Symbol/Dorset etc Table Conversion

I posted earlier asking if anyone had removed their ironing board legs to replace them with a single pole and it appeared that no-one had done it yet although some had thought of it. My concern was that in cutting my hole I might slice through something vital below the floor. To check that area, I bought for £15 a small video camera with led lights in the head which had a 5 metre wire and which I could attach to my laptop. By poking it into the void below the floor (beside the eberspacher duct below the settee), I could see that the area was clear. With fingers crossed I cut my hole half way along the settee and half way between the settee and the single seat. The hole cutter was 64mm diameter to accept the Fiamma socket which I then glued and screwed into the floor.....






Nice lot of insulation!
The table itself was straightforward to convert. I took off the legs (you can probably see the 6 screwholes at each end which will be filled idc), glued a wooden pad into the centre and then screwed on the top socket to accept the pole.






Here's the final view of the table in place with much more room around the legs. We find that being able to swivel the table on it's single pole makes moving around much easier and if there's more than 2 of us for a meal then no-one is having to sit astride a table leg



Hope this helps

John

You have done a good job there, I have used a bread board and screwed the table fitting to the underside which then fits in my pole, as I wanted a coffee table size. also would go in the Fiamma  tri-pod to go outside.

Hi Weymouth John,
Bit late responding to your December post but:

Just acquired 2012 Dorset with the same ghastly table (after having a 2006 Symbol with the superior centre pole arrangement). 
your mod looks fairly straight forward so I'm inclined to try it tho i am bit nervous about under the floor fixtures you were also worried about.
Most important question is - where do you source the fittings for under the table and in the floor - I've got a "spare" pole (long story!!)

Thanks and regards
Terry Allen

...I've had an awful lot of campervans ( like 19 ) using the Fiamma system, and modified every single one of them to get rid of that  *** socket !
Why ?
a)  being metal, it gets cold.
b)  being metal and projecting right through the floor means it conducts cold air from under the van and transfers it inside.
c) a cold socket equals cold bare feet in the morning.
d) it disrupts the flat floor, especially if you have a carpet.
e) there is no real need for it - the Fiamma tripod does the same job without cutting anything, and can also be used outside.

Well, it'd be a funny world if we were all the same wouldn't it. This solution for us is the perfect one. 
The table (and the van) has been used all winter and certainly we haven't noticed the socket transmitting the cold (I hadn't even thought about it). Of course it sticks up a little but we have mats rather than a carpet so we don't notice that. The bed is over it at night so there's no chance of stepping on it without shoes and socks on. 
We have the tripod stand as well and use it outside, but inside, with 6 people playing Bannanagram, it isn't stable enough to withstand the table banging.
19 vans seems an awful lot in one lifetime. Have you found your perfect van yet?

19 vans seems an awful lot in one lifetime. Have you found your perfect van yet?

...off topic I know, but yes, I'm settled now...( fussy ? me ? ) this one is near enough what we want.

We also modified the top boss when mounting the table - we screwed it a bit off centre across the width so it can overhang our knees a bit more when seated.