Hydraulic lift table?

[Foiled Again]

I sew and work on the computer a lot. I have the FB SE with the rear dinette and the table is about 4 inches too high to comfortably use for typing or as a sewing machine table.

I've been thinking a lot about a pump up lift system - from a beauty salon/barber chair, or even an office chair minus the wheels as a height adjustable center post for my table. Of course I'd also have to detach it from the wall but have some kind of restraint when traveling.

Has anyone else done this? I think I remember seeing something similar on this forum several years ago.

Ideas?

Paula Ford

[wahoonc]

Paula,
My mom has a sewing machine cabinet with some type of lift system in it. I suspect the one off the hair chair is going to be too heavy. My dad built the cabinet. I know you can buy parts from somewhere like Rockler
This the mechanism I was talking about.

Aaron

[mistral blue]

I think I heard that Colin Hyde of GSM in Plattsburgh, NY was playing around with an adjustable table for a client. I might be wrong, but I think he was indeed using a barber chair-like device.

[MarkE]

How about one of those infinitly adjustable bed-side tables, as used in hospitals, nursing homes, etc?
'Just an idea.

[davidz71]

I remember seeing a screw jack with a small metal platform and it was powered by the 12 v. plug coming from your truck to trailer connection. I looked through my Harbor Freight tools catalog and didn't see it there. It was either in my Global Industrial, Cabela's or Bass Pro Shops catalog but I can't remember which one.

[Foiled Again]

Originally Posted by MarkE

How about one of those infinitly adjustable bed-side tables, as used in hospitals, nursing homes, etc?
'Just an idea.

You may have an idea there!!! I just wonder if they can crank low enough to use the table as a bed - about 18 inches. I'll check it out, thanks.

Paula

[Foiled Again]

eBay Motors: Adjustable Table Leg for your RV/Camper/Motorhome (item 230077006508 end time Feb-10-07 05:23:53 PST)


not hydraulic but at least it's adjustable. Of course I'd need 4....

Paula

I'm also thinking of ripping the legs off of a decent ironing board!

[buckwheat]

For the really cool solutions, look for boat stuff!

Garelick Marine Products
Converts dinettes to berths
9" (23cm) diameter cast aluminum base on each end for support
Lock to any height frm 14-1/2" to 30-3/4" (37-78 cm)
Only $130!

[Foiled Again]

Thanks for that link. The only problem that I saw was that "in lowered position the inside tube goes 6" below the deck. (sigh).

I think gas lift just isn't going to work. The lowest the table needs to go is 19" to use the bed option. I also would like the table to be movable - when I'm sewing I need to push the table away from me. I think I'll get just get the adjustable legs I found on e-bay. Mount two of them close together on the open end, and two farther apart in the back. I can then detach the table from the wall and drop it to desk/sewing table height when parked, bed height when underway.

Thanks for the link though. Paula

[troubleskeep]

Wonder if you could use one of the airbags from a suspension system, use a small compressor to lift it up, air down to lower. Bag should be very light but able to hold huge amount of weight. Even with a small compressor built in, it should be very light, the material to make the table would be heavier.

Well, it was a thought anyway.

[grizzy]

You might want to check out the following, they have quite a variety depending on how much you want to spend.
Amazon.com: table pedestal - Boating: Sports & Outdoors

[SafeHarbor]

Or you could cannibalize one of the 240-lb "executive" office chairs found at Staples, etc. The bottom of the base cushions have a flat surface and the chairs have a big lever sticking out the side for up-down adjustment. The disadvantage is that you have to lift the weight off to go up.

Lamar

[Foiled Again]

Originally Posted by grizzy

You might want to check out the following, they have quite a variety depending on how much you want to spend.
Amazon.com: table pedestal - Boating: Sports & Outdoors

But OUCH - the one that lists height as metric - 450mm is 18 inches. I need 14.5 inches for the dinette to function as a bed. It's 19 inches to the top of the cushions. The Gerlick manual one that goes to 14.5 inches has the tube protruding 6 inches below the deck. The two stage gas lift ones (I ain't that rich or that crazy!).

I'm going to look around a bit more, but this may be what I choose. I'll check some local marine stores too - hey I'm on the ocean.

Paula Ford

They say I'm rotten to the core.... but that I'm great to the fleet!
(Marine Corps)

[Foiled Again]

I bought the height adjustable legs from Dyers RV and installed them on my table. Well that's a bust. These legs are too wobbly to support the table without it being attached to the wall. They are dark brown which matches the Midnight Sun interior nicely. I can't send them back because they were only 30 inches tall and I had to drill an additional hole to raise them to 30.5 inches to fit the standard Airstream table height. I'll take them to some rallies this summer... surely I'll find a vintage owner who needs to rebuild a dinette and they'll find a home. Meanwhile back at the ranch... I'm using a small portable table to sew on, but there's so little free floor space it's kind of a pain in the neck to have it set up.

Back to the drawing board...

Paula

[mistral blue]

If you can get your hands on the Spring 2007 issue of Airstream Life, and turn to page 27, they briefly describe (and show) a table mounted on a hydraulic pedestal which might provide you with some inspiration. Good luck Paula.

[kidjedi]

This post comes up when searching for a hydraulic lift solution for dinette to bed solutions, so I'm posting here.

I was thinking about using a floor jack from Harbor Freight. I would obviously need to do some engineering/building as far as getting the lift attached to a table top, as well as creating the support from the lifting surface to the bottom of the table, but there are several floor jacks with a 15" lift, so it should work as far as the amount of travel goes. Not to mention they are designed to hold 3 tons, so there shouldn't be any issue with whatever you might set on the table!

I also saw

this video

(

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zu1QpNzKtFY

), which is intriguing. It seems a little rickety (wobbles when they are showing it off), but for $70 it seems like maybe it's worth giving it a shot. It was kind of funny just how much time it took me to track down ANY real information about buying the thing, but it's called the Snap 2 Folding Table Base (V-40). I finally found it on FactoryRvSurplus.com.

Most of the links to products regarding this issue on various RV forums are to dead links, or the products mentioned are no longer listed on the various RV and Camping site. I wonder why (do the multi-stage table lifts just not work?).