Mike Builds a Poker Table:

I play in a texas hold 'em tournament with a few friends almost every week. We usually play on someone's coffee/dinning room table. Seating is awkward and playing can get a little cramped. So I decided it was time to do something about it, result: I built a 8-10 person professional poker table. I am by no stretch of the word a "woodworker", but my minimal experience from high school woodshop was enough to create a pretty decent table. Here are some pics of the construction and finished product.

Started with 3 pieces of 4' x 8' plywood. Two were ugly and rough (seen in the outside ring). The other was a nice sanded peice of pine. Then I cut the rounded parts at each end and then cut out the rings. Heres side view of what the layers look like:

The light yellow parts are the base board and rail, those parts where made out of the low-grade plywood. The brown and green were made out of the pine. The brown part is called the race track, it is basically a nice wood part for players to set their drinks and poker chips. It was stained and varnished. The green part was covered in a very nice cloth called "speed cloth" and severed as the playing area where cards are dealt and chips are wagered. Here's a look at the race track being stained.

and the cloth...

Next - I had to pad the rail with foam and wrap it in vinyl, so as to create a nice soft and cushy place to rest our arms.

Cover that in vinyl, put it all together and you get...

Isn't she a beaut'? I am really impressed with how it turned out.

-Mike