How to Build an Octagon Poker Table

When you know exactly what you want, good enough is not good enough. Take matters into your own hands and build the poker table of your dreams with these instructions.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Cheese cloth or tack rags
• Latex gloves
• Sand paper (rough 100 to fine 320)
• Drill with bits and screwdriver attachments
• Staple Gun
• Pair of fold up table legs (black or chrome)
• Stain and gloss
• Four 1.5
• Clamps
• Generic handles
• Skilsaw
• Nice wood, plywood, and cheap wood for the center
• Casino poker table felt or velveteen
• Brushes or cotton rags
• Jig Saw
• 1/4 poker table foam
• Spray adhesive

1. Plan the size and woods that you want to use. You may want to use a strong wood for the base, a nice wood for the visible area, and a cheaper wood for the area that will be covered.
2. Take the cheap wood, and find the center of the square by crossing the corners. Decide on how large of a playing area you would like. The area between the end of the table and the felt is left for drinks, snacks, etc.
3. Hammer a nail in the exact center point of the sheet.
4. Measure a string to be half the diameter of your playing surface, and use it (attached to the nail) to draw a perfect circle for your felt.
5. Using a hand held jig saw, carefully cut out your circle.
6. Lay out the base plywood and measure the angles of the corners that will be cut off using the calculator below.
7. Use a skilsaw to cut off the measured corners (after making sure the original sheet was absolutely square) to form your base octagon.
8. Take your nice wood and use it to cover the octagon base. You may need to use two pieces of wood and overlap them.
9. From the under side, use a marker to trace the exact octagon shape onto the BOTTOM of the Oak for cutting. Use this like a pattern for cutting.
10. Fasten the nice wood on top of the plywood using the wood screws. This should be done inside the outer inch, which will be covered by the bumper later.
11. Sand the nice wood carefully, coarse paper first.
12. Stain the wood according to the directions that go with the kind of stain you are using, and top with polyurethane.
13. Put the playing wood circle in the exact center of the table, being careful not to scratch the finish.
14. Mark four equal points around the circle where you will drill holes to sturdy the center, and have someone hold the wood while you drill.
15. Take the top playing area wood off, put your bolts through the self-locking washers and through the four holes, and bolt them on the other side
16. Cut the foam so that it is the same size as the playing area circle.
17. Using spray adhesive, apply the glue to both the foam and the wood EVENLY. Lay the foam on top of the wood and glue, and smooth it out evenly and as flat as possible.
18. Apply more glue, this time being extremely careful to keep it smooth and even. Be very careful in the application of the felt.
19. Cut the overhanging pieces of felt into darts and pull them tight, fastening them with adhesive or tacks.
20. Flip the table upside down, and apply the railing around the entire perimeter. Staple it down, checking the table top frequently to make sure that your padding remains flush. Trim off any excess.
21. Have a couple of helpers assist you in carefully placing the playing area onto the table, taking care to line up the bolt with the holes. Tighten from the underside.
22. Add handles to the underside to make the table easy to put away when you are done.

Tips & Warnings

• When making any cuts, it is always good to use clamps to prevent most mistakes.