Those look really nice. I ordered  my materials but the suade is on back order so im waiting for it. The only problem with those would be that i am planning to put a picture frame on top as the rim to prevent the balls from rolling off. you have the felt wrapped around and if i put a frame on that it would look strange. Good job on those though they look top notch.

Clay… Is this what you are writing about… http://www.theambitiouscard.com/img/th-lTable.jpg ?

It wouldn't look strange at all. You can either get a premade frame and design your table around standard sizes, or buy some corner moulding at your local hardware store and cut your own to fit. I've seen it done both ways.

I agree with Dave that it would not look strange or bizarre at all.

Bruce

You dont think it would look strange for a frame to sit on top of felt that is stretched around a base? If i did that i would have a stripe of fabric running along the side. I am just getting a frame and a base with the same measurements as the outside of the frame so it can sit ontop of the base. my plan is to stain the frame and the base to match and then screw them together so that it looks as if it were one piece and set a pad inside. I ordered casino poker table sponge for padding and i will just measure it to fit the inside of the frame when it gets here and apply my suede to that. This way if i spill or burn or something (you never know) i can just make a new pad. I ordered enough suede and foam for i think four table tops of the dimensions above.

Oh and Bruce, No in that image it looks as though the frame fits the base inside of it. I am putting my frame on top of the base therefore if i wrapped the material around the base it would show on the sides. I think it would be easier to put it on top than anything else

You just have to pick the right size frame. Ones used for framing oil paintings usually have a recess deep enough to cover the wooden stretcher frame. If you simply can't find a frame with a deep enough recess, you might have to resort to a thinner board.

Clay… Again good luck with your project, I hope you will share some photos when it is completed.

Bruce

Clay,

Bruce makes great close up stages, I've used one of Bruce's at a friend's house.  Onething to think about is theright amount of padding and Bruce seems to have this right.  Enough to make it work but not too much so that the cups sink or balls bounce.

As Bruce said, it would be nice to see pics when you are done....

Bri

I will be sure to post pictures when I am done. It may be a while because the suede is on back order.

Clay… I understand delays, I still have some projects in the garage I have not finished… too cold to spray paint. Yes I concur with what Bri said, before you permanently mount anything, figure out how much give you want. I manly use a Chop Cup so I need some give and firmness to do the move.

Bruce

From what I have read (I am no expert so correct me if I'm wrong) there are a few types of padding used in poker tables: open celled foam, close celled foam, and heavy table sponge. Now the last two may be very similar but I have no way of knowing. From what I have read open celled foam is very spongy, it is not used in casinos and does not have much resistance to pressure. Close celled foam is not as spongy and is sometimes used in casinos and is also, for the most part, water proof. I ordered heavy sponge because it is more widely used and from my understanding stiffer and heavier duty than foam. The sponge i ordered is supposed to be soft enough that you can pick up cards very easily but not soft enough that a poker chip will bounce on it. Let me know if you all have any thoughts on this.

Clay… It sounds like you are on the right track, as to what to use as the base board, I have had the best luck with MDF. Though it is heavy it is very hard and works well with a CC… not sounding like a soundboard when you make the move.

Bruce

Wow, I have been behind the eight ball on this one. Every time i have a week where i think i could do this project something big comes up. I started my table on saturday and It looks like it will be finished by this weekend depending on how my week is i could get it done in another day or two. I bought a two ft square of oak plywood from lowes. I had a frame bought but decided not to use it... well ac=tually i was not thinking when i bought the plywood: my frame is 18x24. when i went to lowes my dad said a two foot square would work and i just agreed without thinking about it. It wouldn't work because 18x24 is the inside measurement of the frame. anyway instead of going back to lowes and getting a 2x4 foot piece i went into the shop at our farm and sawed off the six inches on one side. this made it 18x24". i took the remaining six inches and sawed it into four 1.25" strips ( i could have gone with 1.5" but i thought that would be sort of close to the wire and if the lowes people weren't exace i would be in trouble so i dcided to be safe). i sanded everything today and used finishing nails to tack the strips onto the sides as borders. I stained it twice today and i think i will stain it a couple more times this week before i varnish it. i have the fabric and the foam or sponge for the pad so i still have to do that. Does anyone know how to attach the fabric to the pad?

I don't attach the fabric to the pad. I usually mount the pad on a piece of show card, then I place it with the padding side down on top of the wrong side of the covering. Then I fold the edges of the covering material over the cardboard and glue it in place. The working surface is not attached to the padding at all.

Clay, Try this link www.pmsmagic.com, scrowl down to mats. hope this helps.  mel