I'm looking for suggestions for a wargame table. I'm looking for ideas on what
to make it out of and how big to make it.
Here's the situation: I have a table now. Actually, I have two tables, each 4'
by 4'. They are just particle board (thick) reinforced with a frame
underneath. I built them about 12 years ago. They are mounted on a set of
collapsable legs, each.
These things are heavy. The particle board is thick, and the reinforcing wood
is probably more than was needed. The legs were bought afterwards and do not
fold completely because of the reinforcing underneath. Due to the fact I'm
moving, I was thinking of ditching these tables (but keeping the legs) and
making something much lighter. Any suggestions? I could, if need be, stand on
these things. Is it necessary to have such a sturdy table?
I do know that I'm going to reinforce the table back from the edge, creating a
lip. This will let me hang baskets and such from it, for storing things during
the game. I'm wondering if anyone had other suggestions for neat things to add
to a table.
As for size, the two 4' by 4' tables worked well, but I'm thinking that I may
be better off doing a 6' by 4' and a 4' by 4', giving me one complete table
for, say, small FT or SG2 actions, a small table for board games, or very
small scenarios, and a 10' by 4' table if added together. I'm also thinking
that 4' might be too narrow, and perhaps I should go up to 5'.
Any comments are more than welcome!
I use a pong pong table. Regulation ones are 9' x 5', plenty of gaming room.
It folds up and rolls away nicely. Another option is to buy two conference
tables, 72"x30", when side by side this will give you a 6'x5' playing area.
Portable conference tables come in up to 96" lengths. They also, fold up
conveniently for storage.
George
[quoted original message omitted]
Hi Allan,
Here's what I was planning:
4 sections of 6 ft by 2 ft plywood
2 different sets of support brackets -
1 short set for joining 2 sections for making a 4 ft by 6 ft table 1 long set
for making the full 6 ft by 8 ft table
The supports run along the short sides of the 6x2 sections, and one down the
center.
If you want to get fancy, you could back each individual section with
1/2 in by 1 1/2 in boards for extra rigidity. The center bracket may
not be necessary in this case.
Set the whole thing atop any sized table or other convenient support.
I bought two cheap ($19 US ea.) interior doors (the kind with NO
pre-drilled
holes). They are light, strong, don't warp and easy to stow away. One side is
painted black with a starfield, the other is painted green and flocked.
I lay the doors on top of a small table I have in the basement. When I want to
play a board game, I remove the doors. Most of the time, I leave the
doors set up 'cause it looks cool:)
Pete
> From: Sean Bayan Schoonmaker <s_schoon@pacbell.net>
> I do know that I'm going to reinforce the table back from the edge,
I mentioned this a while back on the Warmaster list I'm on. My plan is to use
a 'hollow core door' for my table. You can buy these in all sorts of widths
and can special order a 48" wide version for the same price as an off the
shelf version. All doors are 80" long. Think about how sturdy
and durable they are, though you do not want to stand on one. ;-) They
cost about $20-25 depending on where you live. You can easily lay one on
top of any other table or attach folding table legs to the bottom with a bit
more work. We use such doors in model railroading to build N scale layouts,
and they are excellent. Plus you can store them in closets (if you angle them
in at first) or under a bed. You could even get two smaller width doors and
hinge them together for a larger folding table. I plan on painting one side of
mine a green or flock it green and paint the other side black with a star
pattern for my space games. The frame is built in, so its easy to do this.
Attaching a fascia lip to the edges is dead easy as well, if you like. My
suggestion. I think in one of their model railroad layout books Kalmbach has
reprinted a couple of their layout projects using such tables, where they
explain how to add legs and so on.
BTW I'm new to the list as of today, but am on several other lists as
well. :-)
In a message dated 3/30/01 2:39:53 PM Pacific Standard Time,
> agoodall@canada.com writes:
<< I'm looking for ideas on what to make it out of and how big to make
it. >>
I don't have a place to put a permanent table, so I use hollow core doors on
sawhorse legs. I got the legs from Ikea for $12 a pair. The doors are very
light and very strong, and come in lots of sizes. I use two that are 3 feet
wide by 6 feet 7 inches long (the standard length) but you can special order
them longer. I also have a 2 foot wide door that I cut down to 6 feet long so
I can put it crosswise at the end of the table to make a 6 foot by 8 foot 7
incher when I need it. The whole thing sets up and down very quickly and
stores in very little space in my garage.
> I mentioned this a while back on the Warmaster list I'm on. My plan is
What a great idea! How wide is a standard door?
I may just have to employ this idea!
> JDoch226@aol.com wrote:
Hi Jed. People need to know that they need to be careful when cutting up a
hollow core door, since the braces for the door are all along the edges with
usually one brace running across the width of the middle. You
can cut the door, but will need to re-aply the braces. It can be a messy
affair if not handled properly. I use to have an article on it
somewhere, but have no idea where it got to--which is typical of me!
> Sean Bayan Schoonmaker wrote:
Go down to your local Home Depot, Lowes, ect. They come in a variety of
widths. You don't need to buy the more expensive versions either. I know our
local Depot here had some real upscale versions!
Check the surface of the door. Make sure it is smooth and nothing flaking off
the edges. I saw some real rejects one day in a Depot I stopped in. Even if
smooth, a light brush with some fine grit sand paper will usually help give a
nice finish, get off any dirt, and give a nice fine tooth for the paint to
adhere to. A nice touch is to add some nice drawer handles to the length. I
found this touch makes it very easy to handle by youself (as long as the
handles are arms length apart!). Plus if the table is decorated, two people
can move it better than if it didn't have the handles for many reasons. Just
browse the Depot's shelves for neat ideas there.
If you don't flock the table, make sure you put on a sturdy coat of clear
varnish.
Hope this helps.
A friend of mine uses the following:
hollow-core bi-fold doors for a surface and saw horses for the legs.
This makes a very light, compact (when not in use), and sufficiently sturdy
gaming table. You can always make it more complex by adding stuff, but the
above is the basic idea.
Rob
[quoted original message omitted]
If you have to appease the other half, do as I did, 30x72 inch Conference
Tables (4 to be exact). "We can use them for other things, not just games."
@$30.00 US each
Michael Brown
[quoted original message omitted]
In a message dated 3/30/01 6:25:25 PM Pacific Standard Time,
cpbelt@att.net writes:
<< People need to know that they need to be careful when cutting up a hollow
core door, since the braces for the door are all along the edges with usually
one brace running across the width of the middle. >>
Hmm, ignorance is bliss, I guess. I just cut two and a half feet of
the end of the door and it's working fine. I thought I might have to cut a
piece to fit in the hollow space that was now exposed but I haven't bothered
as it's not causing any problem.
I once had a great 8x6 table I built with particle board, but when I moved it
had to go. Now that I don't have a den committed to gaming anymore, I went
with
two cafeteria-style tables I bought at an Office
Depot. Each table is 6x2.5. I place them side-by-side
for a nice 6x5 surface. They fold down nicely and store in a closet.
--- Sean Bayan Schoonmaker <s_schoon@pacbell.net>
wrote:
> Hi Allan,
In message <20010402152636.71028.qmail@web9808.mail.yahoo.com>, Kevin
Balentine writes:
> I once had a great 8x6 table I built with particle board, but when I
I got two of the 8 x 2.5 ones, works really well. I told my wife I would fold
them down and keep them in the garage, but it turned out they starting warping
a bit, so of course I have to keep them set up
all the time now. ;-)
If I were doing it from scratch, I'd go for something (at least) 6' wide, and
strong enough to support me if I crawl on top. A local club has a table at
least 8' wide and crawlable, it's a nice experience.