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Hi Carl thanks for your interest, the latest prices are towards the bottom of this page: freebirdinteriors.co.uk/the-freebird-gaming-table What set up would you be wanting?

Thank you! We are making the latest one right now in our sheffield workshop. Get in touch to come see it if you are considering buying one. www.freebirdinteriors.co.uk

What do you think? The most recent models are on instagram, we've made further improvements. @freebirdinteriors We are in talks with a videographer to get some professional marketing footage together and start marketing this properly in due course

Hi Richard it is now available to buy as described here: freebirdinteriors.co.uk/the-freebird-gaming-table

We treat each enquiry the same as our bespoke fitted furniture customers and we are continuing to develop the design based on the feedback we receive. See for example these recent variations on the lockable insert designs: instagram.com/p/COQ4lk8DfYs/?

Hi, They work better on top, to force the insert down into a rebate, which is better suited that way round. I know they may not be to everyone's taste!

Hi, yes a few commentors on here have brought this to my attention! There are some similarities and some differences.

Hi thanks for your interest and please do email us on gamestable@freebirdinteriors.co.uk to be added to the mailing list for future updates. We are still awaiting delivery of our CNC machine which will enable us to go into production and the first step will be a small batch for local UK customers only. When everything is running smoothly we may start to look at shipping further afield but we will take it all one step at a time.

Hi, thank you. No I can't give away the plans too easily after such a long process of refinement. I am working on bringing it to market in the UK first. It is however a future possibility to find partners in other parts of the world to manufacture it there for me for customers more local to them, but this would be a long way in the future I think.

@@freebirdgamingtable I second the hope for plan availability. even at a cost I think you could make a decent profit off the plans and still come out on top for selling the tables. Just add in a stipulation with the plans that they are for personal use only.

Hi I think we would make it modular - separate prices for the add on components. I considered storing trays etc inside the gaming area but it seems to me that wouldn't always work when a game is set up. But I do think it could be good to use the 4th leaf like a tray, upside down, using it's recess to store things when it is under the table. At least the brackets that work with it.

Lots of potential I agree Sam

@@freebirdgamingtable I think it was from fishers workshop if you've seen that video?

Thanks for your comment!

Thanks

Thanks, I see what you are saying. I have some good advisors to call on and will be taking all the advice I can get to do this right!

@@freebirdgamingtable I will, of course, be aggressively lobbying my wife for a new dining room table with gaming function....

I would love to but really it's a huge and problematic task from a standing start so I need to focus on making it work in the UK before I can think seriously about next steps.

That is completely understandable! I’ve been looking for a table like this for a while. I believe the US market is a bit overpriced and way behind on fulfillment. Good luck moving into full production!

Too bad! Love the deceptively simple look loaded with functionality! Let us know when they come to the US!

Could you form a partnership with some cnc operators in the USA and simply take a small fee for each table produced?

@@casselscustom8922 I have i mind to do something exactly like this. I want to get it going in the UK first. I'd need to build trust with providers in the US, I don't think it would be simple to avoid losing control of my design.

This brand new video should answer all your questions: th-cam.com/video/j2rZbL1f2kc/w-d-xo.html

I think you are the third person to suggest that possibility to me recently. There are some similarities. But I think they are still using a spill stop mechanism that may drop water trapped in the gap when the leaves are removed

Thanks I’m glad you like it. We are moving slowly closer to actually providing these - see this update: th-cam.com/video/fGVwQl9n834/w-d-xo.html

Thanks for this comment which I missed. Right at this moment I am working on the drawings for the new improved model. It’s going to be beautiful. For the last few months I have been setting up a new bigger workshop. I am finally ready to move this product forward and getting excited about it again. If I sell it at your suggested $500 I would not even be covering my costs though, even excluding labour 😂. There will be some economies of scale but not that much!

Why 2cm shorter?

@@Alastair_Freebird Well, I'm cheep (they are US dollars though - that's like $10,000 Canadian). Man, the internet is getting serious! But since you bothered reading my comment (thinks), I will explain. Those prices were me thinking more along the lines of a buy from the internet - which carries some risk and some assumptions because I was think more along business lines - and you could see the price go up in my comment as the video progressed. For a table of that design I would pay $500-1200 (shipped to the US) - but there are a lot of variables and $500 assumes it is of reasonable (not perfect) quality and unassembled but sealed or finished (think Ikea). Higher prices depend on things not established in the video. Getting more than $1200 in the States would be difficult I think. In part, because you are in the UK and it would have to be shipped. You can't deliver an assembled one to my door that way so you either need a distributor or it needs to be a kit. Plywood is fine if done right, but it won't command higher retail prices. Also, there is competition here. At $1500 you are getting into Wyrmwood prices. I'm not afraid to spend money (despite my protests), but if this prototype in the video was more than $500 USD in materials even in plywood - that will be a limiting factor. I do think a hardened version for gamer cafes i something to look into. Wyrmwood is too pricey and "fine" for that application, but a single cafe might buy 6-12 tables - and they should pay if they are serious and you folks are. But high traffic requires some thinking and maybe even extended support (like replaceable inserts). As far as the height comment, in the States at least, a typical kitchen table is 28-30" to the top surface. A low bench (work bench or dresser top) is 31-33". A counter (dining bar) is 34-37". A standing table is 38-42". A bar is 41-44". A standing bar (or large bar or spectator bar) is 44-47 and anything higher is a shelf. These are not set in stone or anything, but typical chairs/stools are designed with them in mind. Thing is - tables are usually ~30" because that leaves room underneath for a valence and you don't have to bend over as much. I like how your table is 8cm for the recess. Too many of these tables are too deep. It is not comfortable. I think it is a great design and product, but I think you hit the same walls/hurdles as others. Most gamers are cheap - because they are young. So, the market is smaller than you might think. Turning it into true furniture is a start - but you have to expand the market. And that will come down to marketing and possibly creative accessories or designing with a younger market in mind (like somehow making it a cool thing for college - wish I could help). Sorry about writing a book. Obviously it is a subject you know more about than I.

I appreciate your comments, all feedback is helpful. Did you see that I just posted an update video on this channel showing our new workshop space?

@@Alastair_Freebird I did not see that. I will subscribe and check out the other videos. Who knows, eventually I may have one of your tables in my house.

Terrance, Apologies I seem to have missed replying to this - thank you so much for your interest and you will definitely want to see this latest upload: th-cam.com/video/j2rZbL1f2kc/w-d-xo.html

Well now... This particular table remains in my dining room, getting thoroughly tested. But to answer your real question, I backed away from the idea of launching a kickstarter too soon because we did not have the manufacturing capacity to do it. It would have been a disaster, and ruined me, especially as it probably would have coincided with Covid if we had pressed ahead!!! I decided to bide my time, get the infrastructure in place, and now, at last we are in the process of moving into a much larger workshop, and we have built workbenches and a spray booth specifically designed to accommodate assembling and finishing these games tables (alongside our usual fitted furniture work). Setting up the space is a big task and still ongoing. You'll see some videos about it on my main Freebird channel and instagram. A further hold up is the CNC machine which we have on order but which is not due until October. However, with the help of another local manufacturer (RD Shopfitting) I will at some point in the next few weeks be starting work on a refined version of this table - a little curvy; tapered legs; improved cup holder mechanism. For a paying customer who has been exceptionally patient, and who I have taken lots of video footage of in the design process, which I plan to start releasing very soon in the run up to relaunching the whole project.

@@Alastair_Freebird thanks so much for the thorough reply!

You’re welcome and thanks for your interest!

Darth Emphatic, things are moving forward with this table now - big steps! th-cam.com/video/j2rZbL1f2kc/w-d-xo.html

Totes was supposed to be toyed*

I really appreciate your interest. We almost went to kickstarter but I was nowhere near ready to go into production at scale. We are in the process of setting a up a bigger workshop but the CNC machine is very delayed. I plan to start releasing more videos about the build up to production soon.

Latest update here: th-cam.com/video/fGVwQl9n834/w-d-xo.html

Very likely. Can you send me a link to the relevant table? I've been half expecting a big player to steal my ideas. I'm still setting up the new workshop to get ready to bring this to market.

@@Alastair_Freebird there are similarities and there are differences. Its very possible youve just had similar ideas. Ive spent a couple weeks looking at all the gaming tables on youtube. Many of them use the accessory railing and removable tabletop to turn it into a dining table. The thing i noticed was what you made to put the table toppers in. While thats a nifty concept im not sure that it wasnt thought of by others years before. Here is the link though. www.kickstarter.com/projects/wyrmwood/modular-gaming-table?ref=section-homepage-featured-project

@@Alastair_Freebird to be fair though regardless if the ideas are similar you should still make your gaming tables. You have a good price point and you will make sales. You should probably step on it though because tables are getting more affordable. If you dont have the means to do big production runs then just start doing commissions.

Interesting to hear your thoughts and your overview of the market. Thanks for the push to get my skates on! It’s moving back up the priority list. I made the right decision to shelves it for a while though. I came too close to launching a Kickstarter when my gut was telling me we were no way near ready to go into production. Luckily I listened to my gut in the end. We didn’t have a handle on packaging, shipping, production at scale, and the pricing implications.

The wormwood design looks great. I always thought it was strange how most table set the leaves into a rim, making the wood shrinkage and expansion issues more problematic and the spill drainage more elaborate, so it’s good to see wormwood using the simple overlapping top. I hardly think I can take credit for much as it’s most likely they’ve arrived at the idea independently but it is interesting that they also went for a simple slot just under the rim for attachments as that was the second feature I felt was distinctive about mine. I also considered magnets.

We are in the process of setting up a new workshop with a view to starting production alongside our usual fitted furniture work. I should be able to get some more news out on this channel over the next few months.

The new workshop is set up. I am beginning the details drawings for a further improved version.

Latest update here: th-cam.com/video/fGVwQl9n834/w-d-xo.html

See the latest update here: th-cam.com/video/fGVwQl9n834/w-d-xo.html

Thanks, I haven’t been checking comments on this channel so much but I’ve just posted an update on the project here: th-cam.com/video/fGVwQl9n834/w-d-xo.html

Kingthefoot so, this went on the back burner for a while but we are making serious plans now for a relaunch. There will be new videos, social media, and a website launched in the next few weeks. Really struggling to bring the price below £2k when I look at the current costs, still not committing to a future price until we do a trial manufacturing run which I am planning to do in our new workshop which we will be moving into and getting set up early next year.

@@freebirdgamingtable any news on this?

Our new workshop is ready. I am working on the drawings for a further improved version right now.

Richard Hobbs some updates will be announced soon!!

And I saw you Richard!

How embarrassing, I said updates will be announced soon and look a whole year has passed! Well, I hope this update will more than make up for it: th-cam.com/video/j2rZbL1f2kc/w-d-xo.html

satanismybrother we are working on something to be released soon!!

Thanks Kris, latest update here: th-cam.com/video/fGVwQl9n834/w-d-xo.html

Hi Fergus, thanks for taking the time to chat, keep in touch! Alastair

Hi Matthias, yes I think we probably ought to. Andy and Becky have been happy with the size, just using a particular type of glass when they use the table, but I can see it being helpful to have other options. They did say that it worked well for them because the glasses sit securely, mostly below the cup holder, so can't get knocked. What options would you most like? Smaller holes for smaller cups, or those metal inserts that support the bottom of the cup? It's worth considering that our design which keeps the slot discretely hidden nearer to the top of the table may make cups a bit too exposed if they sit on an only slightly recessed metal insert.