Sunday 24 February 2013
Folding Scrabble Turntable
Several years ago, I started designing a somewhat elaborate Scrabble storage box that was also going to serve as a game turntable. The top of the box was split into two fold-out wings that would support the board during game play, the bottom would provide storage the the original paper box, and the whole thing would rotate.
I never finished designing, much less building, that box, but I did build this very simple folding Scrabble turntable out of some scrap wood, a 3” Lazy Susan bearing, two 3/4” brass hinges, and some rubber furniture bumpers. As you can see, I focused exclusively on function, and didn’t worry much about appearance. I didn’t even apply a finish.
Both the base and the support panels have a shallow (about 1/16”) recess for the bearing. The bearing is glued to the base. To play, we just place the base on the kitchen table, place one of the support panels over the bearing (it’s easier to line things up this way), then unfold the other panel. The turntable spins easily, but not so easily that the tiles fly off.
It has served us well. It keeps the playing surface pretty close to the game table, and it stores easily. The turntable base fits into the game box, and the folded top is roughly the same size as the box.
I haven’t seen anything like this out there, so I thought I’d describe it here. I can see prettier versions of this design being good gifts for the Scrabble fans in your life.
Crafty Puzzles