Looking for Advice on My 2nd Table Build (2 Viewers)

links_slayer

4 of a Kind
Joined
Aug 24, 2013
Messages
5,485
Reaction score
8,164
Location
Madison, WI
I currently have a 4' x 7' oval w/ a 6" padded rail and platinum suited speed cloth. Nothing fancy but it gets the job done quite nicely, much nicer than most - but not all - the home game tables I've played on in my area. Here is what I am thinking for this one:

- Oval
- Probably go with a thinner (4"?) rail on this next one
- Able to seat 10 - does this mean I need to go the full 8'?
- 4' seems pretty wide - is it? Or is my mind playing tricks on me?
- No dedicated dealer slot or chip tray
- No racetrack
- No raised rail - I like the flexibility slide-under cup holders offer and do not want cup holders in the playing surface or the rail
- >95% going with a custom cloth
- Legs/Base doesn't really matter - table currently has folding legs that work just fine (am open to other ideas though - doesn't need to be super portable or storage friendly)

Anything you all would have done differently on any of your builds? Based on the above it would appear that I have almost everything figured out. I guess what I'm looking for is pro's and con's of any materials (rail/playing surface covering and padding) that you guys have run into?

Thanks in advance. Looking forward to taking advantage of all the great minds here :)
 
I like your thots on this.

Agree regarding a thinner rail. By the time you foam and cover it, it gains width. I think if you make it 4.5" the final version will be 5" which I like. The brown table you played on at DCS has final rail width of 5.5", the large red table rail is 5".

44" wide is what I'd go with. Makes a nice but manageable width and you can adjust the table length accordingly. You could go as low as 42" imo, whatever best fits the space. 48" is indeed too wide.

The brown table is 90", the red table is 94". My first build was 92". I'd go with the largest that will fit your space but I doubt I'd make it a full 96". The extra length will give you that extra few inches to fit players more easily around.

I don't mind the cheap folding legs and you can always change later if you get a deal on something more sturdy. If you use the rail cutout as a sub-base, it makes a very stable platform if you locate the legs at the arc of the oval, decent legroom too.

Yay no racetrack. ;)

Agree with slide under cupholders.

And a plug for Xtreme Vinyl from YAT. I like the look and slight texture and it's thick and durable. I thought it was fine to work with.

Good luck!
 
I've found that my sweet spot for tables is 92" x 44". This will allow for 10 players without having to do the whole 4' x 8'. I too like a thinner rail; 4.5" is my ideal, but that's purely subjective. Also, instead of slide-under cup holders, what about side-tables with cup holders in them? I bought a four-piece set of black TV tables. I just cut proper size holes and drop the cup holders in before every game. They're easy to store and they keep clutter off the table as well as reducing the risk of spills. Below is a picture of what I'm talking about:

STA_0870.jpg

As far as legs go, I followed Redbelly's lead and got these: http://www.rockler.com/folding-stacking-banquet-table-legs.They're a little on the pricier side, but they're incredibly sturdy, they lock in both positions, and they're the nicest looking folding legs in my opinion.
 
My main table is also 7' long. It is 42" wide with 5.5" rail leaving 31" of playing surface in width....works just fine. I cut the wood on my rail at 4" and the foam/vinyl added gave it about a width of 5.5". If you have the available room, I would go with an 8' table if you want to seat 10 comfortably...guess it depends on how big your players are.:) Good luck!
 
Thanks for the thoughts so far guys.

@courage - I was hoping you would chime in with the specs of your tables. Thanks for the references! Out of curiosity, what are the dimensions of the table that was in between the red and brown table?

@JBAZ - I like the idea of those drink trays. Only problem is that with my current set up the trays themselves would be in the way when players get up to hit the head or grab a refill, etc. I am 99% sure I am going to stick with slide under cup holders as the primary containment apparatus but will definitely consider adding these in the future :)

@RagsPoker - I can currently fit 8 just fine, 9 in a pinch, and 10 if absolutely necessary. I'd prefer to be able to fit 10 with no problem. Most of the guys aren't huge but there are a couple big humans that make an appearance from time to time :)
 
I've found that my sweet spot for tables is 92" x 44". This will allow for 10 players without having to do the whole 4' x 8'.

^This^

Both of my personal tables have suede rails - I personally wouldn't own another with vinyl...

The legs IMHO are vital - you can build an awesome poker table top, and a pair of shitty home depot or harbor freight folding legs will make it feel like a cheap eBay table. The legs noted above or a sturdy pair of steel welded folding legs from metal kraft are worth the extra $50-$80. 4 leg wood pedestals are great too, but obviously much more expensive.

What's the reason for the new build - replacing the old table because of wear, upgrading, adding a second table?
 
I've found some interesting supplies on CL... I've always thought a nice way to get a solid ornate furniture style base is to use furniture. In looking for pedestal tables, I often see people selling ornate pedestal base oval tables and solid oak surfaces. For instance, one table I saw a while back had claw feet, 42" wide by 7.5' long scratched up oak top, so it was a bargain at $100. This table is no longer on CL, but if you search for a while, stuff like that pops up. All you'd have to do is felt the top (who cares if it's scratched, right?), and fabricate a rail. Probably the cheapest, nicest furniture grade table possible.

However, if you're doing it from scratch and want nice pedestal bases, CL can be a great option as well. Find the junkiest table with nice bases. You scrap the table top, just use the bases. Probably find something for around $100. Otherwise, I love the folding legs already discussed (if you wanted to go that route).

There has already been solid advice on size. So, is size the only consideration? Are you going with a similar color scheme? Different colors? Different materials? You mentioned a custom cloth, what are you thinking about for design? Theme?

I know some people really like suede rails... However, consider keeping this clean. It's much easier to wipe down a nice quality vinyl down after people have rested their elbows and arms on it for 8 hours.... and ground in lots of food particles and body oils. A suede fabric might be very pleasant feeling, but not so forgiving in the stain resistant category?
 
Not much to add (all have posted solid advice so far), but just to confirm my experience:

- no racetrack (unless cloth)
- 48" is too wide, 45+ is pushing it
- 4.5" wide rail with 1" foam is my favorite size for aesthetics and function
- an approximate 2:1 length/width ratio works well and looks great (adding 6" extra length won't hurt)
- most of my builds have been either 38x76 (toppers), 42x84, or 44x88
- a stable legs/support system is key
 
@courage - I was hoping you would chime in with the specs of your tables. Thanks for the references! Out of curiosity, what are the dimensions of the table that was in between the red and brown table?

It's one I bought and is 3' wide with a 6" rail. Will confirm length but I think it's 6'. If you played at it, it's pretty small and cramped. It works, just have to manage cards and stacks closely. I'm happy to have it since it fits a 3rd table and 8 players there where a larger table wouldn't.
 
I somewhat disagree with going with thinner rail. A wider rail provides a space for people to put their phones, wallets, etc off the playing surface. Also a place to shuffle the deck.
 
The deck should never be shuffled on the rail. Too easy to slide an ace into your lap for use at a more convenient time. Increases the chance of cards falling to the floor. 4" rail is big enough for most phones.

As far as the full 8' x 4' oval, I've never heard someone complain about "too much room", and when dealing cards/raking pots/seeing community cards those extra couple of inches never really matter. - but they do matter when it comes to elbow/leg room.
 
The deck should never be shuffled on the rail. Too easy to slide an ace into your lap for use at a more convenient time. Increases the chance of cards falling to the floor. 4" rail is big enough for most phones.

As far as the full 8' x 4' oval, I've never heard someone complain about "too much room", and when dealing cards/raking pots/seeing community cards those extra couple of inches never really matter. - but they do matter when it comes to elbow/leg room.

Agree, cards should never leave the table surface for any reason.


Interesting, I've heard lots of complaints about oversize tables (both width and length). "Too far to deal without standing up", "too far to see", "can't reach to pull in bets" (dedicated dealers), etc.
 
Interesting, I've heard lots of complaints about oversize tables (both width and length). "Too far to deal without standing up", "too far to see", "can't reach to pull in bets" (dedicated dealers), etc.

i've heard those same complaints. if the game is self-dealt, the winners almost always need quite a bit of help to collect the pot when they're on opposite ends of the table. for this reason (among others), i prefer round tables for self-dealt game when the room/space allows.
 
i prefer round tables for self-dealt game when the room/space allows.

I've seriously been considering this. My only concern is that a round table with enough space for 10 dudes would need to be pretty huge, no?

Thanks for all the input so far.

If anyone can help with artwork, please let me know (I should probably start another thread with this request...)
 
I've seriously been considering this. My only concern is that a round table with enough space for 10 dudes would need to be pretty huge, no?

Thanks for all the input so far.

If anyone can help with artwork, please let me know (I should probably start another thread with this request...)

continuing on the idea of CL pedestal tables... I've found many more larger round table bargains with very cool pedestal claw feet, etc... Seen some 54" and even 60" wide, which would require some crafti-ness when making a rail, but it's not impossible.

I too too like the round table for self dealt games. More intimate and friendly IMHO. I have a 42" wide round, and we can get 7 around it. But eight is not practical or feasible. Now, if it were 54", I think it'd be fine.
 
One of my tables is a self-built octagon, at 56". It is my preferred table because of ease of set-up and because it is the most conducive to a self dealt game. Most female players (or really, anyone under 5'8") will probably have a tough time pulling chips without an assist though. It too, has plenty of elbow/leg room, which IMO is the single most important factor for a table.

Rail is hardwood, and built in sections so it did not require a lot of crafting skill (other than the fact that the rails were made out of re-purposed oak stair treads). Those that saw my paper cut-outs know I have absolutely zero talent with scissors. Power tools are just a hospital trip waiting to happen. Table works though, and hasn't wound up on any fugly table threads (that I know of).
IMG_0090.jpg
[/URL][/IMG]
 
Rail is hardwood, and built in sections so it did not require a lot of crafting skill (other than the fact that the rails were made out of re-purposed oak stair treads). Those that saw my paper cut-outs know I have absolutely zero talent with scissors. Power tools are just a hospital trip waiting to happen. Table works though, and hasn't wound up on any fugly table threads (that I know of).

Post a pic and we can rectify that. :p


lol, post-post edits....


Love the build history in your linked album, nice job.

These two pics might make the cut, though. I love bull-clips:

IMG_0082.jpg


IMG_0078.jpg
 
I like my octagon table which seats 8 the best for self dealt games. I would like to in near future build a 60" round to go along with it. that would give me room for 16 players.
 
This thing is actually free (pickup) in West Bend. Now, probably not exactly what you're looking for, but it's claw foot table base... just add felt and a padded rail and you've got a really nice looking furniture-grade gaming table.

It's only 48" though. After the rail adds two inches to each side, it's 52" :)


00l0l_jjai0Czfjen_600x450.jpg
 
My only suggestion, as I agree with many posted, is make it an ellipse. When I finally decide to build a table, that's my goal.

images
 
How far apart should the legs be if I can snag a double pedestal table off Craigslist? More than likely going with the 92" x 44" dimensions.

I found double pedestals from a woodworking site online for $250ish and they said the largest recommended table would be 8'x4' - I'm guessing that's for a dining table? Not sure if the same "rule" applied for poker tables? I'm not expecting dudes to be leaning on the table or anything like that but I want it to be sturdy.
 
Ideally you want each pedestal to be in the centre of each of the half-circles on the ends of the table (or rather would would be the centre if they were complete circles). So on a 92x44" table, you would want the centre of the pedestals to be 48" apart. This is only ideal, and you can go shorter if you are looking on Craigslist, but I would aim for as close to this as possible.
 
Beaver is right. Ideally. But if you found a 4x8 kitchen table pedestal, I'm very confident the double pedestal base will suffice for your poker table applications. It might be slightly narrower than perfectly ideal, but you'll exerience no problems. It'd be way more difficult to try to expand a table's double base, if it's strung together.
 
The craigslist pedestal idea is good value but probably does limit your finish choices if they're in bad shape. Stripping, staining and poly would be a pain if you have to go that route. I got one and just painted it black but I expected that going in.
 
I was planning on painting it black if I went that route. Condition wouldn't be a huge issue.
 
My quick thoughts:

44"x96" for 10 players. 90% of my table builds are 6" wide rails, I like the size and apparently so do most of my customers. SSC or gaming suede for the playing surface with some nice padding. Otherwise it sounds like you're set.
 
Thanks for the feedback :) I'm in the early stages of talking with J5 about a custom Three Putt Poker felt design. I'll probably start a separate thread for feedback on that part of it so this one doesn't get too muddled.

I might just go a tad thinner on this rail. Maybe 5" or thereabout. I've got a sample of rail suede from YAT coming just to see what that's all about.

Is 65 lb foam for the rail still the way to go? Pretty sure this is what I used on my first one.

What about the padding under the playing surface? Current one has 1/4" closed cell Volara. Any other (aka: better?) options?
 
Thanks for the feedback :) I'm in the early stages of talking with J5 about a custom Three Putt Poker felt design. I'll probably start a separate thread for feedback on that part of it so this one doesn't get too muddled.

I might just go a tad thinner on this rail. Maybe 5" or thereabout. I've got a sample of rail suede from YAT coming just to see what that's all about.

Is 65 lb foam for the rail still the way to go? Pretty sure this is what I used on my first one.

What about the padding under the playing surface? Current one has 1/4" closed cell Volara. Any other (aka: better?) options?

I've got the 65 lb. foam on my rail and I love it.

As far as padding under the surface goes, there are people in both camps. Some people really like dislike the Volara foam while others won't use anything but. I'm using Volara on my current table, and I'm pretty pleased with it. I think that Volara would feel much nicer with something softer of top of it instead of SSC or the unsuited version. I remember using the 1/4" HD foam that YAT sells and really liking that It's also much cheaper than Volara. Volara is also kind of notorious for getting creased and then those creases won't come out.
 

Create an account or login to comment

You must be a member in order to leave a comment

Create account

Create an account and join our community. It's easy!

Log in

Already have an account? Log in here.

Back
Top Bottom