I got these poker table tops before Covid hit, and it was about high time I did something with them! They were designed to be placed on top of a 6 foot folding table, so I added the legs pretty quickly after getting them, but the project stalled out after that. These were used by a charity gambling company and have been very well loved (and reek of smoke). You can see just how stained and faded the fabric is compared to the hidden edge under the rails. The fabric had to go to get rid of the smoky smell, and I took the opportunity to change the foam since I was taking the fabric off. Plus the foam probably doesn’t smell great either….. The green table is a basic oval, but the orange table has the dealer cutout which added a few challenges. They used a 1/2" ply for the table and rail construction. Not my favorite, but it's what I got. They were $10 a piece, so I can't be too mad!
I started with a cut list and diagram to try and make my life a little easier. I went with precut aspen boards for the skirt. This kept me from needing to do any ripping and I could keep from having too many knots that would wind up on an edge. After running through my cut list for the first time in at least 7 years, I’m happy to report I still have all ten fingers! I dry fit everything before moving on to ensure it all fit as intended, and it turned out OK. A few angles wound up less than 90 degrees, but that’s probably my chop saw being out of true square. Nothing some creative clamping can’t fix though, so add true square to the horseshoe/hand grenade list.
I decided against mitre joints for the corners for a lot of reasons, but mostly because it’s been a while since I’ve done them and I wanted to avoid multiple trips to the hardware store for additional lumber. I opted for my first venture into pocket screws because I could double up on them framing the apron AND attaching the apron to the tabletop.
I watched a few videos before getting started to try to avoid any mistakes, and it seems to have paid off. Everything went really quickly without any major fixes. I framed up the table without the dealer cutout first because it gave me a little more leeway to make an error.
I used scrap wood as stopping blocks to ensure the apron wound up centered in the table when I pulled the dry fit off for final glueing. I laid out the hole for the drop box slot and cut that before glueing and made a relief for the drop box lock so it can’t be pulled from the table without the key. Once the slot was cut and dry fit again, I was ready to finally attach the apron the the table. Some squeeze clamps on the corners help pull everything tight enough, although there does still seem to be some gaps between the two. If I had to do it all over again, I’d get some wide throat clamps that could hold until the glue dried, or at least until it was screwed together.
The final touch was to sand around the edge to smooth all the holes and splinters caused by the old staples coming out. The base plate for the drop box got screwed down, the screw tips from that were ground off, and that table is almost ready for foam.
The second table was a carbon copy of the first, save for squaring up the dealer tray hole and making it a little larger. The framing on this one is a little more important because the dealer tray will carry a lot of extra weight once the chips are in the tray. My cut list and diagrams ensured the frame sat right along the edge of the hole to provide maximum support of the 22 pounds of chips that will be in the tray. I still needed to add the internal supports to this table, as well as the support between the tray and the drop box.
Next step was to make sure the tables are comfortable to sit at, and I was happy to see I could get my legs underneath without issue, so I didn’t have to scrap the whole thing and start over!! Only a handful of messy steps lefts before the upholstery got started!
The aprons needed some touch ups, but were soon attached to the tables. They were also painted and sealed. In addition, the legs were centered and straightened. Drop box housings were attached. With the exception of the kickstands(which are being attached at the end) this marked the end of construction!
Everything is got a light sanding to remove the old glue and foam. (Besides, it’s just so damn therapeutic!) The last bit was to install the T-nuts into the rail and countersink the kickstand bolts with a Forsner bit (Which are really great BTW).
By far the most tedious task of the project was pulling the old staples from the rail. It’s finally done, and I couldn’t be happier about it. On the plus side, my grip strength has never been better! There was a complete crack in one of the rails, right on the curve. That’s part of the reason most builds will use 3/4” plywood. (It’s amazing what the extra 1/4” provides in strength.) A little glue kept it strong enough to recover it and get it on the table, and will hopefully provide all the stability it needs.
The 1" bumper foam went on without a hitch with the help of some 3M Super 77 spray and an electric carving knife. For those of you that don't know, an electric carving knife is far and away the best tool there is to get clean cuts in closed cell foam like this. The vinyl itself went on in two phases. The first was getting it over the foam and the bumper frames. The second was to wrap everything back around to the inside of the bumper. Between these two phases, I was reminded that vinyl upholstery, which i have not done much of, is always stretched and stapled. Never folded. Never. Never never. Never Ever! This means that there are some buckles in the vinyl in a few places, especially around the outside of the bumper curves. (This is one of those things that will drive me nuts until it doesn't) This is also the phase of the project when I realized why I had to pull so many damn staples from the table in the first place! How many staples do you think it took? Post your guess in the comments below. (Am I am influencer now?)
The playing surface was a much smoother process (Pun totally intended). The 1/4" closed cell foam is glued to the table using our old friend 3M Super 77 spray adhesive. The speed felt is then glued down to the top of that. This ensures the fabric will never bunch or stretch and should remain smooth until the time it gets switched out. The speed felt was then stapled to the edge of the plywood to keep it secure. The excess was trimmed off, folded under, and then stapled to the underside on the table. (Where you going? Nowhere!) I got much better at the fold and staple as I went along, so one table is remarkably neater than the other. Thank goodness it's all on the underside of the table!
Continued below..........
I started with a cut list and diagram to try and make my life a little easier. I went with precut aspen boards for the skirt. This kept me from needing to do any ripping and I could keep from having too many knots that would wind up on an edge. After running through my cut list for the first time in at least 7 years, I’m happy to report I still have all ten fingers! I dry fit everything before moving on to ensure it all fit as intended, and it turned out OK. A few angles wound up less than 90 degrees, but that’s probably my chop saw being out of true square. Nothing some creative clamping can’t fix though, so add true square to the horseshoe/hand grenade list.
I decided against mitre joints for the corners for a lot of reasons, but mostly because it’s been a while since I’ve done them and I wanted to avoid multiple trips to the hardware store for additional lumber. I opted for my first venture into pocket screws because I could double up on them framing the apron AND attaching the apron to the tabletop.
I watched a few videos before getting started to try to avoid any mistakes, and it seems to have paid off. Everything went really quickly without any major fixes. I framed up the table without the dealer cutout first because it gave me a little more leeway to make an error.
I used scrap wood as stopping blocks to ensure the apron wound up centered in the table when I pulled the dry fit off for final glueing. I laid out the hole for the drop box slot and cut that before glueing and made a relief for the drop box lock so it can’t be pulled from the table without the key. Once the slot was cut and dry fit again, I was ready to finally attach the apron the the table. Some squeeze clamps on the corners help pull everything tight enough, although there does still seem to be some gaps between the two. If I had to do it all over again, I’d get some wide throat clamps that could hold until the glue dried, or at least until it was screwed together.
The final touch was to sand around the edge to smooth all the holes and splinters caused by the old staples coming out. The base plate for the drop box got screwed down, the screw tips from that were ground off, and that table is almost ready for foam.
The second table was a carbon copy of the first, save for squaring up the dealer tray hole and making it a little larger. The framing on this one is a little more important because the dealer tray will carry a lot of extra weight once the chips are in the tray. My cut list and diagrams ensured the frame sat right along the edge of the hole to provide maximum support of the 22 pounds of chips that will be in the tray. I still needed to add the internal supports to this table, as well as the support between the tray and the drop box.
Next step was to make sure the tables are comfortable to sit at, and I was happy to see I could get my legs underneath without issue, so I didn’t have to scrap the whole thing and start over!! Only a handful of messy steps lefts before the upholstery got started!
The aprons needed some touch ups, but were soon attached to the tables. They were also painted and sealed. In addition, the legs were centered and straightened. Drop box housings were attached. With the exception of the kickstands(which are being attached at the end) this marked the end of construction!
Everything is got a light sanding to remove the old glue and foam. (Besides, it’s just so damn therapeutic!) The last bit was to install the T-nuts into the rail and countersink the kickstand bolts with a Forsner bit (Which are really great BTW).
By far the most tedious task of the project was pulling the old staples from the rail. It’s finally done, and I couldn’t be happier about it. On the plus side, my grip strength has never been better! There was a complete crack in one of the rails, right on the curve. That’s part of the reason most builds will use 3/4” plywood. (It’s amazing what the extra 1/4” provides in strength.) A little glue kept it strong enough to recover it and get it on the table, and will hopefully provide all the stability it needs.
The 1" bumper foam went on without a hitch with the help of some 3M Super 77 spray and an electric carving knife. For those of you that don't know, an electric carving knife is far and away the best tool there is to get clean cuts in closed cell foam like this. The vinyl itself went on in two phases. The first was getting it over the foam and the bumper frames. The second was to wrap everything back around to the inside of the bumper. Between these two phases, I was reminded that vinyl upholstery, which i have not done much of, is always stretched and stapled. Never folded. Never. Never never. Never Ever! This means that there are some buckles in the vinyl in a few places, especially around the outside of the bumper curves. (This is one of those things that will drive me nuts until it doesn't) This is also the phase of the project when I realized why I had to pull so many damn staples from the table in the first place! How many staples do you think it took? Post your guess in the comments below. (Am I am influencer now?)
The playing surface was a much smoother process (Pun totally intended). The 1/4" closed cell foam is glued to the table using our old friend 3M Super 77 spray adhesive. The speed felt is then glued down to the top of that. This ensures the fabric will never bunch or stretch and should remain smooth until the time it gets switched out. The speed felt was then stapled to the edge of the plywood to keep it secure. The excess was trimmed off, folded under, and then stapled to the underside on the table. (Where you going? Nowhere!) I got much better at the fold and staple as I went along, so one table is remarkably neater than the other. Thank goodness it's all on the underside of the table!
Continued below..........
