dilemma-need advice on foam (6 Viewers)

[ant812]

i recently decided to recover my table. not thinking it all the way through i purchased 1/4" volara foam. this is for a table with a wood racetrack that has a covered wood insert that sets into the center of the table. i took apart last night and the foam that i removed was very thin and very soft. the foam needs to overlap over the sides of the insert. 1/4" is way way too thick. i need something that 1/16" thick. i was thinking neoprene. do any of you have any recommendations? links or where to buy would be great. needs to be 30" wide and 70" long.

thanks

 

[Machine]

Have you considered removing the track?

 

[merkong]

Well, you could ditch the track but as an old track guy I'd say since you have the foam you could cut it to fit the insert exactly, and precisely, and see if when you recloth it if it doesn't ride too high above the track. A little rise is alright. Another possibility would be to lower the catches that hold the insert in place. A final option would be recut the insert with slightly thinner plywood. I mean you have the foam and it probably won't be used for anything else. you have options to try. Eliminate the fold under. Unnecessary.

 

[ant812]

Have you considered removing the track?

doing that id have to remove the track and the insert, thus making the table very flimsy. id have to put another layer of plywood on top to fix. at that point, id just build another table. and against popular opinion i do like the racetrack. and my cup holders are in it instead of the rail which i like.

 

[ant812]

Well, you could ditch the track but as an old track guy I'd say since you have the foam you could cut it to fit the insert exactly, and precisely, and see if when you recloth it if it doesn't ride too high above the track. A little rise is alright. Another possibility would be to lower the catches that hold the insert in place. A final option would be recut the insert with slightly thinner plywood. I mean you have the foam and it probably won't be used for anything else. you have options to try.

it would sit 1/4"high, thats the other thing i didnt consider. the thin stuff i took off sat just a hair high, i had no idea it would be so thin though. if that wasnt the case, id just sand down the entire edge of the insert so the insert would fit with the foam. i could do thinner ply insert, thats an idea. but right now trying not to dig out the saw though if i dont have to. a 1/16" product would do the trick.

 

[merkong]

1/16"... That's thin. I've used underlay from laminate floors on tables that I've Frankenstein'ed together. Works well. I'm not familiar with any table specific product that's that thin. If you want to use the foam you bought just bust out the saw. I used to lament having to dig out my power tools but in 30 minutes you'll be covering your new insert and with the intended foam. Assuming you can get the wood. How thick is the insert?

 

[merkong]

A quarter inch isn't that much... I like a little rise to the insert. Nobody is sliding stacks from the track to the infield... That's TV stuff... I'd probably try the foam as is and see how it feels. Then I'd go all Black and Decker on a thinner insert.

 

[merkong]

A quarter inch isn't that much... I like a little rise to the insert. Nobody is sliding stacks from the track to the infield... That's TV stuff... I'd probably try the foam as is and see how it feels. Then I'd go all Black and Decker on a thinner insert.

You could still use the foam on the new board.

 

[merkong]

Shoot a few pics. I love home builts. I've built about 10 tables in the last 2 years.

 

[ant812]

 

[merkong]

That's a nice looking table. Done right; large insert, more narrow track... What's that last pic? Tough spot. Not super tough though. The underlayment is an option. Seems to be spendy though. And the old foam wrapped the insert... Did you build this one? There's work involved in getting a new insert board. The foam will work for a new board even if it doesn't work on top of this board. I wouldn't worry about any space between the insert and the track no matter what you do. It should be small. I'm staying in the camp of trying this foam on this board. I get it, it's a quarter inch. Cut the foam, exactly, slowly, and precisely, maybe a hair (1/16") bigger all the way around and then when you cloth you won't see any space. It'll play fine. And nobody is going to have an issue with that quarter inch. Like I said, I like a little step up. Worst case scenario, you have to replace the board and redo all the staples. While the table is apart, I'd use some poly on the inside of the table that sits against the insert. It takes time to dry obviously but will keep the wear on the cloth to a minimum, erase any optics of the bare wood, and it's just the right thing to do. You won't see any of that inner bare but again, if I were you this is the route I'd go; try the foam and replace the board if you ain't feeling it.

 

[ant812]

That's a nice looking table. Done right; large insert, more narrow track... What's that last pic? Tough spot. Not super tough though. The underlayment is an option. Seems to be spendy though. And the old foam wrapped the insert... Did you build this one? There's work involved in getting a new insert board. The foam will work for a new board even if it doesn't work on top of this board. I wouldn't worry about any space between the insert and the track no matter what you do. It should be small. I'm staying in the camp of trying this foam on this board. I get it, it's a quarter inch. Cut the foam, exactly, slowly, and precisely, maybe a hair (1/16") bigger all the way around and then when you cloth you won't see any space. It'll play fine. And nobody is going to have an issue with that quarter inch. Like I said, I like a little step up. Worst case scenario, you have to replace the board and redo all the staples. While the table is apart, I'd use some poly on the inside of the table that sits against the insert. It takes time to dry obviously but will keep the wear on the cloth to a minimum, erase any optics of the bare wood, and it's just the right thing to do. You won't see any of that inner bare but again, if I were you this is the route I'd go; try the foam and replace the board if you ain't feeling it.

a buddy of mine built it back in 07 or so. he definitely did a nice job on it. last pic is a scrap of the felt and padding. fuzzy stuff next to it is glue/padding residue that is blown up by the pic. the padding is the main reason i dove into this. its too soft, i want something a little more firm with a little spring. this had zero spring. i may try this foam on top but i laid on top this morning and it seemed like a wall sticking up. i have it though, cant hurt to cut it to size and check it out. looking at a tape measure, i also think i may be able to get away with 1/8" if its a softer compound than volara. thanks for your imput.

 

[merkong]

Good luck. Keep us posted.

 

[woodsy]

How hard would it be to separate the track from the bottom? When I made my table I got a piece of material that was slightly thinner than my foam, cut the center out where the insert goes, and put in as a spacer. Works great.

 

[sodasnacks]

I was thinking something similar by using the same fabric, but a bit thinner would be better. I'm not sure if he said it was possible. maybe it screws down but still could be screwed with your idea I think, some clarification needed.

 

[woodsy]

For clarification, if you don't want to use a thinner foam, or foam backer to bring the center "down" to the racetrack level, use a spacer or shims to bring the racetrack "up" to the level of the center.

 

[woodsy]

Spacer is slightly thinner my foam. Full disclosure, I used a thin yoga mat as my foam. I like the way it performs, however, half my games I end up doing the downward dog

 

[ant812]

How hard would it be to separate the track from the bottom? When I made my table I got a piece of material that was slightly thinner than my foam, cut the center out where the insert goes, and put in as a spacer. Works great.View attachment 1452235View attachment 1452247

thats a good idea. ive never broke it down that far. ill look into that. thanks.