I am currently working on 3 tables as replacements for a rustic trio of construction lumber, crumb-catching, UGLY tables in a short term rental (STR) and thought some might be interested in a couple of the requirements – and the chosen solutions.

First specification is they must be bullet proof. Being in a STR, they will see their ultra-fair share of abuse, so simple and strong rule the day. Second is ‘big’; they need to seat 10 each (or 12 in a pinch), so 106”L x 42”W, or better, 48” (TBD). Third, they need to be mobile without destroying the floors, so casters are needed – but hidden and retractable so the overall feel is a bit classier (I hope).

And fourth, they occasionally need to pass thru a 36”W doorway. The typical answer is to tip the table on its side and carry it thru the doorway. Experience says this will beat the s%!# out of the doorway, the floor, AND the table. So, how to quickly and easily ‘reduce’ the width – to allow passage, then return to normal? And all of this by a guest or the cleaning crew.

My son had an excellent idea of folding the top ‘up’ on the long axis – effectively making it look like a tent – and then helped work thru the required geometry. The gas spring lift mechanism could be tied to a cam so that when the top is unlatched and raised, the casters extend as well; drop the top and the casters retract. Two birds, one stone! This meant a rule joint in the top and it must both rotate and translate. A hinge attached to a short drawer guide would have allowed this, and then the cam and casters….COOL! …but intriguing as this was, it violated spec #1.

K.I.S.S. applied brought me back to a simple, one-piece, hinged top with a gas spring to balance the weight. Casters will not get tied to the top. No fancy curves, no multi-link suspension, nor automation and UPS systems. Dang it.

And for casters I found “retractablecasters.com”. An interesting concept I had not seen before. It looks to be a start-up and worthy of a try, so ordered a set to try on a drum sander. Working as advertised so far, so will move them to a table and 2 sets more on order. (Might be worth a look if you need a mobile bench/tool? …They discovered a (assembly) flaw in my order before I even installed them and shipped another set immediately.)

Just strong and mobile.