Please double-check my build itinerary (1 Viewer)

pbraves

Sitting Out
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Gotta admit I'm a little overwhelmed with all the different options for materials and build plans, so please experienced builders of PCF, please give your input to a first time builder! Hoping to make my home game between friends feel more legit and I'd like to feel proud of the final product, so I'm balancing cost with quality to the best of my ability. I decided to go with "name-brand" choices for the vinyl and foam, and hopefully my choices for the plywood and speed cloth is sufficient.

My design of choice given the size of our playing room and the average 6-8 player turnout for our games: Table Design Note: Considering adding 6" to the straight length portion, shouldn't change too much.

Materials:
Plywood - https://www.homedepot.com/p/3-4-in-...ual-0-688-in-x-48-in-x-96-in-690053/100478798
Quantity 2 sheets x $36 = $72
No shipping - Pick up at Home Depot


Rail Vinyl -
https://www.joann.com/whisper-vinyl/prd23670.html?q=SUGGESTION-Whisper Vinyl 54"-Merlot
Quantity 3 [1 yard] x ($24.99 * 40% off) = $44.97
No shipping - Pick up at Joann Fabrics


Rail Foam - https://www.yourautotrim.com/1x54x1060hdr.html
Quantity 1 sheet x ($47.95 * 10% off) = $43.16
Free shipping? YAT Does not provide a shipping cost


Playing Surface Foam - https://www.yourautotrim.com/1thevaclcefo.html
Quantity 3 [1 yard] x ($9.95 * 10% off) = $26.87
Free shipping? YAT Does not provide a shipping cost


Speed Cloth - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004UPHG9Y/ref=twister_B075Z5LDGH?th=1&psc=1
Quantity 1 [3 yard roll] x $27.16 = $27.16
Free shipping - Prime


Legs? Pick up at Home Depot I guess? The only thing I care about for legs is that they don't get in the way of some players leg room e.g. the players on the curve.

Not including legs or smaller items such as bolts, adhesive, and so on, I'm at $214.16. Really would like to stay under $275.


Specific questions I can think of now: Does anyone have experience with the size table I plan to build and it accommodating 8 players? Is that grade of Plywood sufficient? Should I consider other densities for my foam, I have zero experience with foam hah.


Thank you for your time! I am a college student and have spring break starting today so I figure now's the best time to get it in, especially building with 1-2 friends outside. Portland has great weather right now.
 
I would consider a width of 42-44” instead of 48”. Makes self dealt games a little easier. I think mine is 42x80 and it’s perfect for 8, can do 9 without any discomfort.

Your build list seems complete. Your foams are good, it’s a matter of preference with some of the options but you won’t know what you prefer until you try, so don’t fuss too much. The differences aren’t that noticeable anyway.

HD legs will work but they are not great. I had some as a hold over until I found wood pedestal legs on Craigslist for dirt cheap. Spend some time when installing them to get them as stable as possible, though they will wiggle no matter what.
 
I have used the Volara and the 1/4 inch backed sewing foam. Out of the two, I like the backed sewing foam better. The stiffness of the Volara can make the chips bounce a bit and it is tougher to get you fingers under the cards to shuffle. Totally personal preference, but I prefer the pink sewing foam. Its the perfect density in my opinion.
 
In my opinion, cheapo legs are a waste of money. They are not very sturdy and you will end up replacing them in the future. It will increase the cost of the build, but I’d figure out how to come up with the money and get quality folding legs from the start. Been there done that, with folding legs from the local Home Depot.
 
In my opinion, cheapo legs are a waste of money. They are not very sturdy and you will end up replacing them in the future. It will increase the cost of the build, but I’d figure out how to come up with the money and get quality folding legs from the start. Been there done that, with folding legs from the local Home Depot.

I’m down for it— would you point me in the right direction?
 
Speed cloth doesn't look bad, but when it arrives test a small piece to see if it is waterproof.

I ordered some from eBay that advertised as waterproof and were much cheaper than YAT.
100% was not waterproof, and didn't realize until after table was built. SC was made in China also.

Second build i bought the USA made sneedcloth from YAT. much nicer. tested it too !worth the extra few dollars IMO.

good luck !
 
- When I built my table, I went with a premium kit from http://www.buildyourownpokertables.com and was very pleased.
- I advise going with 42" W, this is what I did and I'm so grateful, as I can reach everything needed whereas when playing on a full 48" I cannot. You lose ~7" of edge space, but still plenty big for 10 people.
- Legs: look at Craigslist and Facebook for an old dining room table with double pedestals. Buy the table for $50-100 and use the peds. If ur crafty, could upcycle the table top into a topper or use it as a base for the poker table.
- Don't put a racetrack on it. It looks nice, but everything about playing on it sucks. Chips are super noisy when they fall or are shuffled, can't pick up cards.
- in rail cup holders are really nice but kind of a pain
 
Following. Thanks for posting this. I am planning on helping a friend build a table. This is perfect timing.
 
@MatB is there anyway to adjust the height on those legs? I almost went with those last year but have alway had to cut a few inches off the bottom of all my folding legs to get the correct finish height.

probably only 1/8 to 1/4" of adjustment really on the feet. maybe not even that. Definitely not designed to really effect the height, just to get stable.
 
I bought the cheap speed cloth from Amazon and it’s fine but I only did so because I know I’ll replace with a custom cloth eventually.

Also, I didn’t buy legs - too many choices and yet I feel that they’re not worth the money. I’m holding out for a cheap deal on an old table that I can rob the legs from. In the meantime I use my table as a topper on another table. Works fine and gives me time to find some legs.
 
Looks like your going with a 6' table? Personally, for 8 people max, I'd go with a 7' table. Kind of depends on the "size" of the players but 8 people around a 6 footer could be a little tight.

Another option for the foam is Automotive Headliner which you can also get from YAT. As has previously been stated, Volara is pretty dense and can be hard to pick up cards from. Plus it will dent if heavy objects are left on it over night. I've never had this problem with the headliner. I've left a few thousand chips on my table for weeks. Only took a couple of hours for the foam to spring back and be as good as new.

Just my 2 cents. :)
 
Looks like your going with a 6' table? Personally, for 8 people max, I'd go with a 7' table. Kind of depends on the "size" of the players but 8 people around a 6 footer could be a little tight.

Another option for the foam is Automotive Headliner which you can also get from YAT. As has previously been stated, Volara is pretty dense and can be hard to pick up cards from. Plus it will dent if heavy objects are left on it over night. I've never had this problem with the headliner. I've left a few thousand chips on my table for weeks. Only took a couple of hours for the foam to spring back and be as good as new.

Just my 2 cents. :)
I followed those plans for my 8 seater and if you go with the 48 inch width, it seats 8 just fine. Very comfortable table. I'll post a pic later.
 
FWIW I have personally had very good luck with the "cheap" banquet table legs from Home Depot. I have several tables 10+ years old with no issues. I doubled the wood thickness where the legs were installed to give solid mounting points. The tables hang from the legs. These are a bit ugly and the only way to adjust height is to cut the legs (which you will probably need to do), but they are inexpensive and functional. Most any permanent legs are better but obviously decrease portability.
 
FWIW I have personally had very good luck with the "cheap" banquet table legs from Home Depot. I have several tables 10+ years old with no issues. I doubled the wood thickness where the legs were installed to give solid mounting points. The tables hang from the legs. These are a bit ugly and the only way to adjust height is to cut the legs (which you will probably need to do), but they are inexpensive and functional. Most any permanent legs are better but obviously decrease portability.
I've doen the same and I have noticed that due to them being two piece that you screw together, they do have a bit of wobble to them. Not enough to knock chip stacks down, but enough to notice. I wonder if there is any way to get rid of that wobble.
 
I built a table 10+ years ago with cheapo legs from Lowe’s and it’s holding up fine. Last year when I built another table, Lowe’s didn’t have the legs but HD did. The wobble was unacceptable to me. That’s when I got the other legs. YMMV
 
- I advise going with 42" W, this is what I did and I'm so grateful, as I can reach everything needed whereas when playing on a full 48" I cannot. You lose ~7" of edge space, but still plenty big for 10 people.
- Legs: look at Craigslist and Facebook for an old dining room table with double pedestals. Buy the table for $50-100 and use the peds. If ur crafty, could upcycle the table top into a topper or use it as a base for the poker table.
- Don't put a racetrack on it. It looks nice, but everything about playing on it sucks. Chips are super noisy when they fall or are shuffled, can't pick up cards.
- in rail cup holders are really nice but kind of a pain

I’ve built over a dozen tables, and when local friends ask for table advice. ^ is what I offer up... I feel this is the best advice thus fair ITT and I feel very strongly about that.

Also, not sure if the room size is dictating the table length, but I’d certainly recommend longer than 6’, but not a full 8’. The consensus from the table folks is that Ideal table length, for playability in self-dealt games, seems to recommend 42-44” x 92”.

Also a fan of joanns over YAT for whisper vinyl. And a fan of YAT SSC over cheaper Chinese made stuff. Lastly, my preference is 1/4 volara for play surface foam. I don’t ever have an issue with it being too hard, picking up cards, chips, etc...
 
Anyone use MDF instead of plywood?
MDF swells when wet which is not something you want when there are drinks around the table. Also, it produces a lot of fine dust when cutting so is a bear to work with, especially when cutting curves with a router.
 
I built a table 10+ years ago with cheapo legs from Lowe’s and it’s holding up fine. Last year when I built another table, Lowe’s didn’t have the legs but HD did. The wobble was unacceptable to me. That’s when I got the other legs. YMMV

FWIW I did get my legs from Lowe’s. I had forgotten
 
I built a table 10+ years ago with cheapo legs from Lowe’s and it’s holding up fine. Last year when I built another table, Lowe’s didn’t have the legs but HD did. The wobble was unacceptable to me. That’s when I got the other legs. YMMV
I also have purchased legs from both. Had to replace them a few years later when they get wobbly. MetalKraft are the nutz but more expensive.
 
I just picked up a dining table & chairs from craigslist just for the legs.
The plan is to paint these black.

IMG_2458.jpg
 
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