Either the material will have to be something that offers that strength with that visual weight (metal) or the acceptance of some sort of structure is required. Even if you did mitered M&T at the corners I would be leery of the lateral strength.

mitered-tenon.jpg

Angle brackets would certainly appear as an after thought to me. We have some clever folks on here. Maybe someone will come up with something that will work using 2x2's.

[Wayne Lomman]

Remove the pocket screw.

Flat steel angle brackets at least 3mm thick and 100mm long each way top and bottom of each leg. Make them 30mm wide.

Router a matching rebate to set them in flush. They will now be totally invisible as they are top and bottom of the frame.

Drill to screw them to each rail with two countersunk screws each rail.

Also drill brackets to accept a 100mm or longer countersunk batten screw up the centre of each leg. Epoxy screws and brackets in place. This forms a composite structure rather than just metal fasteners on wood. This will now be structurally sound.

In general, when attempting fragile looking furniture like this, it is necessary to put all material options up for consideration. Timber alone cannot do everything. It sometimes needs help from metals, plastics, ceramics, stone etc. Cheers

[Malcolm McLeod]

The design offers no racking strength. Either the material will have to be something that offers that strength with that visual weight (metal) or the acceptance of some sort of structure is required. ...

... it is necessary to put all material options up for consideration. Timber alone cannot do everything. It sometimes needs help from metals, plastics, ceramics, stone etc. Cheers

^+1 X 2

Architects and designers are sometimes charged with making things look 'pretty', but then don't have to actually build them. Engineers get the resulting design to figure out loads, strength of materials, acceptable deflection under load, and how to actually build a given structure. ...In this case, Michael may need to get his inner engineer engaged?

I too, don't think you'll get the needed strength out of 2x2 wood (especially when I sit on it!). But if the spidery, wood-only look is spec'd by the architect and demanded by the customer, consider a 'tripod' of ~0.5" dia steel rod, welded with each of the 3 arms at 90deg to each other (just like the legs and stretchers), each arm 3-4" long. Drill the end of each stretcher and leg on it's long axis to receive one of the tripod's arms (a little deeper than the arms), then miter the stretcher and leg ends to allow the tripod to be 'buried' in the joint (invisibly).

I don't know the size of the table, or its weight, or the quality of steel and heat-treat you might use, or if the owner will hold barn dances on it, so can't offer much more. Guess-timating the size from the photos, I'd think 1/2" dia. is a minimum. ...There is a lot of leverage on those joints.

Even better would be to make the tripods from 0.25"W X 1.5"H flat bar (in the stretchers), welded to 1.5" X 1.5" X 0.25" angle (vertically, in the legs). This would still allow the steel brace to be buried and hidden in the joint. The racking strength would be >3-4 times what you'd get from round bar, but hugely complicates the installation (mortices, rather than drilling). If my reputation was riding on it, I'd use this in cold-rolled, then heat-treat.

Option 2: Trial and error with reinforcing methods until you find acceptable solution.

Option 3: Hire structural engineer to do the guzinta work?