Hardboard play surface

Lynda Zahm

Member
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1
I'm building a train table for my grandson. The hardboard table surface is painted white on one side so it can be flipped over to make an art table. How do I keep the edges from chipping and bending???
 
Hi, Lynda! Welcome to the Family! :wave:

Without seeing the table itself, I would think wrapping a frame of hardwood around the perimeter would be the best solution. Can you show us a photo?
 
Hi Lynda and welcome!

We had a 5 ft x 9 ft x 1 inch plywood table tennis table top. We didn't need a hardwood frame. It sounds logical that your top would be a few zillion pounds lighter and much more flexible so I go with the Hardwood frame people.

You will have some concerns:
Which hardwood will flex the least?

How thick will the hardwood have to be?

How wide will the hardwood have to be?

What kind of corner joints will withstand the stress, especially torquing, that this poor panel will have to endure?

What is going to happen to the frame with weather changes causing expansion and contraction of the hardwood?

I'm an old goat and am a long way from being the sharpest Google searcher in the world. However, I'll bet the answers are out there if you can find them.

It will be a heck of a lot easier if you can find a FWW member who has already done what you want to try. That person will know what went wrong and where it happened. They will also know what went right so you can do the same.

Sorry that all I did was raise questions for you. Oh well, here is another one. Would a thin torsion box for a top work? They hold their shape well and would be a lot lighter than using 3/4 inch thick plywood for example.

Enjoy,

JimB
 
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