Folding card table

[woodcanuck]

We just had a pretty fun Euchre night and after borrowing card tables, my better half is coming around to the idea that maybe...just maybe...I could make some that would be nicer than the ugly aluminum and plastic tables that we've been borrowing.

I'm just starting to think about how I'd build them and wanted to pose some questions to see what you guys think.

1 - the table top: solid wood with breadboard ends? plywood with solid wood trim?

2 - the legs: I really like the folding legs, but how to make them? Metal mechanism? Make a wooden mechanism?

3 - the finish: Gotta withstand hot/cold drinks and snacks. Varnish? Other options for finishing it?

Thanks for any input

Ian

[PaulMarcel]

Rocker sells folding table leg hardware, which would let you make an elegantly tapered leg in striking high-gloss black Maybe cap the end with copper using copper leaf.

A plywood top would be lighter; wrap it in a frame of hardwood; the sunken recess of the plywood vs the frame would actually be nice (I think) for gaming.

Varnish would work. If you decide on a more closed-pore wood like maple (vs open pore Oak), General Finishes Polyacrylic or High Performance will be glass smooth and tough as nails. I think either GF finish would look weird on oak, though I haven't tried it (because of that opinion). Would look pasticy and the 70s are behind us so let's forget plasticy oak.

Sounds like a fun project! Be sure to hide rare earth magnets on the underside so you can tack up some key cards for later using a washer to pin them

[RenaissanceWW]

Ian,

I am building a card table right now for my in-laws for Christmas. They are Bridge players. They have a lot of nice furniture and the vinyl top, folding leg deal has become an eyesore with the rest of their decor. I actually opted to build a drop wing table with two rule joints and two swinging gate legs. This won't fold flat like the Wal-Mart brand, but it will only be 8" wide when close up and will fit nicely away against a wall. I am planning on Arm-R-Seal for my top finish. Just another alternative design from a few hundred years ago.