Interesting table design.

[Sedalia Dave]

Wonder just how stable it really is.

 

 

 

[Pat Riot]

I am betting it's not  stable  at all.

[J. Mark Flint #31954 LIFE]

Interesting, it looks like it would be very stable to me.  I would imagine it can move side to side a very small amount, but it should not be able to tip in any direction

 

Then again, I might have welded all the chain links if I built something like that that

[Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984]

If the chains had no slack it should be quite stable.

[Charlie Harley, #14153]

Geometrically, it’s perfectly stable. 
 

In the practical world, there’s a bit of wobble. 
 

If I were the artist, the links would be welded and re-coated. 

[Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967]

No need to weld the chains -  but turnbuckles on the corner chains would be effective.  Also allow for seasonal adjustments.  

[Yul Lose]

4 hours ago, Pat Riot, SASS #13748 said:

I am betting it's not  stable  at all.

Actually they are very stable, especially the four cornered ones. Here is a three corner one that I 3D printed that is held together with thread. I’m working on one now that will be held together with 1/16” steel cable and will feature fractal wood burning, it will be a four cornered unit. The three cornered one in the picture will hold about 5Lbs. if it’s balanced correctly. The one that I’m building will hold substantially more.

[Pat Riot]

What keeps them from moving side to side? They look like they would swing. 

[Yul Lose]

4 minutes ago, Pat Riot, SASS #13748 said:

What keeps them from moving side to side? They look like they would swing. 

Tension.

 

[Wallaby Jack, SASS #44062]

my guess would be that any movement would be the result of flex in the support frame.

 

[Yul Lose]

1 minute ago, Wallaby Jack, SASS #44062 said:

my guess would be that any movement would be the result of flex in the support frame.

 

To a certain degree you are correct. If you’ll notice the two arms in the interior of the blue one that I posted are quite flexible, they are 3D printed after all. When you press down on the top, with your finger or thumb in pretty much the exact center you can see the arms flex. The table in the original OP would have very little flex in that square tubing. If it were built with just two arms in the center there would be much more flex or movement. The chain links are pulling against each other in the four corners and the two opposing chain sections. They call this an impossible table. Most people will look at it and think that the links are welded together right off the bat but they aren’t. There are some Pinterest posters that feature some very interesting impossible tables.

[Cliff Hanger #3720LR]

What I see is a table that may be stable side to side but it may become a swing long end to loong end.

[Injun Ryder, SASS #36201L]

Looked them up on Youtube (tensegrity tables). Might have to try to make a simple one. 

 

( I am no woodworker! To those that have the old Bill Cosby records, my woodworking skills are similar - put two grooves in it and call it an ashtray).

[Sedalia Dave]

Thanks Injun Ryder, now that I know what it is called. I found a couple videos on the picture I originally posted.

 

 

 

 

Plans for the table

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-0KAVSyX-IyUFedDS_ATKh06YaANolAL3sAp1feRGys

 

[Pat Riot]

Okay. So it moves like I thought it would. Maybe not a sway but it does move. Something I find annoying in tables. 

[Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984]

If the chains are all the same length, a lot of movement is possible. But as the difference between the middle chains’ length and the length of the outer chains’ length give it rigidity.

[Forty Rod SASS 3935]

2 hours ago, Pat Riot, SASS #13748 said:

Okay. So it moves like I thought it would. Maybe not a sway but it does move. Something I find annoying in tables. 

Likely really annoying if you've been tippling a bit.

[Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984]

If you put a couple pitchers on one corner, it could be really annoying.

[Pat Riot]

One could put bells on it. It would give you a few seconds warning of an earthquake.