On 1/11/17 7:13 AM, Joseph Gwinn wrote:
One of life's minor problems that can become major aggravations are the
glides one installs on the legs of chairs to protect the floor as people
shuffle the chairs around.

I've tried a lot of things. Glides that are nailed to the end of the leg
always seem to pull out, and tear the floor up if not caught in time. Soft
plastic mushrooms. Felt wears out and also captures grit. Polished steel
works, but seems to come only in nail-style glides.
And so on.

Gradually a list of requirements formed:

1. Must attach using a screw. No nails!

2. Must have a hard smooth durable surface that will not accumulate or embed
grit.

3. It should not wear out in less than ten years.

4. It cannot rust or corrode in indoor service. Outdoor service a plus.

5. It would be nice if they accommodate slightly uneven floors.

6. It would be nice if they weren't too expensive.


I did think of polished thick (stainless) steel washers countersunk to accept
a flat head wood screw. These can be found, but they are something like $5
per washer. I could make them, but it would be a lot of washers to make. And
I'm not the first to have this problem, so there has to be a commercial
product.

Then I thought of engineering plastics, the expensive kinds that dont so
easily mushroom under pressure. Delrin jumped to mind, as it is quite strong
and hard, can be press fit (does not creep), and is very slippery. Makes good
bearings. This I could also machine, and a lot more easily than with
stainless steel.

On a lark, I googled on "delrin chair glide". Bingo - somebody already makes
them. So I bought a bunch and installed them on the four dining room chairs
several months ago. They worked very well, so I installed them on the six
kitchen chairs in May 2014. And replaced two failing nail-style glides just
in time to save the floor. (These glides can also be used for tables, but I
dont recall if I installed any glides on the tables.)

[snip]

Joe Gwinn


This is indeed timely for me, thanks Joe!

I was starting to consider Laguna's ceramic thrust bearings....

-BR