[Sagebrush]

Seems simple enough, but looking for any tips that you can give. We have a camp chef , one of the table top models. Works really good for us and doesn't weigh a whole lot, so it packs up easy for our car camping trips. As you know a lot of picnic tables are far from level, Ive tried placing wooden shims under the corners of the stove, rocks,etc. but none are satisfactory. Lots of fooling around and sometimes doesn't support the weight of the dutch oven well. I could get a table with adjustable legs but its something more that we have to pack. Currently toying with drilling the bottom and installing levelers.
Any one have some solutions that work for them?

 

[Alex MacDonald]

mini wedges for shimming up door jambs, stuff like that, will do the job.

 

[chewydog]

Or if it's really wacked, small squares of plywood 1/4, 3/8, 7/16, etc. Sorta like lynx levelers for campers.

 

[Kilchis]

What Alex said. Carpenter's shims work great. I use them with my Coleman tabletop stoves and my 40-pound Camp Chef with legs.

 

[Guest]

I modified the legs of my camp chef 2-burner. I got some aluminum tube that fit up into the existing legs. I welded, drilled and tapped the leg near the bottom. I then got thumb screws.

It works great even on very uneven ground. I level it like a camera tripod. It also raises the stove up to counter top height.

 

[Sagebrush]

Ive used the carpenters wedges in the past, seems unstable and have had the stove slip off a couple of times.
Trapper, that set up looks like you could use it on the worst locations ever.

 

[Guest]

View attachment 118169 View attachment 118170 View attachment 118171 I modified the legs of my camp chef 2-burner. I got some aluminum tube that fit up into the existing legs. I welded, drilled and tapped the leg near the bottom. I then got thumb screws.

It works great even on very uneven ground. I level it like a camera tripod. It also raises the stove up to counter top height.

Well executed.

 

[Guest]

Or if it's really wacked, small squares of plywood 1/4, 3/8, 7/16, etc. Sorta like lynx levelers for campers.

Not positive about the exact stove the OP has, but it sounds like it isn't like Trapper's? Seeing as he states that he is setting up on pic-a-nic tables.

I was thinking the same-ish solution as you, but I would look into some silicon rubber sheets. Cut pieces as needed, adds a bit of compliance and creates a bit more friction on many surfaces than the plywood (especially the painted picnic table tops).

 

[Sagebrush]

So, I have the camp chef Everest, which is a two burner table top

http://www.campchef.com/everest-high-pressure-two-burner-stove.html

This stove has small rounded projections at each corner which makes makes them prone to slipping off stacked pieces of wood, silicon squares sound like a pretty good idea, I think these are somewhat like neoprene and would be easy to cut and the stove less likely to slip?

 

[Guest]

So, I have the camp chef Everest, which is a two burner table top

http://www.campchef.com/everest-high-pressure-two-burner-stove.html

This stove has small rounded projections at each corner which makes makes them prone to slipping off stacked pieces of wood, silicon squares sound like a pretty good idea, I think these are somewhat like neoprene and would be easy to cut and the stove less likely to slip?

The silicon rubber won't be as soft as the neoprene used in waders and wetsuits. It will be very easy to cut with shears or knives.

I suggest silicon because of it's ability to stand up to heat. It won't be super tacky and things can slide on it, but it will almost definitely have a higher coefficient of friction on your painted stove than wood will.

Bonus is that it is pliable and easy to pack.

 

[Jim F.]

Like Trapper's set-up . . . must be that "Montana Mind" thing . . .

 

[jeff bandy]

I might have a idea for you.

All it would require is a drill and drill bit and a trip to the hardware store.

Drill out the bottom of the feet slightly larger then 1/4". Get four 1/4-20 nuts and glue them in place with some liquid steel epoxy. Make sure to not get any in the threads.

Get four table leveling feet. The kind with the rubber bottoms and a little play in them.

Wham! Problem solved.

 

[Sagebrush]

I might have a idea for you.

All it would require is a drill and drill bit and a trip to the hardware store.

Drill out the bottom of the feet slightly larger then 1/4". Get four 1/4-20 nuts and glue them in place with some liquid steel epoxy. Make sure to not get any in the threads.

Get four table leveling feet. The kind with the rubber bottoms and a little play in them.

Wham! Problem solved.

This was along the lines of what I was originally thinking of. Any experience with that liquid steel? Hold pretty good?

 

[Guest]

I might have a idea for you.

All it would require is a drill and drill bit and a trip to the hardware store.

Drill out the bottom of the feet slightly larger then 1/4". Get four 1/4-20 nuts and glue them in place with some liquid steel epoxy. Make sure to not get any in the threads.

Get four table leveling feet. The kind with the rubber bottoms and a little play in them.

Wham! Problem solved.

If you are going that route, use rivet nuts: http://www.mcmaster.com/#rivet-nuts/=12po807

You won't have to worry about using glue. Downside is that you need an installation tool. I expect that if you called a few sheetmetal shops or autobody shops that someone in your area would have an install tool and would put them in if you had the holes drilled.

We use these on a lot of sheetmetal parts at my work. Very good.

The other option is press-in nuts: http://www.mcmaster.com/#panel-nuts/=12poa6c

They say to use an arbor press, but I've installed hundreds of them just using a screw and a washer to pull them into the metal. In your application, I'd probably put them on the outside so the load is transmitted through them. Use at least a grade 8 bolt when putting them in.

 

[Guest]

Then, if you have a place that isn't going to get hot, put one of these on: http://www.mcmaster.com/#2308a5/=12poe75

Setup will be breezy.

 

[jeff bandy]

This was along the lines of what I was originally thinking of. Any experience with that liquid steel? Hold pretty good?

They don't call it steel for nothing! Think of it as high temperature epoxy.

 

[Guest]

If you are going that route, use rivet nuts: http://www.mcmaster.com/#rivet-nuts/=12po807

You won't have to worry about using glue. Downside is that you need an installation tool. I expect that if you called a few sheetmetal shops or autobody shops that someone in your area would have an install tool and would put them in if you had the holes drilled.

We use these on a lot of sheetmetal parts at my work. Very good.

The other option is press-in nuts: http://www.mcmaster.com/#panel-nuts/=12poa6c

They say to use an arbor press, but I've installed hundreds of them just using a screw and a washer to pull them into the metal. In your application, I'd probably put them on the outside so the load is transmitted through them. Use at least a grade 8 bolt when putting them in.

Rivet nuts are the way to go !

 

[Guest]

Rivet nuts are the way to go !

Especially if you have access to the installation tools and mandrels. They do make the self-installing split rivet nuts, but they are not nearly as nice as the ones I posted.

I don't know if you have used the broaching panel nuts, but they are pretty amazing, also and install easily. They say to use an arbor press, but I never have and I use them on multi-million dollar projects. Cheap and easy, the OP will have under $30 and 30 minutes into making a very stable stove base.

If the camp stove manufacturer were on top of it, they would have put something like that in using this process: http://centerdrill.de/englisch/technics/flow-punch-tools/the-process/process-cycle.html?&=

That process is really cool and forms *hardened* threaded bushings using the base material.

 

[Guest]

Especially if you have access to the installation tools and mandrels. They do make the self-installing split rivet nuts, but they are not nearly as nice as the ones I posted.

I don't know if you have used the broaching panel nuts, but they are pretty amazing, also and install easily. They say to use an arbor press, but I never have and I use them on multi-million dollar projects. Cheap and easy, the OP will have under $30 and 30 minutes into making a very stable stove base.

If the camp stove manufacturer were on top of it, they would have put something like that in using this process: http://centerdrill.de/englisch/technics/flow-punch-tools/the-process/process-cycle.html?&=

That process is really cool and forms *hardened* threaded bushings using the base material.

I use them to repair striped out holes in sheet metal covers at work all the time, you can use an impact gun and a bolt in a pinch to install them ..

 

[Sagebrush]

Putting in rivet nuts or variations of is not something I have experience in and I would need to get a machine shop to do. Sounds like the cost would start getting up there for the purpose. I'm going to keep looking into this, but the silicon
pads or liquid steel with nuts might be a good solution.