Gaming Table With a Vault

by cyberogre

8.5K7622

Intro: Gaming Table With a Vault

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

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.

18 Comments

Samnis 1 year ago

First off, great job! And thanks so much for the inspiration, I've been wanting to do this to my dining room table for a long time.

I don't actually see your L brackets in any of the pictures, so was just wondering about that. And the OSB was able to be supported just by L brackets and not by gluing or anything correct?

My dining table rails have a fancy design on the outerward facing sides, which means I don't have a flat surface there to use, so might be my only difficulty.

cyberogre 1 year ago

Thanks! The OSB is mounted to the cross supports in the corners with screws and then there are two "L" brackets (1 on each side at the mid-point) to provide support. The L brackets are screwed into the inside of the table skirt and the OSB sits on them. I used small ones that are visible (from above) when the vault floor is in place.

Does that help?

BattleBrass 2 years ago

This blew my mind. I had never considered just using an already existing table. This changes everything! Thank you!

cyberogre 2 years ago

Glad to inspire! Ask if you have any questions.

Geeks with lasers 2 years ago

How big is your table/game space? I'm looking at making something similar as was wondering what would be a good size

cyberogre 2 years ago

Hi. It's about 3' x 4.5' and 3 inches deep. It does a pretty good job for most games. Gloomhaven is tight. My next table will have a 4'x6' play space, but I will probably have to make that. It's been hard to find a table to mod that size.

Graht 3 years ago

What a wonderful simple build :) I would've sliced the table top into three or four pieces to make it easier to take off.

cyberogre 3 years ago

That's a great idea. I thought about it, but one of the things I like about a solid top is that it protects the gaming surface from spills. A sectioned top can be challenging to get a good seal and still be quick to build. I decided that I would rather have the weight of the top to deal with. As an extra bonus, the weight of the top keeps the table top in place.

Graht 3 years ago

Yeah, I started thinking about spills a few hours after I made the suggestion. That's a good point. Especially if you have younger or accident prone players :)

cyberogre 3 years ago

Thanks. I usually just call it chip board. OSB it is.

jwhyman 3 years ago

I've considered making my own gaming table, (but I'd need gaming friends) Anyway I also found these tables way expensive yet easy to make. One way my plans differ is that I wouldn't use MDF. It is toxic. I'd go to a sign supply company and get a metal panel or two. So if my minis have magnets they'd stick to the table.

cyberogre 3 years ago

I like the metal plate idea. That's clever.

cyberogre 3 years ago

Your welcome! If you decide to try to make one, and need help, just ask.

-Cheers!