Occasional Table

Hi Ploughlin

Not a standard fitting I think, and not cheap - but . . .

Best bit of kit we've bought. It sits behind the driver's seat as we travel, which is very convenient for a lunch stop, specially when touring in France.

I go and get the frites while Mrs Gromit brews a cuppa. The table is small, but adequate. Very handy.

Dave

A/S Winchcombe comes with one occasional table similar to that shown in your photo, as standard, and has a straight leg into a floor socket fitted midway across the width of the floor.

The kit (unassembled) - tabletop, fitting socket, cranked leg and all bracketry is available from A/S for approx £150 each. Be careful though, the tabletop is made of a thin material (similar to formica) with minimal framing material and a honeycomb of cardboard-like within. It's easy to break through the bottom when drilling the fitting socket in place.

My Winnie now sports 2 of these occasional tables, 1 each side. The cranked legs on their brackets, are mounted on the end of each settee behind the cab seats. These two swivelling tables are in frequent use, for most meals, evening drinks etc with friends. I rarely use the also supplied large table, except for board games, playing cards or outdoor uses. SWMBO and I have the best of all worlds this way.

Regards, Barry, Pepi and SWMBO (she thinks).

My Bourton has this occasional table as standard, very useful.

I didn't explain clearly enough - sorry.

I thought Ploughlin was referring to a swan necked table support. That's the one we rate so highly. The straight leg with the central socket is excellent, but nowhere near as versatile. The swan neck allows for "parking" behind the driver's seat en route, and when not in use, then swing it out for frites as suggested before.

Saves putting it away all the time.

Dave


P.S. We don't even carry our big one. We have a Fiamma three legged table which is far less cumbersome when used inside the van, and having three legs it is very stable on the ground outside.
http://www.fiammastore.com/Fiamma-Bits-and-Bobs-for-caravans-and-motorhomes/Fiamma-Table-Legs-and-Bases

I have a boom legged table,similar to the ones fitted in Autotrail vans, the table top is 20mm thick. All available from Ebay shops.
Boaby

When I had a Surrey it came as standard with the cranked leg small table as well as the standard table, my present Bourton also came with this table as standard, they are stored in the wardrobe when not in use, they are not standard in all of the A/S models.
Don

Hi Ploughlin

I just sent this PM to another member who is also interested. I'll copy it below in case it's of use to others. (It's a bit of an epistle I'm afraid. )

Yes, I got the table from A/S and fitted it myself. Fiamma do something similar but it's nowhere near as good quality, and although the one A/S supply is bloody expensive we don't regret it for a moment. We had one on the previous van, which is where we realised how handy it is. Another reason for suggesting you get one from A/S (and NOT Fiamma) is that the socket on your small table will fit the swan neck leg. The Fiamma leg does not fit at all, so you would be making a problem for yourself.

A couple of things to note when fitting - well, this is how I did it.

I put it behind the driver's seat, largely because Mrs Gromit is nowhere near as tall as me and she tends to lounge on that side of the van during the day. She can get comfy with the table leg still in place, but I would have to keep removing it.

I located the top bracket as high and as far toward the central aisle as possible on the front of the bed box. Get the Memsahib to hold it in place before you drill, and see if the table leg will rotate past the wooden side "pillar" and up against the back of the seat, out of the way so the bed base can be lifted without fouling on it. Difficult to describe, but you will see what I mean when you go to install it. It's a close run thing, but it can just be done. You can just get the holes for the bolts to miss the steel bed frame with a bit of jiggling.

When you have fitted the top bracket, the cup at the bottom can be positioned. I was unimpressed - I think it's meant to be sunk into a hole in the floor, and I didn't want to do that so I made one to sit on the surface out of a bit of wood. It's out of the way down there and not very visible, but it looks OK anyway.

My long legs won't go under the table with the leg as it comes, so I also turned an extension of about four inches and hammered it into the bottom of the leg with a bit of glue. It was then easy enough to drop the leg into the new socket and make sure the vertical bit was (well) vertical. A couple of screws hold the socket in place and no other damage is done to the floor apart from the screw holes.

If you are going to the Malvern show you can have a look at it. We're the Nuevo with the small white tow car.

Dave

Like wot you just said!

Our table top doesn't match at all, but who cares - and it was only a tenner second hand from our dealer.

Dave

PLOUGHLIN wrote:What is "Slate Wreky" then.

Pass. Sounds like some unpalatable Scottish beverage used to marinate road kill haggis!

Next question please.

is  this what your looking for this has slight depression top left hand corner where something heavy dropped on it.
£20 +p&p or if going to lincoln can bring there
mike
vwt4

Just a thought Peter L

The boss on the underside of our table is offset - about 1/3 to 2/3 along the length of the table. (Hope that makes sense?) It's surprising how much more versatile this makes it when juggling for best position. Both the boom and the table top are adjustable in combination. It works a treat.

When I moved the boss I wasn't sure if there was anything solid inside the table where I wanted it, so I cut a half inch thick circle of wood and screwed and glued it on first. No problem then to make a good strong fixing.

Hope this helps

Dave

To be honest Gents I think the standard table tops are crude cheap but expensive !

I intend to buy a section of solid butchers block worktop or perhaps planked worktop in 25mm thickness and make my own.. This way the two will match and the quality will be so much better !

This picture is robbed from elsewhere but shows what I will do...

The table in the OP looks remarkably like the one we had in our 2007 Bessacarr.  I still bear several scars from it before it was removed in favour of the small free-standing wooden folding table that we still use.

This can be used outside, in the cab between the cab seats to hold items in the evening, as a work table in any position in the van and for breakfast or other light meals. It travels behind the passenger seat.  

Altogether lighter, more versatile and cheaper.

Hi Ploughlin
yes its 400 x580, I will have to pack it up and have it weighed for postage/Hermes to see what cost is, they are reasonably heavy so will get back to you when done if thats ok
mike
vwt4

Hi ploughlin
just sent you a pm
mike

Gromit wrote:Hi Ploughlin

I just sent this PM to another member who is also interested. I'll copy it below in case it's of use to others. (It's a bit of an epistle I'm afraid. )

Yes, I got the table from A/S and fitted it myself. Fiamma do something similar but it's nowhere near as good quality, and although the one A/S supply is bloody expensive we don't regret it for a moment. We had one on the previous van, which is where we realised how handy it is. Another reason for suggesting you get one from A/S (and NOT Fiamma) is that the socket on your small table will fit the swan neck leg. The Fiamma leg does not fit at all, so you would be making a problem for yourself.

A couple of things to note when fitting - well, this is how I did it.

I put it behind the driver's seat, largely because Mrs Gromit is nowhere near as tall as me and she tends to lounge on that side of the van during the day. She can get comfy with the table leg still in place, but I would have to keep removing it.

I located the top bracket as high and as far toward the central aisle as possible on the front of the bed box. Get the Memsahib to hold it in place before you drill, and see if the table leg will rotate past the wooden side "pillar" and up against the back of the seat, out of the way so the bed base can be lifted without fouling on it. Difficult to describe, but you will see what I mean when you go to install it. It's a close run thing, but it can just be done. You can just get the holes for the bolts to miss the steel bed frame with a bit of jiggling.

When you have fitted the top bracket, the cup at the bottom can be positioned. I was unimpressed - I think it's meant to be sunk into a hole in the floor, and I didn't want to do that so I made one to sit on the surface out of a bit of wood. It's out of the way down there and not very visible, but it looks OK anyway.

My long legs won't go under the table with the leg as it comes, so I also turned an extension of about four inches and hammered it into the bottom of the leg with a bit of glue. It was then easy enough to drop the leg into the new socket and make sure the vertical bit was (well) vertical. A couple of screws hold the socket in place and no other damage is done to the floor apart from the screw holes.

If you are going to the Malvern show you can have a look at it. We're the Nuevo with the small white tow car.

Dave

Hi Dave

Sometime back I photographed your small table which you use on a angled swinging arm AS bracket.

Is there any chance you could send me photographs of it in use and in it’s stored position behind the drivers seat.

Also photographs of its fitting to the end of the bed and the floor.

I had hoped I would have seen you at one of AS rallies.

I’m at Lincoln at present and last Rally will be the AS Rally at Wells

Many thanks 

Terry