Folding Leg Desk

[JAW911]

My wife has been working from home since Covid on a folding plastic table which is not so attractive in our lounge (apparently!)
She wants the same design - the four legs fold in each side and then the table folds completely in half thus containing the folded legs so it’s easily stored when needed. Does anyone have any clever designs for the folding leg mechanisms - trying to avoid the simple metal type…….thank you.

 

[Orraloon]

Old style gate leg table has been a common design for couple of hundred years. No reason It cant be used as a desk too.

Folded up or should I say down that is about 200mm wide. There will be hundreds of designs of them online but they all follow a common theme. Central frame with swing out legs and table wings (or wing) hinged at the top.
Regards
John

 

[JAW911]

Thanks John but the gate-legs get in the way of your legs. I am looking only at corner legs.

 

[Orraloon]

All the other methods of folding table involve turning the table over or at least on its side to fold the legs in so then you have to keep things quite light or its a 2 man job. Anyhow you got me thinking now so I searched and found this.
Wizard Folding Table Desk
Kind of another take on gate leg but would be a very easy home project. Looks like it would be fairly easy to fold away as well.
Regards
John

 

[Sachakins]

 

[Orraloon]

By all means copy the table design but please dont copy the way he uses a tablesaw. We keep bagging the Americans for not having a guard or riving knife but no fence either is really going for that Darwin award.
Actually on second thoughts dont copy that table either. Did look a bit on the woobly side when set up.
Regards
John

 

[Alli]

Could you use folding leg hardware. Something like this?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Locking-Fo...e3a4981601663e48b16346d0f7ae02e0&gad_source=1

Edit. Sorry, just re-read your post, you were avoiding this type of thing doh!!!

 

[Cabinetman]

There is another way, unfortunately this is the only pic I have of my drawing table and it doesn’t show much of the leg arrangement at all. The crisscross legs fold closed and the top folds against them. In use all that stops it collapsing is the top of the legs butting up against a rail fastened to the underside of the top.
It can’t be seen but there is a substantial cross rail holding the crisscross’s apart, it’s hidden under the top from memory.

 

[Jameshow]

There is another way, unfortunately this is the only pic I have of my drawing table and it doesn’t show much of the leg arrangement at all. The crisscross legs fold closed and the top folds against them. In use all that stops it collapsing is the top of the legs butting up against a rail fastened to the underside of the top.
It can’t be seen but there is a substantial cross rail holding the crisscross’s apart, it’s hidden under the top from memory.
View attachment 177276

3x1 should do it.

The cross members could have noticed to take a dowel from between the front legs to adjust the pitch of the table.