Woodworking guys - wood furniture levelling shims?

[SolutionsViaDIY]

Hey, guys, I have a question, if I may ... not being a son, dad never spent time in the shop with me (though I pestered him with questions even though he got impatient and begrudginly answeres ), so all I learned I learned through osmosis, as it were, or through just doing stuff around my place the last 30 years (can't wait forever for the men in my life, family or otherwise, to have a spare moment for me for the few items I can't figure out on my own and don't have the strength for !). I also leaned a lot of DIY when I had cable. But I must admit I'm stuck on this one. I bought plastic furniture levellers some 10 years ago but the soft plastic ones are pretty yucky to the touch now and the hard plastic ones have gotten brittle so don't want to use either on the shelves in my new place. But unlike other times when I've DIY'ed a solution, I'm not finding anything pertinent googling or you-tubing for diy furniture levellers. I've tried endless different search terms but the best I've found is making those shims for squaring up woodworking projects which require tools and know-how way beyond this Ryobi-power-drill gal . Was wondering if anyone knew of a no-cost, or very low cost, DIY for this type of thing? My Home Depot won't cut wedges so that's out, I found out.

Thanks!

[hubops]

[Bill]

You don't say what you are trying to level--but those shims can be had for about $1 or $2 a package. Tap one in (under?) with a block of wood and a hammer, and cut off the part that sticks out. I suppose an old serrated knife would work for that if that's all you had handy. You could then apply color if that's an issue. Hope that helps!

Bill

[whit3rd]

I've cut my own softwood wedges a few times, but it's awkward (and takes a radial arm saw, the way I did it). Fortunately, local hardware and building supply places DO sell packets of wedges at reasonable prices. Probably you should go back and ask about shims.

[Puckdropper]

SolutionsViaDIY wrote in news: [e-mail]:

If you're just leveling bookshelves, regular door shims will probably work fine. Slide them under the shelf, mark and cut with a utility knife or a decent fine-tooth saw.

For larger distances, one thing that works and is fairly inexpensive is T-nuts and bolts. For indoor use, you'll have to come up with a cup or other platform to protect the floor. (Me? I'd probably use hockey pucks.) Realistically you could probably drill a hole into a block of wood then set the bolt in that. It's good for a couch or something where it won't be seen.

I also like books of short stories or poetry for leveling. They're usually thick and generally aren't missed.

Puckdropper

[tdacon]

anyone knew of a no-cost, or very low cost, DIY for this type of thing? My Home Depot won't cut wedges so that's out, I found out.

How's this?

Tom

[SolutionsViaDIY]

Thanks for everyone's responses! Appreciate it. And seeing the responses, one always sees where one went wrong in how one asked one's question (I'm thinking I should have included a link or two to a picture of the type of thing I was looking for, so I'll try to remember that for next time.)

It's not no-cost, of course (or even all that low a cost) but the Lee Valley solution above looks quite reasonable if worse-comes-to-worst and I never find a wood solution that I can manage with my knowledge and tools on hand.

The wedges/shims I'd like to level a simple Ikea knotty-pine inexpensive shelving unit would need to slope up to no more than about ¼" in height. I actually continued mulling this over when I went out to do errands tonight and I did think of something that might work. I might get away with something that comes out like a shim rather than a wedge and I thought that a pair of safetyl glasses and then using a chisel and hammer on a block of wood to try to somehow shave off a piece of adequate thickness might work. I'm sure a bit of trial and error might be needed, too!

Thanks for the suggestions. Next time I'm at my Lee Valley Tools store, will definitely check out the options they have. Don't know why I don't always think of them when I have an issue that I'd like to find a woodworking solution for!

Thanks. I'll report back if I'm successful.

[ChairMan]

several pages of different levelers

[dadiOH]

Go to Home Depot and buy a bundle of cedar shingles. They will be way too wide but it is easy to split off the width you want with a chisel and hammer. They taper from about nothing to maybe 3/8. Only problem is that you will have enough material to level up a whole village of bookcases.

[Spalted Walt]

$1.85

$1.57 $3.97

[DerbyDad03]

These might match your "knotty-pine" since they are very light in color:

51789

Remember that when using any kind of wedged shim to level something, you'll want to use 2 shims and come in from opposite directions. By using equal lengths of 2 wedged shims, you'll end up with a solid, flat surface, not a single high spot that may eventually be crushed under the weight of the shelving unit.

Look at how those shims are packaged and you'll see exactly what I mean. Because of the alternating arrangement, all of those wedges end up as a flat block of wood.

[SolutionsViaDIY]

Re-learned a valuable lesson - it can all depends on who you ask a question to, as well, again. I was again at Home Depot asking how I could make my own shims without purchasing special equipment and using what I have. But I asked the different person on the floor that day. He was an older gentleman, seemed to know his stuff and willing to help, and not a kid not long on the job (who didn't care, either!) This helper knew exactly what I needed and he walked away to check something out, he said, and came back with a package in hand of prepared wood shims! I was astonished as I wasn't sure what he was going to check. My smile burst out very big when I saw the package, let me tell you!! I'd been told they didn't have any which I did think at the time was very odd. How could they not have at Home Depot, I thought?? But I'd shrugged it off because that happens a lot these days where you don't always find basics things you'd expect to find in stores that historically would carry certaini tems. So no more needing to try to figure out how to make anything myself as I'd not found pre-prepared anywhere in town. Turned out they _were_ there, just some kid didn't know. LOL.

But all's well that ends well.

Thanks, everyone.

Cheers.

[DerbyDad03]

If they are anything like these, I posted the link to them (the Lowe's version) over 2 weeks ago. Do you not have Lowe's near you?

51789

[Spalted Walt]

You're quite welcome!

[MOP CAP]

Go to the plumbing dept. or a good plumbing store. They sell jars of wedges for leveling toilets, much like the Lee V. type and cheap. When we go out to dinner I carry one. If the table is woobly I give one to the server. Blows them away.

CP

[Mike Marlow]

Gotta say - that is one of the dumbest ideas I've heard of.

[DerbyDad03]

Really. What's the point of giving the shim to the sever...unless (s)he's wobbly too?

I'd put the shim under the short leg.

;-)

[krw]

If their toilet is wobbly, he can fix it too.