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  • Ari "Two Elements" Jacksonarisummerland@beige.party
    Sep 10, 2026, 3:22 AM

    I've got a "pile challenge" going with one of my friends in another state where we are trying to dig ourselves out and get our houses organized. I'll never do anything just for myself; i'll just live with unopened boxes of things not built for years. It's depressing!

    Now that I have an accountability buddy, I'm sending photos and showing progress and getting kudos back. I'm doing the same for them while they work on cleaning out their house. It's awesome!

    I have a tendency to buy something and then let it sit in the box forever and ever and ever and ever, because I strongly associate building things with having exhausted wrists and back. Even with power tools, that pain still happens. But I really wanted to get this gaming table built.

    The whole point of even getting it was to see if my tournament-standard chess set would fit in it because I would like to study and play over-the-board games, but I can't do it on ANY other table at home because I have cats.

    These kings just fit under the lid. Just. Their little crowns are actually touching the lid, so I have to place it very, very carefully over them.

    But they fit! This is what I wanted!

    Now I can start games and work on games and study games and then just cover the board up and not have to worry about the damn cats knocking stuff over or the dogs eating my #chess pieces (all of these things have happened -- and then some).

    Worth all of the 6 billion screws and bolts and everything that I had to put in. There are still some lights and cupholders that need to go in, but I'll do those tomorrow.

    And then I need to find the place to put the table in the living room room because it's a lot bigger than I thought it would be. It'll be nice to have a big table that I can do puzzles on and keep chess sets in, though. At least two standard size sets will fit, and some of my smaller sets can squeeze in as well. So fun!

    A picture of the gaming table flipped upside down which is how almost all of the construction needs to be done on it and it's very fiddly. You can see the plates that hold the bottom inside together. It's a dark walnut colored wood but it's made out of pressboard.
    A picture of my tournament standard chest that sitting inside the well of the gaming table. It is a thing of beauty!
    A picture of the table with the lid covering the chess set. I am over the moon.
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Replies

  • Ari "Two Elements" Jacksonarisummerland@beige.party
    Sep 10, 2026, 11:48 AM

    I'm thinking about cutting down the legs so that it is more coffee-table height. I know that's a risky thing to do, but I know also to "measure twice and cut once".

    It was not an expensive table; under $300, though I am not sure if I have the right blade so that the legs will not splinter when I cut them. (I do have a variety of blades on my reciprocating saw, which is the only tool I'd have to cut the legs because now I can't take the legs off without taking almost the entire table apart again).

    But first, I think I'm going to try it out in front of the couch with the couch in the new position in the room first to see how awkward it is to play games or see over it to watch television from and then also try from two chairs that I'm planning to associate with it when I rearrange everything.

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