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Thread: Lego-Train Table With Cover

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Location
    Coastal Southern Maine
    Posts
    350

    Lego-Train Table With Cover

    I suspect that I'm not the first one at SMC to face this issue. Grandson loves to play with Legos & trains. The issue is that he has a little sister & a crazy cat. As soon as he walks away from the table either his sister or the cat destroys the setup.

    It is time to build a bigger table & I'm looking for design ideas for some way to cover the setup. Ideally it would be something that a seven year old kid could put in place but not required.

    The cat is a bigger issue than his sister. His parents have to lock the cooktop at night and turn the water off under the kitchen sink because the cat has figured out how to turn them on.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    San Francisco, CA
    Posts
    10,304
    So the size of the table is limited by how big a cover the kid can operate. Consider a table that's four feet by four feet. Put a cover on it which is made from quarter inch plywood. Make the cover in two halves, each 2'x4'. Add a thicker frame along the edges -- maybe 3/4" thick by 2" wide. Along one long edge of each half cover, hinge it to the table. Use hinges that open 270 degrees, so the opened covers hang straight down. Make the table tall enough that the opened doors don't touch the floor. In this 4'x4' case, that would be at least 2 feet tall. Make the table short enough that the kid can reach the middle of the table while standing on the floor -- maybe waist-high on him.

    Maybe his parents would appreciate folding legs on the table, so it can be folded up and stowed away...

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    E TN, near Knoxville
    Posts
    12,298
    Can you make a cover out of plexiglass or something with a hinged section that gives access to one side of the layout for play without help?

    I'm imagining an L-shaped section with a handle that covers both part of the top and down the front. I know when we set up the lego train on the floor, after building the track layout we mostly mess with the cars and buildings and make the train go round and round. The entire cover could be lifted off with help as needed.

    Perhaps even a second hinged panel "lid" so he can easily access the back side. All clear plastic to see the action.

    JKJ

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Location
    Coastal Southern Maine
    Posts
    350
    Thanks for the excellent suggestions.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Apr 2017
    Location
    Michigan
    Posts
    2,758
    Get a pair or two of those automotive hatch supports at a junk yard.

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