How to Make a Portable Gaming Table

Tabletop

• 1

  Sand the plywood tabletop with 40, 100 and then 220-grit sandpaper, in that order, wearing the face mask. Create the tabletop before attaching the legs so that you have a sturdy work surface for painting your gaming designs.

• 2

  Measure a two-inch trim around your tabletop and mark with a pencil. Your game boards will be drawn inside of the trim.

• 3

  Outline gaming designs with a straight edge and pencil. Checkers, chess, and backgammon are a few games that involve angular shapes, such as squares and triangles. Consult a game board for accuracy.

• 4

  Paint your gaming table outline with acrylic paint and paintbrushes. Let it dry overnight.

• 5

  Apply a sealant or glaze to the entire surface of your tabletop. Allow sealant to set overnight.

Legs

• 6

  Clamp lumber for table legs to work table. Measure them according to preference. Use an existing table as a guide to make sure your table ends up resting at a comfortable height. Cut table legs to size with the saw.

• 7

  Sand legs with sandpaper. Use coarse, 40-grit sandpaper first, then 100-grit, and finish with fine, 220-grit. Use an electric sander or sanding block.

• 8

  Turn the painted and dried plywood tabletop so that the bottom is facing up. Measure a one to two-inch trim around the table and mark with pencil.

• 9

  Screw hinges onto the table legs where they will meet the tabletop.

• 10

  Screw legs with hinges onto all four corners of the table. Screw them in the direction that will allow the legs to fold in across the table rather than outwards away from the table. Attach legs on the inside of the trim you measured in step three.