Jeep Tailgate Table Fabrication

As the weather has been improving I have found myself working outside in the shop more and more.   Part of this time is spent fabricating new things for either the Jeep or trailer.  I find this a great way to destress after a days work, as well as it acts as an outlet for creativity.

The last few weeks one of the projects I have had in the back of my mind has been a Jeep tailgate table.  Now I did a lot of looking and you can purchase one for somewhat reasonable prices (<$200), however I wanted the challenge to build my own, while also building it exactly to what I envisioned.

Another thing I had going for me was some left over aluminum from the trailer build, the main surface of the table would come from this. What I ended up having to buy was a few lengths of aluminum angle, some cable, crimps, and a latch.  All the remaining parts I already had.  While I bought more of the supplies that I needed I figure the actual costs that went into the table are right around $40.

I should mention that a table on the tailgate is never something I found myself needing it has always been one of those overland-esque type items I have always wanted.

I'm not going to get too much into the details of the builds, and instead hope the pictures below can speak for themselves.

Picture of the near finished table with no latch

 The table closed, again without a latch. Note how much space I maximized since I had no need to clear a subwoofer.

 The stainless latch which I picked up at out new Lee Valley store. When closed and secured it is very secure and I am confident will be rattle free.

Tailgate closed on the Jeep. Check out the LED strip lighting I ran on the back glass.  This helps so much to see whats in the back at night and will provide perfect light over the table. 

Future improvements may include something to get use out of the 1 inch or so space between the table and tailgate, perhaps some cutlery/utensil storage. I may also search for cutting board to modify which I can then fabricate to slide out from under the table once lowered. 

Overall I am very happy with how this came out and hope to find some use for it.