So, I'm constructing a poker table / warmachine table. I want it to be an octagon, so 8 of us can play poker around it, but it needs to have a 4X4 inscribed square for warmachine play.
How do I figure out the side lengths of the octagon. Or, more specifically, how do I figure out how big a sheet of plywood I'm going to need to get to cut down to an octagon that inscribes the 4X4 square.
(mods: this isn't a homework question, I haven't been in school in ages I know it sounds like one though).
Without actually doing math I am pretty sure you need a 6' by 6' top to start with. The 4'x4' square's corners will be the center points of every other edge of the octagon.
If you start with a 6x6 and then draw the 4X4 in that and cut the corners off you will get very close to a perfect octagon. If you can find a 6X6 piece that would be the easiest otherwise you will have to trim edges... if you can find a single piece of wood that large.
Without actually doing math I am pretty sure you need a 6' by 6' top to start with. The 4'x4' square's corners will be the center points of every other edge of the octagon.
If you start with a 6x6 and then draw the 4X4 in that and cut the corners off you will get very close to a perfect octagon. If you can find a 6X6 piece that would be the easiest otherwise you will have to trim edges... if you can find a single piece of wood that large.
4X8 is the standard size sheet you can get at any home improvement store (home depot, lowes, etc.) Most likely, the table would be made in two halves,cut from the 4X8 sheet.
Then the two halves would be braced together somehow (under the table).
As long as the join is relatively tight, its not a huge deal as the felt covering should hide the joint.
4X8 is the standard size sheet you can get at any home improvement store (home depot, lowes, etc.) Most likely, the table would be made in two halves,cut from the 4X8 sheet.
Then the two halves would be braced together somehow (under the table).
As long as the join is relatively tight, its not a huge deal as the felt covering should hide the joint.
Ahh ok you are covering it.
I just realized I was making the problem more complicated than it needed to be. Basically you want an octagon where the distance between the center of each edge and the center of the edge directly across from it is the hypotenuse of a 4'x4' square.
To calculate the hypotenuse (diagonal) of the square is simply the square root of the square of one side times 2 so root(2(4)^2))or root(2(16)) root(32). So the distance between the centers of any two opposite edges would be 5.6568 feet.
So if you do 2 halves I would start by cutting 2 rectangles that are 5.7 feet by 2.85 feet (roughly half) and join those then cut off the corners.
If you start with a 6x6 and then draw the 4X4 in that and cut the corners off you will get very close to a perfect octagon. If you can find a 6X6 piece that would be the easiest otherwise you will have to trim edges... if you can find a single piece of wood that large.
Attached is what the 6x6 Octagon would look like with a 4x4 Square inscribed. (It's at 1:12 scale.) I would't go any larger than 6x6, though.
That's your best bet, bLatch, as the exact dimensions to make the square touch the sides are an awkward measurement (5.6xxx). You wouldn't really have room for cupholders though, except on the four sides of the square, unless you are building out a rim on the edges.
Are you looking to give it multiple legs or a central 'column' leg in the center? My recommendation is to go with the larger 'central' leg (as side legs tend to be awkward for the players). For a 6x6, you'd want a pretty big column (maybe 2' wide with a 3' foot). There are a bunch of plans floating around the web that should help. The challenge is getting that square in there nicely. Maybe make the square felt while leaving the rest wood? Or something like this: (http://imagesus.homeaway.com/vd2/files/WVR/400x300/42/440479/153137_7.jpg) with the poker table being a 'lid' for the gaming table underneath. That would work better to keep the size of your table more reasonable (rather than having to build 'out' further, you build 'up' to include the chip and cup holders and arm rests).
I don't know what your carpentry skill level is, but this sounds like something I might copy you on in a few months once I get settled into my new place. When I worked graphic design, I used to help fabricate signs (we did a lot of those sandblasted wood signs you see outside neighborhood developments) so I have a lot of experience putting together giant wood projects and I think this would be fun.
So if you do 2 halves I would start by cutting 2 rectangles that are 5.7 feet by 2.85 feet (roughly half) and join those then cut off the corners.
The problem with that is that he has a lot of odd measurements to work with. With a 6' octagon, he has about 2.5' sides all around. That is much easier to deal with when cutting trim for the table. Human Error becomes much more of a problem the smaller the measurement units go.
Pretty sure the octagon's sides would need to be 3' each to perfectly encompass a 4'x4' square - that's just a spitball estimate I did in my head, though... you'll probably want to verify that with some actual math.
The angle of each corner would be 45 degrees.
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I just realized I was making the problem more complicated than it needed to be. Basically you want an octagon where the distance between the center of each edge and the center of the edge directly across from it is the hypotenuse of a 4'x4' square.
Exactly
Probably going to cover it, and have the inscribed square be a slightly different shade of green do easily differentiate the warmachine field of play from the standard table area ;). My wife isagood at sewing, so that part at least should be easy.
To calculate the hypotenuse (diagonal) of the square is simply the square root of the square of one side times 2 so root(2(4)^2))or root(2(16)) root(32). So the distance between the centers of any two opposite edges would be 5.6568 feet.
So if you do 2 halves I would start by cutting 2 rectangles that are 5.7 feet by 2.85 feet (roughly half) and join those then cut off the corners.
AThat's your best bet, bLatch, as the exact dimensions to make the square touch the sides are an awkward measurement (5.6xxx). You wouldn't really have room for cupholders though, except on the four sides of the square, unless you are building out sleeves on the ends.
The plan is to cover the octagon with felt, and then attach a varnished raling (wood) along each side. The railing would include the cupholders, which are relatively easy to put in with a hole saw, as you can just buy metal cup holders.
Are you looking to give it multiple legs or a central 'column' leg in the center? My recommendation is to go with the larger 'central' leg (as side legs tend to be awkward for the players). For a 6x6, you'd want a pretty big column (maybe 2' wide with a 3' foot). There are a bunch of plans floating around the web that should help. The challenge is getting that square in there nicely. Maybe make the square felt while leaving the rest wood? Or something like this: (http://imagesus.homeaway.com/vd2/files/WVR/400x300/42/440479/153137_7.jpg) with the poker table being a 'lid' for the gaming table underneath. That would work better to keep the size of your table more reasonable (rather than having to build 'out' further, you build 'up' to include the chip and cup holders and arm rests).
Wife and I haven't gotten that far yet I think the plan is to build the table top itself and then see what the needs for the legs are.
I plan on putting a BoM together for it too. Assuming it all works out
I don't know what your carpentry skill level is, but this sounds like something I might copy you on in a few months once I get settled into my new place. When I worked graphic design, I used to help fabricate signs (we did a lot of those sandblasted wood signs you see outside neighborhood developments) so I have a lot of experience putting together giant wood projects and I think this would be fun.
My carpentry level is very low. My wifes is moderate though, so She is good at doing the detail work and I get to do the grunt work (and the planning).
Might I recommend having the additional sides be on hinges so you can collapse them for warmachine play? Think the tables you see in many restaurants. Normal size when you need it, plus size when you need it.
The plan is to cover the octagon with felt, and then attach a varnished raling (wood) along each side. The railing would include the cupholders, which are relatively easy to put in with a hole saw, as you can just buy metal cup holders.
Make sure you add some space for the railing into your calculation otherwise the rail will clip the corners of your war machine surface. With that in mind 6' by 6' would probably be the way to go because that will give you a few inches of clearance to add railing.
My carpentry level is very low. My wifes is moderate though, so She is good at doing the detail work and I get to do the grunt work (and the planning).
Have fun! Don't forget you can have Home Depot cut the boards down to size, so I'd just ask for the two 3x6 boards to get started and start measuring everything out and figuring out what you need. Even if you fail horribly, it's a nice project to do with your wife.
Mine would never get closer than a yard to a running table saw, lol.
How do I figure out the side lengths of the octagon. Or, more specifically, how do I figure out how big a sheet of plywood I'm going to need to get to cut down to an octagon that inscribes the 4X4 square.
(mods: this isn't a homework question, I haven't been in school in ages I know it sounds like one though).
If you start with a 6x6 and then draw the 4X4 in that and cut the corners off you will get very close to a perfect octagon. If you can find a 6X6 piece that would be the easiest otherwise you will have to trim edges... if you can find a single piece of wood that large.
4X8 is the standard size sheet you can get at any home improvement store (home depot, lowes, etc.) Most likely, the table would be made in two halves,cut from the 4X8 sheet.
Then the two halves would be braced together somehow (under the table).
As long as the join is relatively tight, its not a huge deal as the felt covering should hide the joint.
Ahh ok you are covering it.
I just realized I was making the problem more complicated than it needed to be. Basically you want an octagon where the distance between the center of each edge and the center of the edge directly across from it is the hypotenuse of a 4'x4' square.
To calculate the hypotenuse (diagonal) of the square is simply the square root of the square of one side times 2 so root(2(4)^2))or root(2(16)) root(32). So the distance between the centers of any two opposite edges would be 5.6568 feet.
So if you do 2 halves I would start by cutting 2 rectangles that are 5.7 feet by 2.85 feet (roughly half) and join those then cut off the corners.
Attached is what the 6x6 Octagon would look like with a 4x4 Square inscribed. (It's at 1:12 scale.) I would't go any larger than 6x6, though.
That's your best bet, bLatch, as the exact dimensions to make the square touch the sides are an awkward measurement (5.6xxx). You wouldn't really have room for cupholders though, except on the four sides of the square, unless you are building out a rim on the edges.
Are you looking to give it multiple legs or a central 'column' leg in the center? My recommendation is to go with the larger 'central' leg (as side legs tend to be awkward for the players). For a 6x6, you'd want a pretty big column (maybe 2' wide with a 3' foot). There are a bunch of plans floating around the web that should help. The challenge is getting that square in there nicely. Maybe make the square felt while leaving the rest wood? Or something like this: (http://imagesus.homeaway.com/vd2/files/WVR/400x300/42/440479/153137_7.jpg) with the poker table being a 'lid' for the gaming table underneath. That would work better to keep the size of your table more reasonable (rather than having to build 'out' further, you build 'up' to include the chip and cup holders and arm rests).
I don't know what your carpentry skill level is, but this sounds like something I might copy you on in a few months once I get settled into my new place. When I worked graphic design, I used to help fabricate signs (we did a lot of those sandblasted wood signs you see outside neighborhood developments) so I have a lot of experience putting together giant wood projects and I think this would be fun.
The problem with that is that he has a lot of odd measurements to work with. With a 6' octagon, he has about 2.5' sides all around. That is much easier to deal with when cutting trim for the table. Human Error becomes much more of a problem the smaller the measurement units go.
TerribleBad at Magic since 1998.A Vorthos Guide to Magic Story | Twitter | Tumblr
[Primer] Krenko | Azor | Kess | Zacama | Kumena | Sram | The Ur-Dragon | Edgar Markov | Daretti | Marath
The angle of each corner would be 45 degrees.
—Jaya Ballard, task mage
Exactly
Probably going to cover it, and have the inscribed square be a slightly different shade of green do easily differentiate the warmachine field of play from the standard table area ;). My wife isagood at sewing, so that part at least should be easy.
Makes sense. Thanks
The plan is to cover the octagon with felt, and then attach a varnished raling (wood) along each side. The railing would include the cupholders, which are relatively easy to put in with a hole saw, as you can just buy metal cup holders.
Wife and I haven't gotten that far yet I think the plan is to build the table top itself and then see what the needs for the legs are.
I plan on putting a BoM together for it too. Assuming it all works out
My carpentry level is very low. My wifes is moderate though, so She is good at doing the detail work and I get to do the grunt work (and the planning).
My helpdesk should you need me.
Make sure you add some space for the railing into your calculation otherwise the rail will clip the corners of your war machine surface. With that in mind 6' by 6' would probably be the way to go because that will give you a few inches of clearance to add railing.
You may want to go the table insert route then, as you'll be able to switch the table top to a new one whenever.
Have fun! Don't forget you can have Home Depot cut the boards down to size, so I'd just ask for the two 3x6 boards to get started and start measuring everything out and figuring out what you need. Even if you fail horribly, it's a nice project to do with your wife.
Mine would never get closer than a yard to a running table saw, lol.
TerribleBad at Magic since 1998.A Vorthos Guide to Magic Story | Twitter | Tumblr
[Primer] Krenko | Azor | Kess | Zacama | Kumena | Sram | The Ur-Dragon | Edgar Markov | Daretti | Marath