Poker Table Help

[Joe D'Attilio]

Ok so I am pretty sure on how I plan to accomplish thanks to a recommendation by a freind, but would like to see other perspectives in the event I'm not thinknig outside the box or missing something

Here is the scenario:

If you were making a poker table like this :


http://www.americangamingsupply.com/ProductImages/furnituretable/top98.jpg

How would one create the apron to cover the leather/ vinyl wrapped rail seen here:

http://www.libertygames.co.uk/images/1/products/869_oval_7ft_poker_table_arc_pedestal_tn.jpg

[Joe Chritz]

Edit : I just reread the question and if you are asking about covering the bottom, often people just use a piece of hardboard cut to size and attached with small screws. If you want an apron hanging down like a dinner table (I don't do that) you would use standard construction for that and attach. Most likely bent lamination but I expect it could be steam bent that far. Possibly bending plywood could be used since you wouldn't see the bottom or it could be banded. I don't cover mine normally because I still want the rail to be removable.


I have made many of those. I attached a pic of one that I did.

I use two pieces of plywood. The rail is usually much less quality since it is attached in several places.

In a nut shell cut the rail to length, cut arcs, cut the inside cut (to form the rail). The inside waste is scrap.

Take a second piece, same size as the first of good quality plywood. Do the same by make the rail 1.5-2 inches instead of rail width. Glue and screw (or staple) the narrow piece to the wide piece bottom and presto poker table top and rail. It always fits perfect.

A few pointers is the round over any edge that gets felt or vinyl with a 1/4 or 3/8 round over. Make a good cut on the first piece of plywood outside edge (router and trammel or carefully with a jigsaw) then on the outside of the last hack it down with a circular saw. Run a pattern bit around using the nice one as a pattern after it is glued on.

If you are going to have a racetrack inside (like your second pic) you have to do the same thing with a few extra steps and the very inside cut is critical. I have experimented with ways to do it to leave a perfect edge but being limited to 1/8" kerf max makes it difficult at best to use anything but a jigsaw.

The pic doesn't show the ends well but it does the rail.

Whisper vinyl is your friend for the cover. It stretches in all directions unlike marine vinyl. I use moleskin (available at fabric stores) or velveteen for the surface. Do a google for yourautotrim for other supplies like suited speed cloth and foam. A good 1/4" closed cell or neoprene foam for the top and 1" open cell for the rails is good. Thinner for the top if you have a racetrack.

Also the racetracks look cool but I really prefer to play on a regular table.

Any questions just ask.

Joe

[Joe D'Attilio]

Very informative Joe; however yes we are looking for options on how to create the apron on the dining top, as we would like the table to be functional the off-days that we are not playing poker - I wish I could play everyday LOL

[Joe Chritz]

Bending ply is probably your best bet. There is also a product out there (I haven't used it) which is veneer over kerfed MDF.

My tables are normally 42" wide and I could most likely kerf the back of 3/4 plywood and bend it to that radius.

It will depend greatly on what you want it to look like. If you want a profiled bottom edge you will need to use solid wood which will be a bent lamination or steam bent. I would probably attack the curves as seperate pieces and then the straight pieces.

David Marks has some great shows on bent laminations and making the forms. A trip to his site is always informative.

Joe

[Peter Luch]

www.scottkeen.com (http://www.scottkeen.com)

Go to the forum section, all the info you will ever need on building any type of table

Aloha, Pete

[Joe D'Attilio]

Again I believe you are misunderstanding the post.

I understand how to build the table...
the part that is a little tricky is that we plan to be able to cover it with a dining table top and I wanted suggestions on the semi circle aprons at each end....As a novice I am looking for options outside of steam-bending, etc..

We want the apron to cover the leather wrapped rail of the poker table, as if there is not a poker table noticeable when the dining top is in place.

[Joe D'Attilio]

Maybe I can change the perspective of the question.

If you were making a poker table like this :

http://www.libertygames.co.uk/images/1/products/869_oval_7ft_poker_table_arc_pedestal_tn.jpg


How would one create the apron on the DINING TOP to cover the leather/ vinyl wrapped rail seen here:

http://www.americangamingsupply.com/ProductImages/furnituretable/top98.jpg

Some tables the simply build a top to lay over the poker table with the rail exposed - we would like to enclose the rail as seen here:

http://image.ecplaza.net/offer/d/dehui0123/4749223.jpg

[Robert Rozaieski]

Ok, I totally misunderstood. I thought you were going to have a removable poker table top that would go over the dining table top, not the other way around. If you want curved table aprons (with or without the poker table) you have several options. The drawing I sent you would be for making the ends of the leather covered rail but you could use a similar technique for the aprons with different sized lumber. You would need some real wide and thick boards though, or you would need to use more boards and additional miter joints. Traditionally, curved aprons would have been sawn from wide, thick boards. I'll email you an article on building a Federal Card table that should help you. You would just need to make sure that you made the poker top after the dining top to ensure it fits inside the dining top. I would think I would lean in the other direction though and make a poker top to go on top of the dining table. Seems to me like the dining top wouldn't be too stable sitting atop the padded leather rub rail of the poker table. Just my 2¢.