Custom made table for electric wheelchairs

[eizbear]

Hello guys,

My son has Spinal Muscular Atrophy type 2 and he is pretty weak in general. He can sit with support and have always been in need of a custom built table that covers the whole area of the wheelchair from armrest to armrest. Otherwise he has very hard to use his arms and ipad etc etc etc.
The table looks kinda like this:
https://i.pinimg.com/564x/be/0b/ee/be0b ... 64d0b2.jpg


What I wanted to ask you guys is if any of you make your own tables and have suggestions? The reason why I'm asking is that the person who made these special built tables for my son has retired and the one who has replaced him is a joke... The table the presented yesterday was so fucked up! I could as well used a flattened corrugated cardbord box as table instead. It also took him 2 months to make the new table, which took me 2 sec to throw in the trash.

So I decided that I need to fix this myself. I need to buy both the materials and equipment needed to make a table.

Thanks in advance!

Andreas from Sweden

[eizbear]

I found this machine:
https://www.amazon.se/Frantools-akryl-b ... 1923&psc=1

Not sure if it's any good, but the videos the seller showed looked promising.

[foghornleghorn]

This is a UK example:
https://www.cutplasticsheeting.co.uk/cl ... ate-sheet/

This sort of place will supply and cut to any shape you want, probably drill any holes you need too.

I don't know the correct words for Swedish but in English its Polycarbonate sheeting and comes in various thickness.

[Burgerman]

The table in your link is a bit of clear perspex sheet (a kind of plastic) that is used for many things.

Where I live in the UK theres a place called VT Plastics. You can buy the stuff in many thicknesses, and many colours inc clear. If you were to take in the old one they may even cut it out for you. Then drill holes or shapes as needed - but you can do that at home too.

There must be a plastics supplier that is similar on an industrial estate near to you that can do the same. Get say 6 done at once. Store them for future use.

https://www.simplyplastics.com/catalog/ ... c-83/p-203

Another...

[ex-Gooserider]

A local maker-space should be able to help you out as well... Some plastics can be laser cut, others can't because of the gasses released when lasered, but those can be machined pretty simply with basic tools... If you have a sample or a CAD drawing / dimensioned sketch it should be pretty straightforward to make the top.

If you need the support hardware, that is a bit more difficult but not very much so.

ex-Gooserider

[Burgerman]

I might add that most chair manufacturers already offer these. A quick look on the sunrise parts site shows one for my Q700 chair. Its available in various widths, and as a half tray, and with or without edges, and with a cutout for various wheelchair controllers at the corner and in the centre. But they charge about 250 uk pounds for the privelidge with mounting hardware. They offer the same with the correct mounting hardware for many different chairs that they make/made in the past. Even if yours doesent, a different brand one could be adapted easily.

This is a non custom standard part.

[Burgerman]

And sunrise medicals "build for me" division will build a custom made one that is any size and shape you might want. At some cost.

This is a half table shown. And a link to their webpage:
https://www.sunrisemedical.co.uk/built4 ... erapy-tray

An example of a custom flip-up, tray with centre mount joystick. Both ways up!

[snaker]

Are those clear Acrylic sheets also called MICA?

[Burgerman]

Not that I know of. But maybe. They get called correctly and incorrectly Lexan, ABS, Perspex, Plexiglass, PVC, Polycarbonate, Acrylics like Acrycast and Policril and a bunch of others! Theres many types of plastics and it may be any one of them. Some are trade names. For this job the best is likely perspex as its strong rigid and hard to scratch. Easy to cut and machine, clear and many colours.

This is the stuff you want. And this is plenty big enough. In the 10mm. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Clear-Perspex- ... =8-42&th=1

[eizbear]

Thanks for the tips and idéas guys! It is kinda interesting that NEITHER wheelchair manufacturer has offered this option, not here in Sweden atleast. And we've had wheelchairs from Permobil, Sunrise Medicials, Invacare and ETAC.
Not a single one of them ... maybe it is because all the assistive equipment is free here in Sweden, but they wanna keep the costs down lol.

Anyways, since I already orders a machine and a bunch of acrylic sheets I will start there. Who knows, perhaps I might be able to produce my own "perfect" table for him. Or make a lot of different tables for different activities.

[Burgerman]

Sunrise certainly offer it. See link above. You must contact them though. And its actually on the prescription form. And parts manual for a non custom built one.

If you want I can give you the parts numbers. What chair is it?

[eizbear]

Well, living in the woods where the population is around 20 people (ofc which 5 is mine) and no bigger city nearby - we don't have a lot of industries around here heheh.
Anyways, My machine hasn't arrived yet - stupid amazon! But some other parts have and we have started to cut the metal framing in to pieces and will hopefully start welding this week. I'll get back to you with how it goes hehe


But I just noticed a thing on the pictures you posted Burgerman - is the controll/joystick "flipable" on that table ? On one picture, the joystick is up and on the other one it is down. I didn't notice that before.

[Burgerman]

I think it is. But dont know for sure.

[Burgerman]

I asked. Yes it is. Was calling about parts anyway.

[Es*]

Therafin are a company who make various components for attaching and detaching a tray table.