The SUBBUTEO technical page


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To enjoy the game, you need a table. Big deal! If you have watched a few episodes of THIS OLD HOUSE and you own a saw and a hammer, you can do it.

Disclaimer: What follows is my way of building a table: thin board with diagonal bracing for strength. The result is a very light table. There are other ways to build a table that involve thick (dense) boards with no bracing. People have used (with success) 3/4 inch MDF (Medium Density Fiber) or 1 inch TRUEPAN boards. Please see subbuteo fan's building table instructions for alternatives or ask around at the ASA site.

What you need (to build a table top for a WOODENTOP Prima pitch):

The Prima pitch is 36x54 (playing surface) so, since you are gonna use the 1x2 to make the surround, you need an extra 2 times 0.75 inch to get the size of the board. If you don't know, the width of a 1x2 is 0.75 (3/4) inch.

First, you need to give some strength to the board because it is so daringly thin. You place 1x2's all around the perimeter and then put two diagonal braces that have been notched at the middle where they intersect (one passes above, the other below, Lincoln log style). In other words, the bottom of the table looks like a flattened X. If you desire, you can add more bracing but it is not needed (gotta keep it light).

Then, all is left to do is to put the perimeter fencing again using the 1x2's. Make sure you leave some space for where the goals are supposed to be.

It is recommended to glue (with wood glue) and nail the board to the 1x2's. To prevent warpage, it is absolutely necessary to put a bunch of coats (3 or 4) of varnish to the board, perimeter fencing and bracing once you are done. The best part is that it is gonna look good too! What you have to worry about when building a table is warping due to humidity, so it is best to keep the table in a place where humidity is low and controlled.

Once the top is done with the pitch on it (hopefully), you still need a table to put it on. If you do not have a table handy that is of the right height, you can go buy yourself a folding table like the ones made by COSCO which are available at WalMart or Target (I believe it's 24x48 and it cost about $30).