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Hey guys I've recently finished my basement entirely which means my gaming area (the usual mess) really wont work well being out all the time... What was my gaming area is now where I will put my hobby/painting table/ showcase my armies / guest bedroom w/futon. Its not a massive room only 9x14

I still want to game in that room without having a table sitting in the middle of it. So to solve that problem I thought maybe there is some sort of drop down from the wall 4x6 table that I can put my new mega mat on. It could fold up onto the wall and look seamless with the room or pop down to game on... Has anyone tried to make that before or is it out there to be purchased?

I was actually at the vet with my dog this past weekend and realized the stainless steel vet tables are really similar to what I had in mind.

Only thing is it would likely have to be 2 3foot sections with a hinge between the 2 sections that folded out of the wall once then folded out 1 more time. Having a single 6 foot table with a single hinge starting halfway up the wall would mean my basement would need atleast 10 foot ceilings which is not the case.

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

(update)

This is sort of what i have in mind. Sorry it was a quick mockup. The leg holders double as magnets to keep the 2 halves of the table stuck to each other when on the wall. The legs would also be magnetized so they could snap into cylindrical openings underneath the table.

That would be great!

You could even, if you were so inclined, just hinge four pieces of angle iron and then rest a normal plywood table on top of them.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Wall-Mounted-Folding-Workbench/

A variation of this would be cool.

Rotate 90 degrees so the short end touches the wall.

Cut the table in half and put a couple of door hinges to connect with a support brace.

Put a couple of folding legs at the end and half way point.

You'll have to come up with a locking mechanism to keep is closed against the wall.

I'm sure this all needs more careful planning.

To be honest it's probably a better investment/time save to get two decent 6' folding table and stick them side by side.

Thanks for the link thats a solid start for sure. I was thinking maybe a a really strong magnet to lock it up to the wall.

The 2 fold out tables is definitely an option I just though it would be cool to have something built into the wall to minimize breakdown and storage time/space. It may end up being that though.

That'd be very cool! Only real downside is potentially losing out on model's view LOS from the edge attached to the wall.

I guess you could have some kind of sliding rail system to pull the table out from the wall once it's folded...but I guess at that point just buying a folding table would make sense, haha.

This is sort of what i have in mind. Sorry it was a quick mockup. The leg holders double as magnets to keep the 2 halves of the table stuck to each other when on the wall. The legs would also be magnetized so they could snap into cylindrical openings underneath the table.

If you are looking at magnets to hold it in place, check out the magnets they use for holding doors open - a lot of them will be electromagnetic, but there should be some permanant ones around.

Man i dunno why but that thing makes me nerves.

Personally would like to see swing out arms from under neath (atleast one) that swings out and acts like a leg instead of the two detached ones. (like a fence gate that works as a leg)

Many years ago, my dad made me one in my bedroom: 3"x2" timber batten attached to the wall, chipboard sheet (reinforced with 1"x1/2" battens) hinged to the wall batten and fold out, hinged legs at the end.

Downside was that due to ceiling restrictions and wanting it to be a decent height off the floor, it ended up being 5 1/2' x 4'... bit of a compromise there.

Fast forward to 2014 and I'm considering building one myself, might go for a similar design, but with a hinged section, using a 4' x4' section and a 4' x 2' section. Using an appropriately sized folding table to support it instead of legs should give the flexibility of a 4' x 4' or 6' x 4' setup.

Ya thats definately an option it will just make it a bit bulkier on the wall with the folding legs. Although I have seen something where the legs basically frame the table making the entire thing look like a big picture frame. Might take more engineering than I am capable of myself ^.^

As far as the magnets went I figure some of the ones that keep doors open as Silver MK mentioned.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Ya chillreaper thats a good idea, thats why it would be ideal to have a full 6 foot table folded up but its not realisted if you want it to hinge down at a reasonable height... or else we would be playing 1 foot off the ground lol. If you end up making some blueprints feel free to share on here.

I had a similar idea once, but instead of being mounted to a wall I wanted to do it in one of those tall armoire cabnets. It was going to be a table that folds up into the cabinet area, and then the drawers below could be used for storing terrain and stuff. Never did it since I could never find one that was 4 foot wide and relatively cheap.

The wall idea might be better, but I think you're going to need some extra legs or something to support the middle of the table where the seam is between the boards.

Necros:

The support midway down a folding table was the main concern that I had; which is why I figured that a separate folding picnic-style table underneath it might work. If one used a 4' x 2' picnic table, it could be positioned to accommodate both of my configurations.

DaBenzsta08:

Blueprints... yeah...

That would be scan of the back of an envelope with what looks like chicken-scratches and alien sigils all over it (along with a drawing of the Roadrunner and a price list for several ACME products).

You could use a sliding bolt (a deadbolt for a door) to provide additional strength at the joint for minimal volume uptake.

Chill:

lol Well if you actually make a game plan and try to go through with it share your success/failure ^.^

Make a 3x4 board. 1/2 inch top. 1x2 battens to create a void on the bottom. Repeat.

Get a set of these.

http://www.rockler.com/folding-game-table-legs

And a couple pair of mortise style leaf hinges.

Mount the legs so they fold into the voids on the bottom of the play surface. Mortise the hinges into the batten between the two boards.

Mortise a second set of hinges into the top of the board that goes on the wall.

Hang and done.

Should protrude 3" off the wall when closed, and no legs to be stored. When open, everything should open up nicely.

If you want to get fancy, you can use a SOSS style hinge at the middle fold and get away with only two legs. Those hinges provide a positive stop and 0 clearance while still allowing a 180 degree bend.

After struggling for a while with a similar idea, I highly recommend that you just go with a folding trestle table and separate boards. It will be significantly cheaper, more versatile for gaming and transport.

Honestly if you really want a wall-mounted solution, I would probably even just buy a folding table and attach it to the wall. Far less stress and hassle, quite possibly cheaper, and more sturdy.

The kind of table that I'm thinking would be like this. It's 6'x2'6", which supports a 6'x4' board nicely if you're willing to let it hang over the edges, or you can glue some plywood to the top (or get a second table). Same hinge design as you've posted, with fold-out locking legs and a carry handle. If you wanted to wall-mount it, attach a hinge to one end and a hook higher up the wall could hold on to the carry handle.

http://www.bunnings.com.au/marquee-183-x-76-x-73-steel-bi-fold-blow-mould-table_p3191114

I really did try for a while to come up with a dedicated but portable game table. Even though I'm very competent with power tools and woodworking etc, getting two of those tables ended up being by far the best solution.

Oops. Same idea as the gentleman above.

Sean : thanks for the link and how to directions. Everything you said makes sense and seems doable. I'm going to run with that idea I think


Trasvi: My house is fairly modern so having something built in and unique played into the rest of the design in my house. I have some fold out plastic tables but there was just something clean and efficient feeling about bringing the board down from the wall throwing the mat on top and gaming in seconds. Vs going getting the tables re arranging the room setting up throwing a piece of wood on top and then having to dismantle and store it all away after each time. That's basically my previous setup to finishing the basement , which I'm hoping to avoid. Discouraging hearing you gave up on it though :-/

For something more modern looking, consider a fancier leg as opposed to the utilitarian one I linked to.

http://www.tablelegsonline.com/elliptical-folding-leg.html

You can also follow up the motiff by using extruded aluminum for the edging. Lots of profiles, not too expensive (cost a bit more than 1x stock though).

The SOSS hinges would definately add to it. Those hinges just look neat, and although they have been around for years, most people are unfamiliar with them.

You can finish it out with a shallow set of shelves around the table for storing figures. Same depth as the closed table might not seem like much, but 3 or 4 inches deep for the shelves will allow a lot of storage.

On the lines of sight against the wall...mirrors are your friend. You can go ahead and mount a full sized mirror on the wall where the table mounts and then when it is down, you can sight off the mirror. Also makes for more impressive photos. Everything will look twice as big.

Of course you will want to finish the top something reasonably attractive. Folding it up out of the way is only half the issue. If you play space based games like X Wing, a table sized space image would serve well as an attractive picture when closed and a functional board when open. For other games, you would want mattes or tiles to cover the table.

Just top of the head type thoughts though.

 DaBenzsta08 wrote:
Sean : thanks for the link and how to directions. Everything you said makes sense and seems doable. I'm going to run with that idea I think


Trasvi: My house is fairly modern so having something built in and unique played into the rest of the design in my house. I have some fold out plastic tables but there was just something clean and efficient feeling about bringing the board down from the wall throwing the mat on top and gaming in seconds. Vs going getting the tables re arranging the room setting up throwing a piece of wood on top and then having to dismantle and store it all away after each time. That's basically my previous setup to finishing the basement , which I'm hoping to avoid. Discouraging hearing you gave up on it though :-/

I find it very little effort - and it is more than worth it for the ability to move the table around the house or take it to the gaming club if needed. I don't regret the decision at all.

If you do decide to go ahead with it, some of the ideas I was thinking of for mine, which also fulfill the objective of making it attractive when closed.
Line the top with a sheet of clear perspex. Build a frame around the board, with the perspex sitting in a rebated channel that is just slightly thicker than the perspex (about 2 thick sheets of card thinner. Make the bottom rail of the frame detachable (strong magnets or clamps, or even screws if you won't be removing it often. The bottom edge board should also be rebated to give slight lip between the perspex and the board.
You can insert sheets of paper, card, or transfers in under the perspex. So if you are playing a space game, go get two 3'x4' posters of nebula printed and slide them in under the perspex. You can insert clear transfers of hex/square grids for games that require those... any overhead terrain pictures, oceanscapes, etc. You can draw on the perspex with dry-erase markers for games that require keeping score. Then you can slide in a nice landscape photograph when it is packed away and it looks like just a nice (if a bit thick) photo!

The SOSS hinges above, highly recommended. I've used them on projects before and they're really great.

Keeping the thickness down with folding legs can be a bit tricky if you want the table to be sturdy, plus the folding legs are annoying if you need to fold them upwards against the wall - they try to fold out again, pushing the unit away from the wall.
One solution I was considering were telescoping metal bars that came out from the wall near the skirting, to about 3/4 through the further board. With a spring-loaded locking mechanism, they looked promising. Otherwise, I probably would have actually cannibalised the legs from the folding table I linked earlier - they're strong, sturdy, durable, compact.

One other aspect I was considering was an extendable table. This was basically a MDF panel 'hidden' in the cavity under the board where the legs tuck up which could slide out. With a little ingenuity you could manage another 2' of distance, enough to set up 2 smaller games or have some graveyards on either side of the field.

The mirror strip against the wall is a pretty cool idea to help with the LOS hassles.