On Fri, 18 Jan 2008 08:50:58 -0600, Geoff Schultz wrote:

"Glenn Ashmore" wrote in
:

Looks like fiddle rails are out and non-slip mats are in. Thanks, that
makes the table building a lit simpler.

As to dispensing with the salon table all together I don't mind as I
eat in the cockpit 99% of the time but there are certain compromises
like inverter, A/C in the slip and salon tables, that must be made in
the spirit of matrimonial harmony. :-)

Several companies sell dishes that have foam rings attached to their
bottoms that keep them from sliding. They work well. You could always
make your own to fit existing dishes.

If it's rough enough to worry about dishes sliding, we eat out of bowls
that we hold in our hands. A fiddle that's small enough to not be a
pain probably isn't useful.

Those dishes are pretty good, but fiddles keep all the other stuff you
dump on a table from sliding off -- pens, pads of paper, books, keys,
handheld electronic devices, CDs, etc. Rubber mats work but stuff can
still roll. If it's truly rough then you'll probably be holding your
dishes anyway, so don't worry about a big fiddle. But a smaller one takes
care of the everyday rocking and rolling, and diesel vibration that shakes
things onto the floor.

For playing cards, cut a piece of felt to fit the top of the table. It
makes it easier to pick up your cards, and keeps them from getting dirty
and sticky a lot longer. A big loose piece of felt works fine -- it
doesn't have to be glued down like a casino card table to work.

Matt O.