This is my second table build. My first was built in 2015 which was a 72x48. It was way overbuilt as I used a second layer of 3/4" birch underneath so it weighed a ton. So, main reasons for building a new table was to get a @T_Chan cloth (my first table used nylon velvet speed cloth from YAT), and to lighten it up by about half the weight by not adding the bottom sheet of plywood, and to narrow the table from 48" to 42" as 48" didn't look or feel right. Pretty happy on how it turned out but wish I could install the vinyl better as getting those curves right (especially the inside) is so hard........seems like those inside curves there is so much tension on the vinyl it's hard to stretch.......I think the best would be to have a second person stretch it while the other staples.......oh and to wear kneepads lol, my knees were so sore for a few days after. I also should have known better when drilling holes through the plywood to clamp a scrap piece underneath to get a much cleaner hole. The kickstands from Chanman are awesome and I'm glad I got them. Oh, and the Milescraft circle jig with router was amazing (my first table I just used a string on a screw to mark the circle and cut out with jigsaw). When glueing down the the playing surface padding I should have put some painters tape where the rail is going to be before spraying the adhesive to make trimming the padding easier. I used 3/4" birch plywood, 3/8" neoprene padding, 1" HD rail foam, Whisper vinyl, and Ebco table legs. The four pack of TV tables from Amazon was like $60 and will pack away nicely.
The decisions I took the most time trying to work out:
1. Size of the table. For our self-dealt game I know I liked the 72" length. I was also trying to decide on 42" or 44" and ultimately went with 42". I did reduce the rail from 6" to 5" to give a little more playing area room. I definitely like the 5" rail.
2. The location of the betting line. Chanman's standard I believe is 7" from the rail but I went with 9" to give a little more room and have more of a traditional casino look (Aria, Wynn, Bellagio, etc.). I haven't played on it yet but it looks nice but not sure on function.
3. T-nuts or threaded inserts for the rail and legs. I decided on the inserts and I think they will hold up well.
4. Gaming suede. I had Chanman make two cloths, one on the smooth side and the other the fleece side. Went with the fleece side.
5. Playing surface padding. My first table I had two layers of 1/4" Volera and I thought it was awesome. I don't like that the standard is 1/4".......I definitely do not want to feel the plywood when pressed and I think more is better. I went with 3/8" neoprene. The neoprene combined with Chanman casino grade felt side feels absolutely amazing..........when the table was done, every time I walked by it I had to feel the felt and padding, it feels so good. My next table I would think hard about going with 3/8" or 1/2" neoprene.
The decisions I took the most time trying to work out:
1. Size of the table. For our self-dealt game I know I liked the 72" length. I was also trying to decide on 42" or 44" and ultimately went with 42". I did reduce the rail from 6" to 5" to give a little more playing area room. I definitely like the 5" rail.
2. The location of the betting line. Chanman's standard I believe is 7" from the rail but I went with 9" to give a little more room and have more of a traditional casino look (Aria, Wynn, Bellagio, etc.). I haven't played on it yet but it looks nice but not sure on function.
3. T-nuts or threaded inserts for the rail and legs. I decided on the inserts and I think they will hold up well.
4. Gaming suede. I had Chanman make two cloths, one on the smooth side and the other the fleece side. Went with the fleece side.
5. Playing surface padding. My first table I had two layers of 1/4" Volera and I thought it was awesome. I don't like that the standard is 1/4".......I definitely do not want to feel the plywood when pressed and I think more is better. I went with 3/8" neoprene. The neoprene combined with Chanman casino grade felt side feels absolutely amazing..........when the table was done, every time I walked by it I had to feel the felt and padding, it feels so good. My next table I would think hard about going with 3/8" or 1/2" neoprene.
