Building a Gaming Table - ver. Karate CHOP

The way I saw it at the time, the only thing preventing me from playing a game of 40k in my own home was a gaming table.  When I realized that, I set out to make that happen.  A thought occurred at the time however... I play most of my games with friends at their places... is there any chance of us needing a 2nd table at one of their places?  Could a table be made to be modular?  

Answer after the jump.


Ok, so my mission was pretty clear.  I wanted a customized table to fit my gaming needs, and it HAD to meet the following criteria:

1. Table height 40 inches - I'm a TALL guy and HATE having to bend in half every time I wanted to move a model.  A table top with a much higher surface was needed.
2. Table needs to be portable - Table must be able to be collapse or fold such that it could fit in the back of a car or trunk easily.  
3. Edge of the board needs a lip to minimize model/dice drops.  
4. Professional looking surface that will last many games.

Those requirements in mind, I set about creating a table that would be the portable gaming table and the start of my love of terrain projects.  It was all downhill from here.  

The table is made from 1/4" MDF and edged with wooden decorative edge meant for walls.  The legs are 2" PVC pipes fitted to heavy duty sockets.  You will notice I had to offset the legs because the sockets are so large, but this lets everything fold up perfectly.  The top of the table is covered in a very ordinary spring grass battle mat from Scenic Landscapes, and while it has lasted dozens of games, the big reason I have made so many mats, is because that green surface is looking rather worn.