Simple Solo Oak Board-gaming Table

i've been playing video games since my 13, today i'm 30 :( ....

I've discover board-game 2 years ago and now i'm addicted to it. So it's obvious that i need a beautiful table to play my games in Solo, because Yes ! even if i play some games with friends, i really enjoy them when i play solo.

Games like Zombicide, or Dungeon & Dragons ? i love it and can play it for hours ! Well not really but when my table will be done i assure you i will :)

In this instructable i won't tell you what YOU NEED but WHAT I USE, because you can take this instructable and make it yours !

You can change the sizes of the table, you can change the type of wood ( Reclaim wood could be very cool i think ) you can change a lot of things ! What i want is give you ideas and show you how i did it :)

as i'm doing this table, i'm also building my shop, i already have the BIG machines :) but don't worry you can make this table without them. This instructable is about ideas and techniques, you can adapt every step and use different tools.

you can sand the wood rather and plane it if you have a band sanding machine for exemple.

So step 1 : give the wood a good shape !

One thing i really like is to start a project from the beginning - beginning.

So for this project i choose a raw piece of OAK ( that's why this table is "noble" )

I use my jigsaw to cut it in 2 parts in 2 different lenght : 120 cm and 100 cm ( the thickness is equal to 4 cm )

I want a final piece of wood of 8x3.5 cm so i use my table saw to make raw cuts at 8.5cm.

Then i use my planer to get IN THIS ORDER :

2 faces at 90° ( A and B )

2 faces parallele ( A and C )

And the last faces paralelle ( B and D )

The concept of this table is very simple : making a frame and then place this frame on table leg ( done by me of course )

i need to cut off some wood to prepare the frame.

I use my table saw to do it.

The first cut determine the depth and the width.

to do this i set up my table saw in this order :

1. distance between the blade and the guide : 15 mm. depth of cut : 30 mm
2. FIRST CUT
3. second set up :
4. distance between the blade and the guide 30 mm - depth of cut 15 mm
5. SECOND CUT

very simple but every time i do this i need to think twice before making the cut xD.

i'm very happy of the cuts but looking to the piece of wood i thought, this is to simple.

So i use my table saw AND my router to add details on the wood.

I set the depth of cut on the table saw to 2 mm and do several cuts.

Then i use my router to round the angles.

IMPORTANT when you use a router : ALWAYS PUSHING !

once the "profil" on the pieces of wood is done, i have to cut the pieces at the wished lenght.

i changed my saw blade // VERY IMPORTANT // always choose the right blade for the right cut.

i choose a blade with 60 tooth to get a very clean cut !

then i simply cut the 4 pieces at the wished lenght : 2 at 110 cm and 2 at 85 cm.

The frame will be glued with Titebond glue, even if this glue is very strong i decide to use my jointer to make the joint and the gluing more stronger.

i had predicted that the lamello will be too long, i just cut it with my Japanese saw.

WITHOUT GLUE, i'm doing a testing fit. it's almost perfect :)

Next step : sanding all the pieces and glue them together :)

When the frame is glued, i made a quick template to use my jointer on the angles.

I will use the jointer to make a cut on the angle and glue a piece of wood into the cut.

This will make the frame very strong and PLUS it will look beautiful :).

the template is very simple : 2 pieces of wood cut at 45° and glued together. Then i add small piece of wood to guide the jointer. TEMPLATE IS DONE :)

I use dark exotic wood to add a "design touch".

Once the glue is dry, i cut and sand the corners.

Then to finish it i apply a layer of LIN OIL.

for this step i have to apologies because i was literally absorbed by the project and forgot to take pics.

I've take some videos of differents steps, there is nothing difficult, it's just mortises and tenons.

The tenons are made with the table saw, and the mortises made with my column drill.

I made a new template to cut the legs, because the legs look better if they are not just straight line :)

i glued them together and then i made the 2 traverses to join the 2 legs together.

i use my router and the "dovetail bit" to create the assembly system.

i can't give you sizes or advice's because this is the first time i use this technic and did this ! by the way i'm very happy to see how it turn out :) event if the fit is not perfect :(

at this point i was so enthusiast, i couldn't resist to make a temporary assembly.

and i'm soooooooooooo happy and proud of my table ! can't wait to get my fabric to finish it !

the table is fully removable.

i use wood corners to block the table in place. then i put the frame on top of the legs.

DONE ! the table is set YATAH !!!!

Finally to compares the size of the table and some boardgames i put some board on the table :)

Games : Massive darkness - Vanguard of war - Mythic battle pantheon.

Conclusion : i will add some personals trays to hold cards and stuff like that on the edges of the table.

I already know how i will do it and i promise i will upgrade this instructable when they will be done but for the moment ths instructable is done !

i hope you enjoyed this build and enjoyed the final table. if you got any questions feel free to ask in the coments :)

Have a good dice roll and have fun guy's

nothing complicated here but i want to share with you how i plane the board.

it's the first time i try it and the result is really good.

The idea is to tilt the board under the planer. to do that i glued some wood rod under the oak board and then i planed it.

i've uploaded a video on youtube to show you the plane step, i think it's more efficient than a lot of explications.

Next one : cards holder