The only simple build I’ve seen that is still simple if you don’t have an entire woodshop at your disposal. I also love the idea of using floorboards, so simple, plus waterproof and durable!
Yes and they snap together … we did realize that we failed to mention that you have to rip one floor board to get the right width for the floor but because it is not showing any saw (skill saw, jigsaw, band saw, table saw will work and most lumber yards will make that one cut for you if you have none of those tools). Thanks for your comment.
This was one of those videos where I was like: "hmm let's skip to what this brilliant invention is and then go watch something else", but then I stayed for the personality! Great job on the editing!
I may never build a table topper out of the extruded aluminum, but this video gave me lots of ideas for things to do with T-Tracks. I have long considered building my own gaming table (I am a hobbyist woodworker) and adding T-Tracks could put making a Wyrmwood type table within easy reach as far as functionality goes, if not in finish. ... and certainly MUCH more affordable. Great ideas, guys!
I’m not sure exactly which product you are talking about but I think it is the stuff that has just one t slot that can be attach to the side of the table. As a wood worker I think that would be slick. Make most of the table out of wood and then add the t slots for flexibility with the trays and cup holders. At first I thought we would use the t slots on the top and side and inside but basically we just use the slot on the outside edge …. So if you like to work with wood, then build most of it out of wood and buy a simple single track … I might try to get a piece of that to show folks on the second table video. Good ideas!
Indeed, once you realize the existence of t-tracks, you start to see just how many impressive things you can do with them. This guy , Jisa Koubou, does an impressive amount of fairly low-cost woodworking ("would be very expensive to buy pre-made") tools-- such as a sturdy, high-accuracy panel saw -- using them. ruclips.net/user/jisakukobo It might inspire to other things, even if you're not in woodworking. Add that to steel rods and bearing sleeves, and you can go even further.
So I have no idea how to email you guys lol but I finished my table about an hour ago! So excited! Having a group of friends over tomorrow for some tabletop gaming, so just in time. I've got some pictures that I sent to all my buddies and they're stoked to play on it. Thank you guys for the great info
Send it to officialgamegarage@gmail.com Would love to see the pics. I remember playing on the game vault for the first time and realizing I would never want to play on a regular table again. Hope you enjoy it.
Bravo! This is hands down the most clever, most helpful and complete how-to tutorial on building your own board game table that I have ever come across. This is coming from someone who has built a couple of DIY 'tables' already - one by creating a game topper out of 1"x6"s and one by repurposing an IKEA table. Your approach is just a brilliant use of 80/20 extruded aluminum. And your exhaustive list of components and sources is extremely well done and thoughtful. One last thing: although this certainly was not your intention, your tutorial also is proving extremely helpful to me in using extruded aluminum to build a multfunction workbench table (MFT). The only real change is that one places a piece of 3/4" ply or MDF panel on top of the aluminum frame, rather than inset into the frame. For the record, commercial versions of such tables from companies like Festool and Kreg sell for upwards of $1K+. You've certainly got a new subscriber here!
Thank you very much. The MDF top for a work bench is a great idea and I have added some of the extruded aluminum to some of my work benches as well. Am working on a puzzle table right now. The t slot stuff has so many uses and possibilities. We are hoping to get a follow up video done in the next few weeks. Thanks again for your kind words.
I’ve been watching people build game tables from lumber, & it seems easy enough, but this is fantastic. Dead simple-more assembly than construction, really-& more utility, with the accessory rail. I feel like an idiot for selling my pool table cheap. I could have just taken off the rails & put one of these on it!
Oooooh … and that would have been a cool table … not a bad idea to look for a messed up top of a pool table for cheap CHEAP. Then just use the base for custom, gigantic games table … reaching across the table might be tough. Thanks for the comment!!
I made my computer gaming rig out of 8020. I love that stuff, it's durable and easy to assemble and easy to reconfigure on demand. It never occurred to me to build a gaming table with it, thanks for the idea!
You will love it. I played on a 36x48 all afternoon. The 48x48 is probably the next one I’ll add to my garage collection. The bigger one is great for the table hog games. Also make sure you send us a pic of your finished product and we will send you a Game Garage sticker to put on the bottom side of your table. Glad you liked it!
Holy crap. I've been planning a big complicated carpentry build for a gaming table, and then I stumbled across this. Arguably better than my planned build in most ways, especially the fact that it can go on a folding table and easily be tucked away when not in use. Genius!
Whoooohoooo! Glad you like it. I went down similar paths when we wanted to build tables for a board game camp and then came across this stuff. We order parts for one or two tables every year and keep learning more things!
Just finished building mine. Cup holders and bamboo side tables for snacks. Thanks for the great idea. My wife wanted me to buy a true game table or topper but that would have set me back close to a grand or more. I wish I could send you guys a pic or two. Very proud of it. Happy gaming guys!
We would love to see a pic … and we would love to send you a sticker … send us your snail mail address and we will send one to you. I think Bodie is trying to add a bunch of pictures of ones that other people have built … hoping that video is out in the next week or two. We are just always so thrilled to hear of others using the ideas. We use ours all the time!
Bodie just showed me the pic!! Looks amazing. I like colored slot on the top of the rails … the snack tables also look really good. It looks like a $1000 table topper. Well done … with all that money saved you ought to be able to buy a couple of games … I highly recommend Furnace if you haven’t played it
Good! If it gets too complicated then it gets out of reach. It’s a hard balance in the DIY arena … we are not experts but we like to do a few things on our own.
@@The-Game-Garage your Vid was pretty good :) i have a question thou: does the Aluminium feel cold when you lean on it? I would prefer a wooden top if it does.
I love this! My biggest problem with other builds is that I don't have easy access to tools for wood cutting and I want a table that can be moved out of the way when we're not playing. Thank you so much for the links to all of the pieces; that's so much easier than trying to find everything myself! I'm definitely going to build it!
The only power tool you would need is the one to cut the floor of the game vault. Some places (where you buy the wood) will make the single cut and they all get cut to the same length. I look forward to seeing the pictures of your table.
Whoooohoooo! So cool!! Send us your address to our email addy and we will send you a game garage sticker … I think you are the 5th table that we know of … we just set up our community page as well … I wonder if you can post to that. Thanks for letting us know and for the kind words!!
Genius build. I've just built one for next to nothing out of free pallet wood for my garage. (Roughly 3x3, or 1m square as I work in Roman numerals, perfect for the skirmish games we usually play) Doing it your way would deffo have saved me a hell of lot of stress and swearing lol. The laminate with the dark rails looks really sleek, awesome idea!
Ahhhh yes … the wonderful “next to nothing” usually means less than a $100 but more than 100 hours of frustration. It all depends on what you have more of … time or money … those two rarely align right 🤣🤪
I've been checking vids out for weeks, finally a table I can build myself. You guys should do some extra videos on morw modifications to customize these tables.
There is one video that is 3 things we upgraded on the table and the big one is legs. Check that one out and we are still collecting ideas for a third video
This I really cool. I think personally I’d want a deeper vault and actually make it a dedicated table but that’s the beauty of doing it yourself. I’ll have to keep this in mind when I need a game table.
Also they sell extrusion that is 3in x 3in. That would make a deep vault and you would have multiple t slots on the inside and outside. Very interesting!!
We use these to build machine guarding/racking etc at work. You can/could buy yellow plastic beading to slide into this groves. That will solve the snack problem! Got some engineered wooden flooring in the loft leftover from some DIY, this has given me a great idea for it, thank you!
We discovered that plastic beading a while ago and it has done wonders for the snack problem :) Thanks for the suggestion! Love to see your table when you finish it!
Dad? Thank you for being such a great influence. I’m right on the ledge of building a 33x25 Kill Team / Warcry table topper (I explicitly don’t want a stand-alone game table, but something that sits atop my existing table). This is the resource I’m using!
Great video guys! Brilliant idea on how to make a gaming table, I’ve been wanting one forever. But the wife wouldn’t let me spend almost $2,000 on a table just for gaming. I’m terrible at building things but I may convince my cousin to help me. Glad your video popped up to watch. Best homemade how to gaming table I’ve seen. Keep up the great work guys! 👍
Whooooohoooo! You are exactly who this video is for. I also have a wife that reminds me that my hobby needs to stay a hobby :). It’s a good thing we have wives like that! Good luck on your build!! Send us a picture and we will send you a sticker! And it’s free … what a deal … build a game table for $250 and get a free sticker.
This video deserves so much love, The artisan tables that exist are big and beautiful but more importantly a pipedream. The hobby likes to assume you have a finished basement to store these thing, Gamers live in small houses and apartments too. I am looking forward to building one this summer when I can borrow a friends garage. If you make an update to the video, I would love to see some footage of you putting up and taking away the table topper, also how you installed the led's and how you went about cutting the hole in the corner. Cheers.
Yep! You nailed it! We are hoping to do a part 2 follow up and we can add a few of those step by steps (lights, access hole) to the video. Thanks for your kind words!
Thanks, Patrick! We have the exact same sentiments. Practicality and simplicity go a long way. Like @Sam Brock said, we're hoping to make a part 2. Anything else you would like to see in that video?
Whoooohoooo!!! Email Bodie or myself your address and we will send you a Game Garage sticker to go on the bottom side of the table when you get it built. Bodie and I debated about whether or not someone would build one from the video. You’re gonna love it!!
@@DeadGoldfishProd I really appreciate all the work and time it must have taken you to even research this let alone make a video tutorial. Thanks again and I will for sure email you all my results. I will be happy if I can make it look as sweet as what you have. :)
Whoooohoooo! Isn’t it great when you find the video that does exactly what you were hoping to do … that happened with my wood fired pizza oven build and the dryer fix … haha
This is awesome! In the interest of tracking cost changes (since it’s been at least a year), I just ordered the list, exactly as is and I’m at $550. Including freight to Washington. Includes about $50 flooring from Lowes and $106 game toppers 3x4 mat. Tnutz and 80/20 shipped very fast, I’ll be assembly next week and I can’t wait! Thank you for the game plan!
That is really good to know … we might see how we can adjust that to let everyone know. It seems like everything has gone up in the last few months! I look forward to a picture!!
This is the best gaming table DIY video I have ever seen!! THANK YOU so much for doing this...I am definitely building mine this month....THANK YOU!!!!
You are very welcome! Send us a picture and your snail mail addy when you are done and we will send a Game Garage Sticker. I know its not much but it is fun for us to hear of other people building one. Enjoy!!
Glad you enjoyed! We are looking forward to seeing it and like dad said, email us a picture and your address and we will send you a game garage sticker!
I love it! I've had some experience with aluminum extrusions for 3D Printers and I think that's a part you missed out on. The amount of add-ons you can do with 3D Printing is limitless. I'd like to do something like this as a "booster" on top of a kitchen table for table top RPGs.
I don’t have much experience with 3D printer but I can only imagine what would be possible. Send us any pics of anything that you figure out. Would love to see it.
Just like gaming, it’s an addiction. If you do role playing games (new to the channel) 3D printing has you covered not only with accessories for the table, but pieces for your games as well.
We have done so many things with pewter that the whole explosion of 3D printing would take our Crossroads game to a whole new level. We have some ideas about a fun way to share that game and see what others come up with when they create on their own.
@@DeadGoldfishProd will do, just saw your 1,000 sun video, congratulations on the achievement, and the stickers. I’m sure Pepsi will be calling any day now.
i am SO glad you guys were able to utilize a folding table! i was just talking to my friend on how we would make a portable gaming table, out of stuff we have, and this seems like its the best, cheapest, yet durable enough option for us and our group! i LOVE the aluminum channeling you utilized, and right off the bat, having a bracket that can be used as a cup holder, or a dice tray, heck, you could probably even mount a tablet/phone holder as well! there are so many options i can think of, and will probably give this a shot! i might have to make it a folding piece though, since we use 2 2ftx3ft tables butted together. if i am able to accomplish this build, i will DEFINATELY let you guys know!
Very coo1. We are still using the one we added legs to in the second video. the phone holder idea is great. So many games use apps I might fiddle around with this idea on my next day off.
@@The-Game-Garage i think for our usage i might glue the rubber grip to the back of the topper, so it can be put and used pretty much on any surface. also, im considering using plexiglass instead of the panels, but will have to do a price comparison. and yes, i just looked up one of the articulating tablet/phone holders on amazon, and its only 17$! i figure we could use it to hold our devices for our army lists, but at the same time if we wanted to record our games, we could do so from a higher vantage point as well! so maaaannny possibilities i love thisssss!
@@The-Game-Garage just got another idea, but it’s primarily for games like 40k that use deployment zones. Possibly adding tick marks along the inner board edge, and then also possibly adding a laser leveler that can be adjusted. This would show a visible depiction of table halves, deployment zones, or quarters, etc. So many ideas!! Lol I hope the arms come in soon and hopefully can add additional function! (Maybe even hold up your camera while recording? Lol)
Great Video! I am still planning on building a piece of wood furniture for a large (8x4) table, but I want a rail system on the sides, and this video provided me a great and inexpensive solution for that. I am now planning on inlaying these rails into the sides (and maybe pit?) of my game table for a super sturdy and reliable rail system. Thanks guys!
Excellent. The also have a rail that is just 3/4 inch thick. I have thought about using that for the outside trim of a wooden vault. It would just give you one t slot around the outer circumference. Just a thought.
Thank you! Love this idea! Our family business is pool tables, but I've been wanting to build a custom game table for myself. This gives me so many ideas. Thanks again!
Wow!! I have been asked a few times where I bought my table which is a huge compliment and if I didn’t have a different job I would be tempted to sell them. Have you thought about a $100 order fee where they give you all the dimensions and then order the parts. If you put them together often I’ll bet you could build one in an hour or two and then you could have an assembly party or they could pay $50 to get it done …. Or maybe brand it yourself … or maybe you have enough headaches with just pool tables … anyway … fun stuff!!
Thanks for this video, I plan to build a large one for our group that plays Gloomhaven. I'm very excited because I actually can build this vs some videos I've seen that while cool are WAY beyond my skill level.
I just priced this exactly as described and, for a 3x4' vault table topper (no legs), the price would now be 350, tax and shipping to Indiana included (YMMV). That includes 4 cup holders and roll-in brackets but no tray tables or game mat. Personally, I would add legs (per the follow-up video) and use hardboard for the vault floor with a 1x2 across the bottom (attached to the rail with T-nuts) for more solidity.
It is good to hear an updated price as it has been a while since we made the video. I hope this is helpful for those thinking about building one. The 1x2 along the underside of the vault is another one of those ideas that we thought about but have had to add. So many options with a t slot on the bottom of the table to work with. I think there are lots of options including sliding trays, tv attachments, and DM privacy boards. Thanks for your comments!
Great job with the video. I made my first gaming table this past summer out of an old sliding closet door and screw on legs. It turned out well but it's only my V1.0 you have inspired me to start thinking of the upgraded version. I really like how you installed the tracking to include add-ons. That was one thing that kind of stumped me I ended up just drilling through and making permanent cup holders.
Tag line for our channel is “Always Under Construction”. I’ll bet there will be several Versions of the “perfect” game table. I’m always surprised how often I move the cup holders or need a second one.
This is great thanks for the wonderful diy guide. I built one of these gametable toppers for our gaming group and we love it. Being into 3d printing as well I designed a card/bits holder as well using the aluminum rollin profiles as a guide. Next I think I'll design some custom cup holder for the bar/wine glasses we usually use.
Ohhhhh Nellie … this is one of those comments that I need to show my wife to start the 3 year campaign to justify the need of a 3D printer :). Would love to see a picture. Would love to send you a sticker that you can discreetly put on the bottom side of the table. Let us know where to send it.
Your design finally convinced me to make my own. Thank you so much for your inspiration! Built myself a 6x4 table but used the extruded aluminum vertically.
I just saw the pics!! Very cool and well done. I am curious about the rails on edge. Send me your snail mail and I’ll send you a couple game garage stickers!!
That’s a good idea! What material do you use to diffuse?? Most of the time the you are sitting high enough that the lights don’t get in your eyes to bad.
Inspiring video, got me thinking of ways to make some sort of table for myself. I looked into using your method, but then stumbled onto a used kids activity table that is well-built and in good shape, with a 48"x32" recessed area. The legs easily detach so I can use it as a table topper, and it only weighs maybe 25-30 pounds. Cost me $50.00. I ordered neoprene to place inside it, and that cost me another $30.00. Next I might try my hand at making some cup holders to hang over the sides. Keep up the good job with the videos!
Whoooohooo for saving money! I’m amazed what is out there that could be repurposed!! They also sell a tslot that could be screwed on the outside of a table. I don’t have part number but it would allow for roll in trays and cup holders
Working on a side table that is outside of the vault but runs the entire length of the short side of the table. Many times the short side of the table holds the box, rule book, other games we want to play etc. Using the roll in brackets and an extra wide mouse pad. We will see how it goes…
THIS! This is the diy game table I’ve been looking for but didn’t even know existed. I’m going 3x6 because I don’t think I own any games that are 4x4 (some war games but mine are only 3x3 mats). For starter I’ll use 2 of my 3x3 mats from FLG until I can cough up the nice big 3x6 from GameToppers. Then again… your idea of a whiteboard isn’t terrible as an insert for RPGs. I had a friend that had a glass top table that he mounted a white bedsheet below and drew on the glass as we advances the story. That later went to a high top table with a short throw projector below to throw the map onto the table from the underside and our minis on top. 🤔 All great ideas but I think I need to make this rails table first. Maybe then I’ll make a dedicated folding leg structure. Time will tell. Table first. GREAT Video! 👍👍🤙
Can’t wait to see your creation. Send us a pic and snail mail addy and we will send you a Game Garage sticker. Home Depot has a white board that is 1/8 inch thick and 4x8 in size and under $20. It is not perfect white board material but it would easily work for a grid and a bit of writing and erasing. A piece of plexiglass as the floor of the vault would be more expensive but that would allow you to set the table on any surface even like a painters drop cloth could have a grid drawn up on it … ohhhh the possibilities are endless.
@@DeadGoldfishProd you said “plexiglass floor”no “set on any surface”… like a map? 😋 Ok, structurally speaking, plexiglass sags the wider the sheet and we couldn’t have braces go across and then still be usable as clear buuuuuuuuuut… we could keep the opaque bottom with supports and then put a map/prints on the table and then cover with that with a smaller sheet pf plexy (2x2ish) for dry erase doodles. Maybe even on with a grid on one side to help with free form movements? The possibilities are endless. 😉
Being Canadian, I wanted to build this table and did. Here are my commentaries. For the 2488 slide in part, it is very complicated to order here as we do not have access to 20/80. The only company that can provide it is Rocky Mountain but they might still bill you international shipping as they do not have these on hold.
This looks like a great and easy build. This is going on my project list. I think bolting a wood trim to the top would really finish it off nice amd make the well a little deeper.
Yes, definitely! Some folks like a deeper floor to the vault. Also the wood top would be warmer than the metal top. I live in the desert so the metal is no big deal but I have heard from a couple that would like a wooden topper. It would be very easy to add a t-slot nut to a 5/16 bolt that would then be removable.
Great video you guys. In the process of building a new house, and we are looking for something exactly like this. Will definitely attempt to build one of these too!
I don’t know what you are putting down for flooring but your games vault floor could be the same as you regular floor … like it matches. Of course every new home needs a new game table … love it!!
Awesome! Email us a picture when you finish and your address and we will send you a Game Garage sticker. Dad has a point. You could definitely coordinate your game table with your flooring :). Then you can say its decorative.
Awesome video!!! I play a LOT of Talisman and it requires a MASSIVE table when you add the expansions. I’m going to be using this idea to build a 4’x8’ monster 🤙🏻
Ohhhh boy!!! Make sure you send us a pic! A couple of tips for the big table build … I think 94 inches and longer is a different shipping category. I would be tempted to make the side rails 94 inches and then add the short rails at the end of both rails. Overall that would give you a 100x54 on the outside and 48x96 on the inside. If you add those extra two inches to the inside dimension then you may pay more for shipping. Secondly, we put a handle on each of the short rails which made the movement of the table to a two man easy job. If you are not moving it much then the handles are no big deal. Have fun! We have been tempted to build a behometh but we have not yet.
We want to send you a Game Garage sticker if you you send in a pic. We are starting to get a small collection of table builds that we hope to share in the future.
Ugggh … I am feeling your pain!! I just ordered a few pieces for legs and another couple things we were working on and my tnutz shipping for about $400 worth of aluminum and it costs $130 for shipping. I made me pause … I reached out to them and they tell me they just do the real cost. They game me a couple of ways to try to limit the cost of shipping but it was still way more than I expected but in the end I still couldn’t find a less expensive option.
Oooooh … I would love to see the pictures when it is done. The double t slot on the side seems to have some interesting options for accessories. In my mind 4080 would be to big of a frame keeping me away from the game … just my thoughts.
Depends on what kind of table you set it on. The wider the table that you set it on is the better. I have one at my house on a table that it is solid wood and near the same size as the topper and I rarely if ever have any problems with table lifting.
I know that it has gotten more expensive than when we first made the video. Most of the stuff is still the same. I use legs on the table that I always leave up and we just made the vault for when we put it up and down on a card table. I just built another one that has enough content to make a follow up video. We used 1.5x1.5 stock with a solid side and then did a wood rail for where I put my arms. And we have a cat deterrent … I dare not say cat proof option.
Wow, I really love this Idea!!!!! And you explained everything very thoroughly and easy to understand. Could I build one so that the inside play area of the table is 72" x 48" ? also could i use Vinyl floor planks for spill proofing etc ?
Yes! For sure! Your rails will be 2 at 75 inches and two at 51 inches. When you buy the floor laminate you will need the planks that are greater than 52 1/2 which means you will probably end up with 60 inch planks. These are a bit more expensive per sq ft but it will work great. If you are setting the vault on top of a table roughy 48x72 you may getaway with a 1/4 inch thick laminate but if you have quite a bit of overhang when set on top I would go with the 1/2 inch (12mm) thick laminate. I’ve been tempted to build one this big. Right now I’m trying to build an 8 sided 60 inches in diameter round table. We will see how it goes. I’m using a round yoga mat for the play mat. I’m hopeful!! Let us know if you build one!!
@@DeadGoldfishProd Thank you so much for responding you guys rock.....It might be a bit before I can start this project, but I will share my project with you when I do.
Great video, thinking about making a couple, one 5x5 as I have a 5’ diameter table I can use for the base, and a smaller one for my wife and I to use for puzzles.
Ohhhh boy! Just order the parts a few days ago to build a puzzle table with 4 drawers using the t slots … It all seems easy in my head but we will see how it turns out. The octagon table that you can see a picture of in the community section is what we put on top of a 5’ round … but that is another video for the future.
If you build this table then you can get multiple game mats to fit the game you are playing depending on the theme from all the money you save. Send us a pic of the table you will build and we will send you a sticker. My grandkids are a few years away from playing.
@@The-Game-Garage I'm thinking about putting a fantasy type picture on the back so I can hang it on the wall. Cover the picture with a like a clear coat matte finish.
@@DeadGoldfishProd They grow up so fast don't they? I'm building this table and a gaming room for the kids now that are starting to move out, and for the grandkids in the future. I fully expect to be closer even to the grandkids and I'm just going to make it a fun place for adventures, role playing, board games, strategy, all teaching them skills without even knowing it. Your family looks great, wish you the best!
Really love this idea. I am not a crafty person but tables are crazy expensive. This looks easy and fun to do. Also can easily do it piece meal so don't have to incur all the costs at once. How would you perhaps make it a more permanent structure and add legs and such?
We have been doing a bit of research on the various fastening methods and it looks like I’m about ready to order 4 legs at 28.5 inches each and see if we can attach legs and still insure that they are strong enough to handle the occasional Dutch Blitz train wreck that happens when the kids are playing. We will keep you posted on how it works
The parts are on their way for a build that includes two thirds and a leaf that could add another third. We are trying several things to see how they work and will hopefully put together something for everyone to see how it works … not positive it will work but we will see soon.
did you consider sliding the boards in the interior of the extrusion they are 3-5mm so most flooring should fit and have the extrusion hold it in place also if a board breaks you can just unscrew one end and replace the damaged sections. they also have a 3way connector you can get to add aluminum legs too.
That idea was tossed around in the early part of the process. We stepped away from it because the vault was not deep enough but if we went with a 3x3 extrusion it felt to high overall. We played around with a 2x4 mock up version to get an idea of how it would feel. A couple inches doesn’t seem like a difference but the standard height of a table is so universal that changing it much would also require a chair change.
this is bloody brilliant i shall build one.. also on the vhb, it stands for, very high bond. i use it to mount the windows on my sailboat that travels between hawaii and alaska... so if it can take the force of the pacific pounding on it i think it will work great for a gaming table. :) now to make it perfect for solo play all you have to do is mount it on a lazy susan so you can move all the minis without standing up
Another fine idea that makes me really think … I wonder how big of a susan base they make or maybe or 4 or 6 caster array around a center axis … hmmmm We are asked about the tape more than anything and to date we have not had a tape failure with all the tables we have built. The tape is amazing.
@@The-Game-Garage the largest base is about 24" but its expensive... good ones are 18-20" for around $40. mine (12") has a metal sheet glued to it where i have two 24" metal bars with walmart magnets to stick them to the top of the lazy susan... then for whatever game im playing i can either use a single rroughly 15"x30" foam sheet with a metal sheet glued to the back to stick to the bars/susan or turn it 90 degrees and use two foam sheets this way i can indulge in my real hobby of terrain building. if im playing a board game (the various zombicide games or heroquest) i have an unpainted 15x30 foam sheet with a metal back that stands in as a table. the nice thing about all this is that it all fits into one of those large plastic tubs from walmart. your extruded bar idea will help me expand this to create a support for the lazy susan that will let me keep all the thingies needed to play the games close at hand without having to set up two folding tables. ...and vhb tape is awesome. its also permanent so the only way im getting the windows off my boat is to grind them down to the tape.. im ok with that.
Ahhhh … the real hobby of terrain building. That is something I have dabbled in but never really jumped into. With Crossroads we have played around with various options for terrain. Thanks for sharing!!
With the 8020 - it would be easy to do to do two 3x3 and when needed remove one rail from each side and put it together as one. Either that or maybe do two 3x3's with a hinge and a removable rail so it can be adjustable to either (folded for 3x3 - remove the temp rail and unfold for a 6x3)
I have ordered several pieces for an upcoming 4x4 table that has a center hinge joint. Absolutely possible to combine two 3x3s. You will need to figure out how you want the seam to look like but several folks have mentioned this idea. There are several ways to fasten it together and that is the area I don’t have much experience with. Game Topper has the removable rail and flexibility to change the size of the table. This material should be able to do the same thing.
@@DeadGoldfishProd I was thinking more so on how to make it prehaps a bit more compact. My gaming table at home I made has two folding wings (actually found youtuber that had the same thought I had) - Now this could be a great fusion of concept with folding for compact/storage and use with some 8020 tweaking - here is a video of the guy that had the same idea i had when building his ruclips.net/video/Ha31bWLuyVo/видео.html Skip to the 10 minute mark - the one I made is a bit smaller but same concept. Def think doing an 8020 build like this could work (Neoprene mat for the seams) in a nut shell I fold it up and use it as a small end table next to my couch in the gaming room. It has wheels and I put in the center, I pull up one leaf for small games and both leaf's for larger games
We started off with a heavy duty card table from Costco but our other video shows how we put legs on it and that is our preferred method now. We have used all sorts of different tables but more sturdy the better. Enjoy and hope you get to it soon.
@@The-Game-Garage I see now that there was a follow up video and will watch that. Great stuff. Thanks. Btw...have you done and shows on the PNP games available? Seems handy for the ultra low budget player, or for the game that is no longer available. Also seems some companies like Button Shy use the low or no cost PnP as a hook bring new players to their games. Just a content thought. Thanks again, Jim aka Codog
I will have to keep this in mind. Its all good and fun to see people posting their how too's on making a budget gaming table but often requires more equipment than some people have (I dont have a table saw to cut my planks to size.........etc). The fact that this pretty much entirely assembled parts as found (at least as best as I can tell from my watching of the video you only used an electric drill/screwdriver for drilling into the wood for the cup holder) is what I think sets this apart as a truly accessible design making it easy. I did however have a question about the attachable accessories. I felt like in the video some of them felt a little bit on the flimsier side with the connector you used. I guess what I am getting at is, 1) in your experience how sturdy is that connection/surface (lets use the plank you used around 23:50 as the example) and 2) if you were to make a recommendation for a different connector, or something to add in addition to to reinforce it, maybe make it flex a little less when pressed by having something that rests along the bottom of the table once it is set in place to give it more contact area with the table for support (I don't know what this would be called as far as a material construction description) Also how well does that construction tape hold up to repeated picking up and moving of the table? as the only physical connection to the base it feels like it would wear out and eventually come unstuck but I guess it is a construction grade adhesive. Have you had instances in which it came apart in any of your builds or anything you would reinforce it with if someone were less believing/confident in the material? All the same if I ever get a play group of something running again I will have to consider making a setup like this.
Another thing that popped into my mind. How smooth or how sloppy do you think it would look/be if you had just a whiteboard insert to your more sturdy laminate based table. How would you go about it if this was what you were going for? and have you tried a similar construction to this but instead of having a topper you place on top of a card table but making one that is directly connected to the folding table?
Wow! You wrote a bunch … let me see if I can remember the questions/comments … First the flimsy bracket question. It is stronger than you would expect but I wouldn’t feel very comfortable with something bigger than the mouse pad (8x10). Hopefully in the next week or so we are going to experiment with 2 and 3 brackets that would allow for a full size shelf on the short end rail. When you get them you will see that I am not worried about them bending or braking but we need a bracket on both ends that it will not pivot. The construction tape is a total surprise. All I have to go on is our little bit of experience. We have been using the boards for two years. They store in a space that is not climate controlled (below freezing to 115+. ‘The two main tables that we use I probably move them around maybe once a month. I’m guessing I have moved them 20 times since the build. One fell off the Willy’s when I moved it down to camp. Several have fallen from their leaning spot. So far no failure. It really is impressive and unexpected from my end. We started with countersunk bolts into the t slot and we have moved every table over to tape. All I can say on that question is what we have experienced. If I were going to a plan B option I would probably look at an outdoor tile adhesive but so far this has held up. This table does have some trade offs but the portability and ease of construction plus being on the cheaper side without losing the cool factor of a serious game vault it has been the value choice for us. Not sure I answered all your questions. I’ll go back and look.
Ohhhh … one big one. I did use a chop saw to cut the planks down to size and used a table saw to rip one of the planks. The best part of that is none of those cuts ever show. They could be a 1/4 inch off and you will be just fine. They can be made with he cheapest skill saw or jig saw you can find/buy. So it is not completely tool less but you could also buy a piece of plywood and many hardware stores will let you pay by the cut to get it down to size. You would only need to get two cuts made by someone else at the store …. Just a thought if you have access to any tools.
This is such an awesome alternative to the expensive Game Toppers. I want to build a 3x6 table topper and I noticed that you suggested to use the heavy duty connector (HC 015 B 15). How much of the metal do you see at the corners if you put that in? Also, I noticed that your aluminum is black. How did you paint them? Just using spray paint or regular brush? I'd like to get the same finish on the edges of the table if I decide to make one like this. Your explanations were easy to follow and it seems like even a lay person like me who's not experienced in this stuff, can do it. Thanks so much for your help.
Glad the video was helpful! It’s definitely a project just about anyone could do. We even think you could do it in your living room or dining room. I’ll have to ask my dad, @Sam Brock, about your question.
Great questions!! You can see about 3/4 of an inch like a triangle in the corner. Your game mat will slide right under it. I hardly notice it. The white topped table has the heavy duty ones and the lights go right in front of them. The black is a choice when you order the aluminum … no paint … no mess … the company sells silver aluminum or black anodized aluminum. The black has held up really well … does not scratch easy at all. I hope you make one … you’ll love it!!!
Guys, that was a fantastic video. So thought provoking. I have a question about the shelf/tray on the roll-in bracket. I did not see the head of the bolt on the top of that tray, just the nut on the bottom. I also noted a slight shadow at the back/top of the tray that might be a fastener head. Did you just mount it on the plywood and put the tray on top of it, hiding the bolt head? If so, how are you retightening the bolt periodically? Another question: if I build a 3-foot-by-6-foot topper, do the edges that hang out past the underlying table need to be reinforced so they don't bow down, or does the aluminum frame prevent them bowing down below the edge of the underlying table? Thanks again. One of the best game table tutorials on RUclips.
Thanks for your kind comment! As for your first question, I’ll have to ask Dad to answer that one. For the 3x6 you shouldn’t get much bowing. I believe we built a 6 footer and I’m fairly certain we had no bowing (though I could be wrong). The aluminum is pretty rigid stuff.
We did a couple different versions of the tray. Best version uses a half inch thick piece of plywood that we countersunk on the top side so that the bolt with the nut on was on the bottom. Then on top we cut out a quarter inch thick sheet of plywood for the framework that holds the mouse pad in place. The outside dimension of the tray is 12.5x10 inches and the inside dimension of the frame that holds the mouse pad is 11.25x8.625 (which fits an 8x11 mousepad nicely. The frame covers up the head of the countersunk bolt unless you cut out a notch on the frame. We have not had to tighten up so far. I took a few pics of the tray that should clarify and I'll see if Bodie can get them posted or linked so you can see what I am attempting to write. You don't have to reinforce the hangover. The aluminum extrusions give you all the stability that you need. It all feels really stout. Thanks for your questions. That was the hardest part of our how to was anticipating the questions of those of you who are serious about building one. I built a wood fired pizza oven a couple years ago and I appreciated the few youtube videos that showed you the details along with the end product.
Thanks, Sam. I figured that you had sandwiched the bolt between the layers on the tray. I have been trying to develop a two part table topper like the Game Topper. I want a wooden leaning ledge, and I have almost figured out how to mount them on top of the aluminum. I have a lot of stuff figured out, but I found your video very informative. Cheers.
Awesome video! What would you guys recommend for turning an existing dining room table into a gaming table with frequent switches between eating and playing?
I would recommend that you buy a custom mat that fits the table and then order the 1.5x3 inch rails that would hang over all edges about a 1/2 inch. Then all drink holders and roll in bracket accessories would work with it and the table would be super easy to build. Once you put the rails together it would look like you had a giant picture frame with no picture and that would be easy to put behind the couch, under the bed, or in a closet. Set up and put away would be quick.
This is wonderful, thank you! I see an octagonal version mentioned in the comments - my base table is round, so that would be ideal. However, I need to place a “cover” on the vault so I can keep the game in place and then eat like a dining table. It’s even more necessary to keep my dog from getting into the pieces. I would need a higher vault which is also mentioned in the comments with wood on top of the rails, to allow enough room for the pieces to remain in place with the cover on. Do you have suggestions for an octagonal table with a high rail and a cover that you can eat off of? Thank you.
Yes, my latest effort is an octagonal table that is placed on a 5’ round. How deep do you think the vault needs to be. I have a similar problem with our cat when Bodie and I get involved in a game of 7th Continent that we don’t want to folk up. I ended up wanting 2.5 inches of clearance. Do you thing that is enough? I used a plexiglass with a duct table hinge that sat on 2.5 inch holders. Bodie and I need to do a Part 2 video to should folks some of these accessories that we use. The key to the octagonal table was a bracket from Amazon that is a 135 degrees and 1.5 inches wide which allowed us to bolt the whole thing together using the T slots. I also bought an saw blade for aluminum and cut our 1.5x1.5 aluminum extrusion at 135 degrees with a radial arm saw (chop saw would work fine). Again we need to do that video to really be able to explain it well. We used a yoga mat for the neoprene mat for the bottom of the vault which was our dining room table. I’ve got a couple thoughts on the table top but that question is is a bit harder because people are used to eating from a standard height of 30 inches.
Just posted a picture of the Octagonal Table @Sam Brock is talking about. Should be able to find the post in the Community Tab. Ohh the pain of pets and board games! I think we're still missing a piece from 7th Continent. Hence the plexiglass cover.
Great job on this video! I'm definitely going to try to build one of these. One thing I have that might improve the design is a spray paint that creates a white-board surface. Might be interesting to spray the playing surface with it for a more sturdy white-board type surface. And you can still put a mat on it for some games. How big do you think I should make this for eight players?
Whooooohoooo! When you build one let us know and we will send you a sticker or two (our only thing that has the Game Garage logo. The white board thought is an idea. I have worked with ceramic coated white board with the magnetic backing. I know they sell that stuff custom sized and I ordered a 4x8 sheet a while back but it was pricey but the real whiteboard floor and a magnetic ability is a very curious option. Now that I think about it a large piece of galvanized metal could be cut to size at a duct work type shop. We have one in our little town and I could probably get a custom piece cut for about $60-70. The tape would work great with it. For eight people I would make an interior dimension of 3’x6’ …. I personally am interested in a 42”x72” inside dimension … that extra six inches are helpful for the big games that have a board plus a tableau that you are working with. You would have to custom cut your own mat but it would be a nice big table. Enjoy the build!!
I like the idea of using the extruded aluminum rails to build a gaming table, and I think this is a nice alternative that most people can do that doesn't require a lot of woodworking knowledge and tools. Here's my thoughts to improve the idea. 1. Build legs for the table and get rid of the card table. Card tables wobble, even when not bumped. While legs for the gaming table will have some level of wobble, it won't be as much as the card table. Plus, it's just a simple allen key (if I remember correctly) to tighten/loosen the bolt in the corner brackets. Legs come off and can be stored in the well. 2. I would have built the frame with the 3" side vertical, not horizontal. Sure, it means less of an arm rest, but you can expand that out with any material, like MDF. It gives you four mounting points not just two, (Please tell me you are using two brackets per corner in your design.) for each corner. This makes the corner much more stiff and less prone to flex when bumped. And speaking of stiffness: 3. I would add cross beams for two reasons. Sure, it adds to the cost and weight, but not by much on either point. Like in point 2, this is going to stiffen up the table. And the other is that you can add your "table surface" without the need for double sided sticky tape, which will fail eventually. In your design, when it fails, it won't be a problem while the table is on the card table. But, if you need to store a game in the table well while moving it, you will have problems when the tape fails. Three rails should be enough for tables around three to four feet in length. Longer, and add more rails as needed. (All depending on table material flex.) You can also add clips that slot into the rails to help hold the table down in the places where there are supporting rails underneath. 4. Speaking of points of failure, those cup holders are going to fail, and soon. The reason is that you are screwing into end grain, which is a big wood working no-no. As your table is bumped with cups loaded with fluids (not judging your beverages of choice), all that swinging weight is going to wiggle the screw until it's chewed enough wood grain to allow the weight to pull the screw out. You could swap the drywall screw with a really long bolt and a T nut (that anchors itself, you want the one with the prongs on the cap) to use the block, but that wood block looks really tacky. The rail material you're using has a screw channel down the center, and it's for putting screws into it. So why not cut a long enough piece of the 1.5" by 1.5" rail and use that instead. It'll look a lot better on the table than the wood block. Add a little lock-tite compound on the tip of the bolt, and that sucker isn't going anywhere unless you want it too. 5. I would use the brackets that let's you hide one end under the rail. This way, you can make it really obvious what screws should be used to disassemble the table when moving it. The reason I suggest this is that your table would be great for camping trips. Leg's can be unscrewed without worrying someone's going to disassemble the wrong bolts, making reassembly difficult. By the way, you can cut the rails using a miter saw. Make sure you're using the blades recommended by the manufacturer and not whatever woodworking blades that came with the saw. Also, read up in the saw's manual for the correct procedure to cut aluminum on the saw. My daughter's old high school robotics team uses the same type of rails (usually half inch thickness) that comes with the VEX kits supplied by FIRST.
I have been trying too to rethink the cupholder design. I feel like there MUST be a design that that doesn't require adding a block of wood. I am surprised I can't find a roll-in bracket that would have the protrusion going down to attach to rather than sticking out that would help with that. hmmm
@@randybieri If you don't mind a little fab work with a drill and a vice, you could make an angle bracket out of metal. Stick a piece of metal into the vice, with the point where you want to bend at the top. Then bend it down, drill holes where things are to screw in, and then tap those holes to create threads to accept screws. (Or skip the tapping and just use nuts on the other end. EDIT, however, I think a block of the same material as the table sides would look cool for the cup holder.
Hey Jack and Randy, I am more of a simple wood worker than anything else. The roll in bracket is what makes it so easy to insert and move around. We ordered several different possibilities but none where as good as the one in the video. You could easily buy a 1.5x1.5 that is 4 in his long and use the t slots for the side bracket and use a screw into the center and it would tank strong and match the material you are using. It would look great. We did use a longer screw (2inch) for that end grain screw and so far the stress of the 20 oz cup has not loosened anything. I totally agree on a loc-tite or glue to give it extra staying power. I like the idea of the legs made out of aluminum. At the beginning of this we were not trying to build the very best table we were trying to figure out how to make 4 tables cheap but still cool. I like several of your ideas. Do a little research on that tape. I am amazed at its resilience. We store the tables in sub freezing - 117 degrees and it has been amazing. I cart the tables all over and move then in and out of locations often. They take a beating and so far no failure. We are just 2 years in so we are far from an expert but my limited experience has been surprisingly good. Lastly, I think there are tons of ways to improve the design. The method of fastening has many options of which several of them would be an improvement. Thanks for the input and the many ideas …
Ohhh … I forgot one of the best things you mentioned. The aluminum saw blades are amazing. Cut the stuff like butter. Don’t skimp on the blade you buy but when you do get the blade you can make your own cuts custom. Just picked up a blade for the octagon table we were working on and it is a game changer!!
I have built machines with aluminum extrussions the best material and way to build mechanical structures that require precision, quick with a lot of versatility.
loved the video thanks for the ideas! I had a thought of making one of these and having the underside of the table be a picture that when not playing the whole tabletop can be hung on the wall nearby and have a cool art to display (instead of hiding under the bed lol). Has anyone else done this?
I have not heard of anybody doing this. It would be heavy so you would want to make sure to attach to studs but it would only be a couple inches think … that would be unique … send us a pic and we will make sure to post it on the community page and send you a couple of stickers!!
This is great! Thank you much for sharing. I will definitely be making one of these. Quick question, did you ever come up with a different way to do the cup holder?
Great question! @Sam Brock can tell you. He's the one that created the final version. From what I can remember there were at least 2 or 3 versions before he landed on the one shown in the video. We are open to suggestions for improvement. Some have already recommended some great improvements in the comments.
Good question. We have done the cup holder several different ways. The way we showed on the video was actually a friends idea that solved several problems with some of our other designs. We did a corner bracket with nuts and bolts and it was elegant but it loosened up and eventually came apart (which is unfortunate for a cup holder). The double screws on board meant that we didn’t have an axis point. It sits really solid but It does not pivot. I would be interested in seeing any other option but when we landed on this one, I stopped looking for anything else.
Question what is the part name called officially at time stamp 7.06 to 7.15, I cant find anything for t track called a roll in adapter? Loving the idea of adding t track as a modular accessory system so easy and cheap!
I was in the process of ordering these materials, price has gone up a lot lol. Still much cheaper than other options. A guy at tnutz told me the corner connectors wouldn't be structurally strong enough and i needed end fasteners. End fasteners will require machining which is more money so just checking back with you. Have you had any issues since the original filming of this video that would leave you to believe those corner fasteners are not enough. I will add that my table will be 63x47 inches. Thanks for a great video.
I don't think there is a problem because the aluminum structure is bonded to the flooring. The corner connectors don't have to hold everything together on their own.
We have not had any issues and the tape and floor definitely add strength. It is pretty wobbly until you get that tape on. The corner fasteners are very strong and if I were making a top like a frame and using the table top as the bottom of my vault then I would recommend the fasteners.
This is probably what I was searching for without even knowing!! Question though. For the bars, there's a lot of options about ( Machining for the ends ) did you go with (No Machining) ?
Correct. This was confusing at the beginning but I’ve gone with no machining and just the corner brackets to attach. One of our early attempts we did a countersink but it just added extra holes to the rails that I would rather not have.
Yes, probably the biggest weakness of the cup holders is the clumsiness of the people around them. They rarely fall off just get bumped often. Hasn’t been too much of a problem for us.
Bumped and then slid over so you don’t bump them again. I don’t know of a drink falling mess in the many hours of play … probably more close calls when we use the shelf bracket as a table for our food. Best part of the tslot is that you can move everything really easily so your cup is in the right spot.
Our first effort was attaching the floor boards to nuts in the bottom facing t slot. We counter sunk each bolt and the worked hard to find the nut and tighten it down. It did work. The second one I did with tape and I eventually liked the tape enough that I took the first one apart. The tape makes it so it would not be easy to take apart but it seems more sturdy with the tape that withe the 12 or so bolts that we used.
Traffic Master Gray Oak sold at Home Depot. For the 3x3 table we used a 7mm thick board. We used Cross Sawn Oak Gray 12 mm (or 1/2 inch) thick for the 3x4 and bigger tables. The Traffic Master brand at Home Depot has a few different color options. Send us a pic if you build one!!
Dad got to this question before I could…not that it would matter if I got to it first cause I wouldn’t know the answer and would just have to ask him 😂
Any ETA on the updated video? Wasn't sure if there was something to learn from that before building one of these.. Also how does the Aluminum feel on your arms when you aren't wearing long sleeves? Is it cold, or doesn't really bother you?
Ohhh this is a hard one and maybe not what you want to hear. I am guessing we are March before any update on the table. Maybe you can twist Bodie’s arm to make the table the next video but we are ordering a couple of parts to see how they work and see how strong they are. We have a lot of tips and tricks to add. We have put most of the ideas in the comments that others have given and then there are a few ideas that just have to pass the “Yep we tried it and … ??? (Failed or succeeded) The aluminum is cooler to the touch. I have never thought of it as a distraction but we do play in the garage with our hats on and a sweatshirt and hoodie. One table we build has a 1.5 x1.5 metal outside and a 1.5x1.5 wood insert so it is half metal and half wood. I’ve tried to think about this question with an unbiased opinion … I live in the desert and I like cool things … I think the table takes on the temperature of the room and therefore I don’t notice it. We’ve played with lots of folks and it hasn’t been an issue … long answer for a simple question. Sorry! Next thing to learn is the viability of table legs out of the stuff. We will see.
@@DeadGoldfishProd long answer was perfect, thanks for all of that! I’m a Tax CPA by trade so it was either bite the bullet and do this asap or wait til after April, so think I might just wait so I don’t have to read too hard through all the comments! Thanks again guys, love the idea!
Awesome. Thanks for this. Just bought all the stuff to do this. Now, what can be done about adding legs to the table topper, like a slide in leg system.
The box just showed up and I unloaded it to the garage today. Unfortunately, I have a couple of responsibilities that will make me wait a week to really figure it out. Hoping to open the box and try out the legs soon (in a week). I am really curious.
Wow. This is the Best DIY game table ever (I'm dangerous around power tools, lol). I actually bought a Game Topper last year and I'm very happy with it. Your table is like an IKEA version of one of their tables for about half the price :). [nice Game Topper plug BTW]. /
Wow! You describe the table very well. I would have agonized over a game topper when they came out on kickstarter several months ago. I ordered a couple playmates because that is what we could afford and then started noodling over a cheaper way to build a game vault. My first one had a wooden insert and was 3x3 and then we just started playing around with different designs. We need to do another “part two” video with all the design modifications that we have done and others have thought of.
This is a really ingenious table. The only downside is that it seems heavy and it seems to take a lot of space. Out of curiosity, have you ever considered a foldable model?
I have the hinges and metal in the garage to make a foldable table. They have been sitting for several months but I need to get back to it. I want a table that fits in the back of my Camry.
@@The-Game-Garage I would be quite interested in seeing what you come up with. I am going to try my luck with doing one with MDF. I am hoping it will turn out good but my manual / builder skills are ... inexistent... to put it nicely 😅
The only simple build I’ve seen that is still simple if you don’t have an entire woodshop at your disposal. I also love the idea of using floorboards, so simple, plus waterproof and durable!
Yes and they snap together … we did realize that we failed to mention that you have to rip one floor board to get the right width for the floor but because it is not showing any saw (skill saw, jigsaw, band saw, table saw will work and most lumber yards will make that one cut for you if you have none of those tools). Thanks for your comment.
It’s also flimsy
This was one of those videos where I was like: "hmm let's skip to what this brilliant invention is and then go watch something else", but then I stayed for the personality! Great job on the editing!
Thank you! We know what you are talking about. We always enjoy it when the talking heads are real people. We will do our best to keep it real.
I may never build a table topper out of the extruded aluminum, but this video gave me lots of ideas for things to do with T-Tracks. I have long considered building my own gaming table (I am a hobbyist woodworker) and adding T-Tracks could put making a Wyrmwood type table within easy reach as far as functionality goes, if not in finish. ... and certainly MUCH more affordable. Great ideas, guys!
We have been amazed at the many different uses for those T-Tracks. The possibilities are nearly endless. Glad the video was a help!
I’m not sure exactly which product you are talking about but I think it is the stuff that has just one t slot that can be attach to the side of the table. As a wood worker I think that would be slick. Make most of the table out of wood and then add the t slots for flexibility with the trays and cup holders. At first I thought we would use the t slots on the top and side and inside but basically we just use the slot on the outside edge …. So if you like to work with wood, then build most of it out of wood and buy a simple single track … I might try to get a piece of that to show folks on the second table video. Good ideas!
Exactly what I was thinking! Been planning on an eventual table, and these tracks are great ideas.
Indeed, once you realize the existence of t-tracks, you start to see just how many impressive things you can do with them.
This guy , Jisa Koubou, does an impressive amount of fairly low-cost woodworking ("would be very expensive to buy pre-made") tools-- such as a sturdy, high-accuracy panel saw -- using them.
ruclips.net/user/jisakukobo
It might inspire to other things, even if you're not in woodworking.
Add that to steel rods and bearing sleeves, and you can go even further.
I love when you zoom in on your hand gestures and when you add the funny subtitles. Great video!
I never know if people are going to like/understand the "hand gesture zoom ins." I'm really glad someone out there appreciates them! Thanks, Eric!
So I have no idea how to email you guys lol but I finished my table about an hour ago! So excited! Having a group of friends over tomorrow for some tabletop gaming, so just in time. I've got some pictures that I sent to all my buddies and they're stoked to play on it. Thank you guys for the great info
Send it to officialgamegarage@gmail.com Would love to see the pics. I remember playing on the game vault for the first time and realizing I would never want to play on a regular table again. Hope you enjoy it.
Bravo! This is hands down the most clever, most helpful and complete how-to tutorial on building your own board game table that I have ever come across.
This is coming from someone who has built a couple of DIY 'tables' already - one by creating a game topper out of 1"x6"s and one by repurposing an IKEA table. Your approach is just a brilliant use of 80/20 extruded aluminum. And your exhaustive list of components and sources is extremely well done and thoughtful. One last thing: although this certainly was not your intention, your tutorial also is proving extremely helpful to me in using extruded aluminum to build a multfunction workbench table (MFT). The only real change is that one places a piece of 3/4" ply or MDF panel on top of the aluminum frame, rather than inset into the frame. For the record, commercial versions of such tables from companies like Festool and Kreg sell for upwards of $1K+.
You've certainly got a new subscriber here!
Thank you very much. The MDF top for a work bench is a great idea and I have added some of the extruded aluminum to some of my work benches as well. Am working on a puzzle table right now. The t slot stuff has so many uses and possibilities. We are hoping to get a follow up video done in the next few weeks. Thanks again for your kind words.
I’ve been watching people build game tables from lumber, & it seems easy enough, but this is fantastic. Dead simple-more assembly than construction, really-& more utility, with the accessory rail. I feel like an idiot for selling my pool table cheap. I could have just taken off the rails & put one of these on it!
Oooooh … and that would have been a cool table … not a bad idea to look for a messed up top of a pool table for cheap CHEAP. Then just use the base for custom, gigantic games table … reaching across the table might be tough. Thanks for the comment!!
i’ve only just discovered your guys content but i’m already a big fan. i’m excited to build my own table eventually. keep up the great work
Well thank you so much! We enjoy making it when we can. Send us pics if you ever get around to your table.
I made my computer gaming rig out of 8020. I love that stuff, it's durable and easy to assemble and easy to reconfigure on demand. It never occurred to me to build a gaming table with it, thanks for the idea!
Whooooohoooo! If you have experience with it you know how many options you have … just up to your imagination!!
I’d love to see your gaming rig! We’ve loved the stuff
A friend and I are going to build 48x36 and a 48x48 very soon after seeing this. Great work and the parts list makes it super easy. Thanks
You will love it. I played on a 36x48 all afternoon. The 48x48 is probably the next one I’ll add to my garage collection. The bigger one is great for the table hog games. Also make sure you send us a pic of your finished product and we will send you a Game Garage sticker to put on the bottom side of your table. Glad you liked it!
Do you have any part # info for the piece in the corners for the 90 turn for the LED's?
Glad it was a help! Email us a picture when your done!
Holy crap. I've been planning a big complicated carpentry build for a gaming table, and then I stumbled across this. Arguably better than my planned build in most ways, especially the fact that it can go on a folding table and easily be tucked away when not in use.
Genius!
Whoooohoooo! Glad you like it. I went down similar paths when we wanted to build tables for a board game camp and then came across this stuff. We order parts for one or two tables every year and keep learning more things!
Just finished building mine. Cup holders and bamboo side tables for snacks. Thanks for the great idea. My wife wanted me to buy a true game table or topper but that would have set me back close to a grand or more. I wish I could send you guys a pic or two. Very proud of it. Happy gaming guys!
We would love to see a pic … and we would love to send you a sticker … send us your snail mail address and we will send one to you. I think Bodie is trying to add a bunch of pictures of ones that other people have built … hoping that video is out in the next week or two. We are just always so thrilled to hear of others using the ideas. We use ours all the time!
Bodie just showed me the pic!! Looks amazing. I like colored slot on the top of the rails … the snack tables also look really good. It looks like a $1000 table topper. Well done … with all that money saved you ought to be able to buy a couple of games … I highly recommend Furnace if you haven’t played it
I have seen some Vids on the topic of gaming tables and your idea is by far the most DIY friendly.
Good! If it gets too complicated then it gets out of reach. It’s a hard balance in the DIY arena … we are not experts but we like to do a few things on our own.
Glad it made sense. We were nervous that we wouldn't be clear enough (especially since we have never made a tutorial before.)
@@The-Game-Garage your Vid was pretty good :) i have a question thou: does the Aluminium feel cold when you lean on it? I would prefer a wooden top if it does.
I love this! My biggest problem with other builds is that I don't have easy access to tools for wood cutting and I want a table that can be moved out of the way when we're not playing. Thank you so much for the links to all of the pieces; that's so much easier than trying to find everything myself! I'm definitely going to build it!
The only power tool you would need is the one to cut the floor of the game vault. Some places (where you buy the wood) will make the single cut and they all get cut to the same length. I look forward to seeing the pictures of your table.
Just built a 3ft by 3ft table and played a first two games on it. Great video and great channel. Thanks!!
Whoooohoooo! So cool!! Send us your address to our email addy and we will send you a game garage sticker … I think you are the 5th table that we know of … we just set up our community page as well … I wonder if you can post to that. Thanks for letting us know and for the kind words!!
Awesome! @SamBrock and I are so excited to see people enjoying their game tables. Thanks for watching!
Just built a 3x4 following the listed materials list and it was super easy! Thanks!
Wonderful! So glad to hear it worked out great!
I stuckin all the way to the end. Good stuff guys!
Bahahaha! Thanks!! For stucken with us. We do appreciate it.
Hope you keep stickin'! :) :)
Genius build. I've just built one for next to nothing out of free pallet wood for my garage. (Roughly 3x3, or 1m square as I work in Roman numerals, perfect for the skirmish games we usually play)
Doing it your way would deffo have saved me a hell of lot of stress and swearing lol.
The laminate with the dark rails looks really sleek, awesome idea!
At least yours was basically free which means you might have money left over to build another one like ours 😁
Ahhhh yes … the wonderful “next to nothing” usually means less than a $100 but more than 100 hours of frustration. It all depends on what you have more of … time or money … those two rarely align right 🤣🤪
I've been checking vids out for weeks, finally a table I can build myself. You guys should do some extra videos on morw modifications to customize these tables.
There is one video that is 3 things we upgraded on the table and the big one is legs. Check that one out and we are still collecting ideas for a third video
This I really cool. I think personally I’d want a deeper vault and actually make it a dedicated table but that’s the beauty of doing it yourself. I’ll have to keep this in mind when I need a game table.
Exactly! Send us pictures if you come up with a way to make a deeper vault and dedicated legs.
Also they sell extrusion that is 3in x 3in. That would make a deep vault and you would have multiple t slots on the inside and outside. Very interesting!!
Also, I just ordered legs for one of ours. We will let you know on the next table video how that worked.
@@DeadGoldfishProd any update on how the legs worked?
We use these to build machine guarding/racking etc at work. You can/could buy yellow plastic beading to slide into this groves. That will solve the snack problem! Got some engineered wooden flooring in the loft leftover from some DIY, this has given me a great idea for it, thank you!
We discovered that plastic beading a while ago and it has done wonders for the snack problem :) Thanks for the suggestion! Love to see your table when you finish it!
The plastic seems to do best. We bought an aluminum insert first but too expensive and fairly hard to work with.
Very nice, I haven't seen a portable version of a game table. Cool! Glad you listed out your materials, etc. Thanks.
You’re welcome. Thanks for the comment!!
Thank you! We’ve been surprised by how useful portability has been
Dad? Thank you for being such a great influence. I’m right on the ledge of building a 33x25 Kill Team / Warcry table topper (I explicitly don’t want a stand-alone game table, but something that sits atop my existing table). This is the resource I’m using!
The ultimate table topper!
Great video guys! Brilliant idea on how to make a gaming table, I’ve been wanting one forever. But the wife wouldn’t let me spend almost $2,000 on a table just for gaming. I’m terrible at building things but I may convince my cousin to help me. Glad your video popped up to watch. Best homemade how to gaming table I’ve seen. Keep up the great work guys! 👍
Whooooohoooo! You are exactly who this video is for. I also have a wife that reminds me that my hobby needs to stay a hobby :). It’s a good thing we have wives like that! Good luck on your build!! Send us a picture and we will send you a sticker! And it’s free … what a deal … build a game table for $250 and get a free sticker.
Awesome to hear! Hope your able to make it!
This video deserves so much love, The artisan tables that exist are big and beautiful but more importantly a pipedream. The hobby likes to assume you have a finished basement to store these thing, Gamers live in small houses and apartments too. I am looking forward to building one this summer when I can borrow a friends garage.
If you make an update to the video, I would love to see some footage of you putting up and taking away the table topper, also how you installed the led's and how you went about cutting the hole in the corner. Cheers.
Yep! You nailed it! We are hoping to do a part 2 follow up and we can add a few of those step by steps (lights, access hole) to the video. Thanks for your kind words!
Thanks, Patrick! We have the exact same sentiments. Practicality and simplicity go a long way. Like @Sam Brock said, we're hoping to make a part 2. Anything else you would like to see in that video?
@@The-Game-Garage accessory idea dump would be great.
So I just bought all the suggested material, gonna build this as soon as it comes in. Thanks for the info! I will update when I build.
Whoooohoooo!!! Email Bodie or myself your address and we will send you a Game Garage sticker to go on the bottom side of the table when you get it built. Bodie and I debated about whether or not someone would build one from the video. You’re gonna love it!!
Our email should be in the description of any of our videos. Can’t wait to see it!
@@DeadGoldfishProd I really appreciate all the work and time it must have taken you to even research this let alone make a video tutorial. Thanks again and I will for sure email you all my results. I will be happy if I can make it look as sweet as what you have. :)
@@DeadGoldfishProd Thanks for the stickers! I updated my post on Reddit with photos of my tabletop with the stickers.
So coooool! Every time you post to Reddit we notice a spike in our channel traffic. Thanks!!
This is exactly what I need. Thank you I'll be starting my build asap!
Whoooohoooo! Isn’t it great when you find the video that does exactly what you were hoping to do … that happened with my wood fired pizza oven build and the dryer fix … haha
This is awesome! In the interest of tracking cost changes (since it’s been at least a year), I just ordered the list, exactly as is and I’m at $550. Including freight to Washington. Includes about $50 flooring from Lowes and $106 game toppers 3x4 mat. Tnutz and 80/20 shipped very fast, I’ll be assembly next week and I can’t wait! Thank you for the game plan!
That is really good to know … we might see how we can adjust that to let everyone know. It seems like everything has gone up in the last few months! I look forward to a picture!!
can you share a picture if you don't mind me asking?
This is the best gaming table DIY video I have ever seen!! THANK YOU so much for doing this...I am definitely building mine this month....THANK YOU!!!!
You are very welcome! Send us a picture and your snail mail addy when you are done and we will send a Game Garage Sticker. I know its not much but it is fun for us to hear of other people building one. Enjoy!!
Glad you enjoyed! We are looking forward to seeing it and like dad said, email us a picture and your address and we will send you a game garage sticker!
This is honestly so perfect. Thanks so much. I'm going to make one of these to put on top of my sturdy kitchen table!
That is a great place for a game table; Good light … near the fridge!
@@The-Game-Garage just saw your other video about adding legs... Oh boy now I can't stop thinking about the options!
Uhhh huhhh … so many options!!
Oh this inspires me to no end, I was thinking of building something with extruded aluminum... + the power of 3D printing this has so much potential.
Uh -ohhh … you might be spending a few bucks to scratch this itch. It is well worth it!!
I've been considering building a table. This is a totally wicked idea. Thank you for putting out the video.
You are welcome … it’s always fun to discover an idea that you can accomplish … we look forward to seeing a picture of your build!
Your welcome! We're pumped to see others enjoying @Sam Brock's idea
I love it! I've had some experience with aluminum extrusions for 3D Printers and I think that's a part you missed out on. The amount of add-ons you can do with 3D Printing is limitless. I'd like to do something like this as a "booster" on top of a kitchen table for table top RPGs.
I don’t have much experience with 3D printer but I can only imagine what would be possible. Send us any pics of anything that you figure out. Would love to see it.
Like @Sam Brock said we would love to see anything you come up with! 3D printing fascinates us we just haven’t gotten our hands on one yet.
Just like gaming, it’s an addiction. If you do role playing games (new to the channel) 3D printing has you covered not only with accessories for the table, but pieces for your games as well.
We have done so many things with pewter that the whole explosion of 3D printing would take our Crossroads game to a whole new level. We have some ideas about a fun way to share that game and see what others come up with when they create on their own.
Great job guys I’m building one.
Whooohooooo! Send a pic when you finish it!!
Fantastic! Can’t wait to see it 😁😁😁
This is awesome! Thank you for doing this.
Your welcome! Glad you enjoyed it!
We enjoyed doing it. Happy you liked it!!
Awesome video! Just stumbled on it as a suggestion in my feed. New subscriber! Definitely going to try this out soon!
Very cool! Send us a pic when you finish and we will send you a sticker … glad you found us!
Thanks for subscribing! Hope your build goes well!
I love this table. Fantastic idea and great execution. I need to make one of these for D&D. Thanks for making this video.
Send us a pic when you build it and we will send you a Game Garage sticker. Thanks for your kind words.
@@DeadGoldfishProd will do, just saw your 1,000 sun video, congratulations on the achievement, and the stickers. I’m sure Pepsi will be calling any day now.
Thanks for believing in us Fitz!
Awesome build. Thank you!
Thank you!!
Your welcome, @Not Telling (Your name presents some opportunities for humorous sentence structures)
i am SO glad you guys were able to utilize a folding table! i was just talking to my friend on how we would make a portable gaming table, out of stuff we have, and this seems like its the best, cheapest, yet durable enough option for us and our group! i LOVE the aluminum channeling you utilized, and right off the bat, having a bracket that can be used as a cup holder, or a dice tray, heck, you could probably even mount a tablet/phone holder as well! there are so many options i can think of, and will probably give this a shot! i might have to make it a folding piece though, since we use 2 2ftx3ft tables butted together. if i am able to accomplish this build, i will DEFINATELY let you guys know!
Very coo1. We are still using the one we added legs to in the second video. the phone holder idea is great. So many games use apps I might fiddle around with this idea on my next day off.
@@The-Game-Garage i think for our usage i might glue the rubber grip to the back of the topper, so it can be put and used pretty much on any surface. also, im considering using plexiglass instead of the panels, but will have to do a price comparison. and yes, i just looked up one of the articulating tablet/phone holders on amazon, and its only 17$! i figure we could use it to hold our devices for our army lists, but at the same time if we wanted to record our games, we could do so from a higher vantage point as well! so maaaannny possibilities i love thisssss!
Ooooooo - ahhhhhhh .. Just got the parts for a little experiment tomorrow. I love the articulating phone holder … will be looking that up tonight!
Ordered 3 different ones … we will see which one we like
@@The-Game-Garage just got another idea, but it’s primarily for games like 40k that use deployment zones. Possibly adding tick marks along the inner board edge, and then also possibly adding a laser leveler that can be adjusted. This would show a visible depiction of table halves, deployment zones, or quarters, etc.
So many ideas!! Lol
I hope the arms come in soon and hopefully can add additional function! (Maybe even hold up your camera while recording? Lol)
Great Video! I am still planning on building a piece of wood furniture for a large (8x4) table, but I want a rail system on the sides, and this video provided me a great and inexpensive solution for that. I am now planning on inlaying these rails into the sides (and maybe pit?) of my game table for a super sturdy and reliable rail system. Thanks guys!
Excellent. The also have a rail that is just 3/4 inch thick. I have thought about using that for the outside trim of a wooden vault. It would just give you one t slot around the outer circumference. Just a thought.
Awesome Video. Thanks so much....I now have my next project.
So many projects … so little time.
Thank you! Love this idea! Our family business is pool tables, but I've been wanting to build a custom game table for myself. This gives me so many ideas. Thanks again!
Wow!! I have been asked a few times where I bought my table which is a huge compliment and if I didn’t have a different job I would be tempted to sell them. Have you thought about a $100 order fee where they give you all the dimensions and then order the parts. If you put them together often I’ll bet you could build one in an hour or two and then you could have an assembly party or they could pay $50 to get it done …. Or maybe brand it yourself … or maybe you have enough headaches with just pool tables … anyway … fun stuff!!
@@DeadGoldfishProd are you talking to yourself here? :)
Thanks for this video, I plan to build a large one for our group that plays Gloomhaven. I'm very excited because I actually can build this vs some videos I've seen that while cool are WAY beyond my skill level.
Very cool! Make sure to send us a pic and we will send you a Game Garage sticker … so fun to see people building their own table!!
Awesome! This table is perfect for Gloomhaven! Definitely send us pictures!
Thank you for the awesome video! Just ordered all of material to build one of these for myself. Can’t wait to get it assembled!
Send us a pic when you get it done and we’ll will send you a Game Garage Sticker. So fun to see so many tables out there.
Wow, My best friend, I liked the video very much, thanks you for sharing, stay safe, stay blessed
You are welcome … glad you enjoyed it.
I just priced this exactly as described and, for a 3x4' vault table topper (no legs), the price would now be 350, tax and shipping to Indiana included (YMMV). That includes 4 cup holders and roll-in brackets but no tray tables or game mat.
Personally, I would add legs (per the follow-up video) and use hardboard for the vault floor with a 1x2 across the bottom (attached to the rail with T-nuts) for more solidity.
It is good to hear an updated price as it has been a while since we made the video. I hope this is helpful for those thinking about building one. The 1x2 along the underside of the vault is another one of those ideas that we thought about but have had to add. So many options with a t slot on the bottom of the table to work with. I think there are lots of options including sliding trays, tv attachments, and DM privacy boards. Thanks for your comments!
Great job with the video. I made my first gaming table this past summer out of an old sliding closet door and screw on legs. It turned out well but it's only my V1.0 you have inspired me to start thinking of the upgraded version. I really like how you installed the tracking to include add-ons. That was one thing that kind of stumped me I ended up just drilling through and making permanent cup holders.
Tag line for our channel is “Always Under Construction”. I’ll bet there will be several Versions of the “perfect” game table. I’m always surprised how often I move the cup holders or need a second one.
Happy to hear someone else out there is as dedicated to quality cup holders as we are :)
This is great thanks for the wonderful diy guide. I built one of these gametable toppers for our gaming group and we love it. Being into 3d printing as well I designed a card/bits holder as well using the aluminum rollin profiles as a guide. Next I think I'll design some custom cup holder for the bar/wine glasses we usually use.
Ohhhhh Nellie … this is one of those comments that I need to show my wife to start the 3 year campaign to justify the need of a 3D printer :). Would love to see a picture. Would love to send you a sticker that you can discreetly put on the bottom side of the table. Let us know where to send it.
Freaking amazing!
This has me pumped to get started since I don't need to have a lot of woodworking tools and knowledge!
Thank you both!
Glad it was a help! Send us pictures if you build one.
Very welcome! Like Bodie said, send us a pic and we will send you sticker!
Your design finally convinced me to make my own. Thank you so much for your inspiration! Built myself a 6x4 table but used the extruded aluminum vertically.
I just saw the pics!! Very cool and well done. I am curious about the rails on edge. Send me your snail mail and I’ll send you a couple game garage stickers!!
Could you explain what you mean by using them vertically?
Great video, guys. Earned my subscription!
Thank you!! We are happy we didn’t waste your time!!
Thank you! Hopefully we can make that subscription worth it!
Thanks for the great tutorial! Thinking about building one but adding diffusers for the LEDs.
That’s a good idea! What material do you use to diffuse?? Most of the time the you are sitting high enough that the lights don’t get in your eyes to bad.
Inspiring video, got me thinking of ways to make some sort of table for myself. I looked into using your method, but then stumbled onto a used kids activity table that is well-built and in good shape, with a 48"x32" recessed area. The legs easily detach so I can use it as a table topper, and it only weighs maybe 25-30 pounds. Cost me $50.00. I ordered neoprene to place inside it, and that cost me another $30.00. Next I might try my hand at making some cup holders to hang over the sides. Keep up the good job with the videos!
Whoooohooo for saving money! I’m amazed what is out there that could be repurposed!! They also sell a tslot that could be screwed on the outside of a table. I don’t have part number but it would allow for roll in trays and cup holders
really nice job, gentlemen!!!!!
Thank you!
Great video! Opened my eyes to some possibilities!
There are few things as exciting as an idea you think you can use :)
Just found your channel, really enjoyed the video. New subscriber.
Thanks for the sub! We’re hoping to put out another video in the next couple days!
Thanks a bunch! This has been fun!!
Great video. I would love to see other accessories you could make for it.
Working on a side table that is outside of the vault but runs the entire length of the short side of the table. Many times the short side of the table holds the box, rule book, other games we want to play etc. Using the roll in brackets and an extra wide mouse pad. We will see how it goes…
@Sam Brock it looks like we have another reason to make a Game Table Part 2 video. Thanks for the comment, Cody!
THIS! This is the diy game table I’ve been looking for but didn’t even know existed. I’m going 3x6 because I don’t think I own any games that are 4x4 (some war games but mine are only 3x3 mats). For starter I’ll use 2 of my 3x3 mats from FLG until I can cough up the nice big 3x6 from GameToppers. Then again… your idea of a whiteboard isn’t terrible as an insert for RPGs. I had a friend that had a glass top table that he mounted a white bedsheet below and drew on the glass as we advances the story. That later went to a high top table with a short throw projector below to throw the map onto the table from the underside and our minis on top. 🤔 All great ideas but I think I need to make this rails table first. Maybe then I’ll make a dedicated folding leg structure. Time will tell. Table first. GREAT Video! 👍👍🤙
Can’t wait to see your creation. Send us a pic and snail mail addy and we will send you a Game Garage sticker. Home Depot has a white board that is 1/8 inch thick and 4x8 in size and under $20. It is not perfect white board material but it would easily work for a grid and a bit of writing and erasing. A piece of plexiglass as the floor of the vault would be more expensive but that would allow you to set the table on any surface even like a painters drop cloth could have a grid drawn up on it … ohhhh the possibilities are endless.
If you come up with something for the legs send the idea our way! Glad to hear the table fits what your looking for.
@@DeadGoldfishProd you said “plexiglass floor”no “set on any surface”… like a map? 😋 Ok, structurally speaking, plexiglass sags the wider the sheet and we couldn’t have braces go across and then still be usable as clear buuuuuuuuuut… we could keep the opaque bottom with supports and then put a map/prints on the table and then cover with that with a smaller sheet pf plexy (2x2ish) for dry erase doodles. Maybe even on with a grid on one side to help with free form movements? The possibilities are endless. 😉
Being Canadian, I wanted to build this table and did. Here are my commentaries. For the 2488 slide in part, it is very complicated to order here as we do not have access to 20/80. The only company that can provide it is Rocky Mountain but they might still bill you international shipping as they do not have these on hold.
Very helpful! Thank you!
This looks like a great and easy build. This is going on my project list.
I think bolting a wood trim to the top would really finish it off nice amd make the well a little deeper.
Yes, definitely! Some folks like a deeper floor to the vault. Also the wood top would be warmer than the metal top. I live in the desert so the metal is no big deal but I have heard from a couple that would like a wooden topper. It would be very easy to add a t-slot nut to a 5/16 bolt that would then be removable.
Awesome! Email us a picture when your done! If you include your address we will send you a Game Garage Sticker!
Great video you guys. In the process of building a new house, and we are looking for something exactly like this. Will definitely attempt to build one of these too!
I don’t know what you are putting down for flooring but your games vault floor could be the same as you regular floor … like it matches. Of course every new home needs a new game table … love it!!
Awesome! Email us a picture when you finish and your address and we will send you a Game Garage sticker. Dad has a point. You could definitely coordinate your game table with your flooring :). Then you can say its decorative.
Awesome video!!! I play a LOT of Talisman and it requires a MASSIVE table when you add the expansions. I’m going to be using this idea to build a 4’x8’ monster 🤙🏻
Ohhhh boy!!! Make sure you send us a pic! A couple of tips for the big table build … I think 94 inches and longer is a different shipping category. I would be tempted to make the side rails 94 inches and then add the short rails at the end of both rails. Overall that would give you a 100x54 on the outside and 48x96 on the inside. If you add those extra two inches to the inside dimension then you may pay more for shipping. Secondly, we put a handle on each of the short rails which made the movement of the table to a two man easy job. If you are not moving it much then the handles are no big deal. Have fun! We have been tempted to build a behometh but we have not yet.
We want to send you a Game Garage sticker if you you send in a pic. We are starting to get a small collection of table builds that we hope to share in the future.
Like @Sam Brock said, email us a picture and your address! We love seeing everyone's builds! Let us know if you make any discoveries along the way.
For sure. I just did the shopping at it was over $200 for UPS Ground! I’ll see what it’s all about going the route that you just described.
Ugggh … I am feeling your pain!! I just ordered a few pieces for legs and another couple things we were working on and my tnutz shipping for about $400 worth of aluminum and it costs $130 for shipping. I made me pause … I reached out to them and they tell me they just do the real cost. They game me a couple of ways to try to limit the cost of shipping but it was still way more than I expected but in the end I still couldn’t find a less expensive option.
this was great. would love to build one
Hope you are able to build one … way fun!!
I worked at 80/20 15 years ago in the shipping department. Great company, excellent product.
I wish I had a sample of everything they make. So many options and so many things I want to build!!
Just found this video. Love it. Going to give this a go using 2040 as 4080 is a bit expensive
Oooooh … I would love to see the pictures when it is done. The double t slot on the side seems to have some interesting options for accessories. In my mind 4080 would be to big of a frame keeping me away from the game … just my thoughts.
When someone puts a lot of pressure on one side does the table lift?
Depends on what kind of table you set it on. The wider the table that you set it on is the better. I have one at my house on a table that it is solid wood and near the same size as the topper and I rarely if ever have any problems with table lifting.
Recognized the voice immediately. Great video and thanks for the product list. It’s been a few years, any update I should consider?
I know that it has gotten more expensive than when we first made the video. Most of the stuff is still the same. I use legs on the table that I always leave up and we just made the vault for when we put it up and down on a card table. I just built another one that has enough content to make a follow up video. We used 1.5x1.5 stock with a solid side and then did a wood rail for where I put my arms. And we have a cat deterrent … I dare not say cat proof option.
Wow, I really love this Idea!!!!! And you explained everything very thoroughly and easy to understand. Could I build one so that the inside play area of the table is 72" x 48" ? also could i use Vinyl floor planks for spill proofing etc ?
Yes! For sure! Your rails will be 2 at 75 inches and two at 51 inches. When you buy the floor laminate you will need the planks that are greater than 52 1/2 which means you will probably end up with 60 inch planks. These are a bit more expensive per sq ft but it will work great. If you are setting the vault on top of a table roughy 48x72 you may getaway with a 1/4 inch thick laminate but if you have quite a bit of overhang when set on top I would go with the 1/2 inch (12mm) thick laminate. I’ve been tempted to build one this big. Right now I’m trying to build an 8 sided 60 inches in diameter round table. We will see how it goes. I’m using a round yoga mat for the play mat. I’m hopeful!! Let us know if you build one!!
Glad the explanation was clear! I’ll leave it to dad to answer your questions…looks like he already did 😁👍
@@DeadGoldfishProd Thank you so much for responding you guys rock.....It might be a bit before I can start this project, but I will share my project with you when I do.
Great video, thinking about making a couple, one 5x5 as I have a 5’ diameter table I can use for the base, and a smaller one for my wife and I to use for puzzles.
Ohhhh boy! Just order the parts a few days ago to build a puzzle table with 4 drawers using the t slots … It all seems easy in my head but we will see how it turns out. The octagon table that you can see a picture of in the community section is what we put on top of a 5’ round … but that is another video for the future.
@@DeadGoldfishProd Octagon would be great.
Prophecy what? Crazy to think I was considering spending 1k+ on a table... Thank you so much! I hope to one day get my grandkids into table top gaming
If you build this table then you can get multiple game mats to fit the game you are playing depending on the theme from all the money you save. Send us a pic of the table you will build and we will send you a sticker. My grandkids are a few years away from playing.
Awesome to hear of someone sharing the hobby with others! Like @Sam Brock said, we’re hoping to pass the hobby along as well.
@@The-Game-Garage I'm thinking about putting a fantasy type picture on the back so I can hang it on the wall. Cover the picture with a like a clear coat matte finish.
@@DeadGoldfishProd They grow up so fast don't they? I'm building this table and a gaming room for the kids now that are starting to move out, and for the grandkids in the future. I fully expect to be closer even to the grandkids and I'm just going to make it a fun place for adventures, role playing, board games, strategy, all teaching them skills without even knowing it. Your family looks great, wish you the best!
This is awesome -- thank you!
Thanks a bunch!
Thank you for this tutorial. I wish I had seen your tutorial before participating in the adapTable crowsfunding ^^'
Glad it was a help! What is adapTable?
@@The-Game-Garage this: ruclips.net/video/-XM0DtgXRYA/видео.html
That looks pretty cool! Have you used it?
@@The-Game-Garage not yet. i got mine through their last kickstarter with LED light attachment. Planned arrival should be in summer.
Really love this idea. I am not a crafty person but tables are crazy expensive. This looks easy and fun to do. Also can easily do it piece meal so don't have to incur all the costs at once. How would you perhaps make it a more permanent structure and add legs and such?
We have been doing a bit of research on the various fastening methods and it looks like I’m about ready to order 4 legs at 28.5 inches each and see if we can attach legs and still insure that they are strong enough to handle the occasional Dutch Blitz train wreck that happens when the kids are playing. We will keep you posted on how it works
dig this build, what would be cool see a version that splits in half for storage.
The parts are on their way for a build that includes two thirds and a leaf that could add another third. We are trying several things to see how they work and will hopefully put together something for everyone to see how it works … not positive it will work but we will see soon.
Part 2 of this video is on its way and will provide a method for splitting in half! Hoping to have it out next week!
did you consider sliding the boards in the interior of the extrusion they are 3-5mm so most flooring should fit and have the extrusion hold it in place also if a board breaks you can just unscrew one end and replace the damaged sections. they also have a 3way connector you can get to add aluminum legs too.
That idea was tossed around in the early part of the process. We stepped away from it because the vault was not deep enough but if we went with a 3x3 extrusion it felt to high overall. We played around with a 2x4 mock up version to get an idea of how it would feel. A couple inches doesn’t seem like a difference but the standard height of a table is so universal that changing it much would also require a chair change.
this is bloody brilliant i shall build one.. also on the vhb, it stands for, very high bond. i use it to mount the windows on my sailboat that travels between hawaii and alaska... so if it can take the force of the pacific pounding on it i think it will work great for a gaming table. :) now to make it perfect for solo play all you have to do is mount it on a lazy susan so you can move all the minis without standing up
Another fine idea that makes me really think … I wonder how big of a susan base they make or maybe or 4 or 6 caster array around a center axis … hmmmm
We are asked about the tape more than anything and to date we have not had a tape failure with all the tables we have built. The tape is amazing.
@@The-Game-Garage the largest base is about 24" but its expensive... good ones are 18-20" for around $40. mine (12") has a metal sheet glued to it where i have two 24" metal bars with walmart magnets to stick them to the top of the lazy susan... then for whatever game im playing i can either use a single rroughly 15"x30" foam sheet with a metal sheet glued to the back to stick to the bars/susan or turn it 90 degrees and use two foam sheets this way i can indulge in my real hobby of terrain building. if im playing a board game (the various zombicide games or heroquest) i have an unpainted 15x30 foam sheet with a metal back that stands in as a table. the nice thing about all this is that it all fits into one of those large plastic tubs from walmart.
your extruded bar idea will help me expand this to create a support for the lazy susan that will let me keep all the thingies needed to play the games close at hand without having to set up two folding tables.
...and vhb tape is awesome. its also permanent so the only way im getting the windows off my boat is to grind them down to the tape.. im ok with that.
Ahhhh … the real hobby of terrain building. That is something I have dabbled in but never really jumped into. With Crossroads we have played around with various options for terrain. Thanks for sharing!!
With the 8020 - it would be easy to do to do two 3x3 and when needed remove one rail from each side and put it together as one. Either that or maybe do two 3x3's with a hinge and a removable rail so it can be adjustable to either (folded for 3x3 - remove the temp rail and unfold for a 6x3)
Awesome idea! I'll send @Sam Brock your way. He does the building and would love to hear this idea.
I have ordered several pieces for an upcoming 4x4 table that has a center hinge joint. Absolutely possible to combine two 3x3s. You will need to figure out how you want the seam to look like but several folks have mentioned this idea. There are several ways to fasten it together and that is the area I don’t have much experience with. Game Topper has the removable rail and flexibility to change the size of the table. This material should be able to do the same thing.
@@DeadGoldfishProd I was thinking more so on how to make it prehaps a bit more compact. My gaming table at home I made has two folding wings (actually found youtuber that had the same thought I had) -
Now this could be a great fusion of concept with folding for compact/storage and use with some 8020 tweaking -
here is a video of the guy that had the same idea i had when building his
ruclips.net/video/Ha31bWLuyVo/видео.html
Skip to the 10 minute mark - the one I made is a bit smaller but same concept. Def think doing an 8020 build like this could work (Neoprene mat for the seams)
in a nut shell I fold it up and use it as a small end table next to my couch in the gaming room. It has wheels and I put in the center, I pull up one leaf for small games and both leaf's for larger games
Awesome build that is now at the top of my To Do list. What 3x3 table did you use for your base?
Thanks for all the links as well!
We started off with a heavy duty card table from Costco but our other video shows how we put legs on it and that is our preferred method now. We have used all sorts of different tables but more sturdy the better. Enjoy and hope you get to it soon.
@@The-Game-Garage I see now that there was a follow up video and will watch that. Great stuff. Thanks.
Btw...have you done and shows on the PNP games available? Seems handy for the ultra low budget player, or for the game that is no longer available. Also seems some companies like Button Shy use the low or no cost PnP as a hook bring new players to their games. Just a content thought.
Thanks again, Jim aka Codog
I will have to keep this in mind. Its all good and fun to see people posting their how too's on making a budget gaming table but often requires more equipment than some people have (I dont have a table saw to cut my planks to size.........etc). The fact that this pretty much entirely assembled parts as found (at least as best as I can tell from my watching of the video you only used an electric drill/screwdriver for drilling into the wood for the cup holder) is what I think sets this apart as a truly accessible design making it easy.
I did however have a question about the attachable accessories. I felt like in the video some of them felt a little bit on the flimsier side with the connector you used. I guess what I am getting at is, 1) in your experience how sturdy is that connection/surface (lets use the plank you used around 23:50 as the example) and 2) if you were to make a recommendation for a different connector, or something to add in addition to to reinforce it, maybe make it flex a little less when pressed by having something that rests along the bottom of the table once it is set in place to give it more contact area with the table for support (I don't know what this would be called as far as a material construction description)
Also how well does that construction tape hold up to repeated picking up and moving of the table? as the only physical connection to the base it feels like it would wear out and eventually come unstuck but I guess it is a construction grade adhesive. Have you had instances in which it came apart in any of your builds or anything you would reinforce it with if someone were less believing/confident in the material?
All the same if I ever get a play group of something running again I will have to consider making a setup like this.
Another thing that popped into my mind. How smooth or how sloppy do you think it would look/be if you had just a whiteboard insert to your more sturdy laminate based table. How would you go about it if this was what you were going for?
and have you tried a similar construction to this but instead of having a topper you place on top of a card table but making one that is directly connected to the folding table?
Wow! You wrote a bunch … let me see if I can remember the questions/comments … First the flimsy bracket question. It is stronger than you would expect but I wouldn’t feel very comfortable with something bigger than the mouse pad (8x10). Hopefully in the next week or so we are going to experiment with 2 and 3 brackets that would allow for a full size shelf on the short end rail. When you get them you will see that I am not worried about them bending or braking but we need a bracket on both ends that it will not pivot.
The construction tape is a total surprise. All I have to go on is our little bit of experience. We have been using the boards for two years. They store in a space that is not climate controlled (below freezing to 115+. ‘The two main tables that we use I probably move them around maybe once a month. I’m guessing I have moved them 20 times since the build. One fell off the Willy’s when I moved it down to camp. Several have fallen from their leaning spot. So far no failure. It really is impressive and unexpected from my end. We started with countersunk bolts into the t slot and we have moved every table over to tape. All I can say on that question is what we have experienced. If I were going to a plan B option I would probably look at an outdoor tile adhesive but so far this has held up.
This table does have some trade offs but the portability and ease of construction plus being on the cheaper side without losing the cool factor of a serious game vault it has been the value choice for us. Not sure I answered all your questions. I’ll go back and look.
Ohhhh … one big one. I did use a chop saw to cut the planks down to size and used a table saw to rip one of the planks. The best part of that is none of those cuts ever show. They could be a 1/4 inch off and you will be just fine. They can be made with he cheapest skill saw or jig saw you can find/buy. So it is not completely tool less but you could also buy a piece of plywood and many hardware stores will let you pay by the cut to get it down to size. You would only need to get two cuts made by someone else at the store …. Just a thought if you have access to any tools.
This is such an awesome alternative to the expensive Game Toppers. I want to build a 3x6 table topper and I noticed that you suggested to use the heavy duty connector (HC 015 B 15). How much of the metal do you see at the corners if you put that in? Also, I noticed that your aluminum is black. How did you paint them? Just using spray paint or regular brush? I'd like to get the same finish on the edges of the table if I decide to make one like this. Your explanations were easy to follow and it seems like even a lay person like me who's not experienced in this stuff, can do it. Thanks so much for your help.
Glad the video was helpful! It’s definitely a project just about anyone could do. We even think you could do it in your living room or dining room. I’ll have to ask my dad, @Sam Brock, about your question.
Great questions!! You can see about 3/4 of an inch like a triangle in the corner. Your game mat will slide right under it. I hardly notice it. The white topped table has the heavy duty ones and the lights go right in front of them. The black is a choice when you order the aluminum … no paint … no mess … the company sells silver aluminum or black anodized aluminum. The black has held up really well … does not scratch easy at all. I hope you make one … you’ll love it!!!
Guys, that was a fantastic video. So thought provoking. I have a question about the shelf/tray on the roll-in bracket. I did not see the head of the bolt on the top of that tray, just the nut on the bottom. I also noted a slight shadow at the back/top of the tray that might be a fastener head. Did you just mount it on the plywood and put the tray on top of it, hiding the bolt head? If so, how are you retightening the bolt periodically?
Another question: if I build a 3-foot-by-6-foot topper, do the edges that hang out past the underlying table need to be reinforced so they don't bow down, or does the aluminum frame prevent them bowing down below the edge of the underlying table?
Thanks again. One of the best game table tutorials on RUclips.
Thanks for your kind comment! As for your first question, I’ll have to ask Dad to answer that one. For the 3x6 you shouldn’t get much bowing. I believe we built a 6 footer and I’m fairly certain we had no bowing (though I could be wrong). The aluminum is pretty rigid stuff.
We did a couple different versions of the tray. Best version uses a half inch thick piece of plywood that we countersunk on the top side so that the bolt with the nut on was on the bottom. Then on top we cut out a quarter inch thick sheet of plywood for the framework that holds the mouse pad in place. The outside dimension of the tray is 12.5x10 inches and the inside dimension of the frame that holds the mouse pad is 11.25x8.625 (which fits an 8x11 mousepad nicely. The frame covers up the head of the countersunk bolt unless you cut out a notch on the frame. We have not had to tighten up so far. I took a few pics of the tray that should clarify and I'll see if Bodie can get them posted or linked so you can see what I am attempting to write.
You don't have to reinforce the hangover. The aluminum extrusions give you all the stability that you need. It all feels really stout.
Thanks for your questions. That was the hardest part of our how to was anticipating the questions of those of you who are serious about building one. I built a wood fired pizza oven a couple years ago and I appreciated the few youtube videos that showed you the details along with the end product.
Thanks, Sam. I figured that you had sandwiched the bolt between the layers on the tray. I have been trying to develop a two part table topper like the Game Topper. I want a wooden leaning ledge, and I have almost figured out how to mount them on top of the aluminum. I have a lot of stuff figured out, but I found your video very informative. Cheers.
Awesome video! What would you guys recommend for turning an existing dining room table into a gaming table with frequent switches between eating and playing?
I would recommend that you buy a custom mat that fits the table and then order the 1.5x3 inch rails that would hang over all edges about a 1/2 inch. Then all drink holders and roll in bracket accessories would work with it and the table would be super easy to build. Once you put the rails together it would look like you had a giant picture frame with no picture and that would be easy to put behind the couch, under the bed, or in a closet. Set up and put away would be quick.
This is wonderful, thank you! I see an octagonal version mentioned in the comments - my base table is round, so that would be ideal. However, I need to place a “cover” on the vault so I can keep the game in place and then eat like a dining table. It’s even more necessary to keep my dog from getting into the pieces. I would need a higher vault which is also mentioned in the comments with wood on top of the rails, to allow enough room for the pieces to remain in place with the cover on. Do you have suggestions for an octagonal table with a high rail and a cover that you can eat off of? Thank you.
Yes, my latest effort is an octagonal table that is placed on a 5’ round. How deep do you think the vault needs to be. I have a similar problem with our cat when Bodie and I get involved in a game of 7th Continent that we don’t want to folk up. I ended up wanting 2.5 inches of clearance. Do you thing that is enough? I used a plexiglass with a duct table hinge that sat on 2.5 inch holders. Bodie and I need to do a Part 2 video to should folks some of these accessories that we use. The key to the octagonal table was a bracket from Amazon that is a 135 degrees and 1.5 inches wide which allowed us to bolt the whole thing together using the T slots. I also bought an saw blade for aluminum and cut our 1.5x1.5 aluminum extrusion at 135 degrees with a radial arm saw (chop saw would work fine). Again we need to do that video to really be able to explain it well. We used a yoga mat for the neoprene mat for the bottom of the vault which was our dining room table. I’ve got a couple thoughts on the table top but that question is is a bit harder because people are used to eating from a standard height of 30 inches.
@@DeadGoldfishProd Thanks for the reply! I’m not sure how much clearance is needed. I’’d love to see your follow up to this video. Great work!
Just posted a picture of the Octagonal Table @Sam Brock is talking about. Should be able to find the post in the Community Tab.
Ohh the pain of pets and board games! I think we're still missing a piece from 7th Continent. Hence the plexiglass cover.
Great job on this video! I'm definitely going to try to build one of these. One thing I have that might improve the design is a spray paint that creates a white-board surface. Might be interesting to spray the playing surface with it for a more sturdy white-board type surface. And you can still put a mat on it for some games. How big do you think I should make this for eight players?
Whooooohoooo! When you build one let us know and we will send you a sticker or two (our only thing that has the Game Garage logo. The white board thought is an idea. I have worked with ceramic coated white board with the magnetic backing. I know they sell that stuff custom sized and I ordered a 4x8 sheet a while back but it was pricey but the real whiteboard floor and a magnetic ability is a very curious option. Now that I think about it a large piece of galvanized metal could be cut to size at a duct work type shop. We have one in our little town and I could probably get a custom piece cut for about $60-70. The tape would work great with it. For eight people I would make an interior dimension of 3’x6’ …. I personally am interested in a 42”x72” inside dimension … that extra six inches are helpful for the big games that have a board plus a tableau that you are working with. You would have to custom cut your own mat but it would be a nice big table. Enjoy the build!!
Cool idea! You could also do chalk board spray paint. Maybe? Never thought of making a table with a writing surface built in. Thanks for watching!
I’m going to use melimine board (I’ve used it for whiteboard before) comes in 4x8x3/4. It’s simpler than whiteboard paint and cost about 30-40 bucks.
I like the idea of using the extruded aluminum rails to build a gaming table, and I think this is a nice alternative that most people can do that doesn't require a lot of woodworking knowledge and tools. Here's my thoughts to improve the idea.
1. Build legs for the table and get rid of the card table. Card tables wobble, even when not bumped. While legs for the gaming table will have some level of wobble, it won't be as much as the card table. Plus, it's just a simple allen key (if I remember correctly) to tighten/loosen the bolt in the corner brackets. Legs come off and can be stored in the well.
2. I would have built the frame with the 3" side vertical, not horizontal. Sure, it means less of an arm rest, but you can expand that out with any material, like MDF. It gives you four mounting points not just two, (Please tell me you are using two brackets per corner in your design.) for each corner. This makes the corner much more stiff and less prone to flex when bumped. And speaking of stiffness:
3. I would add cross beams for two reasons. Sure, it adds to the cost and weight, but not by much on either point. Like in point 2, this is going to stiffen up the table. And the other is that you can add your "table surface" without the need for double sided sticky tape, which will fail eventually. In your design, when it fails, it won't be a problem while the table is on the card table. But, if you need to store a game in the table well while moving it, you will have problems when the tape fails. Three rails should be enough for tables around three to four feet in length. Longer, and add more rails as needed. (All depending on table material flex.) You can also add clips that slot into the rails to help hold the table down in the places where there are supporting rails underneath.
4. Speaking of points of failure, those cup holders are going to fail, and soon. The reason is that you are screwing into end grain, which is a big wood working no-no. As your table is bumped with cups loaded with fluids (not judging your beverages of choice), all that swinging weight is going to wiggle the screw until it's chewed enough wood grain to allow the weight to pull the screw out. You could swap the drywall screw with a really long bolt and a T nut (that anchors itself, you want the one with the prongs on the cap) to use the block, but that wood block looks really tacky. The rail material you're using has a screw channel down the center, and it's for putting screws into it. So why not cut a long enough piece of the 1.5" by 1.5" rail and use that instead. It'll look a lot better on the table than the wood block. Add a little lock-tite compound on the tip of the bolt, and that sucker isn't going anywhere unless you want it too.
5. I would use the brackets that let's you hide one end under the rail. This way, you can make it really obvious what screws should be used to disassemble the table when moving it. The reason I suggest this is that your table would be great for camping trips. Leg's can be unscrewed without worrying someone's going to disassemble the wrong bolts, making reassembly difficult.
By the way, you can cut the rails using a miter saw. Make sure you're using the blades recommended by the manufacturer and not whatever woodworking blades that came with the saw. Also, read up in the saw's manual for the correct procedure to cut aluminum on the saw. My daughter's old high school robotics team uses the same type of rails (usually half inch thickness) that comes with the VEX kits supplied by FIRST.
I have been trying too to rethink the cupholder design. I feel like there MUST be a design that that doesn't require adding a block of wood. I am surprised I can't find a roll-in bracket that would have the protrusion going down to attach to rather than sticking out that would help with that. hmmm
@@randybieri If you don't mind a little fab work with a drill and a vice, you could make an angle bracket out of metal. Stick a piece of metal into the vice, with the point where you want to bend at the top. Then bend it down, drill holes where things are to screw in, and then tap those holes to create threads to accept screws. (Or skip the tapping and just use nuts on the other end.
EDIT, however, I think a block of the same material as the table sides would look cool for the cup holder.
Hey Jack and Randy, I am more of a simple wood worker than anything else. The roll in bracket is what makes it so easy to insert and move around. We ordered several different possibilities but none where as good as the one in the video. You could easily buy a 1.5x1.5 that is 4 in his long and use the t slots for the side bracket and use a screw into the center and it would tank strong and match the material you are using. It would look great. We did use a longer screw (2inch) for that end grain screw and so far the stress of the 20 oz cup has not loosened anything. I totally agree on a loc-tite or glue to give it extra staying power.
I like the idea of the legs made out of aluminum. At the beginning of this we were not trying to build the very best table we were trying to figure out how to make 4 tables cheap but still cool. I like several of your ideas.
Do a little research on that tape. I am amazed at its resilience. We store the tables in sub freezing - 117 degrees and it has been amazing. I cart the tables all over and move then in and out of locations often. They take a beating and so far no failure. We are just 2 years in so we are far from an expert but my limited experience has been surprisingly good.
Lastly, I think there are tons of ways to improve the design. The method of fastening has many options of which several of them would be an improvement.
Thanks for the input and the many ideas …
Ohhh … I forgot one of the best things you mentioned. The aluminum saw blades are amazing. Cut the stuff like butter. Don’t skimp on the blade you buy but when you do get the blade you can make your own cuts custom. Just picked up a blade for the octagon table we were working on and it is a game changer!!
I have built machines with aluminum extrussions the best material and way to build mechanical structures that require precision, quick with a lot of versatility.
Totally agree!!
loved the video thanks for the ideas! I had a thought of making one of these and having the underside of the table be a picture that when not playing the whole tabletop can be hung on the wall nearby and have a cool art to display (instead of hiding under the bed lol). Has anyone else done this?
I have not heard of anybody doing this. It would be heavy so you would want to make sure to attach to studs but it would only be a couple inches think … that would be unique … send us a pic and we will make sure to post it on the community page and send you a couple of stickers!!
This is great! Thank you much for sharing. I will definitely be making one of these. Quick question, did you ever come up with a different way to do the cup holder?
Great question! @Sam Brock can tell you. He's the one that created the final version. From what I can remember there were at least 2 or 3 versions before he landed on the one shown in the video. We are open to suggestions for improvement. Some have already recommended some great improvements in the comments.
Good question. We have done the cup holder several different ways. The way we showed on the video was actually a friends idea that solved several problems with some of our other designs. We did a corner bracket with nuts and bolts and it was elegant but it loosened up and eventually came apart (which is unfortunate for a cup holder). The double screws on board meant that we didn’t have an axis point. It sits really solid but It does not pivot. I would be interested in seeing any other option but when we landed on this one, I stopped looking for anything else.
@@DeadGoldfishProd have you considered lock washers and/or lock nuts?
Question what is the part name called officially at time stamp 7.06 to 7.15, I cant find anything for t track called a roll in adapter? Loving the idea of adding t track as a modular accessory system so easy and cheap!
Ok … my third effort to answer this … it is called a Roll in panel mount adapter. Item #2488
I was in the process of ordering these materials, price has gone up a lot lol. Still much cheaper than other options. A guy at tnutz told me the corner connectors wouldn't be structurally strong enough and i needed end fasteners. End fasteners will require machining which is more money so just checking back with you. Have you had any issues since the original filming of this video that would leave you to believe those corner fasteners are not enough. I will add that my table will be 63x47 inches. Thanks for a great video.
I don't think there is a problem because the aluminum structure is bonded to the flooring. The corner connectors don't have to hold everything together on their own.
@@calciajdyeah kinda my thinking. I am not putting legs on it so it really isn’t holding anything up . I think I am just gonna go for it. Thanks
We have not had any issues and the tape and floor definitely add strength. It is pretty wobbly until you get that tape on. The corner fasteners are very strong and if I were making a top like a frame and using the table top as the bottom of my vault then I would recommend the fasteners.
@@The-Game-Garage awesome , thank you!
This is probably what I was searching for without even knowing!!
Question though. For the bars, there's a lot of options about ( Machining for the ends ) did you go with (No Machining) ?
Correct. This was confusing at the beginning but I’ve gone with no machining and just the corner brackets to attach. One of our early attempts we did a countersink but it just added extra holes to the rails that I would rather not have.
@@DeadGoldfishProd Thank you very much ! :)
Another point for dad who beat me to the comment section again!
Great idea, i was looking to buy/build a table but damn, I've built things with extruded aluminium it totally flew by my mind.
It’s amazing stuff. Fun to work with!!
Does bumping the cup holders from below knock them off the track? I've got some leg jigglers at my table, haha
Yes, probably the biggest weakness of the cup holders is the clumsiness of the people around them. They rarely fall off just get bumped often. Hasn’t been too much of a problem for us.
Bumped and then slid over so you don’t bump them again. I don’t know of a drink falling mess in the many hours of play … probably more close calls when we use the shelf bracket as a table for our food. Best part of the tslot is that you can move everything really easily so your cup is in the right spot.
Did you explore attaching the floorboards/tabletop to the bottom of the frame with L brackets and T-nuts?
Our first effort was attaching the floor boards to nuts in the bottom facing t slot. We counter sunk each bolt and the worked hard to find the nut and tighten it down. It did work. The second one I did with tape and I eventually liked the tape enough that I took the first one apart. The tape makes it so it would not be easy to take apart but it seems more sturdy with the tape that withe the 12 or so bolts that we used.
Hi! Really nice project! What's the name or number especifcly of de color of the floor laminate that you used?
Traffic Master Gray Oak sold at Home Depot. For the 3x3 table we used a 7mm thick board. We used Cross Sawn Oak Gray 12 mm (or 1/2 inch) thick for the 3x4 and bigger tables. The Traffic Master brand at Home Depot has a few different color options. Send us a pic if you build one!!
Dad got to this question before I could…not that it would matter if I got to it first cause I wouldn’t know the answer and would just have to ask him 😂
Now i need to fin these pieces in Spain
Search for T-slot extruded aluminum … maybe someone sells it … I’ve never been to Spain … or even Europe for that matter 😃
Any ETA on the updated video? Wasn't sure if there was something to learn from that before building one of these..
Also how does the Aluminum feel on your arms when you aren't wearing long sleeves? Is it cold, or doesn't really bother you?
Ohhh this is a hard one and maybe not what you want to hear. I am guessing we are March before any update on the table. Maybe you can twist Bodie’s arm to make the table the next video but we are ordering a couple of parts to see how they work and see how strong they are. We have a lot of tips and tricks to add. We have put most of the ideas in the comments that others have given and then there are a few ideas that just have to pass the “Yep we tried it and … ??? (Failed or succeeded)
The aluminum is cooler to the touch. I have never thought of it as a distraction but we do play in the garage with our hats on and a sweatshirt and hoodie. One table we build has a 1.5 x1.5 metal outside and a 1.5x1.5 wood insert so it is half metal and half wood. I’ve tried to think about this question with an unbiased opinion … I live in the desert and I like cool things … I think the table takes on the temperature of the room and therefore I don’t notice it. We’ve played with lots of folks and it hasn’t been an issue … long answer for a simple question. Sorry!
Next thing to learn is the viability of table legs out of the stuff. We will see.
We would love to the the updated video soon! But don’t have ETA 😬 like dad said, probably around March for that video.
@@DeadGoldfishProd long answer was perfect, thanks for all of that! I’m a Tax CPA by trade so it was either bite the bullet and do this asap or wait til after April, so think I might just wait so I don’t have to read too hard through all the comments! Thanks again guys, love the idea!
Awesome. Thanks for this. Just bought all the stuff to do this. Now, what can be done about adding legs to the table topper, like a slide in leg system.
The box just showed up and I unloaded it to the garage today. Unfortunately, I have a couple of responsibilities that will make me wait a week to really figure it out. Hoping to open the box and try out the legs soon (in a week). I am really curious.
Can’t wait to see your results. Also, all the supplies to do this project have arrived. Super excited.
Wow. This is the Best DIY game table ever (I'm dangerous around power tools, lol). I actually bought a Game Topper last year and I'm very happy with it. Your table is like an IKEA version of one of their tables for about half the price :). [nice Game Topper plug BTW].
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Wow! You describe the table very well. I would have agonized over a game topper when they came out on kickstarter several months ago. I ordered a couple playmates because that is what we could afford and then started noodling over a cheaper way to build a game vault. My first one had a wooden insert and was 3x3 and then we just started playing around with different designs. We need to do another “part two” video with all the design modifications that we have done and others have thought of.
Thank you, Liam!
This is a really ingenious table. The only downside is that it seems heavy and it seems to take a lot of space. Out of curiosity, have you ever considered a foldable model?
I have the hinges and metal in the garage to make a foldable table. They have been sitting for several months but I need to get back to it. I want a table that fits in the back of my Camry.
@@The-Game-Garage I would be quite interested in seeing what you come up with. I am going to try my luck with doing one with MDF. I am hoping it will turn out good but my manual / builder skills are ... inexistent... to put it nicely 😅