What material to use for a large table surface?

[hakan]

Hi,

I'm wanting to build some tables for games events, and being a not-handy person I could use some advice on material to use. This also has to be done on a fairly tight budget.

The table surfaces need to be 1.8m x 1.2m, and looking at making 10 of these.

Due to budget constraints, I plan to first acquire the table surface (and place on existing trestle tables at the venue), and later add foldable/removable legs and any needed support.

My main question at this point is what to use for the main table surface? First thought was plywood/mdf (because cheap), but I'm unsure what amount of support braces this will require to avoid sagging or such when adding legs and if it'd still be suitable. And if it could work, what thickness I would need.

Any advice is much appreciated!

[Dave-1]

Good Morning @hakan

Mmmmm you have an interesting question.

Welome to the bunnings community Hopefully we will be able to help you find a solution for the tables.

A couple of questions first to help with ideas.

The size of the table top you are thinking of may make the tables resonably heavy. Is there somewhere you are thinking of storing them and what is the size of the area you will store them in?

I was thinking of the ultra smooth black timber sheet  SpecRite 2400 x 1200 x 17mm Film Faced Non Structural Plywood It may be heavy but it will be smooth and repel water/drinks. Otherwise some 12mm standard plywood would also work if sitting on an existing table.

You could go for some carpenter horses for the legs of these if you wanted. There are a few differant styles that you could make easily. 

Saw horses (Upcycled Telstra installation stands) Are ones that I have and I intend to make more of for the same reason you want. These work really well standing on end at an angle. 

Wether you use standard horses or the Telstra styled ones I would suggest a locking frame on the underside of the tabletop. just something that goes around the horses top so it wont slide so easily. (Think a picture frame that matches up to the top of the horse on the underside of the table)

If you go for premade legs you may also need some straight rails to attach on the underside of the table top to stop saging. I would place the legs in 1/5th of the table either end and have the straight rails between the foldable legs.

Dave

[hakan]

Thanks @Dave-1 for the reply

Storage will probably be in a garage or similar - that's the main reason for wanting foldable/removable legs down the line to make storage a bit easier.

The smooth plywood looks nice - though I have to admit I'd love to get the price for 10 of these <$5-600 if possible (working on a $800 budget, where $300 will likely to to venue). I had looked at Ecoply 2400 x 1200 x 12mm Non Structural Plywood - 12mm as a cheap option, just wasn't sure if the thickness would be enough. Painting them to look nicer could always be done down the line. But the game will use mats to cover a large part of it (60"x44" to be exact).

Would you recommend plywood over mdf?

When I get to the legs part, they don't have to be fancy. Probably be looking at slightly longer ones (if the table surface is at ~90cm height that tends to be nicer for the players' backs).

[Dave-1]

Afternoon @hakan 

If you install the rails on the underside then the strength will be enough, without the rails it will want to act lika a bannana lol

As to MDF I avoid it if at all possible for two reasons... Its compressed cardboard is what my mind thinks of every time (washing machine leak and the skirting board was mdf years ago.... ) Plus its super heavy. yeah dont want to lug that around.

So thats why Id choose the plywood. It does look good when oiled/varnished. I lke the colouring but can be painted as well.

Dave

[JacobZ]

Hi @hakan,

I just want to offer a warm welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community.

It looks like @Dave-1, one of our community's finest, has already jumped in with some fantastic advice.

As Dave has said, MDF is essentially glue and very compressed sawdust. It is surprisingly heavy compared to plywood and will act the same way cardboard does when it gets wet. On average it is cheaper than plywood, but you would need to seal it well with paint if any liquid is going to be near it. I suppose if you make a "no drinks on the table" rule it wouldn't matter so much, but it's worth knowing that it can be troublesome if it gets wet.

Similarly to Dave, I'd recommend plywood as it is less susceptible to swelling, is lighter than MDF and when supported well, is just as strong if not stronger. The Ecoply 2400 x 1200 x 12mm Non Structural Plywood would work fine, but it is likely going to have some sag in between the legs if you don't add a supporting frame.

Adding a supporting frame on the underside of the table will help distribute the weight and lock the legs in place. Check out How to build a dining table using Specrite panels for an example of a similar project where I've advised and given some details about adding a supporting frame to the underside of a table.

Unfortunately, I'm not aware of a premade product that fulfils the requirements of being foldable and sitting at the right height. These Craftright Folding Metal Leg Saw Horses or these Craftright Metal Saw Horses are good options, but your table would sit a little bit below the 900mm height.

Let me know what you think and if you have further questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

Jacob