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Hey all,
Newbie here. going to set up a carrera track on a 5x9 ping pong table top on top of my pool table. I am sure others have done this but wanted to find out recommendations for table thickness. I have to buy the ping pong table top and have noticed that they very in price quite a bit. $100 -$600. It seems like the more expensive tables are around "3/4 inch where as the cheaper ones then to be "1/2. To be honest, I doubt that there will ever be ping pong played on the table. For those of you who have gone the ping route, are the cheaper thinner ones enough to support the track? I know this may be a little off the wall question for this forum but if any one has experience with this would love to hear what you have run into. thanks- Tom

Take a look at nor cal mikes posts in the digital section or readers roads. He put together a nice Lightweight table out of 2 inch styrofoam insulation. It would be cheaper than special order wood and a lot easier to move.

"Take a look at nor cal mikes posts in the digital section or readers roads."
Maybe a dumb question but how do I find that? I am new to the forum. Thanks

Mike, at the top of the page you will see headings portal and board index. Click on board index, it will bring up a menue of all the hrw forums. Go down to digital racing, click on it. Scan down to an article called "anbody doing ssd" by a gentleman named nor cal mike. Im an analog guy, but hes got me seriously thunking bout digital. Expense is my main issue.
If you have problems either put up a post or send a PM to me and ill get back to yo soon as i can.
bob e

Mine started on a ping pong table. I bought it at Wal Mart for around $80.00. It is pretty sturdy. I have added 4 feet to each end, and about a foot to the width as the track has expanded.

Might want to check out your local Craigs list and local Goodwill.Sometimes you can find them for as little as $20 bucks used ..
Rusty

Somebody ring? Just a quick word on the styrofoam board. I don't like the kind that is available here in California. It is the stuff made of a bunch of little styrofoam pellets.It is weak and needed more wood to support it than I would have liked. It would be better to use the closed cell type which is sold everywhere else. If I had to do it over I wouldn't have used the styrofoam given what is available to me. For easy to get going in slot car racing for a newbie, I't use the ping pong table. The cheap one is fine if it sags, that just means that you now have a track with elevation changes. It's all good.

Bob E, I am glad you liked my SSD track. I think it is fun. I still like analogue too though.

I am looking at using a folding Ping-Pong table for family racing action. Used ones on Craigslist are very reasonably priced. When not set up for a racing session, it will be folded and stored against the garage wall. I hope this will be an answer to provide some racing space here at the Ming household... SOMEDAY.