I want a portable, non-folding, legs-that-screw-in, table
April 20, 2011 3:36 PM Subscribe
I want a portable, legs-that-screw-in wood table. Does anybody know what kind of hardware I need to make this happen or of a table for sale that has legs made to screw on and off frequently OR a folding leg table of wood that is truly a cut above a regular card table?
I live in a place so small, a table for eating or gaming is impossible. I would like to have a card table-sized table for guests. Can't be a table where two people sit across from two people, otherwise, you could read their cards! I want a wood table top that I will hang on the wall as art (I will make the artsy-fartsy stuff). The folding leg tables I have seen are rickety and have ugly tops. I used to have this table that had special metal brackets underneath that you screwed the legs into and that would be perfect but I don't know the name what I am looking for. I know I can buy legs that are ready to screw in but I want a bracket to screw them in to. If I screw them directly into the tabletop, I will quickly ream the hole out (heehee!) as I will be dismantling the table after every use.
I live in a place so small, a table for eating or gaming is impossible. I would like to have a card table-sized table for guests. Can't be a table where two people sit across from two people, otherwise, you could read their cards! I want a wood table top that I will hang on the wall as art (I will make the artsy-fartsy stuff). The folding leg tables I have seen are rickety and have ugly tops. I used to have this table that had special metal brackets underneath that you screwed the legs into and that would be perfect but I don't know the name what I am looking for. I know I can buy legs that are ready to screw in but I want a bracket to screw them in to. If I screw them directly into the tabletop, I will quickly ream the hole out (heehee!) as I will be dismantling the table after every use.
The tables you describe are just "tables." It's a common way to attach legs, you can find them everywhere, you just have to look under the table to see how the legs are attached.
posted by Max Power at 3:44 PM on April 20, 2011
posted by Max Power at 3:44 PM on April 20, 2011
If you want to make your own, something like this would work, for the table end of it.
posted by aubilenon at 3:47 PM on April 20, 2011
posted by aubilenon at 3:47 PM on April 20, 2011
Best answer: I believe you are thinking of clinch nut plates.
If you want to make one, you would also need hanger bolts and other table hardware.
Might be easier to go with the Ikea idea, though.
posted by Meta-4 at 3:48 PM on April 20, 2011
If you want to make one, you would also need hanger bolts and other table hardware.
Might be easier to go with the Ikea idea, though.
posted by Meta-4 at 3:48 PM on April 20, 2011
Best answer: I've used floor flanges and galvanized pipe to create a desk with screw-off legs. They cut and threaded the pipe for me right at the hardware store. It's maybe more heavy-duty than you need for a card table, but it's very easy and the materials are readily available.
posted by polymath at 3:55 PM on April 20, 2011
posted by polymath at 3:55 PM on April 20, 2011
Or are you thinking of corner brackets? Common on all kinds of tables.
posted by Max Power at 4:28 PM on April 20, 2011
posted by Max Power at 4:28 PM on April 20, 2011
nth Ikea.
posted by herbplarfegan at 4:47 PM on April 20, 2011
posted by herbplarfegan at 4:47 PM on April 20, 2011
I used to have a desk made from a door with plates screwed to it, and the legs screwed in to the plates. Man, what a pain it was. I have one of those ugly folding tables - the top got wet and fell apart, but the legs are in fine shape. Post to freecycle.org in your area, or Craigslist, and you might find a set.
posted by theora55 at 5:27 PM on April 20, 2011
posted by theora55 at 5:27 PM on April 20, 2011
When I was in the catering business, we had table tops that would fit over the top of a smaller table. Underneath the top was a frame that just fit over the other table and had buttons ( think of those single nail/screw twisty things you see on shed doors) that would secure the two together. as long as nobody dances on it, it should work fine.
posted by lobstah at 5:54 PM on April 20, 2011
posted by lobstah at 5:54 PM on April 20, 2011
You do mention folding legs as a possible option, so I'll direct you to folding leg brackets. These ones look sturdier than what I've seen on card tables, and could be attached to your artsy-fartsy flat surface of choice.
For screw-in, I'd go for something with a skirt and corner brackets so that you can store the legs inside while it's hanging on the wall. I have one that looks like this ikea table, and the legs fit nicely inside when I've had to move or store it.
posted by bethnull at 6:09 PM on April 20, 2011
For screw-in, I'd go for something with a skirt and corner brackets so that you can store the legs inside while it's hanging on the wall. I have one that looks like this ikea table, and the legs fit nicely inside when I've had to move or store it.
posted by bethnull at 6:09 PM on April 20, 2011
Response by poster: I've thought about IKEA but I think the legs screw directly into the table and not into a metal bracket. Considering the number of times I will be doing this, I am afraid the hole drilled into the table top will get reamed out quickly. I think a clinch nut plate is exactly what I had going on before.
posted by Foam Pants at 10:57 PM on April 20, 2011
posted by Foam Pants at 10:57 PM on April 20, 2011
I use floor flanges for desks too, as connectors on top and also as the feet. The fact that they screw in allows you to level the table by twisting the legs, which is neat. See: bottom and top.
posted by stephennelson at 11:43 PM on April 20, 2011
posted by stephennelson at 11:43 PM on April 20, 2011
Some ikea tables have the brackets that the legs screw into. Check online or just go to your local Big Blue And Yellow Box.
posted by yggdrasil at 7:47 AM on April 21, 2011
posted by yggdrasil at 7:47 AM on April 21, 2011
Response by poster: IKEA is sort of out. I am a 3 hour plane trip away from my closest one and shipping to Alaska is a complicated affair. Marine freight companies charge me per pallet, whether that pallet has a table or twenty tables, and then by weight. To justify an IKEA order, and the hassle entailed, I really need to be ordering many bulky items.
posted by Foam Pants at 9:47 AM on April 21, 2011
posted by Foam Pants at 9:47 AM on April 21, 2011
You could use a plate or a T-bolt. (see here.) That's what I'm in the middle of trying right now myself. The bolt is smaller and I think would like flatter if you plan to hang the tabletop on a wall as an art piece when not in use.
posted by Diablevert at 8:04 PM on April 23, 2011
posted by Diablevert at 8:04 PM on April 23, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by gubenuj at 3:44 PM on April 20, 2011 [1 favorite]