I'm making a table and I wonder how to improve the horizontal stability so that the table does not wobble/move from left to right.
Here are the details: The table width is 160cm, depth 70cm, height 76cm.
The table top is 6cm thick and is made out of block-board (14mm pine core + 2mm birch + 1mm oak veneer). It's empty inside.
The table legs are 70cm tall and 70cm wide. They are made out of a stainless steel closed profile (width 4cm, depth 2cm, thickness 0.2cm).
I need more reputations to post more photos/links so I redirect you to this question where I've already posted them horizontal stablity
The leg is connected to the table top by two screws. Additionally, a flat metal bar is welded to the leg and it is mounted to the table top by another two screws.
Right now the entire connection is bad and hence the table top doesn't touch the leg nearly at all. There are only few touching points; even where the screws are, the table top doesn't touch the leg perfectly (I think the leg and bar are not completely straight). All in all, the table wobbles and the horizontal displacement is around 2-3mm.
The design of this table has to be however as clean and simple as possible so adding a cross member is the last thing I want to do :/
I think that improving the connection will decrease the horizontal displacement. However, I wonder if the table will still wobble a bit just because of table and legs dimensions (especially because the leg width is only 4cm and the table width is 160cm while the table height is 76cm).
The other issue is how to make the leg-table-top connection better (assuming that the leg and bar are completely straight). Right now the screw goes through the entire profile of the leg, like on left figure. Would it be better if it connects the table top only with the upper horizontal wall of the leg, like on the right figure?
If I use more screws, is it better to fix them in an alternate manner? like this:
I could also make new legs which are wider e.g. 5cm x 2cm x 0.2cm (width x depth x thickness). Would it improve the stability considerably?