what do you like in a chess table

Okay- I see the point of a raised board causing problems.  A cup holder would be nice becuase it would reduce spills. (nothing like leaning back after taking a queen and sipping the machiatto)

A chess clock would be very nice- thigh the ones I saw run as much as the cost of the table!   I plan on building this table and selling for under $200, so turned or straight legs will probably be needed.    Ill update my sketch accordingly and repost.

Good luck, look forward to see your creation!

Here is my new concept sketch:

I use an Ikea folding table. It has room for a very nice House of Staunton board with my US Open 100th Anniversary pieces on top plenty of room on the sides for clock or books or whatever. And conviniently it folds up out of the way when not in use. 

This is the type of table, no picture of my own board and pieces at the moment as the Xmas tree is commanding teh space . . .

The space I'd like my legs to go is occupied.

A dedicated table is nice but it would have to compare to my best boards to make sense for me, otherwise I'm just pushing my best and dearest equipment aside.

I have the same reaction to dedicated chess computers; the boards and men pretty much suck, so I play using my gear of choice. I paid a lot of money for them. I want to get use out of my good boards and pieces.

It'd be a shame to expend the effort just to miss one small detail, no?

There should  be enough room on the sides, that you can place the captured pieces outside your field of vision when you are looking at the board.  A necessity is enough room for the clock.

Goldendog is there something missing in your pic?

BTW the 1st table is getting close to being done.  The top is a rounded square with 7" border all round and routered edge.

The board is fine. The chairs are set up the wrong way so that a) the squares are wrong and b) there's no room for the clocks!

He either mis-oriented the board, but with elbow room and capture areas in the same place or he forgot all about the elbow room.

The chair placement suggests the former but the craftsman may have just committed the latter design flaw.

Like I said, that's a lot of work to not thoroughly think out first--but the guy may not even be a player and would be challenged to make a player's table.

Well I thought maybe a leg was missing or a square and I couldnt see it.

Again, I think the design of the table in post #28 is fine. The chairs just need to be moved. There's room for the clock, taken pieces and even a scoresheet, once the chairs are facing the right way. Of course, the rest of the decor would be a bit off as a result, but that's a problem of interior design, not table design.

I found a picture that is similar to your concept drawing, jbskaggs. It looks nice.

I had one built, the top of the table swings up as opposed to having a drawer or drawer in it for easy access to whatever is being stored in the table and also to maximize the usable amt of storage space. I'll post some pictures later on today or tomorrow.

I'm feeling good when someone still working hard and deeply on natural things like wood chess tables and sets in highly digitalized world.

No, the chairs are fine, the board isn't right. I think people want the edge to put their elbows on.

Then again, maybe it was made to give the players more leg room, which would mean it is the chairs that are misplaced.

I still think it's "defective" but if an IM with narrow elbows says otherwise, so be it.

I resign.

I would size it so that a player can comfortably reach the back rank. My club plays at a library that has big tables, and it's a stretch. Otherwise, I'd second (fifth) the importance of room on the sides. What about space for a lamp? Cupholders would not be important to me.

If I were you, I'd also think about making two designs, to give customers a choice. I'd do one in the carboile legs and scalloped top like you have, and one more Arts and Crafts. Have you looked at pictures of the Manhattan Chess Club? Maybe there'd be ideas there.