Cable system for opening kitchen table for leaves

[Glen Butler]

Everyone knows of the table slides with the rack and pinion that will open each half of a table syncronously to allow for leaf installation. I think they are made rather junky, so I would make my own tighter fitting slides and use just the rack and pinion metal pieces. But I see no reason to buy them just for the hardware.

I am wondering if anyone knows of a cable system for opening and closing the table?

[Mike Henderson]

I don't know of a cable system, but I saw a table with a long screw thread that was used to open and close the table. At one end, the screw thread had a head that a crank was put on to crank the table open or closed. It actually worked well. It belonged to a woman who hired me to do some work on the table. She had lost the crank so I advised her to go to Sears and buy a speed wrench and the proper sized socket. She did and reported back to me that it worked very well for her.

Mike

[A speed wrench looks like a brace but has an end that fits into a socket. She got one with a 3/8" end.]

[Glen Butler]

I designed a cable system last night but can't be 100 percent certain the physics will work like I am thinking unless I actually built it, but I'd rather know before I put out the expense.

A screw would be cool except for the slowness. It would keep the table tightly closed with or without leaves. An coarse acme thread or ball screw would be the way to go. I am going to have to do some searching. Another thought was linear actuators, but I could also put a motor on the acme screw. Imaging that . . . a table that had to be plugged in.:D

[Steve Jenkins]

check watertown equalizer slides. I use their heavy duty slides in both the equalizer (pull one end both ends open) and regular slides.

[Rob Sack]

Check with Osborne Wood Products. They are carrying a line of table slides. I just installed one of theirs as a replacement for a client's dining table. After years of using Walter of Wabash slides with great success, I found Osbornes's slides to be even smoother. Osborne's customer service is also outstanding.

[Glen Butler]

I think those watertown slides are the ticket. Now I just have to figure out how to redesign my table to make them work.

[Steve Jenkins]

what do you have to redesign? I can't see pics but if you want to give me a call I'll be glad to try and help. I have used the watertown slides a lot and they are pretty straightforward.

[scott vroom]

Steve, are you referring to the Watertown steel equalizer slides sold by Moin Hardware? Prices look to be $300+....am I looking at the right products?

http://www.moinhardware.com/page10/page10.html

Thank you-

[Rob Sack]

I would check with Osborne, as previously mentioned. The set of slides I got were under $200.00 with shipping, silky smooth in operation, and in my case, opened the table well over 50".

[Steve Jenkins]

That is the one I use. I know they are pricey but I have never had a problem with sag or stickiness. I'm sure that like most things there are several ways to skin the cat. The folks at Moin are very helpful if you call them.

Steve, are you referring to the Watertown steel equalizer slides sold by Moin Hardware? Prices look to be $300+....am I looking at the right products?

http://www.moinhardware.com/page10/page10.html

Thank you-

[Glen Butler]

I would have to change the way the skirt hooks to the table, and the way the table top connects to the legs, because I want to use equalizer slides with a 4 legged table.

[Steve Jenkins]

Just a thought Glen. It sounds to me like you are tryng to have the table stay in the same spot after it's opened. If you try to open a 4 legged table by pulling on one end the other end will probably just slide along with you or at best it will stay where it is. I don't think that the equalizer will make the other end go away from you. I would think that even with equalizer slides you will still need to have either two people to open it or have to move it back where you want it after you open it.