Alright folks, today’s adventure was wrestling with this stubborn piece of oak I call the “dancing timber.” Seriously, it wobbled like crazy whenever you touched it. Here’s how it went down.

Spotting the Problem

So I’m out in the workshop yesterday, brewing coffee, when I notice my big oak display timber rocking back and forth on its stand. Just breathing near it made it sway! Knew that wouldn’t fly long-term.

Digging Out the Supplies

Figured it needed better anchoring. Scrounged around my junk pile and found:

• Two heavy-duty metal L-brackets covered in dust
• A handful of fat, rust-spotted wood screws
• A chunky rubber doorstop looking lonely under the bench

Wasn’t winning any style contests, but solid stuff.

Getting Physical With It

First, flipped the whole setup over. Timber’s heavy – grunted like an old bear heaving it onto sawhorses. Grabbed one bracket, pressed it hard into the timber corner where it met the stand. Took my drill, didn’t even bother measuring, and blasted two screws straight through the bracket into the wood. Splinters flew everywhere. Repeated it on the opposite corner. Brackets looked crooked as heck, but felt sturdy.

Then saw a tiny rocking spot left near the back. Shoved that rubber doorstop under it like I was stomping out a bug. Whole thing tilted sideways for a second – nearly panicked – but it settled solid.

Moment of Truth

Righted the timber display. Held my breath and gave it a hard shove. Nothing. Pushed again like I was trying to tip over a fridge. Solid as a rock now! Brackets stick out like ugly thumbs and the rubber wedge is neon orange against the dark oak, but hey. Thing doesn’t budge an inch. Victory dance happened. Simple fix for a dancing timber – ugly but bulletproof. That’s what counts.