On this page I show you instructions, pictures, and drawings on how to build your own poker table in ten easy steps! It's fun, easy, and very inexpensive!
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How to build your own poker table...
...in 10 Easy Steps!
By Benny Graham
Introduction
First I would like to start off by thanking HomePokerTourney for getting me inspired to build my own table. They really have a great site. I was looking through all of the different tables and there are some really great ideas. The basic concept of my table stems from Rob's Table. He has very in depth directions at his site. There are a few small differences between his and mine but the big difference is I build my own rail using Water Noodles. This greatly reduces the cost of your table. You should be able to build this table for around $175.00 and about 25-30 hours of labor. Have fun and good luck!
Material List
| Required | Quantity | Price | Location |
| 1/4" Oak Veneer Plywood | 1 | $15.00 | Menards |
| 3/4" Birch Fibercore Plywood | 1 | $35.00 | Menards |
| Staples | 1250 | $4.00 | Menards |
| Tee Nuts | 27 | $10.53 | Menards |
| Bolts | 1 bag | $1.19 | Menards |
| Washers | 1 bag | $.99 | Menards |
| Lock Washers | 1 bag | $.99 | Menards |
| 120-150 Grit Sand Paper | 1 pack | $2.50 | Menards |
| Finish Nails | 2 | $.50 | Menards |
| Stain | 1 small can | $5.00 | Menards |
| Polyurethane | 1 small can | $5.00 | Menards |
| Stain Brush | 1 | $3.00 | Menards |
| Polyurethane Brush | 1 | $3.00 | Menards |
| 5/16" Drill Bit | 1 | $1.50 | Menards |
| Duct Tape | 2 Rolls | $3.00 | Menards |
| Masking Tape | 1 Roll | $1.50 | Menards |
| 5/16" Campers Padding | 2 rolls | $10.00 | Walmart |
| Spray Adhesive | 1 can | $6.00 | Walmart |
| Water Noodles | 4 | $15.52 | Walmart |
| 60" Wide Vinyl | 3 yards | $11.00 | Walmart |
| 36" Wide Fabric for playing surface | 3 yards | $15.00 | JoAnne's |
| Total cost of materials | ............. | $150.22 | |
| *All prices are approx. |
Tools Needed
Hammer
Staple Gun
Sawzall
Jigsaw
Sander
Drill
Fabric Scissors
Straight Edge(ie. Level, 2x4)
Creativity
Instructions
*Step One* The Table
Lay your 1/4" Oak Veneer on top of the 3/4" Birch. Line the edges up as close as possible. Measure 2' from each edge and make a mark. Drive a nail into this mark all the way through the veneer and into the birch. This will hold your to pieces of plywood together. I've seen some people use string to make this line but I just used my two foot level and held it against the nail. This worked just fine. Do this at each end and then make the cut using your jig saw. You'll notice that the Oak Veneer chips a little but for this cut it does not matter because you will not see it.
*Step Two* Sanding
Sand the edges until both pieces are exactly the same. I used a belt sander and this worked very well. This is also a good time to label an end. This way you know which way the rail goes to line everything up.
*Step Three* Marking
Now that your two pieces are exactly the same size, you can measure in from the edge 9" and make a mark in pencil all the way around. I screwed a piece of scrap to my level at the 9" mark and just rode it along the edge. Now take the masking tape and cover up your line. This helps keep the veneer from chipping. This is important because you will see this edge in the finished product. Once it is taped up, repeat making the line only this time use a marker so you can see it better. Once you have that line marked out, do the exact same thing at 3".
*Step Four* Drilling
Drill your holes and hammer in your Tee Nuts into the center piece and the rail. This way you know that everything will line up. It is recommended that you use 13 Tee Nuts for your center and 14 Tee Nuts for your rail in the locations shown in the diagram. I didn't use enough so I had to add more. When you finish putting in all of your Tee Nuts, remove the nails you had used to tack your two pieces of plywood and set the 3/4" Birch off to the side. Place the veneer back on the saw horses.
*Step Five* Cutting
Find a drill bit that is the same width as your jigsaw blade. Start with the 3" line and drill some holes until you can fit your jigsaw blade into the veneer. Now cut the line! Take your time and do a nice job because you will not be able to sand errors and you will see this edge! Do the same thing for the 9" mark. You should now have three different pieces of Oak Veneer.
*Step Six* Center Piece
Now you can work on the center piece. The camper's padding is not wide enough to cover the entire center piece so you have to piece it in. I started by laying the two strips down on the table and cut off most of the excess right away. Using part of the excess you cut off, place it at the end of the center piece. You should now have three pieces of camper's padding that together cover the entire surface. You want to make sure that you put all factory edges together so everything fits together nicely. I covered each one of the edges with tape so I wouldn't get glue on top of the padding when I sprayed the sides. Now you can start glueing the pieces together. Spray the padding and the oak veneer and wait a minute before sticking them together. Allow the glue to dry completely. Once the glue is dry you can cut the excess padding off with a sawzall, electric carving knife, or a sharp knife.
Now lay out your fabric upside down and place your centerpiece upside down on top of it. Cut pizza slices around the curves so that you can pull the fabric nice and tight without bunching. Staple away! You can never use too many staples. Pull the fabric towards your last staple to keep all of the wrinkles out.
*Step Seven* Race Track
Place the center piece and the race track back onto the 3/4" Birch. Your holes with the Tee Nuts should all line up. Now trace with a pencil around your race track to get an idea how far you need put your glue. Remove the race track. Now apply the wood glue to the space where the race track goes. Insert the race track back onto the glue and even the gap all the way around. Apply some kind of weight and let it dry completely. (As you can see I did the race track before I finished the center piece but it will work better to do the center piece first).
*Step Eight* Finishing
Is the glue on your race track dry? Now you can remove the center piece and start sanding. Something like 120-150 grit paper will be good. When you are done sanding and you are happy with the smoothness of the wood, you can begin staining the wood. Add as many coats of stain you want until you get the color you want. When your stain is dry you can begin your clear coat of polyurethane. I used three coats. You can do as many coats as you want but remember to sand between each coat.
*Step Nine* Rail
Now you can begin construction of your rail. It is very important that you have a friend help you with this part (thank you Jason!). You need to cut the water noodle so that your cut leaves a flat area 3" wide and this is very difficult to do by yourself. Using a level or 2X4 or some kind of straight edge, mark your lines on the noodle. Stand the noodle up and have a friend hold it while he watches the line on his side. Communicate with each other which direction the blade needs to go to stay on the line. This is probably the most difficult part of the project but if you take your time it will turn out great!
*Step Ten* Fastening
Before you put the rail on, you'll notice that the birch fibercore is exposed on the side. I used leftover center piece fabric to cover this edge. You could use paint, stain, leftover vinyl, or whatever you want. Once this edge is covered you can line everything up and using your washers, lock washers, and bolts, fasten it all together. That's it! You now have a 10 person poker table that you get to show off on poker night.
Conclusion
This was a very fun project and very simple to make. The best thing about the way it is built is that you can change any part of it at any time. If you spill on the fabric in the center and stain it, you can just take the center piece back off and redo it with a different fabric. If you decide to go with a different color vinyl on your rail, all you have to do is unbolt it from the bottom and change the vinyl. Don't like the color of your stain anymore? Refinish it, no problem. Every part can easily be changed.
Thank you
Once again I want to thank HomePokerTourney for getting me inspired to build my own table. They also have a lot of other great poker content to look at so check out their site. I also want to thank my cousin Jason for all his help. There is no way I could have done it without his help and ideas, plus it made it more fun to work with someone. Of course I can't forget to thank my wife Edna for allowing me to work on the table while there are so many other home projects that need to be done!
10.5.05
