Glossary
Glossary: Stud, Ledger, Toggle Bolt, Drop Leaf, Gateleg, Murphy and More
Listings and manuals for fold-down tables use carpentry, code and furniture terms that are rarely explained. This glossary defines the most important ones in plain English, sorted alphabetically, with the figures our guides rely on.
The terms below are sorted alphabetically. Three groups of them decide most buying and mounting questions, so here is how they fit together.
The wall: stud, on center, ledger board
Everything starts with the wall. A stud is the framing behind the drywall, and on center is how its spacing is measured. Wood studs are 16 or 24 inches on center, depending on stud size and load: the code table we read in the 2012 Seattle Residential Code, which reproduces the IRC text, allows 24 inches for 2x4 studs that carry only a roof and ceiling and for many nonbearing walls. When your brackets do not line up with the studs, a ledger board across two or more studs gives them something solid to hold. How to find and measure studs is in the guide on how to install a wall-mounted folding table, and what the spacing means for your table is answered in are studs 16 or 24 inches apart.
The figures: load rating, working load, toggle bolt
A load rating is only as good as the mounting it assumes. VIVO, for example, states 110 lb and names wood stud, brick or concrete. Anchors have their own figures: the ultimate load is what made a toggle bolt fail in testing, the working load is what you should use, and TOGGLER notes that industry standards recommend one quarter of the ultimate test load. Why the fixing usually limits the table is explained under weight capacity, and whether a toggle bolt can replace a stud is answered in can you mount a fold-down table on drywall without studs.
The designs: drop leaf, gateleg, Murphy
A drop-leaf table has a fixed part and a hinged leaf; a gateleg table is its freestanding relative with swing-out legs. A Murphy table is a fold-down dining table that closes into a cabinet or panel, while a Murphy desk is a cabinet whose front becomes a desk. The four wall designs are compared under folding wall table vs. drop-leaf vs. Murphy table vs. gateleg, and the Murphy terms are sorted out in Murphy table vs. Murphy bed with table.
The hardware: folding bracket, flap stay, lag screw
A folding shelf bracket carries a top by itself and locks open; a flap stay only holds a drop front level and is chosen by the weight of that front; a lag screw is the heavy wood screw that ties a bracket or cabinet into the stud. Which part does which job is sorted in hinges and locking supports for fold-down tables.
Answers to single questions are collected under questions and answers, and our picks start on the homepage.
- Bearing wall
- A wall that carries a roof, ceiling or floor above it. The residential code table on wood studs allows different maximum stud spacings for bearing and nonbearing walls, which is one reason studs are 16 or 24 inches on center.
- Drop-leaf table
- A table with a fixed section and a hinged leaf that folds down. On the wall, the fixed part is a strip screwed to the wall and the leaf drops down when not in use.
- Flap stay
- A support that lowers a drop-front desk lid or fall-front door and holds it level when open. It is sized by the weight of the front, according to its maker's technical sheet.
- Folded depth
- How far a folded table stands off the wall. Makers state, for example, 2.3 inches (VIVO) and 3.0 inches (Costway); cabinet desks stand much deeper.
- Folding shelf bracket
- A metal bracket with a hinged arm that locks at 90 degrees to carry a top and folds down flat when released. Two of them, screwed into studs, are the simplest fold-down table support.
- Gateleg table
- A freestanding table whose leaves rest on legs that swing out like a gate. It is the freestanding relative of the wall-mounted drop-leaf.
- Knee clearance
- The free space under a table or desk for the knees. The 2010 ADA Standards treat the space between 9 and 27 inches above the floor as knee clearance and ask for at least 30 inches of width.
- Lag screw
- A heavy wood screw with a hex head, driven into a pilot hole. Lifetime fixes the mounting bracket of its 80421 work table to the studs with lag screws in 1/4-inch pilot holes.
- Ledger board
- A horizontal board screwed into two or more studs. Brackets or a fold-down table are then fixed to the board, so they can sit where no stud is.
- Load rating
- The maker's or seller's figure for what a table or bracket carries on a sound wall with the stated mounting. The fixing – studs, anchors and the leverage of the top – usually limits the load, so read the figure together with its mounting.
- Murphy desk
- A shallow wall cabinet whose front folds out into a desk, usually with shelves behind it. It is not the same as a Murphy table.
- Murphy table
- A fold-down table, usually for dining, that closes into a wall cabinet or flat panel, named after the Murphy bed. We use the term only descriptively; a federal appeals court held in 1989 that “Murphy bed” is a generic term.
- On center (o.c.)
- Spacing measured from the center of one stud to the center of the next. Wood studs in US houses are 16 or 24 inches on center, depending on stud size and load.
- Stud
- A vertical wood or metal framing member behind the drywall. A fold-down table belongs on wood studs, on a ledger board across them, or in brick or concrete with suitable anchors.
- Toggle bolt
- A hollow-wall anchor whose metal channel opens behind the drywall. TOGGLER lists about 120 kg (265 lb) ultimate tension for its 1/4-inch SNAPTOGGLE in 1/2-inch drywall and notes that industry standards recommend one quarter of the ultimate test load as working load.
- Working load
- The load you should actually put on an anchor or fastener, as opposed to the ultimate load at which it failed in testing. TOGGLER notes that industry standards recommend one quarter of the ultimate test load.
Sources
- 2012 Seattle Residential Code, Chapter 6 (IRC text), Table R602.3(5) Size, height and spacing of wood studs
- TOGGLER: SNAPTOGGLE technical data sheet (ultimate loads, 1/4 working-load note)
- U.S. Access Board: 2010 ADA Standards, 306 Knee clearance and 902.3 Height of work surfaces
- Rockler: Sugatsune SDS-C100 Soft-Down Flap Stay / Drop Front Support
- Lifetime: Wall-Mounted Folding Work Table 80421, assembly instructions (PDF, lag screws, pilot holes)
- Murphy Door Bed Co. v. Interior Sleep Systems, 874 F.2d 95 (2d Cir. 1989)
Keep reading
- ComparisonTable types comparedFour wall-table designs compared – folding brackets, drop-leaf, Murphy table and fold-out legs – plus how a gateleg table differs, with what carries the load.
- How-toHow to installInstall a wall-mounted folding table safely: find the studs, mark the top edge, drill per the manual and use a ledger board when the brackets miss a stud.
- ExplainerWeight capacityHow much weight a wall-mounted folding table can hold: maker load ratings from 33 to 150 lb, what the wall and anchors add, and why leverage limits the load.
- OverviewQuestions & answersShort, sourced answers to the questions people ask before and after buying a wall-mounted folding table: walls, studs, brackets, rentals, load and height.
Who writes here
wallmountedfoldingtable.com Editorial Team
Fold-down tables, desks & workbenches
We are the editorial team at wallmountedfoldingtable.com. We compare maker spec sheets, manuals, retailer data, building codes and anchor data for wall-mounted folding tables and turn them into plain-English advice – with sources on every page. We do not run lab tests or load tests, and we say so openly.
- Maker specs, manuals & codes compared
- Sources on every page
- No lab tests – stated openly
- Publisher details in the imprint