My Game Table on the Cheap

One of the things that I have always wanted was game table. I have a room that was being used for "storage", if you know what I mean. It's big enough to handle a 4x6 table with walking space around all four sides. In the picture below, you can see that I'm using cheap bookcases for pedestals to support the tabletop. I think these are made by Sauder, but to be honest I've had them for so long I really can't be sure. Anyhow, I outlined the table on the floor with masking tape to ensure I got everything aligned right. The boards under the bookcases are plain white, cheap, pine. Their purpose is to keep the bookcases stable on the carpeted floor. You can see that there is a huge amount of storage under this table and in the bookcases.

Here's another view of the same stage of assembly. It gives you a little better idea of the space around the table--not much, but enough.

This next picture is the four bookcases with a 4x6 chunk of plywood on top. This is pretty heavy stuff, 3/4", but it's pretty cheap since it doesn't have to be finished. B-C will work just fine. Most DIY stores will give you one cut for free on every piece of lumber. I had them do it on their big saw to make sure it is straight. After I put the top on the bookcases, I coverd the edge of the plywood with a couple of layers of wide masking tape to prevent picking up splinters. In the picture I've unrolled my Geohex mats, one on top of each other. It's great to be able to store these flat! The Geohex mats are slightly larger than 4x6. That's a good reason to use unfinished ply for the tabletop; it "grips" the underside of the bottom mat and keeps everything from moving as you brush against the overhanging mat fringe.

I want to be able to use the table for other things as well, like my miniatures photography so I also got two 3x4 pressboard sheets. I decided to use two for ease of handling. They go on top when I need the table to sort miniatures or set up my light box for photography. Not shown in this picture are the two $10 metal stools I got from Wal*Mart (which fold).

So there you have it. My game table. Cheap, simple, and easy to disassemble when you need the room for that unexpeceted relative who shows up. The table top and masonite go behind the bookcases which get moved against the wall to make room for the guest air mattress.