Leveling Feet

[Mike Goetzke]

I’m building a very robust/heavy dresser. It has legs at the corners and one in the middle. It is currently laying on its back on my 4x8 work table. Before I get help to upright the dresser I was thinking may there is a way to see how far out the feet may be. Anyone have experience doing this? Couple ideas I had were to use string across the legs or using a laser level to check offset.

 

[luvmytoolz]

I’m building a very robust/heavy dresser. It has legs at the corners and one in the middle. It is currently laying on its back on my 4x8 work table. Before I get help to upright the dresser I was thinking may there is a way to see how far out the feet may be. Anyone have experience doing this? Couple ideas I had were to use string across the legs or using a laser level to check offset.

I'd just use a long level as a straight edge to see how the corners and middle line up.

 

[Mike Goetzke]

I’m building a very robust/heavy dresser. It has legs at the corners and one in the middle. It is currently laying on its back on my 4x8 work table. Before I get help to upright the dresser I was thinking may there is a way to see how far out the feet may be. Anyone have experience doing this? Couple ideas I had were to use string across the legs or using a laser level to check offset.

I'd just use a long level as a straight edge to see how the corners and middle line up.

Thanks - the dresser is 54” long so I’ll see if I have something straight and long enough.

 

[Packard]

Is there any guarantee that the carcass is so stiff as not to have any twist at all when stood up?

I would imagine that a heavy piece of furniture will “settle” by as much as 1/8” just based on the weight of the piece. 

And how flat is your floor?  I’ve moved pieces that sat flat on the floor in one spot, but not at another.

I think you have to check it upright and in the spot where it will reside.

I use levelers, either hidden or exposed, depending upon the application.  My vanities use exposed levelers.  The hidden ones can be entirely concealed. 

This article shows how, but I don’t approve of the felt pads as they will compress over time and you will have to re-adjust the levelers.

But back to the original question of how, I have found that commercially produced shelves with laminate surfaces are almost invariably straight an true along the edges.  You can check at the store by pushing one shelf edge against another.  They should be touching along the entire length.

https://www.woodworkersjournal.com/hiding-leg-levelers-with-recesses/

 

[jeffinsgf]

Mike,

String will serve you well and perhaps better than trying to find something 60" long and straight.

Have you considered adding leveling feet to the piece before you place it? Something that big and heavy, I would think about it.

 

[Crazyraceguy]

The bigger a unit is, the more likely it needs leveling feet. You could build it laser-straight, stiff enough to not flex into compliance....and the floor will let you down every time.
The feet don't have to be noticeable. They can be somewhat recessed into the legs. This would make the shortest leg (highest place of the floor) have no protrusion at all. At that point, the choice is yours, whether to make it actually level or just enough to take out the wobble.

 

[Steve1]

On a recent dresser, I wanted to do as Packard described, but I was worried that when I needed to adjust it, the levelling foot would refuse to rotate with just finger friction available.
I couldn't find a small levelling foot that had a positive drive feature, so I made my own. 
The large head bolts were nominal 15mm diameter but actually about 14.7mm OD, so my 15mm forstner bit made a perfect hole.
I drilled four small holes in the face of the screw as an anchor and then epoxied a softwood pad. 
There is a hole in the pad, so I can adjust it with a 4mm allen wrench
The clearance in the 15mm hole is negligible, so even if somebody drags it across the floor, the leveller will shift a bit and not put stress on the epoxy joint.

I admit it, I am OCD and Packard's method would have worked just fine.
(But when I installed the dresser, either my work or the floor or both were out, and I indeed had to adjust one leveller and the hex drive made it very convenient)

[attachimg=1]

 

[Crazyraceguy]

[member=65451]Steve1[/member] is right. Most leveling feet are intended to be adjusted from the side, with an open-ended wrench, thus requiring they be exposed, or from the top (through the bottom of a cabinet) also not functional in this application.
Most people are not willing to (or capable of) lifting the entire unit, to access the bottom, for a hex key though. You most have to rely on friction to move them. Not ideal, but it is sort of the price you pay for stealth.

 

[Michael Kellough]

If a machine screw/bolt like Steve1 used is threaded into a decent nut, like a T-nut, you can probably turn the leveling screw with just finger friction, after jacking the thing up to provide clearance.

 

[Packard]

All my bathroom vanities are on leveling feet.  I jack up one corner and then turn the levelers with my finger tips.  On those, the levelers are not hidden and keep the wood off the ground where they might be exposed to water.

I was in Lowes a while back and they were selling small bladder bags to use as a jack. These are identical to the bags used by car thieves to gain entry to the vehicle through the doors. 

In any case, an easy way to jack up a piece of furniture.

Garrett Wade calls them Pneumatic Lifts.

The Garrett Wade ones are sold 2 for $20.00.  Cheap enough.
https://garrettwade.com/product/pne...q40swtDdCKS1tDEtuDe52RCBbfq1cSq4aAhAaEALw_wcB

This video is way too long, but clear.  (I wish people would more tightly edit their videos.)

 

[smorgasbord]

Painters & carpenters use those bladder bags all the time to help remove heavy doors from their hinges.

Three different sizes for $15 from Amazon:https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B088F316V6

 

[HOWIE54]

Dewalt construction lift or the Irwin Quik-lift can lift about 350 lbs. each. I used one to easily level a new washer. The original is the Viking Arm.  The Viking Arm even has additional cabinet installing accessories. You can see plenty of YouTube videos for any of these. In the USA, they can be purchased at the local big box home stores or your local hardware. Hartville Hardware carries both Dewalt and Irwin.

 

[Packard]

I agree that these look handy, and when I need one I intend to buy one.

Though it seems obvious to me and probably to most others too, it is probably worth mentioning that they are just used for very temporary leveling while adjusting the levelers or shimming.

They are not meant for permanent fixes.

 

[Crazyraceguy]

Cabinet jacks are a great way to take the load off of the leg in question, making it easier to adjust the foot. I have a pair under my main assembly table, because they are just so handy.
I use them in the shop too. Moving those plywood riser blocks around under a reception desk is sometimes needed.

 

[rst]

While I have not used the VIKING clones by DeCrap or Irwin, I do use the Viking to install commercial/industrial doors.  In conjunction with a set of Door Studs, I can easily install or replace steel doors weighing well over 100 lbs.  A couple weeks ago I replaced a 42" steel door that went close to 150 lbs by myself. PS, I'll be 72 in December.