SuperPly Gaming Table - Part 1: Basic build & Legs

[@Tysto]

Brilliant design. I’ve studied many other tables & built my own, but I’ve never seen the leaves used as mini-tables. Terrific.

[@withJordanFrank]

Thanks Tysto! To be honest that wasn’t the original intention- it was to be able to store the leaves in the table. But then it occurred to me that leaves have two sides so why not add a little option to make it useful? Got lucky with that one

[@Raphted]

5 months ago I bought your step by step guide because this is actually the very first video who inspired me on doing somthing that I really wanted to do for some time; specially because is not playing cheap tricks on screens on the surface, diy that are not really diy unless you have very expensive equipment, etc. Anyway, after 4 months today I just finished all my plans on metric system for a 18mm plywood board (here in Spain 99% of suppliers work with 18mm or 22mm.), adding my own tweaks and preferences and now I'm ready for the next step. Have a few "wholesale companies" that will make a budget for cutting all the pieces and I hope to do the assembling. Really hope I can update with a new finished gaming table with a few months :) Thanks for all the tutorials and great support!

[@withJordanFrank]

This is amazing!! Thanks for taking the leap of faith and making it work for yourself. Please keep me updated with the results!!

[@PeterIsATeacher]

1:35 I shouted... SHOUTED at how good that idea is. I freaking love clever designs and this takes the cake

[@withJordanFrank]

Well thank you, that is a ridiculously nice thing to say!

[@mattsully5332]

I love the way you incorporated the covers as useful parts of the design

[@withJordanFrank]

Thanks Matt, that part turned out real well if I do say so myself. :)

[@coopersm2]

The algorithm gods have smiled on me this day! Great video, very accessible methods, and brilliant little additions to customise the table

[@withJordanFrank]

They're a finnicky bunch that I don't understand at all, but I'm glad in this case they chose to align us. Thank you!

[@kurtkyre]

I built one very similar to this, but nowhere near as finely finished. If I were to do it again, I'd definitely include several of the features of yours! Fantastic job!

[@withJordanFrank]

Thanks Kurt! I think always wanting to change and refine is the curse of a good maker. :) I'd love to see what you did with yours

[@U_N_C_L_E_Mike]

Great design, I love the storage for the table top.

[@withJordanFrank]

Thank you so much, I’ve always said you’re my favorite uncle

[@ShopNation]

This project is awesome, and I'm pissed that 1.9M people haven't seen it

[@withJordanFrank]

I’d settle for 1.8, and you’re a prince for saying so.

[@phoebesnow6986]

Have played many games on the new table that otherwise we wouldn't have played as we usually would have to clear off the dinner table ending the game. Thought it might be too big but games like Wingspan utilize the entire table so it is a perfect size gaming table. The dark walnut stain with copper cup holders has received many compliments from visitors who can't miss it as we leave the lights on. Once again I'll state that this was a truly great project and the plans were right on the mark at every step. Thank you again!

[@withJordanFrank]

I love that so much! It's great to have a space that lets you do something you couldn't before (Wingspan is one of our favorites too!) so that's awesome to hear. Thank you so much for taking a chance on the plans and letting me know it turned out well, that makes me really happy.

[@VagabondTE]

Oh snap.. those legs are brilliant. And everything with the leaves is super smart as well. Personally I would have made the game surface deeper but that's just preference. I'm glad plywood is catching on because personally I genuinely prefer it to the look of regular wood.

[@withJordanFrank]

Thank you sir! So in the plans one of the only changes I made after I built mine was to add a 1/2" more depth to the vault. I spent a lot of time debating between leg room under the table vs how high the surface is so it's not too high for kids, and after building it felt like the leg room is perfect (wouldn't want the table to be any lower) but that I could squeeze out a little more height to the vault so I did (in the plans). And yeah some people have shown me pics of finished builds with dark stained ply, some have painted the whole thing (I saw a white one with brass accents that looked great) and then some substituted hardwood for parts if it. It's obviously up to you, but using only ply helps limit any wood movement and is built to all fit together pretty seamlessly (and is likely a lot cheaper than hardwood) and like you I really like the look of quality plywood.

[@VagabondTE]

@@withJordanFrank I think plywood is better because the wood grain comes out way more interesting. It's more complex and even has symmetrical patterns. I work in a wood mill and I see ply sheets all the time that I would drag home if I could. Also, I have an improvised gaming table. I took a regular kitchen table, one that had a small support box underneath that holds the legs. And long story short I slapped on a bottom and turned the top into a removable lid. There's a lot more like adding a handrail, making it look nice, and what not; but that the gist. I didn't have to worry about the leg height because the basic dimensions haven't changed and the handrail only added 3/4 inch to the top. The handrail is a bit small but it's super comfy and I have a 3.5 inch deep play area. I'm genuinely surprised I haven't seen anybody turning regular tables into game tables.

[@phoebesnow6986]

Our table is just about finished. We elected to use a dark walnut stain and brass cup holders. It added a little bit of elegance to the whole build. Elected to place the LED light switch next to the Beige (not white) AC/USB Outlet as everyone wanted the ease to play with the lights as opposed to reaching under the table. Surprised the lights were such a hit! Also, elected to grind the t-bar to ruff it more and even did the sides fearing the stain and poly that got into the t-bar groove would make it harder to press in the t-bar. 95% done - just need to iron and install the cloth.

[@withJordanFrank]

Ooh, very nice! Post a shot when you’re done on Etsy if you’re so inclined, I would love to see it! Sounds classy!

[@pharkieB]

UK here. Been checking this out for a while, building up my courage and tools to make it. I love the "player discs" idea. Thinking to extend it, using electronics to detect which player is in which position. I'm going to buy the plans. Do you make the Sketchup file available so I can modify? Huge thanks for a great project.

[@withJordanFrank]

Thanks Pharkie! I love the player-detection idea, dying to know how you’ll make that happen. Hit me up on Etsy after you buy the plans and I’ll get you the files through email

[@ChristianPaller]

Incredible work! Really impressive, and the videos showing the process too.

[@withJordanFrank]

Thanks Christian, I appreciate it!

[@MikeTheSith200]

I’ve been waiting for videos from you. I’m 4 months late but finally!

[@williammoore4101]

Dude, you're alive! Congratulations! Times like these I'm glad I have your notification bell on. And super nice table! Keep it up!

[@withJordanFrank]

They haven't finished me off yet! Like your highschool ex, I just keep showing up when you least expect it, overpromising and underdelivering. :) Thanks for being the first to comment!

[@JSpade85]

This is incredibly well thought out. I want this.

[@withJordanFrank]

Thanks JSpade85! Plans are available, you can do it!

[@phoebesnow6986]

Great build - we're going for it! Just ordered some parts and bits. Curious as to the grade of plywood that you used as both sides appear different. ADDENDUM - This is a perfect project for me and my high school graduate grandson who loves to play board games. I needed a good excuse to purchase a better and more manageable table saw and this was it. Also purchased many accessories like the Incra V27 Miter Gauge & Bow XT Extender to make it easier to work with a new "job site" size table saw that we can move around as needed. Also purchased a new router that was a vast improvement over my ancient one. The plan measurements are spot on correct and everything fit precisely (to my amazement). Not so much for your superb detail plans but for our precision in cutting and shaping the pieces. All of the bottom 2 1/2 inch pieces fit precisely where they should with minimal or no resizing.

[@withJordanFrank]

Amazing, very excited for you!! I used the best plywood Home Depot had that day 😅So that was an A-grade 5-ply, I believe oak. There was a time when I did everything I could with their baltic birch but if I remember correctly that had already become scarce when I made my table. I did my best to match everything but it could always be better, you know? Good luck with your build, feel free to hit me up with any questions!

[@phoebesnow6986]

@@withJordanFrank OK, thanks. What would be the impact of the alternative of very carefully (and slowly) using a jig/sabre saw to cut the rectangular openings on the 4 side panels? I'm not sure we have a router that can take 1/2 inch bits and 1/4 shank bits do not appear to be an option from our Infinity. Would it create to many splinters? Even if we used tape?

[@SmoothAlf]

Little bugged with YT. I got the prompt for Part 3 and said "What the F?!" Thankfully found 1 & 2. Great build Jordan!

[@withJordanFrank]

Right on, I'm just happy you got any of the prompts! I'm too small a fish for The Algorithm to notice, so I'll take it as a win! And thanks for the encouragement!

[@jerrodbuffington4929]

Before i buy the plans, how many sheets of plywood?

[@withJordanFrank]

Hi Jerrod. You will need 3 sheets of 3/4” and 1 sheet of 1/2” plywood. You will also need 1 sheet of 1/8” hardboard to make the removable velvety game surface (which is technically optional but is part of the plans). The plans come with a full materials list and a cut list to minimize waste.

[@Whiskeyjacko]

Are there any plans with metric measurements, please?

[@withJordanFrank]

So sorry, only goofy imperial at the moment.

[@bigyaffe]

kinda like the table of ultimate gaming with the slide in leaves. nice.

[@withJordanFrank]

I definitely did some comparative research for inspiration (Wyrmwood being a big favorite) but I’m unfamiliar with the Table of Ultimate Gaming. I’ll take it as a compliment?

[@cujobo]

Absolutely amazing.

[@withJordanFrank]

You’re too kind! Thank you!

[@javuda]

Hi, how big is the gap inside between the leaves and the playmat? Wondering how big of a game can be stored (or dnd terrain, etc). It's an amazing design!

[@withJordanFrank]

Thank you! The depth of the “vault” is 3”, the leaves are 3/4”, so if you put the leaves on that gives you approximately 2 1/4” of space under the leaves for your pieces, puzzles, etc. If you wanted a vault with more depth (at the cost of a taller table) you could pretty easily scale that up simply by making the four side-pieces deeper; nothing else would have to change.

[@javuda]

Thanks! I'll be buying the plans as soon as I can make some space to build it.

[@Lavasioth]

How much modification do you think would be necessary to make this work with hardwood? Seems like the internals could be plywood for structure and avoiding movement, then hardwood for the skirts toppers and legs?

[@withJordanFrank]

Thanks Christopher for the interest. Yes, you could 100% substitute hardwood anywhere for the plywood with minimal adjustments. In fact the only thing I can think of off the top of my head would be making sure the boards used in the legs were milled to the exact same thickness as the skirts (due to how the skirts slip into a gap in the legs). Obviously you’d have to glue up panels to make the leaves, so that’s some additional steps, but otherwise you would have no problems. If you do it I’d love to see photos!

[@UrFavoriteMusicLover]

Hello, new homer owner here and soon to be father, i havent ever crafted anything more than a bird house in my life and am considering buying power tools ect to do projects like this as a hobby and money saver. Would this be a good beginner project or would i be in over my head?

[@withJordanFrank]

First: congrats on your new home! Second, more important than the first: congrats on the soon-to-be father hood!! That’s so great! I’m going to be pretty straight up and suggest you do NOT tackle this as your first real project; it’s a medium-level build for sure and will require things you might not think about like a lot of clamps, a router, a brad-nailer, a pocket-hole jig…. I mean unless you’re just diving full on in and spending a bunch of money at once, but… most people kind of start with a decent table saw, maybe a miter saw, and then your standard cordless handheld staples like a drill, a driver, a jigsaw, etc. And the rule of thumb is you buy the tool you need for the next project, and slowly build it up from there. You could always get lucky and find someone selling a bunch of stuff at once, but I feel like starting from scratch with this table would be asking a lot. You’d certainly learn a lot, but I don’t know if I’d be that brave if I was in your position 😂

[@gladiator9898]

I've watched this a dozen times and am about ready to get started. Looking at the plans and cut list, I'm wondering why I couldn't make the leaves and side rails out of one sheet so it's "grain matched". Am I missing something? It's possible I'm overthinking this. It's happened once before.

[@withJordanFrank]

First of all, thanks for watching and purchasing the plans, it means a lot. Secondly, I think you’re totally right. I don’t know how I overlooked that but I think there’s just enough space where if you move parts D and E to the same 3/4” sheet as the leaves it might all fit and you could get to it all match. It would be tight but I think you could make it work. Super smart, excellent observation, and I’m going to go back and see about revising the plans to make that a feature. Thank you, and good luck!!

[@davidjennings2179]

Great video, easy to follow the steps and see what you're doing. Currently planning my own table (intended to also double up as a dining table). After use how have you found your table works comfort-wise? I don't want to make the lowered section too deep as I'm concerned it'll lead to people bashing their knees off it or the table top will be too high and make it uncomfortable to eat at.

[@withJordanFrank]

Thanks David. Yeah, that was definitely a challenge and a design consideration: how low to put it so that you don’t bash your legs but the top wasn’t too high for kids to reach comfortably? I think I nailed it as far as how low it goes. The only thing I would have changed retroactively is I think I could have made my vault 1/2” deeper (adding the extra 1/2” up, not down) because it would be even better for some larger board game pieces. I wound up changing that in the plans so it’s 1/2” deeper than the one I built. Good luck with your build!

[@Not_TVs_Frank]

So excited to see you're back! I'm intrigued about a lower cost gaming table. Would it be sturdy enough to use as an assembly table during gaming downtime?

[@withJordanFrank]

Thanks Frank! Depending on a bunch of factors this guy will set you back around $500 - some of which is electronics, etc, that can be skipped or priced wildly differ depending on what you use. But compared to most commercially bought tables that’s a lot cheaper. As for an assembly table? That’s one heckuva crazy idea. It should be strong enough for sure. I don’t know about pounding anything with serious down force, I feel like that will probably dent the plywood, but it’s a level enough surface that can hold some weight, so why not? I definitely envisioned it for crafting (wife sews, paints, assembles scrap book type stuff on the table) so I’m down with it

[@Not_TVs_Frank]

@@withJordanFrank FYI, I am 2 minutes and 30 seconds in. You haven't started showing the build yet, but I am positively _dying_ to build a one a these.

[@beason13]

Well, I have just found my next project once I convince the family we definitely need to fill some empty space with a table.

[@withJordanFrank]

Yeah you do! 😂 Fill that space! Thank you though for the interest, I appreciate it. And if you do decide to build it please reach out with any questions!

[@brianwohn]

This is awesome! With the plans do you get the sketchup file as well - so I can modify the size and use for my CNC to cut the parts?

[@withJordanFrank]

Thanks Brian! The Sketchup file was never formatted in a way that I would feel comfortable including when you purchase the plans, but I would be happy to send it to you after you buy it with the caveat that they're a bit of a mess :). If you purchase hit me up through Etsy and I can send them to you.

[@brianwohn]

@@withJordanFrank awesome thx!

[@kcsb91]

I wonder how difficult it would be to make it half as long again so that the sides fit 3 each instead of 2. I often have a lot of people for game night.

[@withJordanFrank]

I can't tell you exactly how difficult it would be :), but I Can tell you the legs will hold the difference just fine. You would have to scale the leaves and adjust the spacing of the internal bracing to hold the larger leaves, and you would have to adjust the size of the holes in the skirts to handle the larger leaves. You might also run into a limitation if your skirts need to be longer than 8' (that's the longest you can typically get sheets of ply). So there'd be a lot of scaling and adjusting for that, but it seems doable.

[@Fesraw]

16:35 looks like you found the age old solution: more clamps!

[@withJordanFrank]

Hah, totally. That’s all the small clamps I’ve got, which was only enough to do one leg at a time!

[@brusslysb]

Great video thanks

[@withJordanFrank]

Thank you!

[@kyleobrien3098]

This looks awesome! Is it completely out of plywood? Do the plans come with a shopping list?

[@withJordanFrank]

Thanks Kyle! Yep, other than some specific items (electronics, some t-track, fabric, etc) it’s all plywood. Full shopping list, parts list, cutting diagrams for full sheets (to minimize wasting ply)… it’s all in there!

[@Riven_Warrior]

Would it be possible to scale this up to fit say 8-10?

[@withJordanFrank]

Ooh, interesting question. I don't see why not. The legs are definitely strong enough, you wouldn't need to change anything there. Still utilizing full sheets of ply you could only expand it about 7-8" wider, but the length could go quite a ways longer for sure. You'd probably still only fit one person at each end of the table, but the middle could hold three-per side instead of two and that would get you to eight people.

[@jaygadd1805]

Great idea, and great video ... Warts and all, as me Dad was wont to say👌

[@withJordanFrank]

No shortage of warts!

[@kevinward3230]

How much would it run me to contract you to build something like this for me? 😅 i want a table but have nowhere near the time to do it.

[@withJordanFrank]

Oh man, I truly regret I am not in a position to build and sell these myself. As you have deduced they take a while to build and take up a lot of space while building, so unfortunately I am not set up to make that realistic. Having said that I will build you one for the low low price of $20k, this week only. Act now, supplies limited! First caller receives a free piece of scrap plywood!

[@kevinward3230]

lol only 20K? What a steal! @@withJordanFrank

[@Coalingas]

The intro had those tony stark vibes

[@withJordanFrank]

Huh. When compared to MCU characters I usually get ‘Natasha Romanoff’, but I’ll take it. Thank you.

[@Coalingas]

@@withJordanFrank lol nice, even a tony response. Classic

[@baba_babaa2]

he'sss backkkkk

[@withJordanFrank]

Aint not party like a midwest party cuz a midwest party don't stop! (except for lunch breaks and inclement weather)

[@evancleary3315]

you get a like for the intro alone 🤣

[@withJordanFrank]

Thanks Evan, if you lose’em in the intro then the rest of the videos in trouble. 😂