Oops Coffee Table

[Birdhunter]

Just dry assembled a coffee table and it’s not perfectly square measured corner to corner. The square table frame is 35” on a side. The diagonals are off about 1/4”. As each component was glued together, the pieces were square before and a after gluing. So, I’m bafflied as to why the diagonals at off so much. I quess making some corner braces are next. Maybe they will force the frame into true,

Help!!!

 

[ultane]

Must have shifted during the glue up. Don’t think corner braces will force it square at this point. Maybe you’ll never know after the top is on.

 

[CeeJay]

Have you tried altering clamp position and pressure at each side a bit during the dry fit?

I’m always surprised how much movement that can create. For 1/4” out of square, you can probably get that back. Try shifting one end of a clamp 1/2” along one side then re-clamp and measure again. If it’s increased the difference shift it the other way. Play around a bit with position and pressure and see if you can get it square.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Birdhunter]

I have a set of 4 Fireball clamping squares. They are 8” on the leg sides and perfectly square. I clamped them into each corner and the table squared up. The diagonals are within a 16th of each other. Only one corner was out of square. I’ll have to investigate.

Those Fireball squares are meant for welding, but are great for woodworking. The initial set of two I bought were cast iron. The second set were aluminum. I like the aluminum ones better. The squares come with screw on locator tabs that help line up the square woth the work pieces.

 

[ultane]

I was under the impression that it was already ‘glued up’.

It seams like if one corner is out of square, others would be as well.

Good luck!

 

[woodferret]

Sanity check: Straightness on the rails aprons.  Bowing on one member can throw everything out.

edit: I've been working on doors too much of late and it's gone to my head. 

 

[Birdhunter]

Three sides glued. One side left open to allow lower tier to be slid in.