I wanting to hear from others who have built suitcase tables, or from those who own suitcase tables. I'm curious to learn how others have latched the top portion of their suitcase tables upright. I'd love to hear about what kind of hardware was used, how it worked, how it was positioned, etc. I'm looking for other ways to do this, and I'm curious to hear about whats out there...
Thanks.

I have used a very simple solution. Two thin, rectangular strips of steel on the top surface of the bottom compartment, sunk so they are flush with the surface. They are held in place with a rivet which allows them to swing out. The top portion is opened, the steel bits are swiveled out and the top rests on them.


Day 3

Mvmagic has a simple, elegant solution; I went for lazy.

Barrel bolts - the type used to keep a gate or cabinet door closed, with a sliding latch moved by an attached knob - are available in white, brass, or zinc for about 3 bucks at Home Depot, and worked quite nicely. Like MV's solution, this method provides a projecting steel support for the lid, in my case a round rod instead of a flat steel strip.

Don't forget to provide some means of limiting the lid so it doesn't open more than 90 degrees, or your suitcase table top may inadvertently become a slide, adding an unintentional layer of comedy to your performance. A length of sash- or jack-chain attached to the lid and base, or stops on the outside, will about do it.

Leland

Mine may be a lazy version as well. My base is a cymbol stand (you know drum kit hardware, shiney silver, packs flat, very portable). I attached a black wood table top to the cymbol stand using a flag holder. This is the type of holder that attaches a flag to your house. This allows the table top to fold flat to the base. Then I simply set the metal briefcase on top of the wood table and use a bungie cord to secure it (to avoid the unintentional comedy - which would be a real possibility otherwise).

And I thought I went lazy! But hey, your hardware is more mechanically complex!

As for securing the top portion, I got some really strong magnets (rare earth magnets I think) from a friend. Their size is right so I thought of embedding one on each side of the sidewalls of the top portion so there'd be magnetic locking. I think they are strong enough to keep the top securely in position. Obviously it aint quite as reliable as a chain or the like would be, but so far I've done well completely without any "tilt prevention system" (now there's a fancy term nor something this simple!).


Day 5