Breakaway Table?

[Jowka]

Hi,

do any of you know how to make a breakaway table with everyday objects?

I want one that when someone gets hit they fall onto it and the legs collapse (so its not like going through the table)

Cheers
Jowka

[El Brenty]

You can get wallpaper pasting tables that are very expensive and will collapse under the weight no problem.

Alternatively, if you construct a table, just make sure the joints for the legs are not glued or screwed, so they can easily give way.

[Jowka]

hmmm, im just worried about hurting the . . .
thanks:D

[ct_bullet]

you'd be lucky not too break the table, balsa wood comes to mind, but i'm not sure

[ipon70]

Are you talking like a kitchen table or just a large table like at banquets?

[DEDFX]

I think you'd want to make a table that breaks in half, I would make a table out of 1/4 inch plywood and put sides to it to make it look thick, balsa wood is just too expensive for that much.

[Jowka]

Basicallt what I want is just a table, like a picnic table kinda size, I want a guy to get punched on and the legs fall away and the top "slides off" and it all collapses

[DEDFX]

Use string or rope to collapse the lges.

[wildabeast009]

There are a few ways to do this. Go and buy a cheap table from a yard sale, a salvation army store, or anywhere you can get a cheap table. Saw where you want the breaks to be. Then, you could put the table back together and use balsa wood as a joint between the places where you cut it. You also might be able to use watered down wood glue. So now, the table should break away very easily. I haven't tried this meathod personally, but I can't think of a good reason it won't work. I've been wanting to do this myself, so I might try it and put a video up. Make sure to wear some padding.

[El Brenty]

In the saw cuts, add flour. This gives a nice effect when the table breaks.

[Jowka]

thats a good idea, but, i now wna try something a bit more technical:

Guy1 Punches Guy2
Guy2 falls onto this table on his back,
Guy1 kicks the back leg out the table,
Table legs collapse and the surface slides off and hits the floor,
Guy2 in lotsa pain:D

i can only think of sawing the legs and wood glueing them (hoping thats strong enough to take the weight f a body) and then just kick hard?

[2nd_Recon]

the glue will only hold the weight if the body were to be falling almost vertically, any horizontal movement on Guy2 would shatter the glue...

it might be a good idea to cut and glue two of the legs, do the shot you said above, then cut and glue the other two legs, then use a rope the collapse the other two in another shot, so the table collapses to one side, then the other two break off. THat way guy2 gets nailed twice, and it's more managable without possibly having to reglue every take

[Jowka]

yeah i think ill do something like that, if i have the first shot of him falling on it with a normal table, then where I kick the leg out, ill saw the legs and glue them, and on the leg i kick out ill cut it twice (at the joint and where im gna kick) and see how it comes out