Poker Table Steps

Align the Plywood Sheets Put the 3/4" sheet on the bottom, then the race track piece, then the rail. Clamp securely. I use a rubber mallet to tap the pieces into alignment. Sometimes, they won't align perfectly. In that case, I align two sides as much as possible, and then plan on doing some trimming as needed.

Mark the Table Outline and the Inside Edge of the Rail I did this by marking my anchor point 24" from the end, and 24" from each side. I then drilled a hole through all 3 sheets and put a nail in the hole. I have a ruler that I have drilled holes in that I use for the various marks. The end hole goes on the nail, and then I just trace the semi-circles using the holes. In this case, I am doing a 4" rail. Any more than that is really just too wide. Repeat the anchor point for both ends. After the rail arcs are done, connect the two arcs with straight lines with the same width (4" in this case).

Screw the 3 Sheets Together I pre-drill 8 holes around the rail, within where the rail support will be cut. I do this so I have permanent alignment marks for the pieces. This helps a lot after the pieces are cut and doesn't show becase of where they are at.

Cut the Table Outline I use a jigsaw and take my time. By clamping and screwing the sheets together, I can cut all 3 sheets at once, making sure the edge is uniform. If you cut them seperately, unless you use a jig, they just don't match up as well.

Sand the Table Edge This doesn't have to be too smooth since it will be covered with padding and leather/vinyl. The main thing here is to get rid of irregularities in the jigsaw work before the edge gets rounded. If you don't smooth the edges a bit, the router won't create a nice smooth curve. Again, it doesn't have to be perfect because the foam and vinyl hides almost everything.

Route the Edge I just used a nice smoth curve, but you could bevel if you want. This is mainly so that people wouldn't feel the corner when their elbows are on the table. I used a 1/2" round over bit. Larger might be nicer, but my router is a 1/4" shank, so 1/2" is about as big as I can go.

Mark Rail Support and Racetrack Take the screws out, and set the rail piece aside. Put the screws back in to secure the base and racetrack together. Put a nail in the hole that was drilled in step two. Using my pre-drilled ruler, I now mark the arcs for the rail support. An inch or two is good. Mark the inner edge of the race track now, too. Make this mark very carefully as this line and its associated cut are the most visible on the entire table! Since I'm using a 4" rail, and 4" cup holders, the race track needs to be at least 9 inches from edge (which includes the rail support). I like mine a little wider, so I will go 11 or even 12 inches. As with the rail, connect the arcs with straight lines.

Secure Racetrack and Base Predrill holes in the racetrack, just inside the rail support line and screw the racetrack to the base. This is done to keep the base and the racetrack aligned once the rail support has been cut off. This also helps to secure the racetrack during the gluing phase. The rail itself will cover these screws when complete.

Cut the rail support Drill a hole big enough for your jigsaw bit along the rail support line. In order to support the wood while I'm cutting, I put clamps around the table right on the line. Then just take your time and cut out the rail support.

Attach the rail support Using the pre-drilled holes, align and secure the two rail support pieces with the rail piece. Drill more holes to adequately secure. Optionally, spread glue between each piece before screwing and then clamp until the glue dries.

Cut out the rail Same procedure as in step 9, but only one board (the top one, i.e. the rail) is involved. The center piece that comes out of this can either be attached on the bottom of the base piece, or it is waste. It makes a nice work table if you put some folding legs on it. Personally, it seems like overkill to use it as base support.

Sand the Rail and Racetrack Make sure to take off any rough splinters on the rail, and sand the inside of the rail support. The jigsaw will have removed enough material for a decent fit, but sanding will make the fit a little easier. Also, sand the edge of the base and racetrack that will be in contact with the rail support. Test fit the assembled rail several times to make sure it goes on nicely.

Cut the Racetrack Be sure to use a very fine tooth blade and an anti-splinter guard on the jigsaw (if yours has one). This is a visible cut, so great care should be taken on this! Do not drill the starter hole directly on the marking line. Instead drill one or two holes, as needed, on the inside of the line so that the edge of the hole is lined up right where you want the cut to begin. You do not want the drill cutout in the visible portion of the race track! The center section here becomes the table insert, so go slow! you want a uniform, smooth cut when you are through.

Sand the Racetrack and Racetrack Insert Make sure to remove any rougness from the racetrack, but don't round off the edge. You can be more agressive on the insert. Make sure the insert fits easily inside the race track. It will soon be covered with foam and cloth, and the fit will be VERY tight.

Attach the Racetrack Use plenty of glue and attach the racetrack to the base. Clamp and weight as needed until dry. Make sure to remove any excess glue, being very careful not to get it on the racetrack surface! I like to take the inside of the rail (the piece cut out in step 11) and put it on top of the rail and weigh it down. This puts fairly uniform pressure on the rail all the way around.

Attach Legs I bought some folding legs that were sturdy, but not too tall. I then took a pipe cutter and cut about 1.5" inches off the legs to bring it down to a more reasonable level. You may not need to do this with yours. You can allways do it after the table is done, as well. Once the legs are attached, you can set the table on the legs and finish all work with the table set up.

Put T-Nuts into Insert. Put the racetrack insert back into the racetrack. Drill holes through the racetrack insert and the base big enough to fit your t-nuts. I would use 6 to 8, depending the thickness of your race track insert. Insert t-nuts and tap into place with mallet. Remove racetrack insert. It is now ready to cover!

Mark Cup Holders I suggest placing the cup holders around the table approximately where you want them. Measure the distance between each one and average it out for how far they should be apart. If your math skills are decent, just calculate the circumference of the table at the given offset from the centerline, and divide by the number of slots needed. I recommend taking a piece of scrap wood and creating a template so that each cup holder is a uniform distance from the edge.

Cut Cup Holders Some people cut the cup holders using a jigsaw, but I used a 3 7/8" hole saw. If you use a hole saw, you either need to make sure to tape where you are cutting to reduce splintering, or what I do is cut a hole in scrap wood and clamp it down on the table and use it as a guide. The pre-drilled scrap does a great job of protecting the racetrack.

Stain the Racetrack Make sure you sand it good with 180 grit first. I use a stain 'prep' first so that the stain uptake is pretty consistent. This helps to raise any fine hairs in the surface that can cause a problem later, too. Follow directions for letting the stain dry and then sand again first with 180, then with 220 using a tack cloth between sandings.

Poly the Racetrack Follow the manufacturers directions. I use sponge brushes because they are cheap, disposable and leave no brush marks. Go slow with sponge or you will leave too many bubbles. You will need to keep doing coats (sanding with 180 in between) until the surface turns fairly white when sanding, and is very smooth to the touch. Switch to 220 grit at this point. Do a couple more layers, and then switch to 320 grit. Stop when its glossy enough, or you're just sick of poly.

Apply Foam to Insert One of the easiest steps. Spray insert with spray adhesive, put foam on top, or lay insert onto foam that is rolled out. Make sure not to have any wrinkles or lumps, and you don't have to worry about stretching it. I use closed-cell foam so that any spills that occur don't get sucked up by the foam. Once dry, cut the foam even with the insert. Since the insert sits down in the table, foam is not necessary on the edge.

Cover Insert Another fairly easy step. Layout your covering material and place the insert (foam side down) on the cloth. Secure the middle of both ends, stretching slightly. You want it taught, but not so tight that it causes 'binding wrinkles'. Start from the center ends, pulling the cloth towards the centerline and staple as you go. There are plenty of other tutorials out there, and the pictures here should be pretty self explanatory. When done, remove excess cloth and test fit in table.

Apply Foam to Rail Very similar to applying foam to insert except rail is big and akward to work with. Best strategy is to lay down the foam and place the glue-sprayed rail on top of it. When you trim the foam, remember that you want to wrap the foam on the inside edge of the rail just to the bottom, and you want to wrap the outside edge of the rail around the rail support. You must carefully measure the inside and outside edges of the foam before cutting, otherwise you will have too much, or not enough.

Cover Rail To do the outside edge is very similar to covering the insert. Doing the inside isn't all that hard, once you understand the basic strategy. See tutorial at XXX for more details.

Final Assembly Pop in the insert, and attach via T-nuts and bolts. Insert cup holders. Place rail on table, voila!

Enjoy! Bet big. These tables cost a ton to make, and are a lot of work. A nice project to show off to your friends!