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| At this point, I decided to drill out the cup holder holes in the large octagon. Lay the octagon ring over the large octagon. I took a blue permanent marker, and marked a 'X' on one of the corders on the top of the large octagon and marked a corresponding 'X' on the underside of the octagon ring at the same point. This assures, after the ring is removed, that it can be put back together in the same spot later on. Clamp the octagon ring to the large octagon to make sure it does not move. Make a very minor cut into each of the 8 cup holder holes, just enough to mark the hole. Then, remove the octagon ring and cut out the 8 holes. |
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| Next part of the table is the center octagon that the fabric playing surface will be made from. Lay the octagon ring upside down over a piece of plywood. Trace out the octagon from the center of the octagon ring onto the plywood. Remove the ring and cut out the traced octagon. You'll want to cut each of the 8 sides a little less than 1/8", which gives room for the fabric and quilt batting to fit when the center octagon is placed in the middle of the table. | )
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| Cut out the 4 sides for the pedestal. Each side should measure 11.5" x 27". Although the sides of box are 10", you'll need over lap on each side. | )
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| You'll want to assemble the pedestal around the box that was made earlier. This will ensure a perfect fit and keep the pedestal snug when the table is together, preventing any rocking. The pedestal is assembled one side at a time, with 3 sheets of paper in between the box and each side of the pedestal pannel. The sheets of paper act as spacers and allow just enough play between the box and pedestal to allow it to slide appart. Line the left side of the pedestal side pannel against the corner of the box. The right side of the pedestal side pannel should hang over the edge of the box about an inch. Glue should be used to glue the left side of the pedestal pannel #2 to the pedestal pannel #1. If you have a brad nailer, securing the connection with a couple nails before clamping the pannels in makes life a bit easier. Clamp all the pannels together and then secure the pedetal with 3 #6 x 2" wood screws on each of the 4 sides. |
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| Clamp all the pannels together and then secure the pedetal with 3 #6 x 2" wood screws on each of the 4 sides. AS SOON AS THE SCREWS ARE SECURE, REMOVE THE CLAMPS AND SLIDE THE SMALL BOX OUT OF THE PEDESTAL! The last thing you want is for some stray glue to end up gluing the small box inside the pedestal. Once the glue on the pedestal is completely dried (overnight). Test the small box and pedestal connection to make sure they slide together smoothly. If it's difficult to slide them together, you may need to sand the inside of the pedestal and the outside of the small box to remove a bit of material. |
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| Using a flush trim router bit, route the hangover on the right side of each pedestal pannel, so that it is flush with the side of the pedestal. Do this on all 4 sides to achieve a square and flush pedestal. | )
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| Center the pedestal and glue it to the octagon base. The octagon base is 31" in width, and each side is 13 7/8" long. I used a heavy weight (in this case a bucket of spackle) on top of the pedestal to add pressure while the glue dried. Then, I used 4 pieces of pine trim around the base where the pedestal meets the octagon base. I glued the pine down, and then hammered in 3 1-1/4" nails through the side of the pine trim into the pedestal, and 2 nails from the top of the pine trim into the octagon. This adds some extra hold to the pedestal. |
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| Once dry, flip the pedestal over, and apply 12 (or as many as you deem necssary) #6 x 1-1/4" screws from the bottom of the octagon base into the pedestal. Make sure you countersink the screws! I drew a sketch of the pedestal on the underside of the octagon base in order to find where my screws needed to be drilled. Finally, drill out a large hole in the very center of the octagon base. This will allow for air to enter the pedestal when the table and pedestal are slid appart. If you don't have a hole, no air will be able to enter, and the vacuum that is created will make pulling the table and pedstal a very difficult task (trust me, I found this out the hard way on my first table!). You might think I got a bit overkill on securing the pedestal, but with 8 people all leaning on the poker table at the same time, I would say the pedestal needs to be as srong as possible! |
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