Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

Hey guys. Lately I've been looking to get a game board for my buds and I to play on but I don't want to sell my soul in order to afford the GW battle board. So I was wondering where the best non GW board is sold (for a decent price hopefully) or if you made one how you did so?

Thanks!
Gromsnik

We made one for our office with a big sheet of plywood for the surface, 2x4s for the lip frame, 4x4s for the legs, and 2x4s for a support frame underneath. We have a free-standing 2x4 that sits inside the playing area that fits snugly between the lips so we can adjust for 4x4 and 6x4 sizes.

I'll have to get details on exactly how we put the support frame together. My coworker drew some stuff on a napkin, and like magic it worked. I'm not particularly handy with that sort of thing. But yeah, not too expensive. If you just want to do the surface and not the full table, you can get MDF at Home Depot and have them slice it up into 2x2 pieces if you want modular, or just keep it intact as a 6x4 otherwise.

I made mine using a 8ftX4ft section of plywood, cut into four 2ftX4ft sections. I reinforced these sections using frames I made out of 2inchX2inch beams.

Then, use PVA (white) glue watered down to 'paint' the surface and start throwing sand on it (You will need two or three large bags of sand). Once the sand is in place, 'paint' over it again to seal it. Leave it outside for a day or two to dry.

Be sure to do it in sections so it isn't too heavy. This table will be heavy.

Use whatever for legs.

It's a bit messy (you may have to vaccuum after moving it around), but looks great.

I believe I spent about $60 on materials and it was the first table I've made, so it's a good beginner project. You'll want to smooth out the sand a bit, as movement trays may catch on ridges.

You can see how it looks in my gallery, hope this helps you.

3 segments of flocked IKEA table is 1" away from perfect. Basically we have 11.5" deployment zones instead of 12". Other than that, it's perfect.

http://orz.eu/terrain/2013/06/29/flocked-ikea-table-3-segments/

Affordable and pretty nifty. If I were to make a fantasy table, I'd change the flock and paint for a green grass mat. Something like http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Roll-Scenery-Grass-paper-Model-Train-Set-HORNBY-War-Slot-Farm-Rail-27cm-x103cm-/370940414381

 Purifier wrote:
3 segments of flocked IKEA table is 1" away from perfect. Basically we have 11.5" deployment zones instead of 12". Other than that, it's perfect.

http://orz.eu/terrain/2013/06/29/flocked-ikea-table-3-segments/

Affordable and pretty nifty. If I were to make a fantasy table, I'd change the flock and paint for a green grass mat. Something like http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Roll-Scenery-Grass-paper-Model-Train-Set-HORNBY-War-Slot-Farm-Rail-27cm-x103cm-/370940414381

Why would you do that? I'm still being lazy about glue/sand/flocking our table out back, so alternatives are still an option. I've played on a friend's grass mat table, and honestly I didn't like it as much. It's a silly subtle thing, but I felt like I was at a driving range.

 Evertras wrote:

 Purifier wrote:
3 segments of flocked IKEA table is 1" away from perfect. Basically we have 11.5" deployment zones instead of 12". Other than that, it's perfect.

http://orz.eu/terrain/2013/06/29/flocked-ikea-table-3-segments/

Affordable and pretty nifty. If I were to make a fantasy table, I'd change the flock and paint for a green grass mat. Something like http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Roll-Scenery-Grass-paper-Model-Train-Set-HORNBY-War-Slot-Farm-Rail-27cm-x103cm-/370940414381

Why would you do that? I'm still being lazy about glue/sand/flocking our table out back, so alternatives are still an option. I've played on a friend's grass mat table, and honestly I didn't like it as much. It's a silly subtle thing, but I felt like I was at a driving range.

I quite recently (less than a year, I think?) got back into warhammer. I stopped for 15 years, before that.
When I was a kid, my club, The Emperor's Children, had a grass mat table. I always thought it was great back then, and now... now I love it as much because I like the feel as for the nostalgic feeling that I get, running my hand over it.

So why I would do it?... It's just a case of preference. It doesn't hurt that throwing a grass mat on the table is much easier than flocking and painting.

I've never been to a driving range, so that's not something that bothers me.

Works for me. Looking back on my question, I may have come off a little wrong. I was genuinely asking if you found any advantage to it that I was missing to see if I wanted to reconsider doing it myself. But if it's just preference, then it's just preference.

 Evertras wrote:
Works for me. Looking back on my question, I may have come off a little wrong. I was genuinely asking if you found any advantage to it that I was missing to see if I wanted to reconsider doing it myself. But if it's just preference, then it's just preference.

It's fine, that's how I took it.

Like I said, it has the advantage of being easier to do, but at the end of the day, it's not so much easier that I would use it if I didn't like playing on it.

I have a grass mat. It undeniably looks a bit fake - but it also cost me £18, folds away when my gaming table is in the cupboard, and took no effort. The problem with the sanded table is that imagine it needs to be stored with more care. And also not have 1" holes in it at random spots, unlike mine...

 Charles Rampant wrote:
I have a grass mat. It undeniably looks a bit fake - but it also cost me £18, folds away when my gaming table is in the cupboard, and took no effort. The problem with the sanded table is that imagine it needs to be stored with more care. And also not have 1" holes in it at random spots, unlike mine...

Yeah, portability is a HUGE factor for sure. Grass mat wins on that front. Fortunately our table is for Warhammer and Warhammer only, and isn't ever going to be moved, so we're lucky on that.