That is awesome, I love it! I saw that new make article as well, Enter Arrakis: The Coolest Sand Table I pointed it out over where we were discussing the homedics Sand table.
My friend is moving his restaurant and he wants a sand table in one of his booths. I might have to borrow a lot of your design. I am not sure if I should use the extrusion like you are or just thicker wood than I used on my big table. Just need it to be more robust than normal to handle the abuse.