Bos_Trok
Advanced Member
Inspired by kansafornia and their custom dinette table, I got to thinking about my own.
I liked the smaller table with idea of being able to get in and out of the benches easier, and really never had a use for such a large table, other than supporting the bed. The table is also a bit unwieldy to move around when swapping from bed to dinette mode.
At this point I decided that I would take a few inches off the length of the table, wanted to start small, so I went with 5". I figured that I could center it in the gap to support the bed cushions, and if it didnt work, well a 4" slat could fill the void.
Shortening was easy, just take off all the metal trims and leg, I taped the Formica to help keep it from chipping, then used a Skilsaw with a guide clamped onto the table and removed 5" from the flat side. My table was a bit stripped and split on that side anyway, so it was nice to remove the bad wood, and get fresh stuff for the screws that hold the mount to bite into. Of course you also have to cut 5" off the trim before reinstall.
I was a bit surprised at how much smaller it looked with just 5" missing, but pleased with the ease of entry and having a lighter weight table to throw around. Might remake it completely in plywood at some point, but I would keep the same Formica and metal trims.
Pretty sure I cant be the first person to do this, but I hadn't seen it documented anywhere else, so anyway, here it is. Pictured in both the up and down position.
I liked the smaller table with idea of being able to get in and out of the benches easier, and really never had a use for such a large table, other than supporting the bed. The table is also a bit unwieldy to move around when swapping from bed to dinette mode.
At this point I decided that I would take a few inches off the length of the table, wanted to start small, so I went with 5". I figured that I could center it in the gap to support the bed cushions, and if it didnt work, well a 4" slat could fill the void.
Shortening was easy, just take off all the metal trims and leg, I taped the Formica to help keep it from chipping, then used a Skilsaw with a guide clamped onto the table and removed 5" from the flat side. My table was a bit stripped and split on that side anyway, so it was nice to remove the bad wood, and get fresh stuff for the screws that hold the mount to bite into. Of course you also have to cut 5" off the trim before reinstall.
I was a bit surprised at how much smaller it looked with just 5" missing, but pleased with the ease of entry and having a lighter weight table to throw around. Might remake it completely in plywood at some point, but I would keep the same Formica and metal trims.
Pretty sure I cant be the first person to do this, but I hadn't seen it documented anywhere else, so anyway, here it is. Pictured in both the up and down position.
