I was pretty close to that thinking when I was building tables when I realised that a good (not great, but good) table is...
- A lightly padded surface that allows cards to glide. The surface should be level from rail to rail.
- A rail. Padded and clean is best. Unpadded is acceptable, dirty is not.
- Legs that don't get in the way.
I've made a very good table utilizing 2 used Ikea tables. Take the legs, scrap the rest. It's just a matter of realising that a 1/2" piece of plywood and legs is a table, if you add a decent rail and add some foam and felt / speed cloth.