A Folding 4×4 Gaming Table

I’ve recently completed my folding 4×4 ultra light gaming table! Space is as a premium in my hobby room, which sometimes serves as a guest room, so a folding table was a necessity. It’s also quite nice to play outdoors sometimes, so having something that folds up makes it a lot easier to get down the stairs.

The finished table, complete with game mat. This area has a nice BBQ and a large tent covering the patio, which makes it really comfortable in the hot weather.

If I added the cost of the materials I already had, this table cost about $70 to make. I already had the legs and wood varnish, as well as the 2×4 lumber for the base, so I spent a total of $40 on screws, glue, and lumber. The construction process is quite simple, and I cut everything using a hand saw and mitre block. The steps I took are listed below in the image captions. If you’ve got any questions, please feel free to get in touch!

I glued a 1×2 frame around a 2 foot by 4 foot piece of the thinnest plywood I could find. This part will take some time if you only have three awful clamps like I did.

Then a 1×2 frame is glued and screwed to the 1×2’s we attached to the plywood already. This leaves a low lip on the opposite side of the board, useful for catching dice. Make sure you pre-drill holes for your screws!

Only do this on three sides, otherwise you’ll have a big wall in the middle of your table.

Additional blocks to give some width are added to the outside of the frame. Then, once things are perfectly lined up, hinges are attached. Pre-drill holes for the screws, put it together to test it, then once it looks good take out the hinge screws and add some wood glue before putting them back in.

To make it more portable I made a detachable base. It’s simply an H shaped piece of wood with the legs attached. It’s very light, and very stable. Final steps will be to add a handle and locking latches to keep it closed.

Playing outdoors gives some great lighting for photos!