South Africa is famous for many things: its weather, the sights and sounds, its turbulent history, Charlize Theron. Is it going to leave its footprints in the furniture design world? With an invention by someone calling himself Duncan, maybe it will. For Duncan has come up with something he calls the Self-Leveling Restaurant Table Base, something that people like me who hate wobbly tables will surely welcome.
It basically works like this: just set the table base on any floor surface and the legs will adjust their lengths automatically. Activate the locking mechanism when the desired level of stability is reached, and voila, no more rocking table. No more drinks that slop over at the slightest inadvertent nudge that diners usually give a table from time to time. Even if you place it on a cobblestone surface, it will seem as if it’s standing on level ground. Try doing that with a conventional restaurant table! I wonder if the principle can be applied to reception area chairs and other forms of seating as well?

These are the materials that could be used to manufacture parts of Duncan’s “Steadfast Table Base”:

• Polymer concrete

• Fiberglass

• Glass-filled nylon

• Die cast and extruded aluminum

And these are the parts of the table base:

• Table top mounting frame

• Locking wheel

• Connecting rod

• Mechanized housing

• Adjusting arms

• Swivel feet

• Pivot hinge

The inventor is offering his services in terms of assisting with tooling design or the production of molds and jigs. He also says that he is able to establish a production manufacturing line anywhere in the world – for the right price. I hope he does find someone who will take him up on his patent. The prospect of drinking my coffee on a table that will remain steady no matter how uneven the floor on which it rests is an appealing idea indeed.