7/11/10 - Dinner party for 10!

When you live in an apartment in the city, dinner parties usually need to be intimate affairs. Most of us just don't have the space (or the layout) for a full dining room which means that you are limited to a few guests. However, I love to entertain and I wasn't about to let something as small as my 6 person kitchen table stand in my way! Memories of my college days reminded me that a piece of plywood makes an excellent table and so off to Home Depot I went.... Don't forget to measure the width of your table (and thickness)!

Once I found the sheets of plywood I asked if they would cut it to the correct width for my table so that it would be flush at the edges.  I also picked up 2 (4 would be better!) c-clamps that open wide enough to accommodate the thickness of my table plus about 2 inches (these can be harder to find... I ended up having to re-purpose the clamp from my pasta machine!) .  When I got home I opened the table as wide as possible then I laid the plywood over the top and centered the table under it (only leave  a max of  18" overhang on each side for maximum stability) and clamp down on both sides. Finally, I picked up a table cloth that would cover the wood and leave a nice overhang. Because the wood can be a bit rough a padded table cloth underneath can help to improve the aesthetics . Add a few folding chairs and you have an instant dining room table that can easily be stored under a bed when you aren't entertaining! Just be careful when setting the table as the clamps will leave a bit of a bump and must be avoided.