Welcome to my modest RU-vid channel! I first started this as a means to share my Amazing Compact Mobile Workbench (ACMW) - a little bench I designed and built in 2018- with the hope of contributing something to a woodworking community that genuinely excites and inspires me. Most of what I've learned has been from watching RU-vid, and I wanted to offer something as a way of paying-it-forward and share what is hopefully a helpful design. With the encouragement of others (particularly @ShopNation), I have since added a slow (very slow) stream of other projects, including my SuperPly Gaming Table, which I really dig. I am a hobbyist, musician, television producer by trade, and all-around idiot, and occasionally feel like I have something to share that others might find interesting. Please enjoy, and thanks for stopping by! - Jordan
A year later and still waiting on the "next build". More videos please. Seriously though, great projects on this channel, I just wish there was more content. Def planning on building this table though.
Thanks man, I wish there was more too. All I can say is its been a pretty bad year, but things are on the up and I'm looking to put more stuff out soon. Thank you for the encouragement!
Great build - we're going for it! Just ordered some parts and bits. Curious as to the grade of plywood that you used as both sides appear different. ADDENDUM - This is a perfect project for me and my high school graduate grandson who loves to play board games. I needed a good excuse to purchase a better and more manageable table saw and this was it. Also purchased many accessories like the Incra V27 Miter Gauge & Bow XT Extender to make it easier to work with a new "job site" size table saw that we can move around as needed. Also purchased a new router that was a vast improvement over my ancient one. The plan measurements are spot on correct and everything fit precisely (to my amazement). Not so much for your superb detail plans but for our precision in cutting and shaping the pieces. All of the bottom 2 1/2 inch pieces fit precisely where they should with minimal or no resizing.
Amazing, very excited for you!! I used the best plywood Home Depot had that day 😅So that was an A-grade 5-ply, I believe oak. There was a time when I did everything I could with their baltic birch but if I remember correctly that had already become scarce when I made my table. I did my best to match everything but it could always be better, you know? Good luck with your build, feel free to hit me up with any questions!
@@withJordanFrank OK, thanks. What would be the impact of the alternative of very carefully (and slowly) using a jig/sabre saw to cut the rectangular openings on the 4 side panels? I'm not sure we have a router that can take 1/2 inch bits and 1/4 shank bits do not appear to be an option from our Infinity. Would it create to many splinters? Even if we used tape?
Hi Jordan, love your videos. Quick question - How has the arm rest held up over time? It seems like having only the back portion fixed to the table and the accessories hanging from the underside would put a lot of pressure on such a big overhang?
How dare you question the design?? Just kidding that’s a great question. So the armrests are glued, nailed, and screwed to the piece below. They also rest on the four legs in the corners, which is a big help. The accessories slide in right against the table apron/sides so they’re stable and distribute some of that weight into the table. I’m not saying you can’t break the armrests off, but I think it would take some real effort or serious weight to do it, far more than the few accessories and/or elbows. Mine haven’t budged at all after a few years use.
5 months ago I bought your step by step guide because this is actually the very first video who inspired me on doing somthing that I really wanted to do for some time; specially because is not playing cheap tricks on screens on the surface, diy that are not really diy unless you have very expensive equipment, etc. Anyway, after 4 months today I just finished all my plans on metric system for a 18mm plywood board (here in Spain 99% of suppliers work with 18mm or 22mm.), adding my own tweaks and preferences and now I'm ready for the next step. Have a few "wholesale companies" that will make a budget for cutting all the pieces and I hope to do the assembling. Really hope I can update with a new finished gaming table with a few months :) Thanks for all the tutorials and great support!
Hi there! Its cool, if you’re new to RU-vid it depends on how you’re viewing the video (phone, pc, etc) but you should see something below the title (over by where it says “4 years ago” ) that says “more” with an arrow- click on that word or arrow to expand the Description and you’ll see the links, info, all that good stuff. That’s how it works for any video on YT. Hope that helps!
Thanks Mike! I don’t have an exact weight but it’s fairly heavy. Two people can move it though with no issues. I would not recommend going 1/2” - I think there are too many spots where 1/2” might want to warp. Particularly the leaves- those should absolutely stay at 3/4”. Hope that helps!
Just watched your entire series - great inspiration for my own upcoming gaming table :) How come you didn't use some LED diffuser panels for your LED strip? It does make it easier on the eyes. What size is your glue bottle?
Ooh, love that. I hope you can grab a few ideas for your own design. And super excellent question: to be honest when I built it I was unaware of those diffuser panels and channels, but came across them after the fact and definitely thought they’d be a step up. Could I switch them out for those now? Sure. Will I? No, because I’m lazy. BUT if I was doing it again I might invest in those for a cleaner look and softer lighting. Great suggestion, and good luck with your build!
Hi, how big is the gap inside between the leaves and the playmat? Wondering how big of a game can be stored (or dnd terrain, etc). It's an amazing design!
Thank you! The depth of the “vault” is 3”, the leaves are 3/4”, so if you put the leaves on that gives you approximately 2 1/4” of space under the leaves for your pieces, puzzles, etc. If you wanted a vault with more depth (at the cost of a taller table) you could pretty easily scale that up simply by making the four side-pieces deeper; nothing else would have to change.
Hello, new homer owner here and soon to be father, i havent ever crafted anything more than a bird house in my life and am considering buying power tools ect to do projects like this as a hobby and money saver. Would this be a good beginner project or would i be in over my head?
First: congrats on your new home! Second, more important than the first: congrats on the soon-to-be father hood!! That’s so great! I’m going to be pretty straight up and suggest you do NOT tackle this as your first real project; it’s a medium-level build for sure and will require things you might not think about like a lot of clamps, a router, a brad-nailer, a pocket-hole jig…. I mean unless you’re just diving full on in and spending a bunch of money at once, but… most people kind of start with a decent table saw, maybe a miter saw, and then your standard cordless handheld staples like a drill, a driver, a jigsaw, etc. And the rule of thumb is you buy the tool you need for the next project, and slowly build it up from there. You could always get lucky and find someone selling a bunch of stuff at once, but I feel like starting from scratch with this table would be asking a lot. You’d certainly learn a lot, but I don’t know if I’d be that brave if I was in your position 😂
Awesome.....you earned a new sub!! I hate our current DR table, and have been trying to figure out a way to make any replacement way more functional!! This has given me a TON of ideas....
All you need is to believe in yourself*! *and a table saw, router, pocket-hole jig, drill-press is helpful, sander, a lot of clamps, $600 and a month to do it. But mostly just belief in yourself.
dude wtf i skipped around through some of the videos, and youre a part of quasar wut wut!? wtf! taro sound is amazing, i can't believe it. crazy what roads board games has taken me down.
Wow. Yep, QWW's bassist and all-around-idiot since 1994! You are the first person Ever to comment on being both into woodworking and an obscure album from 2005, so now you're my best friend. Sorry!
GTFO! Dude, Johnny, I've been watching you forever! You're one of my main RU-vid guys, and I'm not just saying that. I've been thrilled for you in your new space (which is awesome), and always hoped that one day I could make it down for a class. Seriously though, its a real thrill for me that you saw this and like it, you're a big inspiration and I can't wait to see what your take on a gaming table is. Thanks for commenting, made my day!
@@withJordanFrank that's awesome man, thanks so much! I definitely want to do the classes at some point once the attic space is finished out, it'd be a lot of fun. I'm about to dive into SketchUp to try and figure out how I want to build this table, wish me luck!
I am impressed with the number of features you were able to incorporate into this workbench. Just curious how easy to push it around. Min is much smaller with no tools on it and its heavy to move it
Before you showed your token holder I thought it would be cool to have a metal strip or panel that you could put them on with the magnets. Thanks for going through this. Now I have to look at your other videos to see what you do. Oh, and check out your band.
My thoughts on your build so far ( haven't watched part 3 yet). You are doing a great job of explaining what you are doing and why. I find this very helpful, since I have always wanted to build a table. You could have used the puck band saw jig to hold the puck in place while you sanded it. Not sure how many times I found an easier way to do something well after I already finished it. I have been enjoying your humor. Thank you for sharing this.
Thank you! And you are the second person to make that suggestion of reusing the circle jig for sanding and that is definitely better than how I did it, so thank you for that
Those cool disks are not worth losing your fingers. Routers are not forgiving. If you can create a jig to cut them on your bandsaw (which also looks dangerous but less), you could come up with a jig to save your fingers. "The dildo of consequences is often delivered un-lubed."
Truer words never spoken. Very little is worth losing your fingers over, especially wooden game discs. I will say I feel extremely comfortable with the bandsaw jig, but for the chamfer on the router a jig would definitely be the way to go. Actually what I would probably do if doing again is kill two birds with one stone and instead of unsuccessfully bringing a sander to the tokens, clamp the sander upside down in a vice and bring the tokens to the sander. Then, while sanding, just smooth down the top edges. Doesn’t need to be an actual chamfer. Safer and easier.
@@withJordanFrank Yea, that sounds like a great plan. I am thinking of doing a gaming table, I really like your design btw, a spot to place the tops for the vault inside of the table and then a reverse ability to be functional is brilliant. I also liked your solution of using the T-Track. If I do a video, I will be sure to give you credit for any of your cool ideas I use.
So far so good. No warping. I think it might be that I coated all sides with three coats of poly so it’s an even seal, but I suspect it’s more the tongue-and-groove joints between each leaf that is helping them keep flat.
I definitely did some comparative research for inspiration (Wyrmwood being a big favorite) but I’m unfamiliar with the Table of Ultimate Gaming. I’ll take it as a compliment?
Thanks Tysto! To be honest that wasn’t the original intention- it was to be able to store the leaves in the table. But then it occurred to me that leaves have two sides so why not add a little option to make it useful? Got lucky with that one
Hey Great build series! Would love an update on how the plywood is holding up and how practical you find it. I oogle this table so much. My husband is concerned that as a D&D player or DM these types of rails don’t hold books and dice and character sheets etc. Do you play any accessory intense RPG to help me convince him to build? Also do you have affiliate links for your plywood router bits, magnets etc? Happy to support if so :) Also faux car upholstery leather makes a great surface that doesn’t streak if you’re considering replacing.
Wow, so much great stuff here, thank you! First I will say I do not have any sponsors or affiliate links or anything like that, I’m not very business minded but probably should be, but thank you for asking. Second that’s a cool tip for a play surface, I will note that somewhere, thank you. Lastly, most importantly, I’ve had zero issues with the durability of the table. None. The closest game I play to D&D might be something like Scythe, but that doesn’t support books or character sheets or anything big and vertical like that. I have no actual plans at the moment to design accessories specifically for D&D, but the beauty of the rail system on this table is the all use the same back piece, so you can make whatever custom accessories you want as long as you fit it in the back pieces. You could absolutely have a larger tray capable of supporting books, etc. I can think of other ways to hook something over the top as well. I’d be happy to consult with you for ideas if it would help
Awesome build, great idea with the t track. One question. I did the same think with a 3/4" plywood for the leaves. But they are warping bad, have you noticed issues with this? I was thinking about inlaying steel track or something to force them straight.
Thanks man, I appreciate it. Sorry to hear about your warping, that sucks. I will say I have not had that issue- I don't know if it's because I was careful to coat them all over with 3 coats of poly, or, and I suspect this helps, I think having the tongue-and-groove connection between the leaves might help. It keeps them semi-locked in with each other when they're on the table, and that might be enough to keep them flat. I don't know, but sorry to hear about yours.
@@withJordanFrank Thanks for the response and happy to hear your table top is solid! I actually glued/nailed another 3/4" piece of ply to my leaves underneath, just smaller so it still fits in the slots on the sides. The leaves to feel alot more substantial. At first glance it appears that it did fix my issue. But wont know until its completely dry. Thanks again!
They make screw on ND magnets as well. I've stopped using the adhesive ones, because without fail, they come off down the road. Sometimes a month, sometimes a couple of years. Might not be an issue for you, I think it's my dry climate because I live in a high desert. Not even VHB tape or command strips stay up. They always fall eventually.
That's a great suggestion, because, and I'm not kidding, every single one of the magnets in the legs eventually fell out and I had to glue them all back in with CA glue. The ones in the tokens were already glued in with CA and I haven't had an issue. So yes, adhesive backed ≠ no good. Screw-in or glue-in for the win.
@@withJordanFrank UGH. Yeah this happened with me recently on some magnets I epoxied into an aluminum work surface for holding down a metal sheet I need to be removable. The magnets recently started coming off with the metal sheet. The screw down ones have been good so far. I'm designing a 3d printable cable management system that uses them. They have way more holding power than I thought they would.
I wonder how difficult it would be to make it half as long again so that the sides fit 3 each instead of 2. I often have a lot of people for game night.
I can't tell you exactly how difficult it would be :), but I Can tell you the legs will hold the difference just fine. You would have to scale the leaves and adjust the spacing of the internal bracing to hold the larger leaves, and you would have to adjust the size of the holes in the skirts to handle the larger leaves. You might also run into a limitation if your skirts need to be longer than 8' (that's the longest you can typically get sheets of ply). So there'd be a lot of scaling and adjusting for that, but it seems doable.
I hope that one day I can have a home and a shop so that I can build and enjoy this table. This is a great design I love the plywood aesthetic. Thanks for sharing your design
Ooh, interesting question. I don't see why not. The legs are definitely strong enough, you wouldn't need to change anything there. Still utilizing full sheets of ply you could only expand it about 7-8" wider, but the length could go quite a ways longer for sure. You'd probably still only fit one person at each end of the table, but the middle could hold three-per side instead of two and that would get you to eight people.
I like your handle, that’s my motto too. But yeah, that might have worked. The easier way to do it (that I spaced on at the time) would have been to put the sander upside down in a vice and then just brought each token to it. Hindsight is something something….
@@withJordanFrank I'm "planning" on converting my dining table into a gaming table - at some point between now and the heat death of the universe :D. Yeah, hindsight is great - but you did a great job regardless.
When I bought the materials in 2021 the approximate cost to build the table with all the bells and whistles was $575. This will vary for everyone depending on cost of materials at time of purchase and if you choose to add everything. Plywood: $340, Miscellaneous: $160, Electronics: $75. Approximately. Hope that helps!
Unfortunately it was a small company that is no longer in business, but a quick "gaming mat" search on Etsy pulled up a lot of places that will do custom sizes. You shouldn't have any trouble getting a mat made for any size you want
How much modification do you think would be necessary to make this work with hardwood? Seems like the internals could be plywood for structure and avoiding movement, then hardwood for the skirts toppers and legs?
Thanks Christopher for the interest. Yes, you could 100% substitute hardwood anywhere for the plywood with minimal adjustments. In fact the only thing I can think of off the top of my head would be making sure the boards used in the legs were milled to the exact same thickness as the skirts (due to how the skirts slip into a gap in the legs). Obviously you’d have to glue up panels to make the leaves, so that’s some additional steps, but otherwise you would have no problems. If you do it I’d love to see photos!
I built one very similar to this, but nowhere near as finely finished. If I were to do it again, I'd definitely include several of the features of yours! Fantastic job!
Yeah you do! 😂 Fill that space! Thank you though for the interest, I appreciate it. And if you do decide to build it please reach out with any questions!
Awesome, thanks Sam! The two screws in each accessory can’t be seen when you attach them to the table, but I take your point that they’re a little obvious when not on the table. You could make something fancier with a similar shape made out of wood; maybe brass screws to class it up a bit? If you think of something cool let me know!
