The QShip gets a new table

[marant]

The large table that came with our 21C was just too large since there are only two of us. It was awkward to slide it back and forth to get in and out, and took up more room than we wanted.
So, I decided to make a smaller table. It is made of cedar, finished with spar varnish. It is about 6 inches shorter in the center, with the sides about 12 inches shorter. The shape makes it easy to get up and down, while still giving us plenty of surface area. It is as wide as the standard table, so we can still make it up to be a bed if necessary.

The smaller table allows us to get rid of one of the posts, resulting in a lot more leg room and ease of moving around. Because the standard table uses both posts to secure the sliding mechanism the new table does not slide, but we find it is not necessary at all.

As you can see in the underneath photo, the single post is not in the middle. That would have required drilling new holes in the floor, so I decided to try something else. The post is about 1/3 of the distance from the wall, with the remaining 2/3 cantilevered, unsupported. This naturally required some type of solution to prevent it tipping forward. Since I did not want to put any fasteners in the front wall of the trailer I mounted a long piece of velcro type fastener to the straight edge of the table and to the rear wall of the trailer. It is quite strong and makes the table quite steady. We took it on one trip, it did not fall over or move. It remains to be seen if the fastener tape glue deteriorates over time and temperature. If, upon further use, it needs more support, I will angle a brace from the base of the table fixture toward the front of the table, preserving as much leg space as I can.

[Rockhead]

Beautiful

[HABBERDABBER]

What wood is that? I have the "smell-o-tron" computer app, and it seems to be aromatic cedar. True?

[marant]

The table is made of what Texans refer to as cedar, which grows all over the place. It is actually Virginia Juniper. It has a very strong cedar smell when freshly worked. It also has an interesting pink color which fades away quickly when exposed to air or sunlight. That is why I used spar varnish, which is high in UV protection, but it did not preserve the color as much as I wanted.

[Ron in BC]

Originally Posted by HABBERDABBER

What wood is that? I have the "smell-o-tron" computer app, and it seems to be aromatic cedar. True?

My "smell-o-tron" thought that it was Tennessee Aromatic Cedar. Both beautiful woods and I've enjoyed using it to line a couple of cedar chests.

Ron

[iamunique127]

Very lovely table.

Is the velcro along the back edge of the table?

[marant]

Originally Posted by iamunique127

Very lovely table.

Is the velcro along the back edge of the table?

Yes, it is the full length of the flat side against the wall. I ordered extra strength velcro.


I have not done a strength test to see how much weight it can hold, plan on just using it normally. Seems quite strong.

[Centex]

Very nice table indeed

[marant]

Well, I was concerned that the velcro tape would not hold the table in place and this did in fact happen. The velcro itself is plenty strong enough but the adhesive on the tape does not hold firmly when pushed against the wall. I did clean the area with alcohol and used as much force as I could to mate the surfaces, but, over time, the downward force from the cantilever table top causes the adhesive to let go. (The table remains upright due to the post, but is out of level, front to back).


My goals were to make sure there were no more holes in the floor, to steady and level the table top, and to minimize intrusion on the foot space. I was successful as shown. The angle brace carries all force down to the base of the metal post, insuring that the table remains level. The greater the downforce the steadier the table seems to be. The brace forces the tape surface against the wall, which prevents side to side movement, and, due to the angle of the brace, there is minimal reduction in available foot space.