Where can I get wood to make a table tennis table?

OM2

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I want to buy wood to make a table tennis table top - I wanted advice on where to buy the wood from

I've looked at the wood the tables are made of and it's generally cheap wood - but with a coating (nothing special about that either)

Width: 152.5cm
Length: 274cm
Thickness: 2cm - or thicker

Ideally I would like some coating that protected the wood
I need 2 pieces of the above

The cheapest price for an actual table tennis top (2 sides) is £162
(This is a very well known name brand and the quality and thickness is very good)

I'd be interested to get if I could get considerably cheaper - if only a small price less, then I might as well get the real mckoy

ALSO, the wood would need to be the *exact* measurements given

I went to a sports shop and was shocked that some tables for sale at £300 - £400 had wood that was 0.5mm thick!

Thanks


OM
 
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By the time you have bought materials I think this will be a very close race. A store bought one sounds like a good idea to me. The time you save planning,shopping ,building, painting, setting out white lines you could be practising your spin shots. Let me know the out come.
 
By the time you have bought materials I think this will be a very close race. A store bought one sounds like a good idea to me. The time you save planning,shopping ,building, painting, setting out white lines you could be practising your spin shots. Let me know the out come.
White lines not worried about
Correct bounce is the only thing that I want
I thought 2 pieces of wood can't cost that much surely?
If you told me that buying 2 pieces of wood would cost £100 and then I have to get cut and painted - then spending roughly £60 is the better option for me

But, if I could pick up the wood for £20 per side, then I'd just be happy to go with that

Painting/coating: also not that bothered about to be honest

For the size I want, do you know what the price of 2cm thick play wood would be?
I'm assuming ply wood will fit the bill (I say this not knowing anything about wood!)
The wood used in the tables is chip board as far as I can see - even in really expensive one

I'm just not sure where to get the wood
I have a a few timber yards near me - wood they have the correct size?
I'll give them a call or visit if you suggest they would

Let me know

Thanks
 
Try your local timber merchant ,get some prices of different panel products. Ask if they have a cutting service and what they charge. If they have a wall saw it should be quite accurate. Chip board might be a good starting point but it's no good for exterior use. If you go any thicker than 18mm the price goes up quite a bit. I once saw some made out of one 8x4 sheet some 3x2 legs,and rails and 6x1 net and all put together a bit cave man style but a lot of people got a hell of a lot of fun out of them.
 
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thanks
i'm going to call up on monday to get some prices
 
Hold on a minute, the tops are 152.5cm x 274cm - or 1525 x 2740mm. That's the size of a "jumbo" sheet (10 x 5ft). You say the tops are thicker than 2cm (20mm) in one post then say that the thinnest sheets are 0.5mm??? Is that a mistake? If these really are jumbos and 20mm+ is the order of the day that means you are looking at a 10 x 5ft sheet of 22mm FG (flooring/furniture grade) chipboard. I'd expect to pay £30 to £35 a sheet, assuming you can find a merchant who'll handle your order (these "jumbos" aren't stocked by many merchants). Go to 18mm hardwood plywood in 10 x 5ft and you'll likely find the cost to be £70 to £100 a sheet (more if you buy birch, but then 12mm would probably suffice). Be wary of buying Chinese plywood - it has a tendency to warp wen cut due to stress relief. In any case plywood is NEVER absolutely flat. To get truly flat you need to go to man made sheets which always get thickness sanded for consistency

Getting it cut and getting it home are a whole different game. Many trade merchants simply don't cut these days. Also do you know that each of these sheets will probably weigh 60 to 85kg (chipboard weighs 650 to 950kg/cubic metre)? That makes man handling them a 2-man job. And if your address is a domestic one you'll find a lot of merchants won't deliver to you because 16 or 24 tonners don't mix well with housing estates. If they will deliver expect to pay £20 to £30 for delivery unless you can make up a minimum order; often £250 or more these days. You may need to hire a van for an hour or two from the local B&Q or IKEA

I'm not trying to put obstacles in your path, I'm simply trying to point out where some of the pitfalls are; and there are many. If you were in my part of the world I'd be able to put you onto two merchants who can supply, cut to size, but neither would deliver to a domestic address because their wagons are just too big

I'd be interested to get if I could get considerably cheaper - if only a small price less, then I might as well get the real mckoy
The number of times I've heard that one :rolleyes: As an individual buying a single sheet rate (as opposed to a trade user buying in bulk) you'll be lucky to buy the materials to do many jobs for less than the cost of a manufactured product. What you will be able to do is to buy better materials and make a more durable product

BTW in woodworking it's normal to use mm not cm to give dimensions. It saves a lot of confusion dealing with timber merchants if you observe that convention

Good luck with your project!
 
the trouble you have is your ply will be 5x10ft sheets not stock size in most places deffinatly not available from any diy outlets or most pro outlets

your materials will be over the ton plus paint ect
the actual ply will be either 6.35[1/4"] or 5.5mm
 
Most tables are made in two pieces and fold in the middle, they are usually framed masonite and not very thick since they only have to be flat and level.
The Laws of table tennis relating to the table are:

2.1.1 The upper surface of the table, known as the playing surface, shall be rectangular, 2.74 m long and 1.525 m wide, and shall lie in a horizontal plane 76 cm above the floor.
2.1.2 The playing surface shall not include the vertical sides of the tabletop.
2.1.3 The playing surface may be of any material and shall yield a uniform bounce of about 23 cm when a standard ball is dropped on to it from a height of 30 cm.
2.1.4 The playing surface shall be uniformly dark coloured and matt, but with a white side line, 2 cm wide, along each 2.74 m edge and a white end line, 2 cm wide, along each 1.525 m edge.
2.1.5 The playing surface shall be divided into 2 equal courts by a vertical net running parallel with the end lines, and shall be continuous over the whole area of each court.
2.1.6 For doubles, each court shall be divided into 2 equal half-courts by a white center line, 3 mm wide, running parallel with the side lines; the center line shall be regarded as part of the each right half-court.
3.2.1.2 ... the equipment … shall be selected from brands and types currently approved by the ITTF.
3.2.4.2 Fluorescent or luminescent colours shall not be used anywhere in the playing area.
3.2.4.6 Advertisements on tables:
There may be 1 temporary advertisement on each half of each side of the tabletop and 1 on each end, clearly separated from any permanent advertisements and each contained within a total length of 60 cm; they shall not be for other table tennis equipment suppliers.
 
@JobAndKnock: I think you've given the answers I need
For the cost and troubles mentioned, it's not worth my bother
If I could spend £50 and get *everything* - including materials, including cutting, then I'd consider
Otherwise, I wouldn't want to bother

20mm vs 0.5mm??
I may have quoted incorrectly - I meant to say 5mm
The proper tables have 1 inch thickness I believe - these will cost £600 - £1000+
I went to Dec*thlon 2 weeks ago. They had tables for £300 - £400. I simple knock on the surface of the table gave away an indication of the wood and thickness

With regards to weight, the weight of just the table top is roughly 50kg - so maybe I am misquoting on the thickness

Thanks for all other replies, much appreciated

I've now actually started researching buying directly from China ready made table tops - I want to sell (as well as buy in the first instance for myself)

I have another question for making a table tennis table... I think I'll create another post for this - slightly different subject
 

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