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IKEA Hack-a-Lack

intro
step 1
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step 3
step 4
step 5
step 6
 

introIKEA Hack-a-Lack

The IKEA Hack-a-Lack is a screwing-device for those who need to assemble a large number of IKEA Lack coffeetables. It saves time, energy and painful wrists. It's very easy to make and the best part is that it is actually made from a Lack table itself. It works like a very big screwdriver but instead of screws it fits tablelegs. For the exhibition Platform21=Hacking IKEA we need to assemble some 1000 LACK's so you may imagine we need all the help we can invent. The principle of the whole thing is best explained through the instruction of IKEA itself.
IKEA Hack-a-Lack
The Hack-a-Lack.JPGDSC01574.jpg
 
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step 1Ingredients
The first thing you need is a Lack tableleg. If you have to assemble a lot of tables just get one extra. It never hurts to have spareparts, and you can actually assemble 4 Hack-a-Lacks from one extra table bringing the costs down to about 2,50 each. The other ingredients are a saw, strong glue (I used polyurethan), a wrench and something to rough up the surface of the t…

step 2Sawing the leg.
Take one Lack table leg and saw it into 5 equal parts. This is easily done as the legs of the LACK are hollow. However the parts are still surprisingly strong.

step 3The Center of the IKEA Hack-a-Lack
You end up with 2 parts that have a piece of wood at the end and 3 parts that are completely hollow at both ends. One of the parts with a piece of wood has a hole for the screw. This will be the middle part of your IKEA Hack-a-Lack. Put the screw in with a wrench, and make sure it is straight. In this image the screw is not yet fully screwed in!

step 4Roughing it up and putting the glue.
The LACK is made of very slippery material so it is very important to rough up the surface before you glue. Rough up all 4 sides of the middle part, and one side of the other 4 parts. Then put on the glue (strong stuff!) according to the instructions on the bottle. Keep one centimeter free on the top of the middle part. The sideparts are glues 1 centimeter lower then th…

step 5Finishing up & putting some pressure.
Now glue the 4 parts on the middle part, remembering that the 4 sideparts of the IKEA Hack-a-Lack protrude 1 centimeter from the bottom of the middle part. This way you create a hollow space that fits around the table leg exactly. To keep it all together during drying I used stretchy string but I'm sure there's better alternatives.

step 6Putting the legs on the beast
Insert your IKEA Hack-a-Lack into your drill and carefully screw the legs on the table. I haven't tried electric screwdrivers but I think it should work also. Obviously t's only worth going through all this if you need to assemble more them 25 tables.

85 comments
1-50 of 85
May 9, 2009. 11:06 AMforced_to_make_an_account says:
While this is clever, I would recommend cutting a 2x4 to the size of the table leg instead.
Dec 18, 2009. 11:31 AMarne hendriks(author) says:
To be honest I only used the leg because it is more fun as an ible. Although this way it is totally accurate.
Dec 17, 2009. 10:30 AMarne hendriks(author) says:
Hmmm.
Oct 30, 2008. 1:10 PMcg15 says:
OK, I know this will probaly sound really stupid, but WTF is IKEA???????
Nov 4, 2008. 11:55 AMarne hendriks(author) says:
a store www.ikea.com
Aug 28, 2008. 4:56 PMmsweston says:
I like the first picture - "Lack and Decker" :-P
Aug 28, 2008. 4:12 PMarne hendriks(author) says:
We have the tables and will soon start to put them together. I'll upload a film of it.
Aug 20, 2008. 9:57 PMalex-sharetskiy says:
Reminds me of this..
13.jpg
Aug 26, 2008. 5:05 PMMock26 says:
It is!
Aug 21, 2008. 3:15 PMjamiesoncostello says:
You know, I think this is an actual page out of the employee handbook.
Aug 21, 2008. 4:57 PMalex-sharetskiy says:
i doubt that
Aug 21, 2008. 7:10 PMjamiesoncostello says:
Whyyyyyy you gotta be like that?
Aug 22, 2008. 12:32 AMarne hendriks(author) says:
In any case it should be.
Aug 22, 2008. 1:45 AMjamiesoncostello says:
There we go. A sense of humor! yayyyyyyy
Aug 22, 2008. 2:00 AMarne hendriks(author) says:
I'm serious ; )
Aug 22, 2008. 6:27 PMFreshPineSent says:
(removed by author or community request)
Aug 24, 2008. 12:00 PMsabarblatoe says:
Word!
Aug 25, 2008. 1:08 PMDNT 2.5 says:
Letter!
Aug 31, 2008. 3:05 PMnitrox027 says:
dot
Oct 3, 2008. 4:03 AMDerin says:
atom
Oct 10, 2008. 8:57 PMalex-sharetskiy says:
quark
Oct 10, 2008. 10:29 PMFreshPineSent says:
(removed by author or community request)
Dec 18, 2009. 10:28 AMtkjtkj says:
virtual particle

ref: "Warped Passages" by Lisa Randall, Phd
Oct 11, 2008. 8:08 AMalex-sharetskiy says:
quark is the smallest possible fragment of a proton (that has been named), and as we all know, protons, neutrons and electrons, make atoms
Oct 11, 2008. 9:16 AMFreshPineSent says:
(removed by author or community request)
Oct 11, 2008. 11:12 AMalex-sharetskiy says:
oh
Oct 11, 2008. 12:08 PMFreshPineSent says:
(removed by author or community request)
Oct 16, 2008. 9:23 PMjamiesoncostello says:
I'm really only interested in neutrinos. Anyone hear about that sphere of "heavy water" they've got miles underground to try and sense neutrinos passing through the earth?
Oct 17, 2008. 7:05 AMalex-sharetskiy says:
yes, i've heard of them but i don't know what they are
Oct 18, 2008. 7:53 AMjamiesoncostello says:
The Sudbury Neutrino Observatory. It's like a mile underground and they have a huge bubble of sensors filled with Deuterium aka "heavy water" to sense the occasion collision of a neutrino with the nucleus of the Deuterium. Neutrinos have a neglibible mass and no charge, they travel at near the speed of light and pass through matter so easily that they fly straight through the earth undisturbed everyday.
Oct 18, 2008. 8:14 AMalex-sharetskiy says:
What happens to deuterium when it is hit with Neutrinos?
Oct 18, 2008. 9:13 AMjamiesoncostello says:
It causes a "charged current reaction" when the neutrino collides with a proton, basically just a slight flash of light. The whole sphere of deuterium is kept in total darkness and surrounded in photomultiplier tubes. They make the labs underground because the earth filters out a lot of excess background radiation from the surface, otherwise I think the ball would light up like the fourth of july haha.
Oct 18, 2008. 2:04 PMalex-sharetskiy says:
I was wondering what happens to the atom of deuterium,does it get destroyed? or what?
Oct 18, 2008. 9:25 PMnitrox027 says:
i still say dot
Oct 18, 2008. 9:30 PMalex-sharetskiy says:
dot is but an only space in the universe, a thought of where an object should be, so in fact it is so small, that it does not exist
Oct 16, 2008. 11:43 PMDerin says:
deu... nevermind
Oct 18, 2008. 7:58 AMjamiesoncostello says:
Close to 900,000 liters of deu... nvm
Aug 24, 2008. 2:11 AMmwwdesign says:
LOL!
Aug 25, 2008. 1:39 PMpedrotome says:
ROFL!
Aug 23, 2008. 5:34 AMjamiesoncostello says:
I applied for a job at ikea, just to see what the handbook looked like.
The third page was a rick astley music video.
Ikea = serious business.
Aug 24, 2008. 2:11 AMmwwdesign says:
ROFL!
Aug 23, 2008. 8:05 AMFreshPineSent says:
I think I just blew a funny fuse.
Aug 28, 2008. 5:09 PMEsmagamus says:
I think I just broke a funny leg.
Aug 25, 2008. 1:39 PMpedrotome says:
gosh, that was a funny one. haha
Aug 29, 2008. 5:08 PMfishyfish777 says:
I'm going to see if comments nest below this level :p
Aug 30, 2008. 7:47 AMpedrotome says:
lol. We'll see, we'll see...
Aug 29, 2008. 5:27 PMjamiesoncostello says:
This IS kind of a big string of comments to comments, isn't it?
Aug 29, 2008. 5:53 PMFreshPineSent says:
I guess.
Aug 30, 2008. 9:51 AMbaneat says:
How low, can you go.
Aug 30, 2008. 9:51 AMbaneat says:
I just want to see how small these can be
1-50 of 85

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