swivel table sketch

thank you bill for your help.. as for details i was going to make the legs and aprons prettier but didnt take the time to draw it.. so after looking this over guys do you think i have a problem with lifting in the center like dan mentioned my support idea seems to work well on the dummy i made up but if i can get away with less support i will.. its less work with just a wedge and swivel
 
well, if it is loaded down with food and such, and no great lout thinks mistakes the edge for a chair, i don't think there will be a problem with it popping up in the center. after almost a hundred years of tables like this, if support was a problem, they would have been made differently. we're talking about 12 inches on each end, were it a regular top, there would be no worries. i get the feeling that your client is worrying about something that isn't a problem. funny thing is, the sis in law's table had breadboard ends on it.
 
I think the wedge will take care of the lifting in the center. I drew it up with a 2" wide wedge, but it could be wider if desired. Another "feature" of the wedge is making a solid stop when the top is open and when closed.

Breadboard ends would be a nice addition. I almost drew it up that way but didn't take the time to do so.

One thing to consider on hinges is whether butler hinges would be more secure. Yes, they show when the table is swiveled open, but likely will be covered by a table cloth, place mat, or dishes.
 
Another thought about the center lifting: With the table fully open, pushing down on one end overhang would have to lift the entire top, not just the center. This is especially true if using flip-top or sewing machine hinges. When those are mortised into the edges of the top boards, the two sections of the top open flush together. Any attempt to push down on one end would have to lift the opposite end. Further, the wedges provide positive stops for the closed and open positions.
 
if i remember correctly, the top of the sis in law's table had a decorative edge on three sides (curves and such), and that the side that was hinged was straight. also, that it was in a way, like a picture frame, with the boards for the top flush with the frame, and the hinges were inset into the long edge, rather than the end grain, of the frame surrounding the top. that way it would be stronger than screwing into the end grain.
 
... the hinges were inset into the long edge, rather than the end grain, of the frame surrounding the top. that way it would be stronger than screwing into the end grain.

That's why I think flip-top or sewing machine hinges would be better. They will screw into the face grain.
 
while i was at my brother's house, dropping off the objet d'art, i took some pictures of the flip top table. first i took a pic of the table itself, one of the way the top was constructed, one of the two side hinges (card table hinges), one of the center hinge (soss hinge), and there was only one hinge like that, so it was the two on the edges, and the one in the center. then one pic of the top in mid-pivot, one of it fully open, and you can see the fancy work around the edges. then the one that solved one question, it was of a stop block, that prevents the top from going any further than 180 degrees, and it is notched to tuck under the pivot point's cross brace, to keep it from lifting in the center. i hope these help. two things that i noticed, the first was that they chamfered the corners of the stop block, not sure if that was needed, or a bit of fancy on something that wouldn't be seen, and the line up scribe marks for the card table hinges. one more thing, the framework around the top is well over an inch thick, and the actual top parts are loose panels inset into the frame.
 

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  • 001 flip top table.JPG
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  • 002 top frame.JPG
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  • 003 hinge at side.JPG
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  • 004 center hinge.JPG
    004 center hinge.JPG
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  • 005 mid pivot.JPG
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  • 006 fully open.JPG
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  • 007 stop block under top.JPG
    007 stop block under top.JPG
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