Broken sliding table

[OConnors]

Hi

This has been discussed before and is a real bugbear of mine. Below is a phot of £1428 worth of broken tables, There has been much discussion about if you can buy the broken plastic plate, also some excellent ideas about how to fix. The purpose of this post is to ask if anybody has anything definitive, how to fix, where to buy? Otherwise these will joing the pile of other plastic broken Cali bits, mainly cupboard doors and plastic chair base surrounds etc
Thanks

 

[MattBW]

I think another stronger table with the clips you can buy to connect the table from VW for £8 a pair may be more robust.

Challenge is getting those clips connected to the table, as the brackets like these are riveted on.

 

[Meoncoast]

Not broken a table since Cali ownership since 2012 and in last 2 years almost daily use.

However, if I did out of warranty looking at your pile 1st is drill the rivet heads off the hinge as see what you could replace it with perhaps a detachable tube they use on some conversions.

 

[WelshGas]

Hi

This has been discussed before and is a real bugbear of mine. Below is a phot of £1428 worth of broken tables, There has been much discussion about if you can buy the broken plastic plate, also some excellent ideas about how to fix. The purpose of this post is to ask if anybody has anything definitive, how to fix, where to buy? Otherwise these will joing the pile of other plastic broken Cali bits, mainly cupboard doors and plastic chair base surrounds etc
Thanks

View attachment 37185

Personally, I would remove one of the least damaged plastic hinges and engage a Fabricator that uses CNC machine to make a replacement in metal, probably aluminium, cutting it from a solid aluminium bar. eg: http://www.glamfab.co.uk Then either bonding it to the table with the correct agent or, my personal preference, using stainless steel dome bolts to secure the hinge with the dome on the surface side of the table.
It might be relatively expensive for the 1st one but once they have the computer design much cheaper for subsequent ones.
You could then sell them as a replacement/repair kit thus recuperating your costs.

 

[pere catalan]

 

[pere catalan]

Made it of a peace of Ertalon

 

[Calibrator]

Hi, where/how did you obtain the replacement hinge, and how did you fix it to table?

 

[WelshGas]

Hi, where/how did you obtain the replacement hinge, and how did you fix it to table?

The poster @pere catalan made it himself.

 

[El Greco]

3D printing??

 

[Calibrator]

Yes but I was asking how he did it? And where did he get the bits. Sorry for any misunderstanding.

 

[pere catalan]

Hello, I cut it out a peace of Ertalon (teflon), glued and revited it on the table. Very strong now, works perfect.
Regards

 

[Kenb17]

Hi, I also have this problem and looking for a solution, perhaps we could see who would like to join in and we could price up a batch from a fabrication company such as glamfab.

Thanks
Ken

 

[Calibrator]

I'm interested.

 

[Kenb17]

I have posted a question on another forum and some helpful suggestions coming forward including a guy offering to have a look at the possibility of machining.

However, I need to remove the table and the offending part! Thought this would be easy but maybe not, I have tried removing the small Allen bolt under the sliding part but can’t see anyway to get any purchase on the top fixing which is just turning.
Could someone tell me the easy way to remove the table

Many thanks
Ken

 

[Calibrator]

Hi Ken,
have you tried thumb pressure on the top mushroom heads? Worked on mine.
I am going to try a temporary fix for my table.
Have purchased a length of 8mm steel tubing from B&Q which I am going to cut to size and epoxy to the remaining lower part of the plastic hinge after filing it out a bit.
All depends on how good a bond I can get between plastic and steel and make sure the wife is belted in and doesn't fall onto the table again when I slam on!

 

[Calibrator]

Hi again, have hit a snag with my plan to repair the hinge using a piece of tube as have now discovered that the VW hinge pin is tapered and not straight!
It won't therefore fit inside the tubing.
Why VW made the pin tapered I don't know.
Anyway, back to the drawing board!

 

[Ting Tong]

The hinge pin is tapered so that it slides into an apertured formation on the kitchen unit near the floor when stowed: that’s what stops the table from rattling.

 

[Calibrator]

Hi Liaoyang,
I wasn't referring to the protruding end of the pin that, as you rightly point out, slides into a socket on the kitchen unit.
I was referring to the other end of the pin that actually forms the hinge with the table and leg.
This is tapered for some strange reason, only ever so slightly (<1 mm) but is is enough to prevent it sliding fully into the steel tubing I bought to reconstruct the hinge.

 

[WelshGas]

Hi Liaoyang,
I wasn't referring to the protruding end of the pin that, as you rightly point out, slides into a socket on the kitchen unit.
I was referring to the other end of the pin that actually forms the hinge with the table and leg.
This is tapered for some strange reason, only ever so slightly (<1 mm) but is is enough to prevent it sliding fully into the steel tubing I bought to reconstruct the hinge.

Couldn't you use a small file on the interior of the tube? or on the exterior of the Pin?

 

[Nick Stubbs]

Couldn't you put a drill or reamer through the hinge ?

 

[Calibrator]

Answer to above is yes.
Haven't got a reamer but tried an oversize drill which because I also don't possess a pillar drill went off centre and trashed the tube.
I will try the manual method when I get a decent round file as I have 95cm of tubing left to experiment with.
Now if I had an engineering lathe in my shed I could remove the taper from the pin in a jiffy, unfortunately i don't

 

[Calibrator]

Thanks for the suggestions guys. They inspired me to have another go at it.
Found a suitable round file, put it in chuck of my drill, and used it to ream out the tube to fit the pin.
Just waiting to see if the epoxy gives sufficient grip to withstand the stresses and strains..

 

[Nick Stubbs]

JB Weld, epoxy, takes an age to go off but can be machined when cured.