Building a poker table?

thebigmc

I'm attempting to build a poker table myself, decided its a better challenge than buying a cheap folding table and I should end up with a better table for similar price.
I've read alot online and found great sites
http://www.homepokertourney.com/tables_build.htm
and a great forum at
http://www.scottkeen.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=7

I think it shouldn't be too difficult to build but im interested to find out if anyone here has build a table already? Where did you get felt, foam and vinyl? Was it worth it? Any pics of tables built? Any tips and advice?

Mellor

thebigmc wrote:

I'm attempting to build a poker table myself, decided its a better challenge than buying a cheap folding table and I should end up with a better table for similar price.
I've read alot online and found great sites
http://www.homepokertourney.com/tables_build.htm
and a great forum at
http://www.scottkeen.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=7

I think it shouldn't be too difficult to build but im interested to find out if anyone here has build a table already? Where did you get felt, foam and vinyl? Was it worth it? Any pics of tables built? Any tips and advice?

I thought about this for a while. Read some of the blogs/step by steps.
But most of the one i seen the people made it alot harder than it needs to be. So think every step through, and ask yourslf is there a better way to do it. Materials should be easy to find. Felt from pool table suppliers, vinyl from hickeys in town, and theres a shop on capel street that sells foam in any shape.
Get good quaility legs for it, buy or make. I seen one that ruined a good table by putting a fold out poker table unger it as the legs.

AmarilloFats

I built one of these a year or so ago...
Bought all the wrong materials, got drunk whilst building, measured the wood incorrectly....Great fun and it looks adn plays great.
used the instructions on http://www.homepokertourney.com
bought materials of zhivago (in finglas)
PM me and I'll mail u picture of table if u want.

thebigmc

Sound for the advice, I think ill be going out to zhivago alright, they have everything needed i think, thanks. For anyone interested the link is http://www.zhivago.ie/

Mr. Flibble

Hi bigmc, just saw the thread now.

I've built a few tables using the instructions on HPT. I followed the Journel design pretty much, except that I only used 2 peices of plywood for a table. I'm not quite sure why he thought he needed 3 at all.

I got the armrest vinyl and foam from zhivago's. I got them to make a 8x4 sheet of foam for me so I had one whole peice - if you have two pieces you can see/feel the gap thru the vinyl.

For the foam under the playing surface I used the stuff they put underneath hardwood flooring.
Make sure you get an electric spaple gun - you'll use bazillions of staples when making it.

If you haven't yet bought the material I can sell you some stuff I have leftover. I've armwest foam which zhivago charged me something like 250euro for 6 sheets, don't know what they'd charge for 1 sheet, but I'll undercut them! Probably got vinyl and velveteen (from distinctivefabric.com) - I'll have to check. Also got the playing surface foam. Let me know if you are interested. I can show you a few tables and give you some tips if your around D4 sometime.

Some photos here of what I've made.

Mellor

like the race track Flibble. I'm going to give this a go.
Would you reccomend a foam and vinyl edge, or could a moulded timber one work.
I was thinking of a timber arm rest might look nice, and would be easier for me to do.

Mr. Flibble

I've never played on a timber edge bar the kitchen table, so can't recommend it really. Wouldn't it be a bit hard on your arms?

I don't know what equipment you have, but I would imagine it would be pretty difficult to make a smooth wooden rail all around the table - I don't know all that much about carpentry though.

thebigmc

The tables look great fibble, were three of them in Drogheda at the weekend for the green joker festival? I think the racetrack looks deadly but doesn't play as well as a regular all felt table. The timber seems unnecessary when playing, still great tables.

I'm thinking for my first table I'm just going to convert my old kitchen table, cover the old top in foam and playing surface and add a vinyl and foam rail. Should be chaep enough and easy, hopefully.

I havent bought anything yet so I would take some of the materials off you If you still have foam for the rail and vinyl. I'm still trying to decide what playing surface I want, how did you find the velveteen? Do the cards slide well? Does it wear well? Also i was going to try and use 1/4"foam under the surface if i can , but this could be difficult to get? Did you try and find it in Dublin?

@Mellor I think a wooden rail would look very classy and If you are a good woodworker and could do it, but otherwise i reckon a vinyl and foam rail Is not too difficult to make and would be more comfortable.
I've played on a wooden rail before on an octacon table and it was a very nice table. If its always going to be self deal i think octagon and circle tables seem like a good idea too, and an octagon is just 8 straight pieces of timber, possibly easier to make?

Mr. Flibble

Yes, that was them in Drogheda. They had 'professional' cloth on them - expensive stuff, over 100e/table I think. I think the velveteen is fine but dealers found it hard to shuffle the muck on it, hence the other cloth.

I've had a table in use for a year with velveteen and it is as good as new. Cards slide fine.

I couldn't source 1/4" foam but I think the stuff I used is as good, its firmer. I used 2 x 1/8" sheets as far as I remember. They used to have it in the foam shop in capel st but they cant seem to get it anymore - not a sheet of uniform thickness at least.

thebigmc

I ended up going out to Zhivago today, and picked up everthing, got some deadly lookin black velvet for the playing surface and white leather for the rail. They have some very dodgy green felt in stock that I wouldn't go near but hopefully this "velvet" is ok.
I picked up the 1/2" foam for the rail and a sheet or 1/4" for underneath aswell, Ill post some pictures when I get it finished. (next christmas)

Mellor

thebigmc wrote:

@Mellor I think a wooden rail would look very classy and If you are a good woodworker and could do it, but otherwise i reckon a vinyl and foam rail Is not too difficult to make and would be more comfortable.
I've played on a wooden rail before on an octacon table and it was a very nice table. If its always going to be self deal i think octagon and circle tables seem like a good idea too, and an octagon is just 8 straight pieces of timber, possibly easier to make?

I was planning an octagon table, possibly a hexagon but not sure if it would work, with stained highly lacquered edges with a nice moulding. I can get access to proper woodworking machinery, won't be trying a out in th shed job.

Does anybody know where I can find pics of tables, esp. octagons or hexagons,

Mr. Flibble

Lots of pics at the bottom of the page here.

thebigmc

I managed to finish the table over christmas, here's a few pic's:
The centre part, (black) folds in the middle, for transport, but the felt is one piece, this was important to me. I wanted to be able to transport the table in the car. This is why I made the rail in two parts and why it's removeable. It just sits ontop of my dining room table at the moment, but if im moving it I will use a folding table underneath.

Mr. Flibble

Savage. Nice work.

sendic

sexy

Mellor

Very nice

I decided im going to do this soon.
So far I have decided on

Octagon/Heptagon/hexagon-easier for me than oval and mostly for space. Heptagon would be unusual, but the angles aren't standard, unlike the 60 and 45 degrees of the other two.
Wooden race track around felt,
Timber moulded edge. Very smooth moulding so its not hard on the arms.

Still have to get felt, not sure what stuff to get.
Also I have alot of foam underlay in the shed. Will this be ok under the felt, or should I use better stuff. Maybe two layers of the underlay.

Mr. Flibble

I've got some leftover velveteen if you want it. Are you in dublin? You could pick it up if you partake in one of the home games

I got it from www.YourAutoTrim.com. Places in the UK sell professional cloth, but its over 100euro a sheet.

What type of foam do you have?

Mellor

Yeah im in dublin, Lucan.
The foam is the thin stuf for under woodeb floors. About 3mm thick. One side has a kinda plastic (cling film) on it and the foam stuck to this. Was thinking of doing tewo layers of it. Or else getting stuff from the foam shop on capel street.

Mr. Flibble

I guess you can just try out the foam before finishing the table. Some people like harder, some like softer table. I don't know if the place in capel st will have thin enough foam though. They didn't last time I was there.