[helco]

I wish I had a device that would make it easy for one person to open and close the kind of expandable dining room table that has leaves (boards) that can be added to the center. I'm picturing some kind of gear mechanism that would help two pairs of padded wooden blocks to push the closed table halves apart, after they'd been slightly separated initially by padded wedges. The same gears could be used to close the table using cords with padded clamps at the ends. The cords would be wound up as the halves of the table came together. A fair amount of force would be required for both operations, since many tables are set on carpeting that makes it difficult for the halves to slide, even if they're on wheels.

Reward: I really really need one!