How To Build a Beirut Table

How to build a cheap table with collapsible legs. Doubles as a poker and banquet table

Materials List

Thin Plywood

Thin is good because it is lighter to haul around. Cheap is good too, because you are going to spill beer all over it anyway. The regulation length of a ping-pong table is 9 feet. This length can be tough to achieve because plywood generally comes in 8'x4' boards. Pick the length that you prefer and that fits best in the space that you have. Different lengths are possible as well, but we will outline a narrow 2.5' wide table here. To save money, look for the plywood boards that are often on cheap bed frames in college dorms.

1" Iron Pipe, 152"

Have the pipe cut into two 20" lengths and four 28" lengths. Have both ends of the 20" lengths threaded at the store, and have one end of each of the 28" lengths threaded. These will be your table legs

4 90° Iron Pipe Fittings

4 1" Iron Pipe Straps

8 sets of 1/4" x 1" flathead machine screw, nut, and washer

Make sure to get the flathead screws. Round-head screws or bolts will stick up from the table top and ruin your smooth, flat surface

Plastic End Caps (for tile floors)

4 2" Pieces of 2" x 4"

8, 1 5/8" Wood Screws

Tools List

• Flathead Screwdriver
• Drill
• Philips-head Drill Bit
• 1/4" Drill Bit
• 1/4" wrench

Construction

Thread together the two sets of legs. To do this, screw a 28" iron pipe into the 90° fitting, then thread a 20" pipe onto the other side of the fitting. Attach another 90° fitting onto the opposite end of the 20" pipe. Attach a second 28" iron pipe to the other side of this fitting. You should have an upside-down "U" shape. This is one set of legs, connected across the middle with an "axle." Repeat for the second set of legs. Lay the leg pairs on the floor and make sure that they lie flat. If a leg sticks up at an angle, adjust it so that the table will be sturdy.

Attach Legs to Table

First measure where to attach the legs in order to have a stable table. Measure 16" in from one end of the plywood table-top. Mark the plywood on the table underside. You will attach one pair of legs at this point, using the pipe straps. Lay the 20" pipe (with legs attached) on the table at the 16" mark. Make sure that the legs are positioned evenly on either side of the table. Position the straps on the 20" pipe, directly adjacent to the pipe fittings. This will prevent the legs from sliding sideways. Next, holding the strap in place, drill a 1/4" hole through the strap hole and through the table top. Thread a screw through this hole from the top and attach it with a washer and nut. This will hold the strap and pipe in place while you drill through the second hole. Drill the second hole and finish attaching the strap. Repeat for the second strap and for the second pair of legs. You may need a second person to help you hold the table or the legs while you drill.

Leg Stabilization

The final step is to attach the wood blocks. These will prevent the table legs from swinging all the way outwards and collapsing the table. Align the blocks against the pipe fittings (the 90° connections), towards the end of the table (between the fittings and the table end, but against the fittings). Leave no more than 1/4" between the block and the fitting. You want the leg to extend slightly past 90°, so as not to collapse inward under pressure. Attach one block by screwing in with wood screws from the top of the table. Make sure the screw goes all the way into the table top and block. If it sticks up, it will ruin the flat table surface. You can sand around the screw entry point to get a flatter surface. Test the leg extension after attaching the first block and adjust if necessary. Attach each block with two screws. Tie in all four blocks and you are ready to play!

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