grooming tables

 I couldn't see where you live.  I am about an hour and a half drive from one of the 2 Pet Edge warehouses, so I bought my table, high velocity dryer and clippers at one of their warehouse sales.  That may be something to consider.  I went to Woburn Mass; they also have a warehouse out West somewhere.

 Looking on craigslist, even POSTING on there, is a good start.  

 What to consider? 

 - Height. What are you using now?  Measure how high up that is off the floor.  Do you want that height, or higher?  Most tables are in the 30 inch to 26 inch range, as I recall (been 3 years).  Higher than that you are going to pay lots for the height.

I didn't want a hydraulic, way too much money, and I figured more parts to break down, lol.

 - Weight.  Are you fortunate enough to have a place to set it up and leave it in place?  Or will you be setting it up, using it, then putting it all away again?  I've learned to set up the night before, so in the morning I am ready to go.  I don't have a place to leave it all set up. 

- Ease of Set Up.  See above, lol!  Mine, the 2 legs unfold easily and lock in place.  VERY easy to unlock, fold the legs and carry it to the storing area.

- Accessories.  If you buy new, it will most likely come with one arm and one neck loop.  If you buy on craigslist, you may be only getting the table, so there you have added costs.  

Pet Edge has so many options, even if they aren't close to you, I'd browse through to see what is available out there.  

There are special grooming tables folks in confirmation use at shows.  These are small, and IMO not too sturdy, and DEFINITELY not for a 52 pound dog.  It may look tempting, don't get one though.

 There was one brand I really liked that Pet Edge didn't carry, but can't recall the name just now.  I wasn't going to be able to get a "deal" on it so it would have cost me more than I ended up paying.  Sorry, maybe someone else will be more familiar with brands.

 The warehouse sale, Pet Edge is moving out the stuff that has been returned to them.  My table had one minor dent on the rim around the table top.  Fine by me.  If you buy used (craigslist etc) you need to consider WHY are they moving it along.  Is the rubber table cover torn?  Missing completely?  If what's left is slippery, you can't use it as it, you are going to have to make some repairs to it.  Depends how handy you are and what is required.

If money is an issue, you can easily make a sturdy grooming table with folding legs. To get the legs, go to www.lowes.com and search for Banquet Table Legs and have them delivered to your local store. ($20.)  When you pick up your legs, go to the lumber section and find the 3/4" plywood that is pre-cut to 2'x4'.  A standard table is 2x3, so if you desire that size have them cut it down for you before you leave.  Then go to the carpeting section and look for vinyl carpet runners, without the nubs for gripping on carpet.  Make sure it is wide enough to fold over the table top and staple underneath. 

Attaching the legs is pretty easy.  I can't remember for sure but I may have gotten screws a bit larger/longer than what they provided for extra strength.  If you are just using at home this would not be necessary.  I travel with my table to shows so I may have gone overboard.

Then lay the table top down on the vinyl carpet runner, cut to size, and fold it over and use a staple gun to fasten along the bottom of the table.

Couple tips to make the table nicer.  Round the corners of the table because you will bump into it with your hip a lot. 

If you want both the legs to fold perfectly flat, you have to take extra steps.  When both are fastened right to the bottom of the table then when folded the second leg will stick out a few inches because the other legs prevents them from laying flat.  To avoid that, you need to make a spacer for one set of legs.  Lay the legs flat and measure how tall it is.  You need a spacer that tall.  For me I think it was a 1x4 piece of wood plus a thin piece of finishing trim.  Cut that same amount off the bottom of the legs on one pair, and put the wood spacer between the table and legs when mounting.  Fold the other legs in first.

This table will be VERY sturdy.  Heavier than most tables but great for home use.  Oh, and one time (I've made multiple tables) I got the legs from Home Depot and they were not as good.

Thanks for taking the time to reply.I'm in Wisconsin and we have no such outlet Sandy.What I do now is brush my dogs outside while they stand on the ground.One is very heavy coated and he takes 15 min. of brushing daily.I think I would do a better job with tangles if he were up higher and I didn't have to bend or kneel to reach all of him.The table would stay in my basement and not really need to be moved.Samshine we do have a banquet table I could take apart but the thing I think would be most helpful about a grooming table is the arm thing that you clip the collar to.This would keep them from spinning around.Any ideas how to improvise that?

                                                            Tena 

 OUCH! to working on any size dog standing on the ground!!!

The arms are not too expensive, I think $20.  But one arm, the dog can still spin.  You would need 2 and set them one at each end of the table, with one loop around the neck and the other, a larger loop, around the groin area (OK, it isn't called groin on a dog, I don't know the term, hahaa).  

Grooming arm link:   http://www.petedge.com/catalog/search.jsp?N=0&Nty=1&Ntk=AllSearch&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Ntt=Grooming%20Posts%20and%20Arms

Now, being as I have bichons, I would never want a table with carpet on it, as the table gets soaked after the bath, while they are under the dryer and getting brushed out.  I'd get a rubber mat / rubber strip sort of covering, if you make one yourself.  That is what the one I have came with.  

 Also something that struck me in your reply, you say you would set it up down in the basement?  How old are your dogs?  Consider that, as dogs age, going up and down stairs becomes more difficult; and older dogs tend to lie around more, and hence they get even more mats.  So you want to be brushing more, though perhaps for shorter times.  May not apply now, you dogs are young, but just pointing this out.

I made my own grooming table.  We already had a folding table like this.

I bought this grooming arm.

And I bought some Rubbermaid non-skid bathtub/shower strips at the local WalMart and placed them at intervals over the table top.  They cost about $5.00.

The only issue I have with my set up is that while the table height is adjustable, one setting is just a bit too low for me and the next setting is a bit too high.  Either setting is do-able, just not perfect.  It's not particularly quick to fold down, but our spare bedroom is the pet room, so it stays set up in there.

 Myra, I have something similar to that last item, the 'non sit haunch holder."  It does help alot in grooming but it does not prevent spinning as they still have one fixed point at the top.  There is a pivot up there, so it does not tangle as they spin.  LOL