Building your own table

Robbie Robb · #1 12-29-05, 04:17 PM

Alright, since it seems that pretty much everyone here is a degenerate gambler

I figure some of you have your own tables at home. Did you build it yourself or did you buy it? Is it oval or hexagonal?

Nikki & I are having a small home game next weekend (the 7th) and are expecting at most 20 people (which is good, because I only have room for two 10 person tables).

I had borrowed a folding table from a relative and, after looking at it, decided it was too small for my needs so I decided to make my own "table topper". Actually, I'm making two, one for the folding table, the other for my dining room table (which is in the games room since we don't really have a dining room).

I went out and picked up 2 4x8 sheets of plywood and then went to the local fabric store and picked up some cloth that was fairly cheap. (Actually because of boxing week sales, this cloth, normally $24.98/m was on for $2.50/m!!) It's not casino felt or anything like it, but it's good enough for these makeshift table toppers I'm building.

I've got one of the ovals cut from the 4x8 and just need to sand down the edges now. Then it's just a matter of stapling the cloth onto the table. They're not going to be fancy tables with padded rings or anything, but they will definitely do until I can get a nice table. (A guy in Windsor, Ontario makes and sells some REALLY nice looking tables reasonably priced so I plan on getting one from there. I've also found a place that will custom screen cloth for $189US)

So, anyone else out there ever picked up the power tools to play Tim Allen? The hardest part of my project is that, without calling all my friends, I don't have access to a jigsaw so I'm using my Dremel with the cutting tool to do the curve cuts. It would definitely be a LOT smoother with a jigsaw.

Looks like my total cost for the project will be at $70-75CAD for BOTH table toppers.

MAYHEM45 · #2 12-29-05, 04:48 PM

Sounds nice dude. Make sure to take a pic when you are finished.

The tables that guy makes are pretty damn sweet, I'll agree. Will probably buy one for my house next year. As for now I'm just using one of those cheap 4 fold hexagonal ones that I won in my first holdem tourney ever.

Akverno · #3 12-30-05, 03:43 AM

I'd say get a hot glue gun for the middle of the table, that way you don't have staples over the playing surface. If you have access to something where you can bend would you could use that as a liner around the table so the staples don't show. Most people don't have the steam equipment for bending wood, you could also go to a hardware store and pick up something like pvc pipe and use that. Go to an arts and crafts store and pick something up to line and pad it with. If you wanted to go really in depth with it, you could pick up insulation sheets for padding underneath the cloth.

Anywho, those are my ideas. Helped a buddy build a table back in Florida. Good luck with it, it takes a long time and it's worth it.

ChipFish · #4 12-30-05, 03:59 AM

You definitely want some sort of padding for underneath the cloth/felt.

If I wasn't so darned lazy I'd make one too.

Robbie Robb · #5 12-30-05, 11:59 AM

Ooop, guess I should have been a bit more clear: the staples are going on the bottom of the table

I definitely could go more indepth with it, but I'm really just quickly throwing these together for my poker night next week. I'm not really concerned about the padding or anything (although it would help for riffling chips). These are just temporary tables for the monthly poker night. I'm hoping that by June or so, I'll be getting one of the tables from that guy in Windsor that I mentioned.

I'll probably keep the table tops around after that though. I've got a (almost) 4-month old that is going to need a train set in a few years

. Plus they'll be good for other gaming nights. Playing Risk 2210 on a regular sized table is damn near impossible...

rookette22 · #6 01-02-06, 02:11 PM

Hey you having another home game, on or around the 10th of Feb.?

I have a friend's hockey tourney in Ottawa Hull on the 10th of Feb., and we're thinking of taking a little road trip to Toronto, if all goes as planned. Maybe I'll stop by and see you and Nikita, would be nice.

P.S.: that's if I don't lose my money at the hotel which I'm staying at lol

Nikita · #7 01-02-06, 02:19 PM

Our home game this month is set for the 7th, we haven't set a date for February yet though. The 10th is a possibility, but we get more people to show up if it's set for a Saturday. This will probably be decided during our home game this week. Or Rob might have already decided on a date (he'll likely respond later, he's not home at the moment, I sent him out shopping).

You are definitely welcome plus there is a lot of fishies at our home game. We've got at least two calling stations, one guy who thinks it's all luck, another who plays her gut feelings (if she shows up, she's rather flakey too). It was fairly easy money for Rob and I during the first home game we held.

Just be warned though, London is a two hour drive from Toronto, so I don't know if you want to put that much time on the road just to get to our place.

rookette22 · #8 01-02-06, 02:37 PM

Well if anything I can't be there on the 10th to the 12th of Feb. Don't worry bout fixing your poker schedule around my time. If I do end up coming near London maybe I'll email you guys and we can have lunch somewhere, ok? That will be kewl.

Nikita · #9 01-02-06, 02:50 PM

Lunch would be cool too. And the schedule will be more dependant on my work schedule. I get it 3 weeks in advance and I could be scheduled any day of the week between 7am to midnight.

Spidey44 · #10 01-02-06, 08:01 PM

Here's a pic of my table from my game Saturday night. I can get you more pics if you're interested. It turned out really well especially considering this is the first time I've really tried anything like this.

Robbie Robb · #11 01-02-06, 08:26 PM

Mighty nice looking table there Spidey!

That's something along the lines of what I'm going to buy. I don't think that my carpentry skills are where they should be to tackle a table with a race track.

Hell, the two I whipped together don't even have a padded rail. I basically took a 4x8 of 1/2" plywood (well, two of them), cut them into ovals, sanded the edges, then slapped on some dark cloth that was cheap and called it finished. I just finished them up today so I haven't had a chance to take any pics yet.

All that's left to do now is fabricate a type of "locking mechanism" to attach them to the tables I'll be using in a non-permanent manner. I'll probably work on that tomorrow.