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So exams are finally over and I have free time and an abundance of power tools.
So the guestion I have for you is quite simple:
What do you really wish was available on your game tables? Ever run out of space for certain things, or require a special nook? What does your ideal game table do that your current one doesn't?



My project (amongst others) is to build a gaming table. Not a board, but the table to put it on. The idea is to have a table that folds and can be put in the shed/storeroom when needed, but doesn't skimp on any 'luxury' features a board should have.
The goal is as follows:
1) The table must fold for storage.
2) When folded, cannot have a height of more than 6'6" (1980mm) or a width of more than 2'6". This will allow it to fit through a standard doorway.
3) Must be on castor wheels.
4) Table space must be 8'x4' fully deployed, 6’x4’ optional.
5) One person must be able to roll the table around, and deploy the table using no tools in less than 5 minutes.
6) Two people must be able to assemble/disassemble the main parts for transport using only a screwdriver and/or spanner inside of 15 minutes.
7) The table must incorporate a cupboard for storage of terrain, a large shelf for placement of items like carrycases, and small shelves near the playing surface for dice/graveyards/etc

Further dimensions and restrictions:
1. The cupboard must have dimensions of at least 12"x24"x4', preferably 24"x24"x4'or even more. This minimum size will allow storage of 8'x4' of terrain boards up to 3" thick.
a. Large sizes of the cupboard will allow for more terrain to be stored, including other modular features like trees, hills, buildings etc.
b. Incorporating a drawer into the cupboard could allow for storage of items like dice,templates, rulebooks, tokens, markerlights, etc. A drawer would be codex-sized (8"x12")at a minimum.
2. The play surface should be between 30”-36” from the ground.
3. The play surface should be 6’x4’ standard, with extensions to 8’x4’.
4. Cup holders! In the shelves along the play table, incorporate cup holders so drinks don't end up on the play surface
5. The play surface should be bounded by raised edges to easily define the board, to prevent movement of playing boards, to stop dice rolling around.
6. There should be the ability to permanently have one flat playing surface modelled into the table (a grass mat glued down) over which other terrain can be placed if desired.
7. Deluxe models will fit a bar fridge instead of a scenery cupboard underneath.

Here's an picture of one of my designs. I have progressed quite a bit in terms of technical feasibility, but this is basically what i wan to have on it:



The entire structure will probably be built from a mix of 19mm (3/4") Radiata pine and 9 - 12mm MDF (3/8" - 1/2"). I may or may not decorate it with warhammer inspired detailing.
Any comments or suggestions very much appreciated.

Looking at the folded version - how stable do you think it will be? It looks a little top heavy but first impressions can be wrong.

You are right it may be a little top heavy - some of my new designs have a wider base to help prevent that. Also, with terrain etc in it whilst it is stored, i think it should be stable enough.

I'm trying to find more complicated folding mechanisms, at the moment it just pivots around the stationary legs but I'm sure I could find a new design that allows better positioning of the folding halves.

Why do you have those rails going up over the sides of the table? I think they would get in the way of playing.

I was planning a folding table too but something more simple. 2 folding saw horses and 2 4x3 pieces of plywood with hinges on the underside. You lay it across the beam on the sawhorses so the table won't fall inwards, and then I would set up my ROB board on top of that.

The rails are intended as a place for players to place dead models, dice, books, measures etc to keep them off the playing surface. the raised edges also to provide a hard boundary to the board and to keep taller terrain sets from moving/protect their edges - I have some terrain based on 2" foam and it moves a bit/gets damaged.
As the design keeps developing - making the cupboard 2ft wide instead of 1ft, and the playing space to 6ft instead of 8ft - it is starting to seem prudent to make the design simpler; a 'drop leaf' table with the cupboard in the middle
The main reason I'm going for a more complicated design is to have a scenery cupboard, storage shelf etc, and for one person to easily move it all at once, meaning I would like wheels on it.

Here is an updated design; extendible to 8'x4', a 2'x2' cupboard, a drawer, shelf:

Choice 2 is more realistic.

Mine is moreso.

2 saw horses with 2 2X 4's with 2 4X4 pieces of plywood on them.

You want a shelf? go get one of those plastic ones that you set up with the tubes and the slats.

K.I.S.S.

Newer design looks better have you thought about wheels for the legs so you can move it around easier? I think with all that wood it'll be heavy & awkward to lift & move

And you can get wheels that have locks so the table doesn't move during play.

Another day, another design.


Wheels were always an idea, just hadn't gotten around to drawing them on yet .
The new design does away with the upwards-folding tables; they were necessary for the thin design but not so much for this wider one. This now uses the 'drop-leaf' design, where the legs are tucked into the cabinet when collapsed and fold out to support the table. The shelf is also tucked against the cabinet and will fall down into place once the legs are open, also serving to keep the legs square.

The issues I'm having with this design are related to the width. It takes up twice the floor space of the original design, but leaves the space above the table unused - one reason I was originally opting for the tall design was so that if a club had multiples of these tables but a small storage space, they could still fit in a lot of gaming space.
The other issue its that it is now pushing 2'6" wide - I can't add on anything more before it gets too wide for a standard doorway. I could use thinner materials for some parts and get the width down about 2.5 inches more, but that would be the lowest limit. This means that narrow corridors may be difficult/impossible to navigate.
I could change this to have a slightly more narrow cupboard and shallower drawer, to allow for 2'x4' boards standing on their long edges. However that loses a lot of versatility in storage possibilities as the option for shelves for miscellaneous scenery items is severely reduced. And I can only go about 20cm narrower in any case.

How about something like...

cut the board into 3 2x4' sections, and connect them with hinges on the underside. Place it over the cabinet so the 2 sides just flop down over the left & right of the cabinet. Make the middle cabinet part less than 2' wide, so it fits under the middle piece easily with room left over for the side legs to fold in. then have 2 sets of side fold-out legs with simple hinges connected to the cabinet, So you flip out the side legs to support the table's sides when you play, and then you can fold the legs in and the tops down when you store it. Hope that makes sense.

I'm hoping to do something similar one of these days since I never got around to my basic saw horse table.

^^ That is pretty much exactly what the latest design does, except that the cupboard is just over 2' wide (more like 2'3"). This is because I want to store boards which are 2'x4' lying flat in the cupboard.
I suppose I need to change the storage to having those boards standing on their long edges if the entire thing must fit nicely through a door, although this change will pretty much completely eliminate the drawer and make the cupboard less versatile and useable :(

The other solution is to keep the wide bottom cabinet and the inward-folding legs, but move the table to folding upwards again. Or just go completely back to design #2.

Good luck! i wouldve done this in woodshop if i had seen this post

The honest answer here is that you are trying to make it do too much. Given the dimensional limits that you have, your best solution is to simply make a folding table, and do something else for storage. As someone who does cabinetry for a living, a couple of main things:

1) Your "fold upwards" design, while sound, is going to be ridiculously top-heavy. You are going to HAVE to build this sturdily, and to do that, you are looking at 3/4 inch ply with post construction for a framework, minimum. Anything else and you won't get to use it more than 5 times (trust me when I say that you always build with the assumption that the stupidest person you can imagine will be the primary user, even if it's just yourself).

2) To pull anything remotely resembling a good job off, I would recommend shop access. To get certain things right, and not just "good enough" you will need things like a table saw and a planer. You will not under any circumstance get this thing just right with only hand tools. That's why we invented the big stuff.

3) DO NOT, under any circumstances, use those tiny plastic casters that you have pictured. They will shatter into a million pieces the first or second time you try to move this thing and hit a crack in the tile, let alone trying them on even the shortest carpet. Go get some 3" heavy duty casters from a hardware store (Home Depot or Lowe's sells them fairly cheap).

4) Be aware that this will cost you at least a couple of hundred dollars. I built 12 free standing, non folding gaming tables (4'x8') with shelves underneath, lips around the edge, and the ledge for your miniatures the whole way around. I spent 1600 dollars for materials for them, and there were no wheels, no hinges, no locking mechanisms, just wood and screws. That's just shy of 135 bucks a table, before paint, and the specialty hardware you will need for your design gets real pricey, real quick.

I am not trying to be a dampener, I encourage people to do as much as they can, I just want you to be aware of what you are going to get yourself into. Most people look at designs and think "How hard could it be?" The answer is this:

It's easy to do wrong, and it's hard to do it right.

Not to reign on your project or anything(I mean if your set on doing a wood project, go for it!), but might I suggest just using a folding table like this?

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Cosco-6-Foot-Long-Center-Fold-Table/13269097?sourceid=1500000000000003260370&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=13269097

This is what I use along with some plywood and felt topping for the playing surface. It folds away nice and neat, and can be transported around in my SUV.

GG

hmm... that walmart table might be all I need, since all I'm doing is sticking a ROB board on top...

Thanks for the inputtehreverend.
1)The top shouldn't actually be that heavy. Hopefully. Most of the frame is designed with 19mm (3/4") pine in mind, the big posts are 50mm (2") pine.
2)I have a lot of quality powertools - dropsaw, table saw, jigsaw, planer, router. Hopefully shouldn't need to se the planer, it is mostly designed with standard thicknesses in mind.
3) Will replace with better wheels
4) Cost is looking about 100-150 plus hinges and wheels

To all those recommending a trestle table: I already have one. I'm trying to decide whether it is feasible to construct a specialised, folding gaming table.

Not sure about the project, but the statement "So exams are finally over and I have free time and an abundance of power tools." just makes me nervous for some reason...

Looks interesting though.