How to Install Equalizer Slides for Pedestal Tables

Things you will need to install your equalizer table slides:

• Phillips screwdriver
• Measuring tape
• Pencil
• Carpenter’s square
• Power drill
• Drill bit set
• Phillips screwdriver bit

Attaching the Slides to the Table Top

Step 1: Place your table top on a flat surface. This iscrucial as the slides will not be aligned properly if the table top doesn’t sitflat.

*Note: Your table top should NOT be mounted to your pedestal. If it is, remove the screws in the mounting hardware and set your pedestal aside.

Step 2: Be sure to install your slides so that they are setan equal distance in from the long edges of the table top. Additionally, be sureto place them to where they won’t contact the pedestal, and where the pedestalmounting plate will overlap the center board of the slide. (The slide will beattached to the mounting plate after being installed on the table top.)

*Note: Equalizer slides have either 3 or 5 boards in each half of the pair, so the center board will have an equal number of boards on each side of it.

Step 3: On one side of the table top, use a tape measure orcarpenter’s square and a pencil to make a mark far enough from the edge of thetable for the slide’s center board to overlap the mounting plate but notcontact the pedestal. Repeat this procedure on the opposite side and on theother half of the table top. Then push the table top back together.

Step 4: Push the slide together as if you are closing it, but leave it open approximately ¼ inch.

*Note: Leaving the slide open a small amount provides plenty of room for the slide to operate properly once installed. If slides are fully closed when they’re installed, you may be prevented from closing the tabletop completely if humidity causes the table top to shrink.

Step 5: Make sure that the two halves of the table top are perfectly aligned next to each other along the seam, with the reverence lines on each half lining up to form a continuous line. Place one of the partially opened slide sections with the gears facing down and the large, round screw holes facing up. Align the center board of the slide with one of the reference lines marked during step 4. Using a power drill and a drill bit that is either the same size or slightly smaller than the screws you’ll use, drill pilot holes through the large, round screw openings and into the table top. Do not drill all the way through the table top.

Step 6: Using a power drill and a Phillips screwdriver bit, insert screws through each of the large, round, pre-drilled holes and screw them into the table top, taking care that the screw doesn’t pierce the table top. Align and mount the other slide along the measured line the same way. Carefully close and open the table top to make sure the slide opens and closes easily.

*Note: Mounting screws are not provided. We suggest you use wood screws that are long enough to fit through the slide and fasten approximately halfway through the table top, but are short enough not to pierce the top of the table. Measure the thickness of your table top and the length of the neck in the large screw hole to determine how long the screw should be.

Attaching the slides to the mounting plate of the pedestal

Step 1: Position the mounting plate on the bottom of the tableslides so that it is perfectly centered over the pair of slides. It is criticalto find where the exact center of the center board in each slide lines up withthe mounting plate. Mark a corresponding pencil line on the mounting plate foreach slide section. Double check everything to ensure accuracy.

Step 2: With the lines drawn on the mounting plate perfectlypositioned above the center of the center board of the slide, pre-drill atleast 3 pilot holes through the mounting plate and into the slide board below.

*Note: The number of holes you drill will depend on how long your mounting plate is. A good rule of thumb is one hole every 6 inches. Additionally, the holes should be slightly smaller than the diameter of the screws you’re using. Carefully measure the thickness of the mounting plate and the height of the slide board. The holes should extend through the plate and approximately halfway into the center portion of the center board of the slide, avoiding the tracks on either side of the center board. Be careful not to drill deep enough to go all the way through the slide board, or to interfere with the metal equalizing gear in the center of the board.

Step 3: After drilling the pilot holes, open the slide todetermine if any part of the tracks on the sides of the center board were pierced.If so, the slide will not properly open and close when the slide is mountedwith the screws. You may need to re-position the placement of the holes andre-drill.

Step 4: Screw each of the screws into the pre-drilled holesyou created Step 2. Use screws that are long enough to extend through themounting plate and at least halfway through the center board of the slide. Takecare not to use screws that are long enough to reach the equalizing gear in thecenter of the board.

Step 5: Open the table assembly about a foot, then turn itover and position the bolts extending from the top of the pedestal through thecorresponding holes of the mounting plate. Attach the nuts over the bolts andtighten completely.

Once all these steps are completed, you’ll have a completed pedestal table with extending slides to accommodate all your guests!

For additional instruction, you can view our video tutorial below. Check out our selection of equalizer slides here.