Homemade Camping Table

[4x4mike]

I thought I'd post here to document a table I want to build. Nothing fancy, just a little custom and functional. I figure I'll bounce ideas off everyone and take suggestions. We have several folding tables but the smallest is 6 feet so it means seats down. The folding table is also about 4" thick and a little heavy.

Requirements are simple:
-Has to fit in the back of the 4runner, between the wheel wells and with the seats in the up position. With my Husky cargo mat that's about 3' by 3'4".
-Can't break the bank. After all it's a homemade table. For all intensive purposes I'd use a milk crate, the wife thinks differently.
-Has to be lightweight. Not featherlite, it's for car camping. Just can't be heavier than it need to be.
-Has to be durable. I don't want to have to maintain this thing, just use it.

So for the table top I'm thinking plywood. It's cheap, comes in different thicknesses, can be painted, sanded, drilled, replaced; all pretty easily. I'd probably buy a 4x8 sheet and cut to my size. Finish it up with the sander and probably coat with paint. Other ideas were plastic (good plastic that's stiff enough would be too expensive). My wife mentioned laminate board but it's heavy and I don't think it'll be as durable.

Next is legs. Ideally the legs would fold in and be adjustable for uneven surfaces. After looking around these legs are 1)expensive, 2) require a table top larger than I want, 3)heavy, and 4)will probably we loud clanging around in the back on the vehicle.

I took a trip to home depot and cruised all the isles. One choice is EMT conduit. I'm thinking around 1" diameter, ~$4 (10'). It's stiff and because of the thin wall, light. The problem is the ends. I'm having difficulty thinking of how to attach 4 legs to the bottom of plywood. I was thinking maybe copper caps. Drill the cap, insert nut and bolt, glue cap to leg end, then thread the bolt end into the table some how.

Another choice is PVC. It comes in different diameters and you can add all kinds of things to the ends. I'm wanting the legs to be about 30" long. PVC in a small diameter or too long is not very stiff longitudinally. 1" at about 28-30" looks to be stiff enough. I took a trip to the couplers and such and started thinking.

[4x4mike]

In the PVC isle I started brain storming. I was really hungry it wasn't going well. I did buy a few pieces thinking it may work. Here is what I'm thinking.
This is all 1" diameter.

First is a threaded cap.
[img width=800 height=600]http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/Homemade%20Table/DSC06829.jpg[/img]

[img width=800 height=600]http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/Homemade%20Table/DSC06831.jpg[/img]

Drill a hole in it.

[img width=800 height=600]http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/Homemade%20Table/DSC06832.jpg[/img]

Sand down the top to make it a little flatter.
[img width=800 height=600]http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/Homemade%20Table/DSC06834.jpg[/img]
The idea is to mount this on the underside of the table top. It will be bolted down and the female thread will accept male threads on the tops of the legs.

The bolt will be a carriage bolt so the table top is still somewhat smooth.
[img width=800 height=600]http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/Homemade%20Table/DSC06833.jpg[/img]

I didn't buy any wood but this is it together, just to get an idea (test wood).
[img width=800 height=600]http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/Homemade%20Table/DSC06836.jpg[/img]

[img width=800 height=600]http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/Homemade%20Table/DSC06837.jpg[/img]

Top view. I think I'd try to sink it down a bit but I'm not sure how well I can do that with ply wood. I picture pieces of it flaking off and ruining the area around the hole.
[img width=800 height=600]http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/Homemade%20Table/DSC06835.jpg[/img]

Now picture the table top with this configuration on each corner. They would always be there, bolted on. Next would be the 30" or so legs. Each one would get a male thread adapter. The legs would screw on like a light bulb.
Here is the adapter without a leg.
[img width=800 height=600]http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/Homemade%20Table/DSC06839.jpg[/img]

I'm not sure if I'd even glue it on the leg.
[img width=800 height=600]http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/Homemade%20Table/DSC06840.jpg[/img]

[4x4mike]

So what do you think?
The PVC pieces I bought along with the bolt ran me about $1. A whole table would be about $20, total. 1" seems stout enough for cooking and eating off of. I'm not looking for bomber strength but again function, weight and size. The 1" pieces are pretty thick and I don't imagine them breaking easily. If the legs were a little flimsy I was thinking I could slip a smaller diameter PVC inside.

Is all 1" PVC the same wall thickness? All HD had was sch. 40. Is there something else out there in 1" that is thicker?

I've seen and used these but the price is outrageous. I've used these and I haven't been impressed.

Any other ideas?

[reggie 00]

I have some ideas for ya.

Not sure what your goal on weight is. but here goes:

like the plywood idea, i just got done making a new dinning room table with Pops, kids sure can destroy things fast.
We used a sheet of Birch plywood and a sheet of 3/4 mdf. The MDF really added some heft to the table. another idea would be using the MDF and coating the top with some simple fiberglass. that should pretty much make it indestructible.

On the legs i like the emt. and to make them adjustable get two types make them slide into one another and you can drill holes to pin them to the length you need.

For attaching them to the table a cup you can screw, sandwich into the bottom and just pin the leg to it.

for storage so they don't roll around, use a router to cut reliefs into the bottom and store the legs there with some simple cover or Velcro to strap em down.

that's the first things that came to mind as i read the post, hope they help.

[slosurfer]

Don't forget a built in led light.

Looks like a good idea. Only thing I would worry about would be the stability of it with no corner braces, but the only way to tell is to build it and then see how it much you can move by putting your hand in the center of the table and trying to move the tabletop in all directions.

If it is too wobbly at that point, I'm sure you can come up with some type of corner bracing.

[4x4mike]

I like your ideas. Routering and all.

I don't think the table needs to be very thick. Just cruising around Homie D I found and liked the 19/32" plywood. I think only one layer and that thickness is good. This thing won't be for sitting or standing on. If it were it wouldn't have plastic legs and a thin top.

Now if it were thicker, even on the corners, it would be easy to sink some caps in some of the wood. Maybe glue a 3"x3" square on each corner, drill it out and sink a cap in. Then drill a pin hole in the side. Metal legs would just slip in and get pinned. And then fiberglassing the top, nice.

Now I have never worked with the stuff. I suppose you just sand down the top and lay the stuff on? That would clean up the edges and make the glued on corner squares look a little cleaner. Question about it though. I've seen it done on TV and it looks like it can be messy. Can you do it in stages? Like the top and then once that's dry flip it over and do the sides. If it were done in one step I picture it being pretty sloppy. Top first and then sides, all with one piece of cloth.

Is the finished product brittle? I'm thinking it will be strong but I picture the wood flexing and the fiberglass cracking or popping off.

[Good Times]

Target sells these:
$25.00 Table



I know you're lookin at budget so I thought I'd throw this one at ya since I saw it and it didn't look that bad.

[4x4mike]

Don't forget a built in led light.

Looks like a good idea. Only thing I would worry about would be the stability of it with no corner braces, but the only way to tell is to build it and then see how it much you can move by putting your hand in the center of the table and trying to move the tabletop in all directions.

If it is too wobbly at that point, I'm sure you can come up with some type of corner bracing.

Ken brought up the leds. At home depot I was thinking a solar panel hanging from one side to charge batteries housed in the legs would be pretty trick. Marin saw me thinking up something with a smile and scoffed, I think she was reading my mind.

I agree with the bracing. Even the little square card tables have some. The pvc is larger diameter but lack of rigidity could be an issue. That's why I was thinking emt. The carrage bolt is large though and with the sanded top it's a good anchor. Now I think I may house the caps in wood to make them a little more solid.

[4x4mike]

Target sells these:
$25.00 Table



I know you're lookin at budget so I thought I'd throw this one at ya since I saw it and it didn't look that bad.

I know, I've seen those and some of my REI friends have those. I want something that is taller, a little larger surface and something that I can cook on. One of the things I miss about my truck is the tail gate. It was great for everything from sitting to cooking. This table needs to put up with a camp stove. Practically it's got to put up with a really hot camp stove that is popping hot bacon grease all over the place. I guess it'll also double as a changing table too.

[slosurfer]

For fiberglass, you do the bottom first. Cut the sheet so that it can fold over the edge partway . Resin it. Then do the top in the same manner, but cut the sheet so that it not only folds onto the edge, but also onto the bottom just a little bit. If you want to get real fancy, do a color resin on the top.

To be honest, I'm not sure how will the resin and fiberglass will bond with plywood (call a boatshop about this). As long as they say it bonds well, then I wouldn't worry about it flexing. I doubt for the size you're doing, it is going to flex anymore than a 12ft. longboard. For that matter, get a giant blank and shape yourself table.

It would be real easy to recess your led lights into the fiberglass table and glass right over the top of them. Not so easy to change them if they ever go out though.