Table Leg Dilemma

[Pat Cassity]

Earlier this year, a tech at an Airstream dealer dropped my table to the floor while attempting to repair the broken bracket on the subwoofer of my 2015 27FB International. The fall to the floor cracked the plastic foot at the bottom of the table leg. It also broke the inside of the foot that allows the screw foot to adjust the leg length. The dealer ordered another leg but the leg with the screw foot is no longer available from AS. The new legs don't have the screw adjustment and are approximately 2"longer than the original leg with the foot adjustment at its longest length. When I returned to have the leg installed, the dealer realized that this leg wasn't going to work but didn't have a solution. They promised to contact AS for a solution. In the meantime, the service manager at another dealer has informed me that Airstream's solution for this is to remove the plastic end cap on the new leg and cut the new leg to the correct length. (The screw adjustment is not part of the new legs) .I have attached a picture of the leg with the foot fully extended. However, it won't stay like this. The slightest movement causes the screw foot to push up into the leg, lowering the front end of the table by about 2". I would love to be able to find the plastic foot to screw into my leg but I was wondering if anyone out there might have a solution other than installing a new leg that has been cut to fit. Thanks!


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[FCStreamer]

I had to cut mine to fit.

http://www.ourflyingcloud.com/2016/08/fixed-table.html

[thiel]

A lot of furniture gets adjustable feet like this with just a hole drilled in the bottom of the foot and a bolt glued in place to receive the foot.

In that vein, my homemade solution would be to cut a piece of wood that fits inside the pipe (I'd look for a hole saw of the same size, but you could do it with a jigsaw...), glue the appropriate sized bolt inside (another hold drilled in) the center of the piece of wood, and the epoxy the whole thing inside the leg.

[Mike S.]

It sounds like the threads in the plastic piece have been stripped. If the plastic piece is thick enough, maybe a helicoil can be installed. A machine shop can do this fairly cheaply if they have the correct size helicoil. If this isn't an option, maybe just run a nut down the threaded rod portion of the foot, and then the nut can rest against the plastic and hold the table in position. Hope this helps. Mike

[Pat Cassity]

Thanks guys! You have certainly given some ideas. The threaded area inside the foot, is in fact the problem but not because it's stripped but instead because it broke loose from the foot when it was originally dropped. Based on your suggestions I may be able to attach (glue) a bolt to the inside of the foot where the threaded piece of plastic was originally attached.