How to Extend a Wooden Garden Table

Your pocket-sized garden is blooming, and the expandable table is a perfect fit in the small space. But you've yielded to temptation and invited a few friends for brunch, so now it's time to put the table to the test. Pull the stackable extra chairs from the garage or shed, haul out the market umbrella and locate the table leaves in the back of the closet. With a friend, or with some dashing back and forth to maneuver, you should be ready to welcome the hungry hordes in no time. Does this Spark an idea?

Instructions

1

Set the extension leaves and the market umbrella to one side, move the chairs away from the table in its compact mode and look underneath, in the center of the table. Find the latch that secures the two halves together and release it.

2

Pull the two ends of the table apart with a friend. Separate the halves evenly to avoid jamming or bending the tracks the tabletop moves on. Move from one end of the table to the other, gradually getting it open, if you are doing this solo.

3

Squirt a bit of lubricator (such as WD-40 -- a moisture displacing lubricant) on the metal track mechanism if it is balky from being exposed to the weather. Look for the pegs on one side of the opening and the peg holes on the other. For a table with two extension leaves, the configuration of pegs and holes to align the pieces and secure them in place may be different.

4

Place the leaf or leaves in the opening, fitting pegs carefully into the holes. Move the outer leaves of the table back to the center on their track. Abut the sections of table top together snugly and check underneath again for the latches to secure them.

5

Insert the market umbrella pole into the hole in the center of the extensions. If you have an umbrella stand, set it beneath the table and put the end of the pole in it to hold the umbrella steady. Open the umbrella and set the table. Enlist a friend to help you deconstruct the table after the gathering.