Securing the poker table top to the base

Now that you have your tabletop the way you like it, it's time to prepare your materials to get the underside completed. Take your two 8'x3"x¾" strips and cut them into 3 even pieces – just make a mark every 32" and cut.

The resulting six pieces of framing will be used to secure to the tabletop to the base. These can be used whether you opt to use the 6’ Lifetime table or stand-alone folding legs (See Figure 6.1).

If you use the stand-alone legs, you can use the six 32” segments of wood you just cut as framing for the folding legs (See Figure 6.2).

If you are using the Lifetime table as your base, turn your poker tabletop bottom side up. Do the same for the Lifetime table and align the table with the outline you have already made on your tabletop. You are going to build a snug frame around the outline of the Lifetime table using the six 32” strips. Just use the table as your guide when attaching the sub-framing (See Figure 6.3). When complete, the Lifetime table will fit in this frame like a simplistic square puzzle piece.

The black foam you see on Figure 6.3 is an extra piece of foam railing I use to ensure that the under carriage framing doesn't hit the padded railing from underneath. You need to test this out all the way around the table before screwing anything in. This testing phase is precisely why I recommended ordering an extra 1' of railing. This way, you can use the extra to quickly test your frame without dragging the entire railing all over the place. There will be other uses for the extra 1' railing later on as well.

Use 8 x 1" wood screws to secure the frame to the tabletop. Make sure to counter sink the wood screws so you have a nice flush surface. Two of the corners will not match exactly, but this is not a big issue, as it is not going to be seen. This is all you need for the tabletop to sit firmly on the Lifetime table.

Here is what the poker tabletop framing looks like when you take away the table.

This is a good look at how it is all supposed work underneath (See Figure 8.1). Notice the heavy-duty ring hanging down. There is another one just on the other side of the Lifetime table. This is another optional feature I add to my tables. The ring has a large washer at the base to help strengthen the fitting. The topside of the ring fixture has a countersunk washer countersunk. The excess threads are ground off level with a Dremel Tool. I use some clear tri-polymer sealant to level out the tabletop surface. Cure this over night before putting material on the table. This may seem like a lot to go through in order to hang it on a garage wall, but you really don't want your table sitting on the ground on the soft railings between poker nights.

If you have a place in your house to have the table set up full-time, that’s nice, but if not, you have to store it somehow. This is my solution. I have a 6” chain attachment hanging down from two studs on the wall of my garage (See Figure 25.2 for more detailed instructions on installation). The chains are 48" apart, so the rings hook right in. Studs are on 16” centers, so this solution should work for most people.

I also like to add 4 large internal bumpers (taller than the pad) to keep the padded rail off the wall (see image below)

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