Dungeon Crawlers

So as I now have a small group that comes over to wargame (two of them live with me, a.k.a. Son and wife) I need to get a standard 4'x6' table.

Here is what I am thinking.

Two half sections lined with felt (as to not scratch my dinning room table) with latches on them to secure the two halves together.

A 2" ledge going around the table to prevent models and dice from falling. I may go with 3" as this would allow me to place a dungeon first then the top side over it in 6" tiles









Any suggestions from anyone?

Some simple Brackets underneath to keep it centered (and not sliding all over) the table. They can be flat 'L' shaped pieces. Otherwise you will find people move the whole table when they lean into it to move things (trust me).

In process pics when you start.

I 'simply' use two folding tables put side by side with a couple of clamps to game on.

Cheers!

I like it. I'd go with the 3" high walls.

If I were you, I'd think about putting keyboard drawers at the long ends, for manuals, etc.

And don't forget the cup holders.

If you look at the second picture it is an underside shot. The brown is the dimensions of my dinner table when it is at it's smallest. The white is the gaming table so it has a "U" bracket to hold it in place. Anything touching my dinner table will be lined with felt.

Good idea on the shelves. I bet I could find some metal paper trays to fit underneath.

Aha! I would consider possible going to something not as quite form fitting and possibly adjustable but you know you're situation best. That way you could take it elsewhere to use if the mood so struck you. I would line the whole bottom with felt (although consider thin foam, like the floor mat kind 1/4" thick, it would wear better) and then add adjustable brackets (corners style) with several adjustable positions to fit multiple tables. Standard position for your kitchen table, of course, maybe one to fit the standard folding table sizes. You could then take it to 'GAMESDAYS', etc... and not have to lug your own table along. I have a folding poly table myself that I have taken to just such a convention. Hmmm... a larger top for it might not be a bad idea.

Oh, and those hang on the car type cup holders would work great on the lip!


Cheers!

Ok Bloodydrunk and I went up to our local B&Q to pick up supplies for our gaming board!

Here is the run down

1 Saw 22 inch blade £3.98
1 package of 30mm long screws £1.68
1 B&Q Toggle Plate £5.73
4 B&Q Timber connector plate £3.64
1 Planed Smooth 18mm x 144mm x 2.7m £17.97
1 MDF Fibre board 2440 x 1220 x 18mm (cut in half) £14.98
Delivery Charge £20.00

Total before delivery: £47.99

Not too bad. Bloodydrunk and I went 50/50 on the cost.

So on Wednesday they will deliver the table and it is already precut for us. So two 4' x 4' sections at 18mm thick. The side walls are 5.66 high. Slightly taller than I wanted but it was the best value for money.

So I will be posting pictures and a tutorial on how two gamers slowly get drunk while building their gaming table.

Very cool! Can't wait to see the finished product!

Oh, this will be good... on the entertainment value alone. I can't wait to see the 'perfect' 90° corners after several hours of this.

GO! HP GO!

Cheers!

Slowly get drunk? I'd think it would accelerate over time.

They can not deliver the materials until Friday now. So Bloodydrunk and I will be building the table on Sunday.

Start drinking on Saturday... it'll make the time go quicker.

Going to have to. They delivered the materials today. Brought only half of the order and a full size 8'x4' board not the cut that I watched them cut last week! Incompetent morons!

So the day started well with Bloodydrunk actually arriving on time!


We pulled out the tools and lumber and got to work!


Here we have Bloodydrunk measuring up the side boards


Now we are making sure of the measurements as we sink screws through the sideboards and into the MDF board.

After that we did the same to the other side and then created four support legs to help hold up the weight of the ends



Here is myself, Highland Piper on the left and Bloodydrunk on the right.

The table is great to play on. We can just use half of it for a 4'x4' table or the entire 8' x 4' goodness. We played a game on it that night

We eventually would like to make some attached, folding legs for the table. As it stands currently, we're very careful not to lean on the table or anything because of stability issues.

Also, balsa wood was NOT the right way to go for our ledging. It certainly works and the price was right, but the fragility of the wood suggests that it'll have a fairly short lifespan before we have to replace cracked or split ledges.

We also ran into some trouble with our latches. First off, B&Q delivered latches with pieces missing. But even had it been a complete set, we figured by the end that we need maybe a bolt latch to get the sort of stability that we'd like from that. For now, there has been no real need to put braces in place to secure the gaming table to the dining table; since we're making a point not to lean against the table it's not moving and the weight of the table itself is keeping it steady. However, I think that along with folding legs, we'll want those braces.

All in all, this project took us about three hours of actual work, and an hour and a half of griping over the stupidity of B&Q, and over things like crappy balsa wood, et al.

Still, it was a lot of fun and now we have all kinds of possibilities for interesting setups!

I like it... and I feel your pain

Are you going to paint or line it? Or are you going to leave it "Naked"?