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How to Build a Poker Table - Making the Cuts

The table construction finally begins with the cutting stage. This page will summarize all of the cuts needed to make my poker table. First, I joined the two pieces of plywood together and clamped together. This way I can cut once and both pieces will be equal. If you don't want to do this you can cut out the first piece, then set it on the other piece of plywood and trace around it and then cut. But for time and uniformity, I decided to cut both at once.

So I began by first cutting the plywood to size. I wanted a 84" x 44" table so I marked these measurements on the plywood and cut off the rest with a circular saw. You should be left with a rectangle of the dimensions you want for the table. Now its time to trace the arc for the oval ends of the table. The method I used was the nail and string method. There are more precise methods for cutting the arc such as making a jig for the jigsaw or using a router with a circular compass. I may try a router next time to get a perfect arc. But for what I was doing the string and nail method worked out ok. Start by taking the width of your table and dividing by 2 (44"/2 = 22"). So the radius of my circle needs to be 22". So I measure from the edge of the table inward 22" and place a mark on the plywood. Then measure 22" from the other edge and place a mark. Line up these 2 marks to find the center of the circle. Place a nail in the center and tie your string around leaving plenty of length to trace the curves. I made a few marks around the circle using a tape measure and pen to serve as a "guide". Then while holding the pen and the string tightly at 22" from the nail, trace the arc. Do the same thing for the other end of the table.

Now you can take your jig saw and cut around the arcs of each end very slowly and precisely. Then take a belt sander and smooth out the edges and make a more perfect circle (optional). You can also take a regular sander and smooth down the edges of the plywood. Now your two pieces are cut out. Piece 1 will be the table base and the lip for the rail. Piece 2 will be the rail and the support section that will go underneath the table base. At this point its a good idea to take a pen or marker and put and asterisk on the underside of each piece to help you align them later on. Separate your two pieces.

Take either that you want to use as the playing surface and you will need to cut the lip for the rail out of this piece. My lip was 1-1/2" wide and it is cut all the way around. The easiest method I could find for marking this was to take the metal square ruler I had and mark all the way around the table because the width of one of the sides was 1-1/2". So after you make your markings, you will use your drill with a small bit (I used 1/8") and drill a few holes in the line to make space to start off your jigsaw. Use the jigsaw to cut around the table. Your cuts do not have to be perfect because the lip will overhang the edge of the table so no matter what you do it will line up correctly. Once your lip is cut out, you can take a sander to the edges of the table and lip and knock out any rough edges. Make sure to put an asterisk on your lip as well to help align it later on. Now your are done with your cuts from the table base and you are ready to move on to cutting out the rail and putting the rail together.

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