How to Build a Wood Pool Table

Having your own pool table can be an enjoyable pastime for you and your friends. Practicing on it or having some friendly games can provide some much needed relaxation. However, with the exorbitant price of pool tables, it may be a better option to buy the materials yourself and build your own billiard table. With the right tools, you can have your homemade table built in under a week.

Instructions

1

Measure the room that you will be putting your pool table into; the size and space of your room will determine the size of the pool table that you will build. There are three sizes of pool tables that are most commonly used: nine-foot, eight-foot and seven-foot. Nine-foot tables measure 50 inches by 100 inches (this includes the nine-foot playing surface and the edge board widths, as well); eight-foot tables measure 44 inches by 88 inches; and seven-foot tables measure 39 inches by 78 inches. When you determine the size of your table, draw it out on a piece of paper, writing down the dimensions. Then determine the height of your table. You should be able to lean over the table comfortably in order to make difficult shots.

2

Cut the flat piece of wood down to the size you want it to be for your table. Use a table saw to do this for the straightest cut. Make sure the wood is not warped in any way or it will affect your playability. Sand the edges with sandpaper or an electric sander.

3

Cut out the pockets of your table with a scroll saw. Your pockets should be between four and one-half inches and five inches wide. The pockets should be circular cuts in all four corners of your table, and then two more along the 100-inch side of the wood. The side pockets should be placed at the exact middle of each side of the wood, 50 inches from either end. Sand the pockets with sandpaper.

4

Cut out the wooden edges for the pool table with either a scroll saw or table saw. The edges will be placed on top of the playing surface, around the outside of the table. Cut the five-inch by five-inch strips of wood into lengths of 50 inches (six times)--each strip will span the distance from one pocket to its adjacent pocket. Additional trimming with a scroll saw may have to be done so that the wood doesn't cover the pockets when put in place. Align the edges so that they don't cover the pockets and screw them into the tabletop below it with flat-head screws. Use four screws per 50-inch edge, placed one foot apart, for a total of 24 screws.

5

Cut the legs of your pool table down to their proper size--the legs need to be the height you determined in step 1. Cut them so that they are all exactly the same size and height. When finished, if you'd like to add some detail to your table, you can spin them in a lathe and make a design for each of the legs.

6

Place the legs of the table upright on a flat surface, and place the playing surface on the top of the four legs. With the help of a friend, fine tune the positioning of the legs to where you want them. They will likely be on the very corners of the table, but sometimes they are placed slightly inside the outer edge of the table for stylistic choices. When you have them in place, use your drill and screw them into place through the top of the playing surface. Use two to three screws per leg, and make sure they are attached sufficiently.

7

Place an L-bracket onto each leg for added support. Screw it into the leg as well as the underside of the playing surface. For the underside of the playing surface, use the shorter flathead screws.

8

Spray pool table adhesive onto the playing surface and carefully lay down the felt. The felt needs to cover all of the table, as well as the insides of the wooden edge pieces. Lay out the felt first and when it's in place, fold it over, spray your adhesive, and then reposition the felt back on top. Keep doing this--adhering just a little felt at a time--so that you can keep air bubbles and folds under control. You can also use a staple gun along the outside edge of the playing surface to ensure added immobility to your felt, but don't staple more than one inch away from the wooden edges. When you've finished felting the playing surface and the inside edges of the wooden walls, use scissors to cut off the excess fabric.

9

Attach nets to each of the six pockets, using staples or screws. Once that is complete, you can stain or paint the wooden sections of the table, if desired.

10

Place the table on the spot where it will be used. Take your level and measure every six inches along the playing surface. If it's not level, push a wedge of wood under one of the feet to make sure it remains level.