A wargame table project 'DAR' (how to)...make your own cat proof game table!

Started by GJK, April 01, 2015, 10:29:12 PM

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GJK

Vacation started yesterday - after the hangover I'll have the table finished...some time tomorrow or Monday.  :)
Clip your freaking corners!
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Blood Bowl on VASSAL - Ask me about it! http://garykrockover.com/BB/
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"Fat, drunk, and stupid is no way to go through life, son."

-Dean Vernon Wormer

Mr. Bigglesworth

"Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more; "
- Shakespeare's Henry V, Act III, 1598

GJK

Clip your freaking corners!
----------------------
Blood Bowl on VASSAL - Ask me about it! http://garykrockover.com/BB/
----------------------
"Fat, drunk, and stupid is no way to go through life, son."

-Dean Vernon Wormer

Bison


undercovergeek


LongBlade

Quote from: Mad Russian on April 04, 2015, 11:06:17 AM
Wouldn't it be easier to just get rid of the cat?? :D

+1

That's why I have dogs.

Ah, but more seriously, that is a fine job you're doing. I'm not by nature inclined to be that handy, but it is within my ability. I'd be looking for something closer to 4' x 8' but you certainly have a solid idea. I might have to run down to Goodwill and see what they have lying around there. Could save me about $9000.
All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.

Mr. Bigglesworth

If you don't have cats you can rig a pulley system to lower setup games from the ceiling.
"Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more; "
- Shakespeare's Henry V, Act III, 1598

GJK

I moved the table in to the house today and set it up.   There may be some odds and ends that I add to it (tray or cup holders - ideas from that one expensive table making outfit). 

Overall, it was a very fun project and I learned quite a bit.  The finish came out better than I expected (which is hard to tell in these poorly lit pictures).  I had ordered a game mat from Amazon (some poker mat that was large enough) and turned it over so that the foam rubber part was face up.  Maps won't slide and it came out really nice I think. 

The table top is heavy.  Not extremely so but I mounted a handle to the underside to aid with the removal.  Playing solo, I just prop the table open as shown in these pictures.  If I were to seat somebody on the other side, the top will remove with just a lift from the handle.

With a bigger house (bigger game room) someday, I'll look for a larger table even.  I've seen some designs where the table top comes off in sections and they are layed out in a frame that makes up the side rails.  That would be what I opt for next with the larger table top.







Clip your freaking corners!
----------------------
Blood Bowl on VASSAL - Ask me about it! http://garykrockover.com/BB/
----------------------
"Fat, drunk, and stupid is no way to go through life, son."

-Dean Vernon Wormer

Bison


GJK

Clip your freaking corners!
----------------------
Blood Bowl on VASSAL - Ask me about it! http://garykrockover.com/BB/
----------------------
"Fat, drunk, and stupid is no way to go through life, son."

-Dean Vernon Wormer

bbmike

Awesome job, sir!  O0
I just asked the wife what she thought about putting a small desk in our tiny guest room and she liked the idea. My nefarious plan is now in motion...
"My life is spent in one long effort to escape from the commonplace of existence."
-Sherlock Holmes

"You know, just once I'd like to meet an alien menace that wasn't immune to bullets."
-Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart

"There's a horror movie called Alien? That's really offensive. No wonder everyone keeps invading you!"
-The Doctor

"Before Man goes to the stars he should learn how to live on Earth."
-Clifford D. Simak

GJK

I had to retire the smaller version of this new table as I just have no place to put it.  I'd like to redo the top for it which would be very easy to do but otherwise it's a great little wargaming table for smaller (single map) games.  Fortunately the legs come off easy enough as well as the top of course so I'll probably just store it in the attic until the 16 yr old leaves the house in a couple of years.  Then I just have to get that woman that keeps hanging around here to leave as well and then I can build and put wargaming tables in every room!  (Kidding honey, you can stay! :)  ).
Clip your freaking corners!
----------------------
Blood Bowl on VASSAL - Ask me about it! http://garykrockover.com/BB/
----------------------
"Fat, drunk, and stupid is no way to go through life, son."

-Dean Vernon Wormer

Rekim

Sweet table Gary. I hope you get lots of use from it.

wrt the idea of adding a cup holder, I was thinking that it would be easy to fashion one that would hang from the table side when the top is up. I did something similar with my wargaming bench and use it all the time. When playing games FtF on the dining room table it is inevitable that some coffee or pops will be enjoyed, but am always nervous of an accident.

GJK

Here's some ideas Mike if you're looking to build your own:

This is a project that is very similar to mine except that he built the table entirely from scratch.  This includes plans:

http://fackrelltrio.blogspot.com/2012/09/gaming-table.html?m=1

I still say just keep an eye out at Goodwill or Salvation Army or used furniture stores.  Maybe I'm just lucky but in this area there is half a dozen Goodwill's all within easy reach and I see prospective wargaming tables all the time.  My girl jokes because we'll walk in to a Goodwill and she'll "shoo" me off with her hand because she knows that I'm going immediately to the furniture section to look at tables.

This one I really like and may try and replicate it some day.  I like the way that the table top is a series of easy to remove boards that are inlaid in to a frame.  Full plans here as well.  The more that I look at these plans, the more that I feel like I cheated by finding the perfect pre-made table!

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-oWxvSaecAAQ2VTS3FfM2FjdVE/edit

Another similar design.  Very nicely done here!
https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/1273302/why-not-heres-my-geek-table

I found this site which has a couple of designs that are about half the price of the "geek-chic" designs:  https://www.boardgametables.com/features

Of interest was their research for the perfect table size.  Their rectangle table has a 35 by 60 inch playing surface on the inside which would be about right.  My table is 30" x 55" on the inside which is just a tad too small to fit a standard mapsheet lengthwise (longways).  So if you're designing from scratch, that might be something to keep in mind (provided that you have the room size for it - the table that I have now at its size eats up a good bit of my little man cave as is.

Of course you could get carried away and just go with something like this:

https://wargamingworkshop.wordpress.com/gaming/wargaming-room/

Clip your freaking corners!
----------------------
Blood Bowl on VASSAL - Ask me about it! http://garykrockover.com/BB/
----------------------
"Fat, drunk, and stupid is no way to go through life, son."

-Dean Vernon Wormer

GJK

Quote from: Rekim on July 28, 2015, 06:21:04 AM
Sweet table Gary. I hope you get lots of use from it.

wrt the idea of adding a cup holder, I was thinking that it would be easy to fashion one that would hang from the table side when the top is up. I did something similar with my wargaming bench and use it all the time. When playing games FtF on the dining room table it is inevitable that some coffee or pops will be enjoyed, but am always nervous of an accident.

That's a great idea and I immediately thought of this simple solution (I had no idea that they even still made these!):

http://tinyurl.com/ngjmxnq

Clip your freaking corners!
----------------------
Blood Bowl on VASSAL - Ask me about it! http://garykrockover.com/BB/
----------------------
"Fat, drunk, and stupid is no way to go through life, son."

-Dean Vernon Wormer