Gun Dog Forum

Does anyone have or know where I can get a good set of design plans for building a force fetch table? Thanks.

Take it for what it's worth Dan, but you really don't need a table for only one dog. I put a 12" wide piece of plywood, 8' long before two card table chairs. Nothing fancy, but it works.

If you're determined to build one, the NAVHDA Green book has a nice set of plans.

I do basically the same thing with two saw horses and a 2x12x10 piece of wood.

Just curious, but why do you need it to be 8 or 10 foot long? Seems to me that 4-6 would suffice and wouldn't take as much room.

The longer length just helps to re-enforce the training. 4 to 6 feet just feels too short. The dog only take 3, maybe 4 steps. Also, the extra lenght of wood doesn't cost much.

Mine is 8' long and I wish it was a bit longer. Longer table gets the dog moving to the buck/bird before transition to the ground.

Don hit the nail on the head. Mine is 8' but i wish it was about 4'-6' longer.

I got this from another forum:

This table is 16x3 and about 4 feet off the ground.

Materials:

2x6x16' (6)
4x4x8' (5)
2x4x16' (2)
2x4x8' (1)
1x6x16' (3)
1x6x8' (1)
20 feet of plastic coated wire (rolls easier and won't rust)
1 set of close line tensioners
pulley (1)
4 feet of chain
brass snaps (1)
2 "quick links" (to fasten snaps to chain and pulley)
2 sheets of 1/2' plywood (1/4" would do)
9/16 X 6" galvanized stove bolts w/washers and lock nuts (22)
Box of 2 1/2" sheet rock screws
1 26x1" wide leather collar (if training labs, a 22"or24" collar would be fine for pointers and continental breeds)
I would "invest" in pressure treated lumber for the 4x4's and 2x4's as well as marine grade plywood. I personally would stay away from pressure treat on the 2x6's as this is the portion the dog is going to be in contact with and the arsenic they use in some of that pressure treat has been reported to cause illness in kids, so I believe it is no longer legal to use that in playground equipment.


Assembly:

layout the 6 2x6's and using one of the 1x6's cut into 3 foot strips place cross members every 4 feet to create your table top (work area). Affix the decking to the 2x6's with the sheet rock screws.

Run a 1x6 frame around the table.

cut 3 of the 4x4's into 6 4-foot legs and affix to the top you just completed, one at each corner and two in the middle. Use the stove bolts to attach all 4x4's (I used 3 per, 2 per might be enough)

run a 2x4 frame around the legs about 2 feet off the ground. Cut the plywood to length and screw to the top of the 2x4's. This provides stability and a shelf to store gear on. You obviously can omit the shelf, but I've found the small added expense is worth the return you get in functionality, especially if this is in the garage or barn.

Affix the other 2 4x4's at each end. Level them with the ground to add 2 more legs. These are your poles for the over head guide wire.

Affix your tensioners and wire, putting the pulley on the line first. The coated wire is great because it resists rust and allows for the pully to pull easier and quieter. The 4 foot chain is coupled to the pulley on one end and the snap on the other using quick links. This way you can adjust the length for each dog quickly and easily.

Use 3 screws to affix the leather collar to one of the posts.


That should do it, if you find any problems let me know, but it should go together in about an hour. You can easily modify this design down to 12 feet or even 8 (much less than 8 feet and I think you are seriously limiting yourself).

Does anyone have a price for the building this set up?

$117.42

Thought I had a photo of my table but can't find it. What it is as a 2'x8'x3/4" plywood on a frame made of 2x4's, looks like a floor when your done. On both ends is a 4x4 post to which I raised the table to hit right about 30" no more, off the table top. From the table top to the top of the post's is about 40". Across the top of the post's is a 2x4 nailed to the top's of the posts. About 2" below the 2x4 is a 1/4" cable attached to eye bolts in the post's. Have a short piece of cc that will reach to the table top with a little slack from the cable, tie a snap on one end. The other end let the rope run freely thru. In the edge of the 2x4 on the posts' screw another eye bolt. To start the rope is hooked to the dogs collar and the other end, with the sliding snap, is attached to the eye bolt in the 2x4. Shorten up the rope so your dog's head is held up and movement is restricted. As you move down with the buck, loosen the rope at the top and give the dog more room until it can pick the buck off the table with slack in the rope. Then to start making the dog move, un hook fron thr eye bolt and hook the top snap to the cable under the 2x4. Simple to make and lets you have both hands free to work with the dog.