Ikea taught me something, wait what did I just say?

So early this morning I went to Ikea and Gardner White to do a little research about how tables expand. Almost all tables I found were pretty standard drop leaf tables. The ones at Gardner White used a very intricate system of slides and hinges that were interesting, but also raised the cost excessively. I am going to stop at Art Van as well to see what they have available.

At Ikea, however, they used a system of simple wood jointery to make the table slide. It was very cost efficient, however also made the tables very hard to slide at times, as well as, in my opinion, prone to breakage because of how cheaply it was done.

On the other hand, I feel Ikea had a really nice round table that expanded into an oval. The table leaf was stored in the table, and the table on slides slid open and was very easy. The table leaf inside opened by itself and the sides flipped open because of springs.

I'm not a fan of Ikea's furniture for many reasons and when I started looking at the TV consoles I remembered why: THEY ARE EFFIN CHEAP. The paper (well, as durable as paper) they are made of warps, chips, and breaks just looking at it. But the sound it makes is just plain awful. I then remembered a study I read about of why Mercedes-Benz (I think) owners love their cars, and it was because of the sound the car door makes when it shuts. It sounds solid, tight, and without rattles. I feel the sound Ikea's furniture makes sounds horrible, and this is why I hate some of their furniture products.

Finally, I went to Woodcraft next door to look at hinges. I found a couple of interesting ones, however, my initial design so far calls for hinges to be seen when the small table is open, which I do not I want at all. I still need to research the proper hardware for this piece.

I guess now it's trying to figure out how exactly to make this thing adjustable. I have a couple of ways I can, and each has their positives and negatives. I'll post again later tonight, when I get some more iterations done, but I wanted to get everything from what I learned at this trip out.