Fixing broken pedestal table legs

Fixing broken legs on a pedestal table. This style of table is kind of a faulty design and often breaks, where the legs meet the column, and the curved legs themselves often split apart along the wood grain

[@AtomsLab]

I lol'd when you put the entire table onto the table saw at the end to cut the legs. Taking the name table saw very literal

[@elDoober]

Underrated comment lol

[@2121jwill]

Yo dawg - I see you like to saw tables on your table saw

[@ohasis8331]

Very good :)

[@shadowscion]

man that drill bit folding was like something out of a cartoon

[@mattym8]

I would display it in a shadow box in my living room as a conversation piece.

[@d.k.1394]

It was fun

[@spagamoto]

My hands instinctively curled away a couple frames before the failure haha, been bitten by buckling like that. Glad his hands seemed ok.

[@greglamphier4430]

“Someone competently repaired these legs before”…. That’s a compliment coming from one of the OGs of KZbin. Made me do a double take.. Kind of like when your old man says he’s proud of you…

[@gerritjanoosterhuis8299]

I was hoping for the Wandel jump on the end 😂😂

[@matthiaswandel]

I don't have enough faith in those legs!

[@SuperDavidEF]

@@matthiaswandel I was surprised that you did just enough to this table to get it "working" as a table again, and nothing more. I really expected you to either re-engineer or replace those legs for sure.

[@muchmuchmore]

Great content as always. The "I never would have thought to do it that way" creativity is what I enjoy the most. No fun watching someone do something the same way you would have done it.

[@DanteEsGrande]

You turned something being thrown out into a games table, that thing is gonna get scratched and dented in no time, im glad you didn't repaint it or anything, you saved that desk and gave it a whole new life with a different purpose. This, this is what woodworking is all about, its not about making masterpieces, its about loving your craft and using what you have and can get and turning it all into something usable, you ticked every box. Thus, why i'm an active watcher of your content. Keep it up Matthias!

[@TheHonestL1ar]

Oh no! The long thin drill! It's been featured in so many videos for so many years. That gasp when it bent was so relatable

[@andyh9382]

Fixing picked furniture is one of my favorite series

[@ArtByLukeW]

2:07 I laughed until I nearly wet myself when you kinked up that long drill bit. Thank you so much for including that part.

[@DH-ik1vf]

Best laugh I've had in many of your videos after seeing you mangle the skinny bit 😂

[@PJSproductions97]

I find these repair videos of yours very literally inspirational, I don't have a shop big enough for lots of completely scratch-built furniture but you show a lot of good techniques for repair, and those I can pull off!

[@acsed2]

Excellent video, I really do enjoy those "trash fix" content, this is real world wood working applications.

[@craigsudman4556]

Good stuff Matthias. Shortly after we were married I turned my wife onto Scrounging, and she got the bug in a big way. Our first home was entirely furnished in "Late American Discard" and to this day we both continue to keep a sharp eye peeled when out and about. Great video thumbs up.

[@deldridg]

Great vid. My wife actualy "trash picked" me and I remain a work in progress, apparently. 🙂 Cheers from an Aussie woodworker - Dave

[@d.k.1394]

G*day

[@ranjrog]

Looks like you can now use that drill bit for a paint stirrer!

[@JPWVids]

I've never heard Matthias curse before! I laughed out loud when he twisted that drill bit!

[@DeweyKentM]

I assumed there would be tenons or dowels used in this repair, and I was excited for some creative jointery and clever ways to disguise it, but the more I watched, the more I thought that those methods might be good for high end furniture built to last, but in reality, this is a free table that wasn’t built with optimal techniques, and sometimes, a few screws and some glue is all it takes. I do like the splines used to reinforce a joint that is destined to fail, and the braces to replace the apron were clever. This seems a lot more approachable for someone to do without a shop full of tools. I love your big projects, but I really enjoy the trash picking videos and “quick” projects like this too. I would love to see more content like this mixed in with the usual videos.

[@joethompson11]

I have a table in the house that's been in the family for around 30 years now. It lega wobble and watching all your table repairs over the years have given me the confidence to tackle the job... when it gets higher up the to do pile!

[@andrewgalbreath2101]

I've trash picked and repaired a similar table. They're very fancy and well-finished, but those curved legs always break so they get thrown out

[@GumbootZone]

The funniest thing I've seen all week is when you bent the drill! 2:10

[@milesparris4045]

These are the types of regular Friday videos that I've missed the most.

[@tylermcgeorge]

The world needs more board gaming tables. Great job bringing another one (back) to life.

[@alexold8183]

Great video as usual, I laughed out loud at the drill bit getting all twisted up.

[@d.k.1394]

It's a; twist drill bit...lol

[@bradleytuckwell4881]

It might have been a quick fix for you but I got some great tips I wouldn’t of thought about doing from watching you so thanks

[@vwegert]

6:39 And that, gentlebeings, is why it's called a table saw.

[@feinschmegga]

No jump on the table? Can't really tell how sturdy of a repair this was 😂

[@LameIkon]

I think we should name it something. Like: The Wandel Test or Wandel Jump.

[@blaircox1589]

😢 the bit is worth way more then the table!! Especially in Fredericton where you have to order everything. And I had to go check if our exact same table was still in the living room 😂

[@OpenWoodShop]

Your greatest talent is that you don't over think things. And I mean that in the best way.

[@WJCTechyman]

You're the man! You saved another piece of furniture from the chipper. These tables are wonderful. We have a table that belonged to my Great Grandma that has that "black Labrador dog ear" look to it and my grandma has a coffee table that appears like that too. The older dining table (Great Grandma's) is slim to the wall but you rotate the top with the drop leaves lifted and it becomes almost triple the top area when folded. But wait, there's more! It also has other drop in leaves that makes it even bigger when expanded in the middle. That coffee table of my grandmother's also becomes a full height dining table and I think it has at least one leaf too. I don't remember seeing it fully extended though. These were developed to save space in a house because my grandparents and their parents would have had smaller houses than what is being built today. I think your parents, being of similar age to my grand parents, well, at least similar to your Dad in age, being born in 1926 for my Grandpa and 1929 for my Grandma, would understand the convenience of these convertible pieces of furniture.

[@battleshiparmorlord]

Excellent video made in the old style. Always a pleasure to watch

[@CDNYEchoTAPS]

That "Ah, shit!" made me absolutely LOL, primarily because I can see it happening to me with the same response. I might have also added a "son of a b....!" Sorry for laughing at your expense, Matthias.

[@johnnydingo8680]

Table is trash picked, but your work cannot be trash talked. ☺👍

[@jenkinseric2]

I actually laughed at "oh sh**" the cheap spiral drill was a real laugh. thanks again.

[@MJ-kx3rl]

You are a woodworking magician. Matthias, the only thing I could ask for is just see your videos uploaded more often.

[@Mackinstyle]

I tried to do this with a dinner table my wife inherited. I learned a lesson about drilling into maple without a pilot hole.

[@matthiaswandel]

You need to back the drill out frequently to help the chips get out. They tend to clog, and then it just gets hot

[@walterplummer3808]

I would not believe the drill bit if you hadn't filmed it. Crazy.

[@SnappyWasHere]

I personally enjoy this type of re-engineer and fix projects than designing and building something new. Feels like you beat the original builder in some way. Lol

[@AngelLuisTrinidad]

Mathias you should never feel bad about reducing waste and helping to reduce land fills. I love to see a green Mathias.

[@JustinDrentlaw]

Matthias loves to see a green power tool.

[@lambodp]

I thought that extra extra long drill bit looked a bit wobbly, but figured it was just slightly out. However, when it twisted on itself, I had a good laugh and confirmed my thoughts. Probably too good to be true.

[@davidpfeffer3580]

I absolutely love your videos and your approach to solving problems. been watching your channel for years. this was the first time I laughed out loud. Your drill bit turning into a pretzel was hilarious. Way to keep at it!

[@onjofilms]

Whoa! Did I just see Matthias use a pocket hole jig?

[@JoseSilveira-newhandleforYT]

Great job repairing it to be used for a different purpose. Anything we can keep out of the trash / landfill is a win.

[@Don.Challenger]

I have pretty much the clone of that table, maybe a bit larger and it has survived life with much less drama and consequentially much less wear, I guess. I like those claw feet. You got (or your friend did) a rehabilitated (rejuvenated?) bargain. Another successful dumpster dive/street pickup.

[@justavian]

I love this video. One simple change requires this other small change which requires this other change. Now that i sit at it, i realize this other thing needs changing, etc. Very fun watch.

[@josh5680]

I honesty love how you improvise as you go. Of course the legs have to be shortened and the braces have to be moved, after it appeared finished. Sometimes the best thing to do is just make a decision and see where it leads.

[@marcianoacuerda]

Those splines(don’t know if it’s spelled correctly) were beautiful! My favorite part of the restoration!

[@Oscar-xj1xk]

Fascinating pocket holes! 😀 Thanks for sharing the thought process...

[@tommyammo6135]

Another good save by Matthias. Nice job.

[@kaboomer13]

I love to imagine this table being featured in a DIY KZbin video from 10 years ago

[@chetleonard169]

Matthias has a logic brain not a preservationist brain. I actually think he made this video to rile up preservationists. That would fit his character as I understand him.

[@jamescollier3]

haha maybe. lol. love it. I was thinking: me: lazy Matthias: above and beyond: 1,2,3,4,5,6... times

[@SuppaflyZSM]

Seriously, this is infuriating. Obviously this wasn't the best piece in the world, but this video seems designed to troll people.

[@jsaurman]

@@SuppaflyZSM It's somewhat old, probably late 50's or early 60's, but it's been beat up and repaired before. It doesn't have any antique furniture value, this was mass produced furniture, and is just veneer over poplar. So chopping it up and repurposing it is 100% valid in my opinion. Saves it from ending up in the landfill.

[@dooterino]

If the table was made by a craftsperson originally I think they'd love that Matthias is breathing new life into a piece that was destined for the dump, and if it was mass produced no one should be concerned about those legs getting chopped up lmao

[@Sparkuus]

@@dooterino It was definitely mass produced. We had the exact same table in my home when I was a kid.

[@kr2sell528]

Let's be honest, you never felt guilty about dumpster diving!😂

[@ddutton0]

I love the practicality of this repair video

[@awldune]

Great job reinforcing it, but man I hate this table

[@MrPanohead]

You always did like a good box joint jig.

[@alanevans4955]

#2:14 "Life Hack! Turn a drill bit into a paint stirrer!!!"

[@MRrwmac]

Another great trash to treasure fix! Thanks Matthias!!!

[@stevejohnson1685]

"Rather Dodgily" - kind of describes the entire video 🙂

[@GeorgiaRidgerunner]

Always liked that style of table but never even considered that the legs might weak

[@XtrAMassivE]

Great fix, better than new!

[@yungfatazz]

Growing up my grandmother had this exact table, we had the same problems with the way the legs broke and got loose. She used to keep all her lil tools and things she wanted to hide in the small drawer.

[@chrism4673]

Use star bit screws instead of those crappy drywall screws lol, love your videos !!

[@MCsCreations]

It turned out great, Matthias! And the wood looks to be pretty good! 😃 Stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊

[@luizgueirosbezerra]

Wonderful work, perfect ever perfect.👍👏

[@ablelock]

A cool project. You did a great job on it. Look forward to seeing other videos like this.

[@virtualmarc2383]

I bought almost exactly the same table from a neighbour for a dollar. It had pretty much the same problem. I used larger splines on the feet. I made the spline flat and left them exposed and slightly over length toward the middle of the table to add stability to the legs amd remove load from the "toes".

[@jeffspaulding9834]

Just goes to show - not all old stuff was "built to last." There was a lot of poorly designed junk in the past, too. If they'd had cheap particle board back then you can bet it would have been made of that instead of poplar.

[@Earthling418]

You gave it a new life. It won't be trash picked for another fifty years unless some drunk falls on it.

[@eh42]

2:10 - my brain immediately started looking for blood spray - a spinning bit flipping out of control like that could have opened the thumb up quite nastily!! Stay safe Matthias!

[@G4m1c]

When drilling with a very long and thin drill bit I achieved to convert a right hand helix into a right handed then left handed and then right handed again. It untwisted on the middle segment only... Never stop trash picking Matthias :)

[@mckenziekeith7434]

Hmmm. It could be used as a turnbuckle.

[@Mr.Mister67]

Do you know how many cranks to get to that leg spine to depth or is that pure skill?

[@avilik]

I like these flip down wings.

[@Exodus5K]

Cutting grooves by raising the tablesaw blade, and then making splines by using a compass to mark out a 5" radius. That was a pretty clever way to spline the glue joint.

[@feedbackzaloop]

Plot twist: table was left for you to pick up by that exact friend

[@samTollefson]

Matthias, I can't imagine you ever feeling ridiculous!

[@IstasPumaNevada]

Very neat. Nicely done.

[@ronthacker211]

Liked the spline technique. Gonna steal that one.

[@Loweffortperfectionism]

The trash-picking vids are my favorite kind by far xD

[@smithsalifa]

amazing master wandel I am now less worries after watch this vdo.

[@maxximumb]

Nice work.

[@emersonkluge343]

I have the exact same table, and I, too am missing a "claw" foot. Any chance I can get one of those you're not using?

[@Daniel-xj4wh]

One man's trash is another man's treasure!

[@chopsddy3]

I repaired furniture for a living. Duncan Phyfe never should have designed those legs!!! They can’t be made out of solid walnut or mahogany without excessive grain run out. They can be a bear to clamp cleanly. They give room for extra knees around the corners of the table , but then your stepping on the things at dinner. The place I worked sold reproductions and those things were always cluttering up the place and taking up time. I hate em’😂

[@aimaryuni2934]

I like your job

[@billunderwood5453]

I just watched Thomas Johnson's latest antique repair, stool with a missing foot, a lot of hand sawing and chiseling, and my thought was, 'Matthias could do this with a pantorouter. Or if he couldn't, he could build some other machine that could do it quicker. Then the very next video I clicked on was Xyla Foxlin's latest, where she's visiting this wooden airplane propeller maker and lo and behold she has a machine that can carve the complex shape of a propeller. So there's your challenge, Matthias: find a ball-and-claw foot table or chair with one leg missing, and copy one of the existing feet to make a new one, with a router or power saw. I know you can do it.

[@debluetailfly]

I picked up a similar, but better designed table off the curb a while back. It is a gate leg design. It has cast metal brackets on the ends of the legs, one of which is unfortunately missing.

[@nottooherbal]

Splendid splines .

[@JonnyDIY]

Great fixes Matthias 👍 PS- I never knew game tables were supposed to sit lower than normal table? 🤔

[@andrewgraves4026]

I questioned that too, so I researched that. You can of course make anything any height you want, but both standard dining and gaming tables tend to be in the 29” range. I wonder if one’s eyesight influences how close to the game stuff one wants to be🤔

[@JonnyDIY]

@@andrewgraves4026 i was thinking it maybe had to do with the comfort of resting your hands or arms on the table playing cards and such 🤔

[@drmkiwi]

Well overall not too foul. I think Thom Johnson would say "Not too good" and be very uncomfortable with using screws to hold those legs onto the centre column. (It's unlikely they will hold for long when people are resting their arms on the table etc) Loved the 3 splines in the foot though. Cheers, David

[@wass77]

i had a bad memory with these flip tables i remember as a kid putting my arm on that joint and someone lifted that wing and it clamped on my arm, it hurt so bad and left a red line mark on my skin 😂

[@viriato8566]

Nice secret spline joint on the foot.

[@sdspivey]

Who needs long drill bits? Now you have a new paint stirrer.

[@krzysiej--9229]

I would not mind to see it as a series here: trash picked furniture made usable again and then donated or something.

[@PhaTs00p]

At least now we know why you don't like pocket holes.

[@makatanau2878]

This was great and funny!

[@FWtravels]

No jump test!?

[@tardigrades3184]

Pocket holes have won the war.

[@gregoryyoungmorris281]

Awesome games table!

[@jonathonfrederick2062]

I was initially worried about that long drill breaking and stabbing you in the hand. I jumped when it bent

[@krenwregget7667]

Classic Matthias!

[@mintygood]

Hope to one day have 9 cordless drills operating in concert

[@carabela125]

Try an aircraft drill bit. They have a very long shank but a short flute length, so they don't bend.