Is it worth it to make your own poker table? (3 Viewers)

[CharlesPlays]

Has anyone made their own poker table? If so was it more cost effective than purchasing one? Where did you get your materials? I’m pretty handy the only learning curve would probably be the upholstery. I’m ready to upgrade from my barrington but not really trying to spend 1500 plus on a table. Any advice would be much appreciated!!!

 

[BPTDirector]

There are a lot of threads related to members building their own tables. Use the search function to find them. It’s the spyglass on the right top of the tool bar. Good luck and welcome to PCF.

 

[CharlesPlays]

There are a lot of threads related to members building their own tables. Use the search function to find them. It’s the spyglass on the right top of the tool bar. Good luck and welcome to PCF.

Thanks I’ll see what I can find

 

[Labrat]

The self-satisfaction is everything.

I built my 8-person table with the help of my father who has since-passed and I will never get rid of it.

 

[Deucekies]

And building your own allows to to build it exactly the way you want. Need a smaller size for a smaller space? You can do that. Want a racetrack and a raised bumper? Do it. Custom felt with your name on it? Go for it.

 

[CharlesPlays]

The self-satisfaction is everything.

I built my 8-person table with the help of my father who has since-passed and I will never get rid of it.

I can imagine it’s priceless. Do you have any pictures of it?

 

[JackJack]

Has anyone made their own poker table? If so was it more cost effective than purchasing one? Where did you get your materials? I’m pretty handy the only learning curve would probably be the upholstery. I’m ready to upgrade from my barrington but not really trying to spend 1500 plus on a table. Any advice would be much appreciated!!!

Worth it is tough to judge. I have two tables set up, one I built and one Barrington from Costco. I couldn’t build one for the price of the Barrington. The one I built seats ten far more comfortably, but it doesn’t fold in half or have LED’s. If I had to chose between the two as my only option the convenience of the Barrington would give it extra points.

If I had a dedicated poker room then I happily go with the built table, but know it cost far more than a Barrington. If you are talking about buying a high quality permanent table setup that changes everything, and I would build and save a grand or more.

 

[RadicusScout]

Thanks I’ll see what I can find

Look up the words "table build". That may help you find what you're looking for.

 

[sonic242]

Super happy that I have built my own (three over the years), but it isn't *that* much cheaper in the end. I guess it depends on your skill level and the materials you want to use. I keep choosing to build my own so that I can have exactly what I want- finishes, woods, foams, rail material etc. Plus I find a lot of satisfaction in learning how to do it all.

 

[Colquhoun]

"Worth it" is subjective. If you have the space, some woodworking skills, access to the right tools, and a vehicle capable of transporting full sheets of plywood...hell yeah, it's worth it. You'll get a superior product for the cost.
However, unless you're prepared in all aspects, buying a pre-built may be a better call.

 

[biggantt]

Yes

 

[CharlesPlays]

Worth it is tough to judge. I have two tables set up, one I built and one Barrington from Costco. I couldn’t build one for the price of the Barrington. The one I built seats ten far more comfortably, but it doesn’t fold in half or have LED’s. If I had to chose between the two as my only option the convenience of the Barrington would give it extra points.

If I had a dedicated poker room then I happily go with the built table, but know it cost far more than a Barrington. If you are talking about buying a high quality permanent table setup that changes everything, and I would build and save a grand or more.

Yes View attachment 1467254

Where did you buy the upholstery and padding?

 

[DrStrange]

How much is your time worth?

How much is money worth to you? Working in a low wage job might make a self-build more appealing. If one were a lawyer billing $1,000/hr, maybe it would be better to let a pro build the table.

Does this sound like fun? Perhaps the "fun" might be the most important thing of all.

Building your own vs buying a table is truly a person-by-person choice.

I have a Chanman table. It was not cheap. On the other hand, I have absolutely no useful table building skills. And I have plenty of money to pay for it. It is a very nice table I never could have done that myself.

 

[JackJack]

Where did you buy the upholstery and padding?

if I could do it again I would use Neoprene from Joanne instead of foam. I would do toppers instead of installed upholstery as well. Can swap out the toppers, while having a nice substrate in the neoprene base.

 

[Nymor]

I really enjoyed putting my table together and learnt a lot along the way - 'blogged' in tortuous detail in this thread

I managed my project inside a 2 bed flat calling on the services of a local CNC business, to produce all the plywood parts based on cut-sheets from FreeCAD, a wonderful Canadian craftsman called Chanman for my cloth, various foam/fabric/hardware suppliers, a sewing machine, staple gun and youTube ... edit: and PCF of course!

Recommended.

 

[ekricket]

How much is your time worth?

I see this a lot. If it’s my “sitting on the couch watching tv” time then it’s worthless.

If it’s my “I work for a living” time then it’s worth whatever time I have to take off work.

There is no magic store where I can trade in my “useless” time for top dollar. The only thing I can do is trade my “useless” time for more useful things, like making my own stuff.

If you aren’t doing anything, well, your time is worth nothing.