Train Table

[http://users.livejournal.com/little_e_/]

It still needs color, but the construction phase has finished. (Took about a day, over all.)
More pictures and instructions for the curious after the cut.




It has a bridge and a little house for the trains to roll into.


The top lifts up, revealing a storage compartment and extra support boxes. And detritus I need to scoop out.


Choochoo!


This is how it will end: by stomping.

I try to keep it away from anything Link might conceivably want to use it to climb towards, since it is made of cardboard and tape.


Instructions:
First, take one large, table-ish box.
Cut off one of the big sides, leaving the flap on the end. We'll used this to make a depressed top for the table, so that it has a 'lip' around the edge to help keep toys in
If you don't like the designs on the outside of the box, flip it inside out and tape it up. (Mine had formerly contained a highchair, so I did this.)

Second, take at least 2 small boxes of reasonable size (an inch or two shorter than the top of your large box) and tape them into the large box.
(Alternatively, you can make small boxes out of another large box.)
It is important that all of the boxes inside your box be the same height, because your table lid will be resting on them.

Now take the big side you removed earlier and place it on top of your small boxes inside the big box. Slip the big flap behind the boxes, and now you have a nicely hinged 'lid' to your table, with a lip around the edge. Congratulations! Add whatever tracks, tunnels, bridges, or thingamabobs you want.

(The "tracks" are just curved pieces of cardboard that I assembled with tape and supported with more cardboard and old paper towel tubes. The 'railings' are cardboard strips with more tape. At some point my son may figure out that these aren't really train tracks and want real tracks, but for now, this is a lot cheaper.)

I plan on getting sharpies to draw in the tracks and color in some trees and bushes and make it look less, well, cardboardy, but since I'm probably giving birth next week, that end of the project might have to wait--it's not like my son cares, anyway. :)

(x-posted to imaketoys)