51
votes
Accepted
Should I tilt my DIY self-standing bookshelf backwards to prevent it falling down?
Use Screws Anyway
If it was me, I would quietly ignore "I am not allowed to secure it using screws in the wall." We are talking about a couple of screws here, which would leave ~ 1/4" ...
27
votes
What Is This Fastener And How Is It Used?
The male threaded part is a bolt or machine screw, and the thing with teeth is a T-nut, which has teeth that hold it against turning in the wood while providing female metal threads in the hole in the ...
- 226k
26
votes
Bend wooden bedframe back into shape?
A pair of screen door turnbuckles would work well. Mount them from below with stout screws piloted into the wooden rails, one from the headboard and one from the footboard at 45° angles. Start with ...
- 149k
22
votes
Ikea bookshelf is wobbly after assembly. How can I stabilize it?
That back panel is not decorative, it is a vital part of the structural integrity of the whole cabinet. Have you actually nailed it in? It is fiddly to do so, but it is what is supposed to stop the ...
19
votes
Should I tilt my DIY self-standing bookshelf backwards to prevent it falling down?
I haven't built anything into a recess like you describe so this is conjecture.
If you're fitting it into a recess and it is encased on all 5 sides (ceiling, floor, left side, right side, back wall), ...
- 291
18
votes
Accepted
Bend wooden bedframe back into shape?
For a slight bend (warp) like that you can try setting the board on blocks at its ends and weighting the middle. Overcompensate somewhat (weight to the point that it bends slightly the other way. Heat ...
- 226k
18
votes
Accepted
How can I take apart a bookshelf?
This would be a better question for the Woodworking stack.
If it is glued... Glue joints can be stronger than the wood, and just applying force risks damage.
It appears to be solid wood rather than ...
- 33.2k
17
votes
Should I tilt my DIY self-standing bookshelf backwards to prevent it falling down?
It is impossible for the bookshelf to rotate forwards and crush anyone, child or not, the way you have drawn it. For it to fall on someone (who pulled on it, or climbed it) it would have to rotate ...
- 431
15
votes
Ikea bookshelf is wobbly after assembly. How can I stabilize it?
It looks like you may have damaged the side panel here:
That may make it difficult to tighten the side panel to the bottom shelf and leave the whole thing a little wobbly.
If you're very careful, you ...
- 48k
13
votes
How do I identify and replace unusual screws?
A well-equipped hardware store will have a drawer with many common fasteners used in this type of flatpack furniture.
I mean well-equipped. Home Depot is not a hardware store. ACE or better. ...
12
votes
How can I make this X-legged table more stable?
Lateral diagonal reinforcement is needed. At the moment the feet are only protected against lateral tilting by the flimsly plate at the top.
Try to immagine the resulting forces (lever law) when ...
- 3,084
11
votes
How to put 5/8" oak dowels into holes which are just barely the right size?
Some 1/2" drills will allow the chuck to open to 5/8". If you can fit a dowel in the chuck, clamp it in the chuck, touch it to a file while the drill is running. Use the drill as a low tech lathe. ...
- 11.5k
11
votes
Accepted
two-part fastener for right-angle wood connections
Good question! These aree common on DIY furniture.
It's a cross-dowel and bolt. One commercial name is a Veritas Knock-Down Fastener. A similar device, with a head to keep it level with a surface, is ...
- 8,997
11
votes
How can I make this X-legged table more stable?
You need to add diagonal bracing or struts as shown in the pic.
Without a dissertation about the laws of physics that apply, you simply need to use the strength of the triangle.
Even 1 inch square ...
- 42.7k
10
votes
Accepted
Changing loft bed's beam to diagonal braces?
I'm really concerned about the stability/safety of what you're proposing. The diagonals seem under-sized to me but even with heavier diagonals I don't think the bed verticals would hold up. A 12 year ...
- 9,225
10
votes
Unusual bookcase structure
Structurally dubious on the whole, but the back sheet of plywood is probably doing a large part of holding it together, evidently adequately. I do see top brackets to keep it from tipping over.
I ...
- 226k
9
votes
Accepted
What is the name of this combination of screw and rotating metal piece that locks it?
That would be the cam lock nut and cam screw fastener.
They are commonly found in DIY assembly products sold by various retailers including IKEA. According to a recent post I've read IKEA may be ...
- 206
9
votes
Changing loft bed's beam to diagonal braces?
The lateral support on your bed mostly comes from the two connections at the top creating what is called a moment connection (think of lifting a long stick with both hands). The middle members do ...
- 5,739
9
votes
Bend wooden bedframe back into shape?
As @Ecnerwal says in the 2nd part of their answer -
Tie a bit of rope/twine/string to the hole on rail on both sides of the bed and use the twine to pull & prevent the sides from moving outward. (...
- 388
9
votes
Accepted
How to fix this cupboard knob back?
I would use a dowel or 4 maybe 5 matchsticks glued into that hole.
Once dry, drill a pilot hole and then refit using the existing screw.
- 28.7k
8
votes
Join two 2x4" so that screws are not visible?
There are a lot of ways you could go here.
Conceal The Screws
If you just make a simple butt joint like you have in your picture, you can do as @AlaskaMan says in the comments - countersink the ...
- 25.3k
8
votes
How can I take apart a bookshelf?
You can take it apart, but it will probably not be worth the work. You will need a couple of thin pry bars, a chisel and a small hammer.
Work your way around the bookcase, prying open one mm at a time....
- 8,929
7
votes
Accepted
How to put 5/8" oak dowels into holes which are just barely the right size?
Your best bet is to sand the ends of the dowels. A belt sander or disk sander however would not be the way to sand them. There would be way too big of chance of taking off too much or creating flat ...
- 66.5k
7
votes
Should I tilt my DIY self-standing bookshelf backwards to prevent it falling down?
In order for a bookshelf to topple forwards, it is necessary to have some force applied to the structure. Typically, that force is gravity. Gravity will not usually push a bookshelf out of plumb, ...
- 11.3k
7
votes
Ikea bookshelf is wobbly after assembly. How can I stabilize it?
By the bulge shown in the joint, you did not have the surfaces tight when you screwed them together and damaged the joint surfaces.
Not easy to rectify that now, except by adding metal angle brackets ...
- 28.7k
7
votes
Dining Table Chair Repair
This is a fairly common setup. The bolt is usually a double threaded one with a wood screw at one end and a machine bolt at the other end.
One such example is here (ad from google / walmart)
https://...
- 5,714
7
votes
Dining Table Chair Repair
A lot of good suggestions here already - pack & glue in the cross-members being primary.
On the one where the bolt has pulled out completely, you will also need to pack & glue. You've ...
- 11.6k
7
votes
Accepted
How can I make this X-legged table more stable?
Nontrivial gaps are probably opening between the steel and the tabletop when you push horizontally. Insufficient stiffness of the steel ear plates is probably the root cause. The torsional stiffness ...
- 10.6k
7
votes
Accepted
Best glue for curved veneer
The laminate was presumably installed with contact cement. Unless you completely remove that the only viable solution I'm aware of is... more contact cement.
Since contact cement adheres on contact, ...
- 149k
6
votes
How can I find the centre of a round table?
I think this technique using chords with 90 degree lines is probably the easiest to do because it involves standard construction tools and can compensate for inprecise measurements.
You just need a ...
- 29.2k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible