EightyWon's first table build thread (92"x44" oval, 5.5" rail, 1" raised with diffused LEDs) (1 Viewer)

[eightyWon]

This is basically the most exaggerated representation of what the play surface looks like:

I neglected to cut reliefs in the padding for my t-nuts so that's some of the smaller perimeter bumps. It's not the bolts protruding as at most the can go flush and the bumps show even with no bolts installed.

The large ones through the center are all from creases in the Volara.

I wonder if I hadn't sprayed a light coat of adhesive prior to laying the felt it wouldn't cling so much and therefore would have shown less? I know typically some cling to the padding is desired, but I think it hurt me in this case?

 

[Nymor]

I'm also curious what I'll be facing in terms of stripping the Volara off the 1/2" plywood play surface after having glued it with Super 77. Has anyone done this? How much of a hot mess will it be, or should I just plan to cut a new play surface from a new sheet of ply?

I think I'll go search for re-felting threads.

It all depends on how much 77 you used I suspect - a light spraying may just peel right off but either way I can't imagine it would be that difficult/messy.

Looking at that surface, and the earlier picture of the Volara on its own, that is pretty rubbish and obviously needs redoing. If the Volara has this issue - creasing - maybe try a different foam. I use a 6mm high density open cell foam which I've had no issues with all.

One other thing I do/did which you may be able to use/adapt is related to the (secondary) LED diffuser you mentioned you may need. Your rail overhang and LED positioning is similar to mine and I had to come up with a solution that could easily be taken apart - collapsible table - and a perspex/acrylic strip wouldn't work for that. My LED strip is mounted on an aluminium profile that has it's own diffuser but because that diffuser is close to the (120/m) LEDs they still spot. To fix this I have a secondary diffuser made of high density white EVA foam strips, ~15mm thick, that are taller than the gap below my rail and wedge in really tightly. They diffuse the light perfectly and also act as a soft edge that overpitched cards bounce off.

Whether or not something similar would work for you I don't know but I thought I'd throw it out there as an idea at least. (More detail in my table thread in my sig)

 

[Irish]

I'm also curious what I'll be facing in terms of stripping the Volara off the 1/2" plywood play surface after having glued it with Super 77. Has anyone done this? How much of a hot mess will it be, or should I just plan to cut a new play surface from a new sheet of ply?

I think I'll go search for re-felting threads.

Sorry to hear it didn't work out. You'll probably need a putty knife / scraper to get the foam chunks off, and you may need to sand it too, depending on how much residue is left. The thread below may be of some help, this was for a rail re-upholster but similar concept.

https://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/re-upholstering-poker-table-rail.41438/

 

[ChipTalker]

I watch these types of threads with excitement, cause it's awesome, and sadness that I am not quite handy enough to attempt and pull this off

 

[eightyWon]

I watch these types of threads with excitement, cause it's awesome, and sadness that I am not quite handy enough to attempt and pull this off

I'll say don't underestimate the info available here and elsewhere (mostly here), though. I'm not super handy either but there's so much good information available here from great builders that it really helps lighten the burden of making your own table.

That and having the correct tools. Most of my tools aren't fancy or expensive and wouldn't hold up to rigorous usage, but having the right tools (even if just decent versions) makes so much of a difference.

 

[eightyWon]

Sorry to hear it didn't work out. You'll probably need a putty knife / scraper to get the foam chunks off, and you may need to sand it too, depending on how much residue is left. The thread below may be of some help, this was for a rail re-upholster but similar concept.

https://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/re-upholstering-poker-table-rail.41438/

It hasn't dampened my spirits any so that's good! The table will be good enough to use for our game this weekend and folks will still enjoy it, then I'll bring it home and get back to work fixing it up!

 

[DoubleEagle]

I use a laminate roller to smooth out the Volara after spraying with 3M 77. Something like this only mine is blue.

 

[eightyWon]

I use a laminate roller to smooth out the Volara after spraying with 3M 77. Something like this only mine is blue.

View attachment 1137361

Smart and I think this would have helped some... stealing <3

 

[eightyWon]

It's been an eventful day but this will just be a quick summary because I'm beat.

Hafele legs and some handles (idea stolen from Irish):

Cloth cut for shuffler:

Flush mount plate taped down exactly where I want it for mounting underneath:

First shuffle:

https://imgur.com/a/31MUtSz

LED time:

Lights in action:

https://imgur.com/a/w74IISM

I stole the idea of using halved corner bead from someone here, too, and it worked great so thank you!

At just about the point I was going to put the rail on and test the lights out, I must've been too rough with the strip and it partially ripped and shorted. The next several hours were a battle of witts that led to the LEDs kind of working but due to the short the colors are off and behave strangely.

I've ordered replacement LEDs, they were pretty cheap on Amazon to begin with (which is likely why they were very fragile).

But it's working well enough to throw a nice neutral color for a pic:

I'll double diffuse. It's pretty close to the desired glow effect, but there are hot and cold spots for sure.

 

[eightyWon]

And we're underway for the monthly tournament. Very low tournout this month with just 7. May not even have cash but just glad to be playing with the new table. Boys love it

 

[eightyWon]

Well, damn. The wireless charging coils came in today (bowser for scale):

I tested by powering and placing the charger under a piece of scrap 1/4" Volara left over from my build and it would have worked perfectly. Charge distance, as long as the phone is centered above the coil, doesn't seem to have any problem reaching my S20.

Now I'm excited to either replace the felt on this table or build a new one just so I can add these in.

 

[JC117]

Hi! Great build. Did you end up installing the wireless chargers?

 

[4SUMERZ]

very nice.

 

[eightyWon]

Hi! Great build. Did you end up installing the wireless chargers?

Not yet. Been itching to do another build. Some day...

 

[JC117]

Not yet. Been itching to do another build. Some day...

Why were you going to use those coils? I also saw YouTuber Matt Woodworks doing this with under-the-desk wireless chargers from Mockett (https://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/custom-table-build.85483/), but those ones much more expensive than the ones you were considering ($4 vs $83). Do you know why the massive price difference?

 

[eightyWon]

Why were you going to use those coils? I also saw YouTuber Matt Woodworks doing this with under-the-desk wireless chargers from Mockett (https://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/custom-table-build.85483/), but those ones much more expensive than the ones you were considering ($4 vs $83). Do you know why the massive price difference?

I couldn't really comment on other options without knowing the details but if they were $83 a piece that's nuts. Wireless chargers are just inductors, coiled wires with a little bit of circuitry to generate the field etc.

The ones I bought were relatively cheap likely because they're (basically) direct from China, don't have any fancy housings or features, and need to be soldered to an appropriate power supply. They're not plug and play, but we're building shit here, right, so that's by design.

You could probably get them even cheaper from AliExpress/wish/temu or some shit.