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Hi Peeps and Peepettes,

So i already have a fair few realm of battle boards, some of them i have used to base some nice terrain pieces, but bending over the board on the floor is getting annoying and i have wanted to get a proper table setup for some time.
in particular i would like tp raise up the the 2ftX2ft tiles leaving room underneath so i could make trenches rivers and hills etc..

i mainly play games suited for a 4X8 or more often 6X8-6X12 board, and really enjoy multilevel terrain.
since moving into my flat, the living room with a 6X8 board leaves about 2ft of space round the edges, not a lot of room to maneuver or bend downto the floor, but great for large scale weekend games.

unfortunately with the limited space i couldn't leave a large board like that out, and a dining table or such would get in the way, so i want to build a modular folding table, to lift the board up to standing height, that i can store away
and i'm posting this in the hopes that some of you might of done something similar or have thoughts and ideas that would help me polish my design before i invest in actually building it.


what i have in my head is a little difficult to explain but ill do my best :
i was thinking 4-6 'tables' which consist of a large box/bowl with pillars to support terrain tiles.
if the legs detached in some way then each table could theoretically stack on top of one another so when not in use its more like a side board or single table.
placing these tables on their own legs and putting them next to each other, they could sue some kind of clip to hold together, and this would make the larger play area.
this way i could use as many tables as i felt i needed to make different sized play areas.

i am not very technical so haven't thought of the actual engineering of the table yet, like how it stacks or clips together.

Would really appreciate any input or help with this.

What you could do, if you already have a decent size dining table, is to just take some wooden sheets and lay them on top of the table.
I had two 4x4 sheets that locked together. Quite large and unwieldy, tbh, but if you make them in 2x4 segments they should be quite a lot easier to handle and store, and less prone to warping.

You could just do a 2 4x4 with a piano hinge in the center that folds for storage, then use it on your dining room table. then on the bottom side have a strap or bolt that can be used to secure it to the table so that it doesnt shift.

you can also put some thin molding on the sides besides the hinge area so that the realm of battle boards do not shift or fall off.

im not sure what you mean by space under for rivers and stuff though.

Here I have three 2'x4' sheets and a folding table to sit them on, put a sheet under so the don't slide about and it works.

I get what you mean on raising it up, have a look for 2" thick polystyrene sheet in suitable sizes, 2" squares or 2'x4" sections work, work better if you stick something to the bottom, even 2mm card works, just makes them a bit stronger, can easily carve into that for craters, rivers etc or just other negative terrain, like a basement to sit a building over.

vundere wrote:
What you could do, if you already have a decent size dining table, is to just take some wooden sheets and lay them on top of the table.
I had two 4x4 sheets that locked together. Quite large and unwieldy, tbh, but if you make them in 2x4 segments they should be quite a lot easier to handle and store, and less prone to warping.

I do not have a dining table, as i mentioned in my original post i need the space which is why id hoped the whole thing could fold up.

 Desubot wrote:
You could just do a 2 4x4 with a piano hinge in the center that folds for storage, then use it on your dining room table. then on the bottom side have a strap or bolt that can be used to secure it to the table so that it doesnt shift.

you can also put some thin molding on the sides besides the hinge area so that the realm of battle boards do not shift or fall off.

im not sure what you mean by space under for rivers and stuff though.

What i meant by room under neath was something like this:
http://www.terragenesis.co.uk/gallery/pix/2007/11/19132656.jpg

which would allow my tiles to sit on top of the posts. or still make use of the space underneath like so:
http://www.terragenesis.co.uk/gallery/pix/2007/11/19132655.jpg

im sorry if my description was not clear enough.

This could be easier and not much more expensive than building them yourself. 2 sets would give you a playing area approximately 4'x9'
[url]
http://www.amazon.de/Meister-4357760-Multifunktionstisch-3-teilig/dp/B0010A36IM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1462952940&sr=8-1&keywords=tapeziertisch[/url]

I can't really offer any advice on the actual board/terrain side of things unfortunately...but for the actual table to put it all on, how about a "table tennis"/"ping pong" table?...they're usually about 9'x5', and foldable when not in use?

that would give you space for your 8'x4' table, with 6" (or 1' on one side, if you have the board lined up with one edge) extra space to sit drinks/snacks/dice/books/etc on...ok, so it wouldn't really work for the 6'x8', or the 6'x12'...but if you could settle for 8'x4', it would probably work well

honestly when we had very little room, we put our board on a couple of saw horses

Granted it was one piece at the time which helps stability

but if you have a base board, even in pieces, acting as the tabletop, you can make modular terrain 'tiles' of your own to sit on top too, mix it up a little.

Keep googling or checking youtube I've seen a couple people make stuff like what your describing and it worked well too - I just dunno where the links are =/ If I find one again I'll post it.

How about 2 of these?

 bubber wrote:
How about 2 of these?

the reviews for that thing don't inspire much confidence

 Linaru wrote:

vundere wrote:
What you could do, if you already have a decent size dining table, is to just take some wooden sheets and lay them on top of the table.
I had two 4x4 sheets that locked together. Quite large and unwieldy, tbh, but if you make them in 2x4 segments they should be quite a lot easier to handle and store, and less prone to warping.

I do not have a dining table, as i mentioned in my original post i need the space which is why id hoped the whole thing could fold up.

 Desubot wrote:
You could just do a 2 4x4 with a piano hinge in the center that folds for storage, then use it on your dining room table. then on the bottom side have a strap or bolt that can be used to secure it to the table so that it doesnt shift.

you can also put some thin molding on the sides besides the hinge area so that the realm of battle boards do not shift or fall off.

im not sure what you mean by space under for rivers and stuff though.

What i meant by room under neath was something like this:
http://www.terragenesis.co.uk/gallery/pix/2007/11/19132656.jpg

which would allow my tiles to sit on top of the posts. or still make use of the space underneath like so:
http://www.terragenesis.co.uk/gallery/pix/2007/11/19132655.jpg

im sorry if my description was not clear enough.

Oh using posts for a negative space? hmmm well this certainly is a pickle since you dont seem to have enough space for the table linked.

I think i got it.

you could make the board like a peg board, drill regular spaced holes about 1/2 to 3/4th of an inch and make pegs with lathed pegs of that size. so it fits in but doesn't fall through.

that way you can remove the pegs and fold or flat store the table when not in use. and you can use your existing dining room table.

the skirt around the side might be a problem but you could make outside pegs with lips so that it effectively holds it in place.

kinda like these

but the upper side of the peg doesnt have to be round. and the tops should be flat

 ZoBo wrote:

 bubber wrote:
How about 2 of these?

the reviews for that thing don't inspire much confidence

I have 2 for wargaming & they're fine if you don't jump & down on them.

okay.. so using some of your ideas ive sketched out a rough idea :


essential the main table would consist of 4 3x4 ft 'trays' with holes for wooden posts to slot in to support raised tiles, and removing the posts would make room for lower floor tiles..

the 'trays' would stack on top of each other


in addition some sort of folding X shaped leg contraption, could potentially fold flat and stack away too..

so when stacked it is a 3X4 table, or two could be put together to make a 4X6 table, or all 4 could be used to make a 6X8

maybe if i left the side trim to the inner most edges off the 'trays' they would stack up like shelves and i could store some scenery tiles in it...