I have to give my dad credit for this little invention, as this was all his idea. This little table has been in use for 20+ years now and holding strong! It’s very easy to make and relatively inexpensive too! I do have to be careful not to put a super long table cloth on it because the drivers seat is Miss Kitty’s favorite napping spot lol she will pull the cloth (and everything on the table) off with her claws if she does not approve. Otherwise I would recommend a longer tablecloth… we use doiles and such that we find at a thrift store so if Miss Kitty does decide to claw then it’s no big loss. We also cover the back of the chair in a camel hair mens dress jacket since it looks nice but also prevents clawing of the leather seats! A nice $1 find from the local thrift store.
To make the table start with a round piece of wood. Dad got this piece for free from a local cabinet maker shop. It is the circle part they cut out of a counter top ( and throw away) to make a bathroom sink insert. So get creative and I’m sure you can find something hanging around or in a thrift store that can be used for free or for cheap for the table top!
For the next part we found bits and bobs in the old tool shed. Some metal hooks, an old hinge, some scrap wood, a couple of metal broom holders that screw into the wall. Look around and see what you have handy, if you can’t find anything useful at home then head to the hardware store. These bits and bobs are not that expensive or hard to find.
In the photo you will see the heart shaped piece of scrap wood was cobbled together so that it is placed on a hinge. This is so the table can be easily stowed when traveling (under the bed, behind the couch etc). The trick is to place your steering wheel at the position you will be using it in and then build the heart shape piece to the height needed to make the table level. If you have a tilt steering wheel this makes it even easier because you can use the tilt adjustment to get the table to a level position if it is off after you are done building your table. You can also do some minor adjustments in height with the screw in broom holder hooks if needed. Two hooks slide over top of the steering wheel then the hinged broom holder hooks are used as a bracer at the bottom of the steering wheel.
We started with our steering wheel tilted fully in the up position and then build the table because we wanted more room next to the captains chair. When dad made this table he used it as his coffee table to sit and watch TV or to look out the dash window in the mornings to enjoy the scenery. Now that we have taken over the RV Miss Kitty has decided that this is now her chair and everyone else can go find someplace else to sit lol. Conestoga Chuck and his sister are usually hogging the other seats (not to mention those pesky humans) so a cat has gotta claim a space for herself!
This table has gotten so many compliments over the years! We have been asked so many times where we got it from… the answer is usually “out of the scrap pile🤪” of course dad had it decorated much nicer that I do because of our cat it has become our do-dad table… but with a nicer table cloth and a small lamp and a house plant it would be so much prettier! Hmmmmm anyone want to adopt a cat? (Just joking Miss Kitty, don’t claw me!)
Conestoga Chuck 