I wanted a gaming table for D&D and board games, but the entry price for the fancy tables was just too high. With some help from Craigslist, some tools, and an afternoon, I was able to make a decent gaming table.

Cost & Time

Kitchen table on Craig's List for $40

Neoprene for $10

OSB (chip board) was $20

Speedcloth was a pool table store remnant for $20

Custom designed screen printing $50

L brackets and 1"x1" were in the garage - free

One afternoon

Supplies

A kitchen table that doesn't extend and has for legs (not a pedestal).

1/16" Neoprene mat (I purchased mine from thefoamfactory.com)

3/4" OSB sheet (cut to size for table)

4 L Brackets

4 1 foot 1"x1" board for table top cleats

Speedcloth

Various common hand tools (e.g. drill, dremel, jigsaw, plam sander, etc)

Step 1: Table Top Removal

Look underneath the table on the skirt for screws holding the table top down.

Before removing the table top, take a pencil and draw a line on the bottom of the table top inside the skirt on all four sides. This will be important for installing the cleats later.

You can see the screw holes along the edges of the table (I didn't get a shot from underneath)

After removing the screws gently lift the table top (there may be some glue that you will have to work through), and you'll probably want some help. The tops can be heavy and awkward due to their size.

After I removed the top, I discovered how gross the skirt (or rails) had become. I quickly sanded the inside of the rails to clean them up and remove years of dirt.

Now it's time to work on the vault!

Step 2: Making the Vault

I ended up taking the table legs off so that I could use the frame as a template for the OSB.

After cutting the OSB, I dry-fitted the OSB into the frame to ensure a good fit.

Next I cut the neoprene to the approximate shape of the vault space. With a Dremel, I cut the corner notches out of the table so that I had a nice clean tight fit.

Step 3: Dry Fit

Once more, I did a dry fit with the OSB and the neoprene.

From here, I went and assembled the table top.

Step 4:

I measured out 4 1" x1" boards. Size doesn't matter, but I would strive for 6-12".

These are used to keep the table top from sliding around when the table is closed up.

Remember the lines you were suppose to draw before taking the table top off? This is where that becomes important.

Use the 1" x 1" boards and line them up with the line on the outside of the wood. i,e, the wood should be closer to the center of the table than the pencil line. Screw them into the table top, but be careful that your screws are not longer than the cleat and table height combined!

Step 5: Final Assembly

Reinstall the legs, if you removed them

Add 1 L-bracket at the midpoint of each rail for the OSB to rest on. This will prevent the board from sagging and give the required support for the vault space.

Place the neoprene on the OSB. I chose not to secure the neoprene and left it to float underneath the speedcloth.

Drape the speedcloth over the neoprene and the place OSB on the brackets previously installed.

Pull the speedcloth snug under the table and staple the material into the bottom of the OSB. Ensure that you are careful to remove wrinkles as you staple the fabric. I started at the center of each side and worked my way out.

You can remove the staples and tighten/adjust as needed, just be careful not to tear the fabric.

Once everything is secured to your satisfaction, place the table top back on and admire your handy work!

Trim any visible fabric and you are finished!!

note: your steps for disassembly & reassembly my differ slightly, but this will be a good guide to use for nearly any table that isn't extendable and has side rails.