Ping Pong Table

[dlcpa]

I am thinking about making my own Ping Pong Table. I want it to be a good one, like some of the professional tables, so I need 1 inch of

25mm MDF. The two table tops would be 5 x 4 1/2 each, which is not an easy size to find. Any idea if that can be dound? Looking on the internet, I did see some wholesalers that have something like 2600mm x 2260mm or close to that, Some may be moisture resistant.

Do any of you have blueprints for making a table that folds up and has casters?

I was thinking of using PVC piping instead of square metal tubes for the legs. How does that sound? They key will be to make it so that the table tops meet or come within 5/16 to a half inch of each other. I would think, if I don't use the PVC, making a metal base might mae the project out of the question.

A good table, made out of 25mm MDF sells for from $500 to $1,000.

[LP]

Check with some local cabinet shops. They can (if they will) get you a 5' X 10' sheet that actually measures 61" X 121" so you can get your desired sizes without losing anything to saw kerfs.

I'm making a very wild guess that in 1" thickness this will cost you about $80 per sheet.

[Doug Miller]

The home center stores don't carry MDF any wider than 49", but dealers that supply cabinetmaking shops do. It's typically available in 5x9, 5x10, and 5x12 sheets. These are all 1" oversize, so a nominal 5x9 is actually 61"x145", which is long enough to give you two 60"x54" pieces even after allowing for the saw kerf across the middle.

Can't help there. But I suspect that you're getting into the territory where it might be more practical to buy one.

Better go with _at_least_ 1" Schedule 80 pipe for stiffness. How will you attach it?

You'll need some sort of frame for it anyway, to prevent it from sagging under its own weight. Aluminum angle might work.

Any table made of 25mm MDF would fall into the "premium" category, not "good". Likewise, anything in that price range (assuming you mean US dollars) falls into the "premium" category. You can get a perfectly fine table, with a 3/4" MDF top, for US $300 to $400. Here's one example:

you're sufficiently serious about the sport that you truly need, and can benefit from, a premium table -- and you may well be, for all I know -- then you're also serious enough about it that, before making one, you'll want to visit the USATT's web site and have a look at the specifications for tables. In particular, I'd think that, before going to the expense and effort of buying and transporting a 5x9' sheet of 1" MDF (it's heavy, and you can't lay it down flat in a pickup truck), you'd want to make sure that it actually meets the bounce height specifications -- especially making sure that the ball doesn't bounce too _high_. It probably does meet spec, but I'd check first if it were me.

And if you're *not* that serious about the sport, then you should be looking at something *much* less expensive, for example

can buy that, or something like it, cheaper than you can make one.

-- Regards, Doug Miller (alphageek-at-milmac-dot-com)

Get a copy of my NEW AND IMPROVED TrollFilter for NewsProxy/Nfilter by sending email to autoresponder at filterinfo-at-milmac-dot-com You must use your REAL email address to get a response.

[Doug Miller]

[snippage]

PS -- if you live in or near Indianapolis, email me offline (see my sig for the real email address). We oughta get together and play a few games sometime. And I can tell you where to buy the MDF if you're still set on making your own table.

-- Regards, Doug Miller (alphageek-at-milmac-dot-com)

Get a copy of my NEW AND IMPROVED TrollFilter for NewsProxy/Nfilter by sending email to autoresponder at filterinfo-at-milmac-dot-com You must use your REAL email address to get a response.

[Fly-by-Night CC]

You might also consider birch cabinet plywood (of the Baltic or Russian Birch variety) - not your standard Borg plywood - visit a hardwood dealer supplying cabinet shops. These sheets come in 5'x5' dimensions and have smooth surfaces with no divots or nasty voids.