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Made in at
Slashing Veteran Sword Bretheren






I wasnt blessed with having a kitchen (or living room) table conform to the 6 feet x 4 feet standard set by 40k.

So I had to make my own table to play games of 40k.

I decided that laying down a thin wooden plank corresponding to this size on top of my smaller table whenever we got gaming, to expand it in all directions by some 30cm would be a good idea, so I went ahead to my local hardware store and ordered a sheet of hardboard (high-density fiberboard) with a thickness of 4mm. Instead of ordering one sheet 6'x4' I decided to split it in two sheets of 3'x4' so that carrying it home would be far easier.

Now that I set it up on the table, there is a small unevenness at the edge of the centre where the two halves meet, but otherwise it actually worked out better than I had thought. Of course the board will bend if too heavy things are placed on its edges jutting away from my actual table underneath it, but for plastic miniatures and plastic terrain it should be no problem.

Either way the whole thing cost me around 27 Euros, which is fairly affordable. I will now proceed to spray the whole thing in an industrial grey because my game board is going to be urban themed.

How did you guys tackle this issue almost all wargamers face about picking an appropriate sized gaming board? What kinds of wood and thicknesses to you recommend? And how much did you pay for it?

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Made in ca
Dakka Veteran




Canada

This is the table my brother and I built last year, it turned out ok for two carpentry noobs, but below are some of the problems. I am hoping to build a better one soon.



Also here is what the round trimming looks like.



Up next on this project is to fix the quarter round corners we did wrong with wood fillers and make them square. We should of cut them diagonally so they would fit together flush but didnt think of that. We will fix the corner of the table (the little gap) later on.



After the quarter rounds are fixed we will then put the shelf in. We decided to put the shelf higher up on the legs. It will support the legs still, and we will have room to put our bags underneath it between the floor and the shelf.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2014/02/17 20:57:37


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Made in au
Longtime Dakkanaut





Australia

I am currently in the process of using aluminum extruded box section (SHS for those in the know) with plastic connectors which will form a "skeleton" that will sit over whatever playing surface is available.

Then I have 32 x 1' square 2mm aluminum panels that fit inside said skeleton. They will be textured on both sides to allow for different battlefields and the whole thing will be able to be disassembled and transported in a sports bag.

Although a little heavy.

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Made in au
Norn Queen






I currently have two 6'x2.5' folding tables. Put together they make a 6'x5' table. Then I throw a mat or board on top of that.

   
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Regular Dakkanaut





That thing doesn't look like its planning on moving though
   
Made in au
Pyromaniac Hellhound Pilot




Australia

I love that your cat clearly thinks you are intruding on his table!

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 -Loki- wrote:
I currently have two 6'x2.5' folding tables. Put together they make a 6'x5' table. Then I throw a mat or board on top of that.



You have the same setup as me. In fact, you pretty much have the exact same tables that I have. There's no cat on mine, though.


This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2014/02/17 23:06:03


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Made in gb
Fixture of Dakka





Southampton

Not for 40K, but I did something similar to twinner for my Mordheim table.

I put 2 pieces of 2' by 4' MDF together on a frame and than attached some edging around it. I also had problems making the corners flush. I tried doing a 45 degree angle cut and it sort of worked, but there was a huge gap on one of the corners. I filled the gap with dark wood filler and then painted the edging with a dark wood stain. Looks fine now.

Stage two was to build a series of modular 2' by 2' sections to go inside. Pretty much the same approach, but I drilled some holes for bolts on the side of the frames, so I can bolt the sections together. This reduces any sign of gaps between the pieces when they're inside the main table. It also means they're fairly portable i.e. I can leave the main table at home and just take the modular sections with me to a friends house.

It occurred to me afterwards that the modular sections were essentially just like the Realm of Battles game board (albeit without the topography) but at a fraction of the cost. Each section costs about £6 to make which for a 6' by 4' board = £36. Somewhat cheaper than the GW product, eh?

I'd really encourage people to have a go at making your own table. As twinner and the OP says, you might make mistakes, but you learn as you go and it's hugely satisfying.

This message was edited 5 times. Last update was at 2014/02/17 23:41:03


   
Made in gb
Wolf Guard Bodyguard in Terminator Armor





Currently use 2 6x2 decorators tables. Fold away real small and even have handles to carry


 
   
Made in gb
Dakka Veteran





I am planning my board at the moment, I have an old fold out pool table that I have elaborate plans to cap then hinge so I can use the space underneath for terrain storage and then fold the entire thing flat(ish) and put it behind the sofa.

Failing that my old board years ago was a 6x3 piece of MDF sprayed black then a box of random bits and bobs we put on whenever we wanted.

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Made in au
Anti-Armour Swiss Guard






Newcastle, OZ

My club uses 12mm sheets of mdf cut down from 2400mmx1200 mm into 1800x1200s.

(we don't have metric in building supplies that aren't fixings - screws and so forth - so this is the closest metric rounded off).

My own board it made up of 4 of the offcuts from these boards. It makes 2x 4x4 boards or a 6x4 or an 8x4. It has little pins to lock the pieces together. I can also rotate pieces (one side is painted in an urban street layout) to change the layout of streets.

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Made in ca
Nasty Nob






I have a tiny kitchen table, but came up with a clever enough way of making a fullsize fit on it.

I made 3 2x4 sections, and then on the inside of each, I made a set of two rails that hug the kitchen table.

I also drilled a hole into each of those rails, so that I can put a peg into the wall of my 'study', and hang them there. That way when they arent in use, they look like gakky garage sale art rather than take up space





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Made in gb
Fresh-Faced New User




I picked up a 3'x3' folding metal camping table from Amazon for about £15. I then had someone cut me a 4'x4' piece of 2cm mdf which I wrapped on one side in green felt. This sits neatly on top of the smaller table and both can be stored flat against the living room wall when not needed.

It's by no means the most elegant solution (and falls short of the full 6x4), but was cheap and will do until I can stretch to one of KR's custom built models.
   
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Steadfast Grey Hunter





Topeka, KS in the Dustbowl Sector

 -Loki- wrote:
I currently have two 6'x2.5' folding tables. Put together they make a 6'x5' table. Then I throw a mat or board on top of that.



I have same setup. only 3 tables 2 x 4 in size and i space them to put a 4x8 sheet plywood down on them and tack it on with screws (need to just get bolts now to run thru holes lol. I also have some small clamps from harbor freight i use to connect the tables together if i wanted a smaller setup and not use the plywood itself so tables dont dance around when people kick them. Not a problem when i have board screwed down... but it is when i dont have it down and lets say playing xwing on 2 of the 3 tables .... or family game night etc.

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I currently have my various boards sat on top of a couple of wallpaper paste up tables that I got cheaply from a DIY store but they aren't particularly resilient or stable plus they 'dip' in the middle where the hinges are which is a bit of an annoyance. I did see a tutorial somewhere that basically takes the hinges and legs off them and then uses the supplied legs to brace the tables internally and then you get some newer, sturdier bits of wood to make proper load bearing legs but I can't seem to find the link to the tutorial now and I'm not especially confident in my DIY/carpentry skills to pull it off.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2014/02/18 09:30:44


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Upstate, New York

I have a 4’x8'. Half inch sheet of plywood screwed to a frame made from 2x4s, with 4x4 legs. Shelf on the bottom sitting on the lower bracing frames.

It cost me the rental of a u-haul truck to bring it home. The table itself was free from when an old FLGS was closing their doors.

   
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Southeastern PA, USA

 H.B.M.C. wrote:
 -Loki- wrote:
I currently have two 6'x2.5' folding tables. Put together they make a 6'x5' table. Then I throw a mat or board on top of that.



You have the same setup as me. In fact, you pretty much have the exact same tables that I have. There's no cat on mine, though.



Ditto, although I have a Zuzzy mat that I really love.

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Brigadier General






Chicago

Showed this earlier, but my table is made out of folding closet doors that came with my house. Each of 3 doors is made of two jointed sections each about 7x1. They have been heavily painted with white housepaint and then sprayed with rustoleum Sand texture Paint for a desert pattern. Tall, but easy to store. Just stack them up in the corner of the porch.

I built them about 6 years ago for 40k. They've held up wonderfully, but they see mostly other games now .



I usually only use two (4 panels) for a 4x7, but a 6x7 is nice for big games.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2014/02/18 22:25:46


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Foxy Wildborne







I gave away all my boards when I moved, but I used to make them out of insulation foam - that very same stuff that everyone makes their flat-top hills out of. It comes in 2x4 sections, oddly enough. Doesn't warp, is dirt cheap, featherlight and takes a fair amount of abuse if properly varnished. It's also thick enough that you can carve trenches, rivers and such right into it and avoid the usual oddness of having water features above ground level.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2014/02/18 22:47:02


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Hamburg

Well, I have a 6' x 4' table from the old gaming store. Its painted green and serves the purpose.

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Made in us
Dakka Veteran





Massachusetts

The GF (now wife) had a rented apartment with basement storage. A prior renter left a twin size headboard and footboard that was really beefy in the basement storage. Landlord said He would toss it soon. I said no as I wanted it. About $40 in hardware from Home Depot and a wood box top from work I got a table.

Enjoy:

[/URL]

When a local GW closed I bought the 6x4 finished table top.

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 davou wrote:
I have a tiny kitchen table, but came up with a clever enough way of making a fullsize fit on it.

I made 3 2x4 sections, and then on the inside of each, I made a set of two rails that hug the kitchen table.

I also drilled a hole into each of those rails, so that I can put a peg into the wall of my 'study', and hang them there. That way when they arent in use, they look like gakky garage sale art rather than take up space






Idea stolen.
   
Made in ca
Regular Dakkanaut




I've got a games and gears board on the way, but I've done the following at someone else's place.

Step 1: Table itself.

For the table, we used 2 pieces of standard plywood, 8'x4', and cut off 1'. Next we used 3 4"x1" and screwed it them in lengthwise to prevent table warping. Then we put the second piece of plywood on the bottom.

If I were to do this different, I would turn the 4x1 on the long side and skip the bottom piece of plywood. If you are only playing suspended games, you're not likely to need a flat bottom and it will decrease weight.



Step 2: Attach 'eye' screw to the tables.


We screwed those into the table. You don't have a lot of room here due to the screw's thickness, so it may split the wood. When that happened, we used floor caulking and jammed it in there.

You can also see we've used that pink foam for the gaming surface with light wood underneath. These were attached using floor caulking. The process took a while. We found some other peices that already have the foam attached which makes the process a lot easier, but they are a lot heavier.

Step 3: Attach connections to the eye



From there, we tied a good size rope to a carabiner and eventually put electrical tape around the knot. The knot is designed to tighten in tension, so it works pretty well. While the carabiners add to the total cost of the construction, the ability to take them off the table is great.


Step 4: Pulleys into the ceiling


The next step was to get the pulleys into the ceiling. The way we did this was with another eye screw, followed by a carabiner and then a pulley. Again, this was done to let us take it apart if we wanted.

Provincial code for floor beams are 18" so we just worked from a load bearing wall to determine where to drill the holes. To make sure we were correct, we drilled additional holes on either side. These don't need to be exactly perpendicular from the table, but it will certainly make it easier if they are. In our case, they weren't.


Step 5: Send table pulleys to central location


All four table connections went to a single carabiner attached to a pulley. The ends also had carabiners.

This is the most difficult process, due to the properties of the rope. As the rope undergoes tension, each individual piece will stretch at a different rate, so there is a good deal of adjusting needed. Luckily, it did not take us that long.

What we eventually did was have the table slightly unlevel at the bottom and unlevel the opposite way at the top (where it would be closer to level in the middle). When the table is at the top, we then take a specifically cut rope with two carabiners and attach it to the wall. This ends up pulling the table to be level. You probably don't need to do this.


Step 6: Double pulley connection


In order to make it easier to move up and down, we decided to put in a double pulley.

The connection I was mentioning in the previous step would attach to the carabiner on the right.

Step 7: Winch


The rope was then sent across the room to yet another pulley (not pictured) then down to a winch set up into a door frame for added strength. The eye beams guide the rope. The winch is something you would use on a trailer for a boat.


Step 8: Complete





This is the completed project. In that picture, the table is floating. We normally play it with floating as it is great for LOS checking and even reaching across.


The table was already created and the entire process took about 2 or 3 hours. We spent a bit of time the next day tinkering with the connections to the table too. The cost of the pulley system was approximately $80 or so.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2014/02/19 22:33:07


 
   
Made in au
Norn Queen






 Jihadnik wrote:
I love that your cat clearly thinks you are intruding on his table!


Not too far from the truth. She will hunt that mat down to sleep on it. Like, I'll have it in a cupboard for a month, then accidentally leave it open a crack, and 5 minutes later she's a sleep on it. Same with my Battlefoam case. If I leave that anywhere except a locked cupboard, one of my cats will be sleeping on it.
   
Made in ca
Missionary On A Mission





GTA

 -Loki- wrote:
I currently have two 6'x2.5' folding tables. Put together they make a 6'x5' table. Then I throw a mat or board on top of that.



Nice paint job on that super heavy gargantuan creature

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Made in us
Dakka Veteran





I just have a 6' x 4' 1/2" thick piece of MDF set on top of two cheap plastic saw horses. Painted like an ocean on one side for Dystopian wars, and a mat to throw across it for everything else.
   
Made in au
Unstoppable Bloodthirster of Khorne





Melbourne .au

 -Loki- wrote:
I currently have two 6'x2.5' folding tables. Put together they make a 6'x5' table. Then I throw a mat or board on top of that.



Thought you said "a cat" for a moment there. Looks like a winter texture.

I have a folding table, about 5'x2' that I place a large sheet of MDF on top of to make a 7'x4' table. On top of that I have a 6x4 Geoscapes Desert Mat, or a 6x4 GW Grass Mat. I plan to get one of those pressed static flock mats I've seen in the N&R section from somewhere in the UK, and I've also got Secret Weapon's Urban and Ruined Urban 4x4 tablescapes coming. Also 3x Games and Gears board toppers and 2 sets of Battle Systems "sweet spot" stuff coming - so between all that I should have a fair bit of variety, and much of it able to work together...


Automatically Appended Next Post:
 Eilif wrote:
Showed this earlier, but my table is made out of folding closet doors that came with my house. Each of 3 doors is made of two jointed sections each about 7x1. They have been heavily painted with white housepaint and then sprayed with rustoleum Sand texture Paint for a desert pattern. Tall, but easy to store. Just stack them up in the corner of the porch.

I built them about 6 years ago for 40k. They've held up wonderfully, but they see mostly other games now .

Spoiler:



Tell me more about your buildings.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2014/02/26 23:33:03


   
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Death-Dealing Devastator




Rock Hill SC

Mine is made out of my old slot car track board. The power piece was shot, so it just sat there. Got into 40k and happened to measure it one day. Turned out to be 6x4. I still need to cover it with that grass paper stuff and start building scenery. Also want to build folding legs. The wife is going to be mad when she sees I scratched the heck out of the dining room table. Maybe when I'm done with my strikeforce.

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Made in ca
Regular Dakkanaut





Toronto

 -Loki- wrote:
I currently have two 6'x2.5' folding tables. Put together they make a 6'x5' table. Then I throw a mat or board on top of that.



What is that green sheet? And where did you get it? I need something like that!!
   
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That's the Citadel Battle Mat, or whatever the hell GW called it. I don't know if they still sell it everywhere, but it is a wonderful product. Instant 6x4 green field.

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