Steve's Poker Table

 

 

Materials Required

        Total Cost :-    $398.00

 

Tools Required

 

Building Notes

I chose to use plywood instead of using MDF or other woods for my poker table as I found from researching the web that MDF is quite nasty to work with as the dust from cutting MDF wood contains formaldehyde glue which is carcinogenic, so when you are cutting MDF, respirators / dust masks must be worn.  Secondly, when drilling holes into MDF, the drill holes must be the exact diameter as the screws being used, otherwise the wood will split.  Thirdly, MDF is also very heavy in sheet weight and fourthly,  it is extremely difficult to put staples into MDF.  Also if MDF gets fluid spilt on it then it warps easily.

Other types of wood / particle boards do not stack up to the strength and durability of plywood.

I built my first poker table from plywood and it was as strong as my solid kitchen table.  I chose not to build it from MDF due to the above mentioned reasons and I am glad I was able to find the above information in the "Home Poker Tourney's" forums on building poker tables.

Just a quick note about the plywood board sizes here in Australia.  What I found on the Home Poker Tourney's web site was that American sized plywood comes in 96" X 48" sheets, while here in Australia the plywood size is exactly 2400mm X 1200mm (94.5" X 47") sheets.  This is important later on in the building process when it comes time to size and cut the plywood.  I will be using the Australian dimensions.

You can modify the length of the poker table to fit the space you have at home.  I built my first poker table to a length of 2000mm (79") as I was pushed for space at home and I thought I wouldn't get many people playing, but I was very wrong.  In fact I had up to 12  people playing on the poker table, a poker table that sits 8 people comfortably, 10 people pushing it.  So this time I am building the poker table to a length of 2400mm (94.5"), which will sit 10 people comfortably.

For my plywood I eventually purchased it from a wood supplier direct and not through a hardware store, as the hardware stores were phenomenally more expensive (about double the price) than that of the wood supplier.  

Also it pays only to get one knot free (Hoop Pine) grade plywood and one CD (Structural) grade plywood as the knots on the CD grade plywood will all be covered up and not visible in the final product.  The reason for the Hoop Pine grade plywood is that it is knot free and will stain very easily (for the racetrack), but plywood that has knots in it which are covered over by filler does not stain well at all and also spoils the look of the racetrack, so spend a little extra and get a good piece of plywood but don't go nuts and get a real expensive piece either.

The foam I chose to use on the playing surface was a high density closed cell foam, as closed cell foam has water repellent properties.  So if someone spills a drink on the table, then it will not be absorbed by the foam and all you have to do is absorb / wipe the drink spill with a sponge.  

I chose not to add cup holders to my poker table as I found some nice glass poker drink coasters at a local variety store.  Also some people like to drink coffee during the late night poker games and the cup holders do not accommodate coffee cups / mugs, so my choice was made and I went for the glass poker drink coasters (a picture of these glass poker drink coasters can be found on pg 8).

 

 

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