Removable 2-piece rail (1 Viewer)

springbox

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Wanting to get a table with a rail for my home games, but I have an existing dining table that's a good shape/size for poker games, and I don't have space for extra tables. Considering trying to make a removable rail on the cheap, ideally in 2 pieces for storage. Have some design details below. Any obvious flaws in these ideas? My main concerns are whether or not the rail needs to be clamped in the table in some way to be secure, especially if it's two pieces that are latched together. The latches would also need to go on the outer half of the rail that hangs off the table. Also is it considered better to build a plywood ring to fit around the table edges instead of blocks? Would keep costs down and save time to only use one sheet of plywood and some blocks.


Here's an under-view of what I'm thinking of 5" wide 1/2" plywood (maybe 3/4" if 1/2" is too flimsy/light), centered on the edge of the table (red line). 1"x1" blocks on the bottom of the plywood around the edges of the table to keep it from sliding. I only picture 6 here but would probably do 8.

under-view.PNG


Cross sectional view

Cross Section.PNG


Latches to use to secure the two halves together. Thinking maybe a kind with a sliding bar to share weight if one side gets pushed down on.

toggle clamp latches.jpeg
 
My gut tells me that your rail needs to be further over the supporting table - the half on half off I don't think will work. I also think clamping it would be a much better solution to those latches and a sliding bar. You want it to be solid but I think your current proposal would be a bit flimsy.

There's going to be a nice simple way of getting what you want I'm sure though so hopefully someone can suggest an elegant way of doing it.
 
My gut tells me that your rail needs to be further over the supporting table - the half on half off I don't think will work. I also think clamping it would be a much better solution to those latches and a sliding bar. You want it to be solid but I think your current proposal would be a bit flimsy.

There's going to be a nice simple way of getting what you want I'm sure though so hopefully someone can suggest an elegant way of doing it.

Yeah, after thinking about it a bit, I think the overhang should be as little as possible, more like 4" on 1" off. Perhaps a bottom piece could be removable and attach using a barrel nut, holding the rail to the table. I can use a saw and drill well enough, but I'm not much of a woodworker when it comes to actually knowing how to lay things out in a smart manner.

1678325626690.png



Although now that I think about it, I don't know why the bottom-most piece would have to be wood. Could just be a steel bracket with some foam padding or something.
 
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I've built a few sectional rails, for both ovals and round tables. Some use latches to connect, others use cam-locks (harder to install properly, but a much sturdier and more elegant connection). The latched versions use dowel rods to provide additional support.

Most have eyehooks and bungee cords underneath (using an X-pattern) to help keep the rail from moving or flipping up when downward pressure is applied to the opposite side, although a couple were built with swing-out wood pieces underneath on each side that essentially "U-clamp" it to the table. Either way works fine imo, but actually bolting on a separate bottom piece after rail assembly seems like overkill to me.

No need for expensive (and heavy) 3/4" plywood -- 1/2" (or 9/16" or 21/32" if available) sandply is fine, and you can definitely use blocks (vs a full ring) underneath to save on cost, although it won't look quite as nice. A couple or 8-ft or 6-ft 1"w x 1/2" thick pine trim strips work fine.

Go with two long block pieces per side running close to the full length of the table (split in the middle by your latch connection) to minimize torque, and just a short block on each end (3-4" or so) to keep it from moving off the table ends.
 
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I've built a few sectional rails, for both ovals and round tables. Some use latches to connect, others use cam-locks (harder to install properly, but a much sturdier and more elegant connection). The latched versions use dowel rods to provide additional support.

Most have eyehooks and bungee cords underneath (using an X-pattern) to help keep the rail from moving or flipping up when downward pressure is applied to the opposite side, although a couple were built with swing-out wood pieces underneath on each side that essentially "U-clamp" it to the table. Either way works fine imo, but actually bolting on a separate bottom piece after rail assembly seems like overkill to me.

No need for expensive (and heavy) 3/4" plywood -- 1/2" (or 9/16" or 21/32" if available) sandply is fine, and you can definitely use blocks (vs a full ring) underneath to save on cost, although it won't look quite as nice. A couple or 8-ft or 6-ft 1"w x 1/2" thick pine trim strips work fine.

Go with two long block pieces per side running close to the full length of the table (split in the middle by your latch connection) to minimize torque, and just a short block on each end (3-4" or so) to keep it from moving off the table ends.

Dowel rods, that's what I couldn't remember! Thanks for the tips.
 

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