Poor mans round table idea (1 Viewer)

DZPoker

DZPoker

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I’ve been kicking this idea around for a while...wondering what others think.

Solid Oak round kitchen tables are pretty readily available on CL/Marketplace for very little vs the cost to build in oak.

If you started with one of these tables, added foam and a custom cloth, and then built a rail for it...could you end up with a nice custom round table on the cheap? A bit smaller than my dream, but pretty dam cheap?

Like I said...thoughts anyone?
-DZ
 
You 've said it all. It can be nicely done.
Intermediate versions can exist too (a removable rail and a nice thick topper, incorporating felt and foam in one).

I 've upgraded a cheap, mobile, folding-leg table to a poker table with foam, and a @T_Chan custom felt and a permanent rail with cupholders.
It's so good that I 'd consider fitting propper permanent legs and making it sturdy enough to take a dining cover on top.
ATHENIAN_OWL_CLUB_0269.jpg
 
I’m pretty sure if you merely cut a piece of foam to size and simply clamped some speedcloth or gaming suede over it, you’d have a better home game table than 95% of what people are playing on.
Personally, building a rail and stretching the vinyl is probably the biggest reason I haven’t tried a full table build yet - I’m convinced that’s more than half the work. So my question is, if you plan on building a proper rail, why not just build a whole table, to the size you want?
 
My point was primarily cost. Solid oak with a solid oak pedestal for less than $100. Sometimes far less than??
 
DZPoker said:
My point was primarily cost. Solid oak with a solid oak pedestal for less than $100. Sometimes far less than??
Click to expand...
Fair enough. I guess my next consideration would be if I should use the pedestal and build off of that, or if the table is close enough in size to what I want.
I like how you’re thinking, I’m just thinking out loud here.
 
upNdown said:
Fair enough. I guess my next consideration would be if I should use the pedestal and build off of that, or if the table is close enough in size to what I want.
I like how you’re thinking, I’m just thinking out loud here.
Click to expand...
I though of this as well!
 
So you could obviously just pillage the pedestal. But think of how much the round tabletop would cost to build to bolt onto it vs using the solid oak top that ‘came’ with the CL/Marketplace purchase. Again...just thinking out loud here...but I’m feeling like you could have a completely custom 6-8 person round table for a few hundred if you went this way?
 
Coyote said:
You 've said it all. It can be nicely done.
Intermediate versions can exist too (a removable rail and a nice thick topper, incorporating felt and foam in one).

I 've upgraded a cheap, mobile, folding-leg table to a poker table with foam, and a @T_Chan custom felt and a permanent rail with cupholders.
It's so good that I 'd consider fitting propper permanent legs and making it sturdy enough to take a dining cover on top.
View attachment 592600
Click to expand...
Love this table by the way! Very similar to what I’m proposing!!
 
This is literally exactly what I’m envisioning in my mind!!
 
Sounds perfect.

what I did for a long time:
‘Pill-shaped’ dining table (round w/pedestal & a leaf).
sewed 2 drawstrings into the edge of felt, the pair came out each end, w/ barrel locks on them.
foam rug pad cut to size.

No rail, but since the edge of the table was rounded (like dining table or edge of a bar), and was covered by foam & felt, it was perfectly comfortable. The drawstrings made it easy to get the felt tight. (I actually used thick velveteen)

Total cost was table + about it $70. Looked good, worked great... and at the end of the night my wife got her table back. :p

there is a couple that makes & sells just such an item on eBay.
 
If you already have a sturdy wooden table, performing the function of either kitchen or dining room table, the cheapest solution is to get a good-quality thick (at least 4mm thick) topper in the exact dimensions of the table, and have a removable rail made by a spirited carpenter.
Probably with some pop-up cup-holder positions like these (although these belong to a permanent topper)
Topper corner.jpg
 

Coyote said:
If you already have a sturdy wooden table, performing the function of either kitchen or dining room table, the cheapest solution is to get a good-quality thick (at least 4mm thick) topper in the exact dimensions of the table, and have a removable rail made by a spirited carpenter.
Probably with some pop-up cup-holder positions like these (although these belong to a permanent topper)
View attachment 592641
Click to expand...
I like it but I was specifically thinking about the cost of buying an oak table on CL/Marketplace and building from there vs starting from scratch. So a dedicated table..just started from a kitchen table vs scratch?
 
DZPoker said:
I like it but I was specifically thinking about the cost of buying an oak table on CL/Marketplace and building from there vs starting from scratch. So a dedicated table..just started from a kitchen table vs scratch?
Click to expand...
It's up to you to either make it dedicated to poker or not.
With a good quality, thick rubber topper and a removable rail it won't be dedicated.
Only you know the costs and your available space.
 
T_Chan said:
Yes it's totally do-able.

Circa 2010: Pedestal painted black
View attachment 592824

And 2011:
View attachment 592829

42" diameter oak tables found for free on craigslist. Built a rail that's less than 48" diameter and a rail lip made from scrap pieces.
Click to expand...
That second one looks like the exact generic ‘country kitchen oak table’ I was envisioning. Probably with a green pedestal pre-build!:)! Your work is amazing as always!!
 
Back on those days, around $300 most likely. They were among my first table builds.
 
DZPoker said:
Solid Oak round kitchen tables are pretty readily available on CL/Marketplace for very little vs the cost to build in oak.

If you started with one of these tables, added foam and a custom cloth, and then built a rail for it...could you end up with a nice custom round table on the cheap? A bit smaller than my dream, but pretty dam cheap?

Like I said...thoughts anyone?
-DZ
Click to expand...
The main question is, how big do you want your poker table to be? How many do you want to seat? If you can find a table big enough, then you can use the whole table as the base. If not, then you can just use the pedestal.
 
Coyote said:
You 've said it all. It can be nicely done.
Intermediate versions can exist too (a removable rail and a nice thick topper, incorporating felt and foam in one).

I 've upgraded a cheap, mobile, folding-leg table to a poker table with foam, and a @T_Chan custom felt and a permanent rail with cupholders.
It's so good that I 'd consider fitting propper permanent legs and making it sturdy enough to take a dining cover on top.
View attachment 592600
Click to expand...
I want this table!
 
Jake14mw said:
The main question is, how big do you want your poker table to be? How many do you want to seat? If you can find a table big enough, then you can use the whole table as the base. If not, then you can just use the pedestal.
Click to expand...
Oh...don’t get me wrong. I get that. But my point of the post was thinking about how cheaply you could make a really nice table (even if it was smaller) going this route...assuming it was possible. So by that very point alone...you’d have to use the whole table to keep costs down :).

Every single table posted above looks awesome. Tables most would be proud to show off to their friends. My guess in no one would ever imagine what was actually spent (discounting time of course).

This was more of a ‘I wonder’ question than a ‘should I do this for my table’...nothing more!
 

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