Taming the Beast, A Texas-Sized Custom Gaming Table

Being a custom furniture creator, it’s fun to take on new challenges our customers might request. Most of our customization at Uniquely Geek ends with the table design, wood species, stain color, dimensions and choice of accessories. Then there are times when the customer envisions a gaming experience beyond the realm of our typical table.

Welcoming a Beast of a Gaming Table

Coinciding with the process of developing our new trestle table line called The Radcliffe, a client in Texas approached us with their idea of having an oversized table made for their game room. Sticking with the “Everything’s Bigger in Texas” theme, our team helped design a trestle table five feet wide and thirteen feet long. For those who have a difficult time visualizing the scale, it takes up about the same footprint as a Prius. Once the Mahogany wood was selected for the build, our first objective was to decide on the best way to make such a large table with material that typically only comes in no longer than ten-foot boards. We knew it had to have seams, but the goal was to make it look like it didn’t. Deliberate time was spent choosing the right part of each board and getting the natural wood color and grain pattern to flow across what seams were necessary to make them as non- existent as possible. Then the next obstacle we learned was how to maneuver this thing around the shop as it goes through the many stages of the building process. Luckily we have heavy-duty workbenches on wheels and they definitely came in handy.

Earning The Name

Many of our tables pick up a nickname in the shop as they are being worked on. This one earned the fitting title of “The Beast”. Along with the overall size of “The Beast”, it was also built like a tank. Each of the trestle legs weighed in at almost eighty pounds and the main table structure, without any leaves or attachments, took four people to move. I have no idea how they were ever going to get this “beast” upstairs into the customer’s game room, but I heard it was quite the adventure after the fact.

The Final Product

It was a fun piece to see come together and a great looking table when it was all finished. I was glad to see it go to its new home and happy to have room to work in the shop again. – Greg, Uniquely Geek