1. How do I make the racetrack flush with the center/felt insert? This is the question I get most often. There are threads in this forum on this very subject (just look around). I would say several things about this: First, I don't think having it flush is really that important. Most of you want to be able to "push" your chips in whenever you go all-in. While that is always fun, you should realize that all-ins like this don't happen that often (certainly not every hand). What does happen every hand is people scooping pots toward them. Having the 1/4" rise in the center actually helps this process because the chips easily slide from the center to the racetrack. If the area is flush, you may have chips get caught on the lip of the ractrack. In other words, it's got its pros and cons. Also, I've played a lot of games on my table (with people who aren't familiar with this forum or the building process), and I've never received one comment about the fact that they have to place their chips in the middle when going all-in. I don't think people notice that sort of thing. However, if you're dead-set on having it flush you can glue/mount some thin strips of wood (1/4") to the bottom of the racetrack. Those painters sticks (that are used to stir paint) would probably work perfectly. If you glue 10-15 to the bottom of the racetrack (evenly spaced), your racetrack would likely rise the necessary 1/4". If painting strips don't work, you can cut 1/4" strips yourself. I definintely would not use two different pieces of wood (3/4" and 1/2") for the center and racetrack. Remember that you want the pieces to fit like a glove. That's easy to do it you cut from the same piece, but the time/effort will increase exponentially if you use separate pieces of wood (not to mention the cost increase). In short, find something to insert under the racetrack to raise it a 1/4". You can mount/glue it however you want. 2. Should I scotchguard the Velveteen? Not necessary. You may want to if you use another fabric, but Velveteen repels water very well. Try it for yourself by running a scrap strip under the faucet or spilling a beer on it. It comes up easily. Last time we played someone knocked over a dip cup onto the table top. As you might imagine, I was furious. However, a quick wipe with a damp cloth and it came right up. One thing, if you do decide to use scotchguard, I'd highly recommend testing it out on a scrap piece first. I tried to scothguard Velvet (not Velveteen) one time and it left horrible white stains. Just be cautious. 3. How much did the materials cost? There is also a thread about this. http://www.scottkeen.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=42 3 Sheets of 4x8 Plywood ($29.99/sheet) - $89.97 Foam for rail - $37.29 Screws, Bolts, T-Nuts, etc. - ~$25.00 Folding Legs - $18.60 Vinyl for rail - $21.57 Headliner foam for tabletop - $19.77 Velveteen - $32.97 Staples - ~$10 Polyurethane - $18 Cupholders - $25 Airbrushed Logo - $40 Sandpaper - ~$10 Wood Glue - ~$5 3M Spray Adhesive $5 Mineral Spirits - $6 Total - $364.17 4. What tools will I need? Jigsaw Electric Stapler Power Drill/Screwdriver Drill Bits Clamps Safety Glasses Razor or Electric Carving Knife (for cutting foam, vinyl and cloth) A few small tack nails Long straight-edge ruler Optional Equipment Random Orbit Sander (may not need this if your wood is already sanded). Rotary Tool (Dremel or RotoZip) Tool (may not need this, but can be very handy) Router 5. What is the best cloth to use? As you know there is considerable debate about the pros and cons of Velveteen, Billiard/Speed Cloth, Suited Poker Cloth, Twill, Moleskin, Feaux Suede, etc. There are at least 50 posts on this subject in this forum where you can find all the information, and I'm not going to rehash them. But I will say that it's all a matter of personal taste. Velveteen is great, works very well, and is cheap. Billiard Cloth is also great but approx 3x more expensive. Whether or not it's worth it is up to you. They're all good, and will do the job. Remember that the table is in sections so you can always recover it in about 2 hours time. I would go with something, and if you don't like it, change. 6. Where did you get your cupholders? I ordered them from SmackDogg (http://www.smackdogg.com). I used and love the jumbo holders because they fit all types of cups and even beer with coozies. The smaller ones were unacceptable in my opinion. There are also threads about this in the forum. You can order stainless steel ones from Kardwell, but not the jumbo size. 7. Do I have to use 3 sheets of plywood? No, but I did. If you can think of an acceptable way to mount everything together, then go for it. 2 sheets would work but you will not be able to mount the racetrack and rail to the baseboard, unless you figure something else out. I did not want to mount the racetrack by screwing partially through it (under the exposed part). Think it through and build it however you like. 8. How many coats of poly did I use? 5. You can do more or less, but 5 works well. 9. Do I have to use a single sheet of foam for the rail? Many of you can't obtain a single sheet of foam. Using multiple sheets will work fine, but there has been some discussion about seeing the seams through the vinyl. I would recommend cutting the foam at a 45 degree angle where they join so there is less pressure on the seam. Then try taping some duct tape over the seam so it won't show in the vinyl. Not sure if this will work, but you may want to try it. 10. How did you get that logo on the cloth? I took the cloth (before mounting) to a local airbrush store. It was a store that specializes in airbrushing art onto T-shirts. The guy did it easily and it only cost $35. Lots of motorcycle or custom auto shops have airbrush artists. Call them and see if they can do it. 11. Does the airbrush affect the "slide" of the cards? No. The cards slide perfectly. Also, the airbrush logo hasn't peeled at all. If you go with silk screening or some other process you're going to run into problems with the "slide" and peeling. If you're going through the trouble of making a table, go the extra mile and get the logo done right. It's one of the most important parts in my opinion. 12. How long did it take to build? Knowing what I know now, it would take approx 10 hours. However, my first table took much longer because I didn't order the right parts, and had to make 50 trips to Home Depot. Also I spent considerable time "racking my brain" over the design.
13. Can I steal your plans and sell them on Ebay? Do I even need to answer this question? Good thing I'm an attorney. I successfully stopped the 3 who already tried. 14. Your bandwidth has been used up. Can you please email me pictures and detailed instructions? This one is actually comical, but I have received it at least a dozen times. No, I'm sorry but I can't email you pictures and instructions. There are somewhere around 130 photographs (totalling over 100MB) and 11 pages of instructions. I put a lot of time and effort into this website, and cannot individually email photos instructions to everyone. NEW UPDATE!! I'VE MIRRORED MY SITE! YOU CAN ACCESS THE MIRROR HERE: http://www.junell.cc/pokertable/ 15. Can I pay you to build me a custom table? I'm seriously considering this, but nothing has been finalized yet. If you're interested in buying a table from me, shoot me an email. mark@junell.cc That's all I can think of now. I'll add to this post as necessary. 16. Is your site mirrored anywhere else? NEW UPDATE!! I'VE MIRRORED MY SITE! YOU CAN ACCESS THE MIRROR HERE: http://www.junell.cc/pokertable/ 17. Do you have the plans/photos in a PDF format? No. I have concerns over the distribution/us of a PDF document, so for now my plans will only be available via web. 18. How heavy is the table? I don't know exactly, but it's probably about 15-20lbs heavier than 2 sheets of 4x8 plywood. My guess is around 100-115 lbs. So yes, it's pretty heavy, but it's supposed to be. You don't want a flimsy table that shakes everytime someone touches it. Although it can be moved, I wouldn't consider it portable. 19. Are the legs wobbly? Not at all. However, if you really want to make the table as sturdy as possible (as well as make it look a lot classier), you should buy/build pedestal legs. I've seen some beautiful ones here in the forum, but as of yet, no detailed instructions on how they're made. If someone is reading this and has made their own nice pedestal legs, please post instructions to the forum. Everyone is anxious to see how it's done. 20. Does it sag in the middle? Very good question. And I think the answer is no. 3 months after it was erected, I removed the rail and racetrack and laid all the pieces (including the center piece) upside down on the floor. I thought for sure I'd see some sagging/warping, but I didn't. I guess 2 sheets of 3/4" plywood is pretty strong. However, if you're concerned about that, you can easily run some 2x4s underneath the length of the table. This should give it plenty of strength. 21. Did you mount the rail and racetrack to the baseboard? I get this question a lot. And the answer is no, I have never physically mounted the rail or racetrack. Initially I intended to, but I completely forgot to install T-Nuts on the top of the rail before I padded it. Therefore, my only option was to use wood screws and come in from underneath. I could have screwed up through the baseboard, through the racetrack, and into the rail. This would have done the job. However, I've found that it's not necessary at all, and I kind of like being able to disassemble it quickly. Remember that when people are playing, they're all leaning down on the rail. It should never come up during play. The only time it may pop up is when you're lifting the table to move it. And even then, I like to remove the rail so that it doesn't get damaged. You can do it if you want, but in my opinion you don't need to. 22. Does the Velveteen fuzz/pill at all? A tiny bit. After playing all night I can usually find some fuzz on the racetrack. Not a big deal though, and no one has ever commented on it. It doesn't fuzz like craft felt at all. 23. What would you do differently on your next table? Hmmm. I like it the way it is. But if pressed: Get stiffer foam for the rail (mine is a little too soft) Build nice legs. Folding legs are convenient, but they make the table look cheaper. Maybe put the cupholders in the rail as opposed to the racetrack. Use a router for the cupholders (quicker) Get someone to help me load the plywood into my Tahoe! 24. What type of stain did you use on the wood? I didn't use any stain. I only applied polyurethane. I used MinWax semi-gloss (I think??). I used 5 coats. However, feel free to stain the wood 1st if you like. Someone told me that a speciality veneer like Walnut Burl would make the wood look great. 25. Do I need to use a router? Absolutely not. And I didn't. You can do all your cuts with a Jigsaw. However, if you're planning on making several tables, a router will make things easier and quicker.