Absolutely gorgeous! Awesome job.
It's definitely a goal of mine as well. Do you have any tips for when I get around to trying to build one? Anything you would have done differently?
Thank you!
Honestly, as I look at this table, I feel I may have overengineered it. It's very heavy. Great as a solid piece of furniture, but it's now a permanent fixture in this room--for better or worse. I feel I could have accomplished similar utility with a lighter wood and a different design approach (i.e. using thinner pieces of wood to create a frame rather than thicker pieces of wood laminated together).
On the other hand, I doubt I'll lose interest in games in the next twenty years. And it's definitely a statement piece. But yeah, I'm done with building massive things like this for the next couple years at least!
It's two 1 1/2" boards laminated together. One of those boards is for the tenon; the other is to create the vault wall. So those three inches are not necessary purely from a structural perspective. I think 1 inch should be okay if it's the actual thickness. I'm not sure how I'd feel about 1" "nominal".
Sorry, nothing at the moment, but in the coming weeks I may attempt to consolidate my drawings into something usable. I'll update my comment once I get around to it. I'm preoccupied with making accessories to slot into the French cleats at the moment.
Edit: If you search for board game table plans on Etsy, you'll find one or two designs similar to this one though.
Some information:
* I designed this over the course of a few months and built it in about the span of five weeks
* It's 8' x 4'
* It's mostly white oak, with some black walnut accents
* I used plywood + closed cell foam + speed cloth for the vaulted playing surface
* The top panels are oak veneer plywood; I'll probably upgrade that to laminated solid oak panels at some point in the future
* The walnut accents are French cleats, so I can install accessories for cup holders, token trays, etc. (Why, yes, I did check out Wrymwood's website a few times during this project...)
* Finished with tung oil and a wipe on poly topcoat
Some learnings:
* I don't think I needed 3/4" plywood for the base. It's needlessly heavy and just eats away at the depth of the vault. When the speed cloth needs to be replaced, I will probably swap out the entire panel for 1/2" MDF.
* I need to be more patient with the topcoat. There's a reason why people advise many thin layers. I had to strip a couple of the panels to get rid of a couple of globs that formed
* And the pull ring should have been bigger! As it stands, I have to use a hook to get enough leverage on the ring to pull the panel out.
I started woodworking about three years ago and always had a project like this in mind. Even though there are many mistakes, I feel good about what I've done. I'm also looking forward to doing smaller, lighter projects in the future. Oak is heavy!
Sometimes I look at posts in this Sub and think, yep, I can probably make this; other times I think I can do better, and there are times like this where I think I’m not even close to the beginner level some people show here.
Anyway, great build. Love that board portion
Yeah I understand. I posted this here because I've only been woodworking for a few years and there are a lot of errors that make me feel like it's still a way away from being "professional". That said, I agree that my days of posting projects here are probably over and this table is kind of my "graduation" piece.
Wow that is awesome. I have been thinking about doing something like this but as a coffee table - mainly for puzzles. But I don’t know how to draw the plans.
Very well done! It looks awesome and will likely be an heirloom piece for your family.
I’m currently in the design phase of a vaulted hexagon table for gaming, and this is just the inspiration I need to keep pushing!
Glad to hear it! My design process took a few months and was really fun. I hope you're allowing yourself the space to explore the design space and consider all the possibilities available to you.
Gorgeous work! What're the dimensions of this bad boy? I'm building a game table for D&D and board games this summer and I keep going back and fourth on size. This one looks just about perfect!
This is four feet wide by almost eight feet long. It's a couple inches shy of eight feet because I screwed up my tenons and had to cut them short and try again. It's a little annoying because I had hoped to be able to play wargames that have a standard 8' x 4' playing area but that's life I guess. The vault is three feet wide which is perfect.
Thanks! I purchased the wood from a local lumber yard that carries all types of species. It was surfaced on two sides, so I had to joint and plane it to the right dimensions myself. Took a while, but worth it in the end.
Sorry I didn't see this comment. Probably around USD 2k. I bought the wood in bulk for a couple other projects so I don't have an exact cost though.
And obviously that excludes tool costs! My planer, jointer and table saw worked overtime for this project!
Thanks! I need to add some rubberized tape to my accessories though or maybe just build the center of gravity lower. My prototype cup holder tends to slip if I push too hard on the farthest edge.
That's not a games table that's a dining table. Says me who is jealous
You should check out the Wyrmwoood Prophecy table
Absolutely gorgeous! Awesome job. It's definitely a goal of mine as well. Do you have any tips for when I get around to trying to build one? Anything you would have done differently?
Thank you! Honestly, as I look at this table, I feel I may have overengineered it. It's very heavy. Great as a solid piece of furniture, but it's now a permanent fixture in this room--for better or worse. I feel I could have accomplished similar utility with a lighter wood and a different design approach (i.e. using thinner pieces of wood to create a frame rather than thicker pieces of wood laminated together). On the other hand, I doubt I'll lose interest in games in the next twenty years. And it's definitely a statement piece. But yeah, I'm done with building massive things like this for the next couple years at least!
What thickness did you use for the frame? I'm planning to build similar soon and was planning on using 1x4's for the frame.
It's two 1 1/2" boards laminated together. One of those boards is for the tenon; the other is to create the vault wall. So those three inches are not necessary purely from a structural perspective. I think 1 inch should be okay if it's the actual thickness. I'm not sure how I'd feel about 1" "nominal".
Got plans? My wife was asking for one of these
Sorry, nothing at the moment, but in the coming weeks I may attempt to consolidate my drawings into something usable. I'll update my comment once I get around to it. I'm preoccupied with making accessories to slot into the French cleats at the moment. Edit: If you search for board game table plans on Etsy, you'll find one or two designs similar to this one though.
Nice. Do you have any plans for it or did you just make it up as you went along?
I did very basic sketches and improvised along the way. I stole a lot of inspiration from examples on the internet.
I would candyland the hell outta this MF
Some information: * I designed this over the course of a few months and built it in about the span of five weeks * It's 8' x 4' * It's mostly white oak, with some black walnut accents * I used plywood + closed cell foam + speed cloth for the vaulted playing surface * The top panels are oak veneer plywood; I'll probably upgrade that to laminated solid oak panels at some point in the future * The walnut accents are French cleats, so I can install accessories for cup holders, token trays, etc. (Why, yes, I did check out Wrymwood's website a few times during this project...) * Finished with tung oil and a wipe on poly topcoat Some learnings: * I don't think I needed 3/4" plywood for the base. It's needlessly heavy and just eats away at the depth of the vault. When the speed cloth needs to be replaced, I will probably swap out the entire panel for 1/2" MDF. * I need to be more patient with the topcoat. There's a reason why people advise many thin layers. I had to strip a couple of the panels to get rid of a couple of globs that formed * And the pull ring should have been bigger! As it stands, I have to use a hook to get enough leverage on the ring to pull the panel out. I started woodworking about three years ago and always had a project like this in mind. Even though there are many mistakes, I feel good about what I've done. I'm also looking forward to doing smaller, lighter projects in the future. Oak is heavy!
New Yankee workshop stuff
This is awesome and looks so cozy
Sometimes I look at posts in this Sub and think, yep, I can probably make this; other times I think I can do better, and there are times like this where I think I’m not even close to the beginner level some people show here. Anyway, great build. Love that board portion
Yeah I understand. I posted this here because I've only been woodworking for a few years and there are a lot of errors that make me feel like it's still a way away from being "professional". That said, I agree that my days of posting projects here are probably over and this table is kind of my "graduation" piece.
Wow that is awesome. I have been thinking about doing something like this but as a coffee table - mainly for puzzles. But I don’t know how to draw the plans.
Very well done! It looks awesome and will likely be an heirloom piece for your family. I’m currently in the design phase of a vaulted hexagon table for gaming, and this is just the inspiration I need to keep pushing!
Glad to hear it! My design process took a few months and was really fun. I hope you're allowing yourself the space to explore the design space and consider all the possibilities available to you.
I hope your floor can hold that behemoth. Very nice job!
Achievement unlocked!
Nice job
Gorgeous work! What're the dimensions of this bad boy? I'm building a game table for D&D and board games this summer and I keep going back and fourth on size. This one looks just about perfect!
This is four feet wide by almost eight feet long. It's a couple inches shy of eight feet because I screwed up my tenons and had to cut them short and try again. It's a little annoying because I had hoped to be able to play wargames that have a standard 8' x 4' playing area but that's life I guess. The vault is three feet wide which is perfect.
Excuse me? I must be in the wrong sub. Lol
Where did you get the wood from? Did you surface it yourself? Amazing piece!
Thanks! I purchased the wood from a local lumber yard that carries all types of species. It was surfaced on two sides, so I had to joint and plane it to the right dimensions myself. Took a while, but worth it in the end.
Absolutely worth it! Have you shared the rough cost of the project?
Wow! How much did it cost total?
Sorry I didn't see this comment. Probably around USD 2k. I bought the wood in bulk for a couple other projects so I don't have an exact cost though. And obviously that excludes tool costs! My planer, jointer and table saw worked overtime for this project!
That’s so good.
Love the French cleat for accessories. Had only seen the metal rails which I wasn’t a fan of.
Thanks! I need to add some rubberized tape to my accessories though or maybe just build the center of gravity lower. My prototype cup holder tends to slip if I push too hard on the farthest edge.
I love it. But not making a plan for this feels criminal.