Poker Table Construction - Black Racetrack Table - Building The Racetrack


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BUILDING THE RACETRACK

DEFINE DRINK HOLDER PLACEMENT
I was ready to start cutting the holes for the drink holders, but the drink holders had not arrived yet. The drink holders I ordered were a Jumbo 3" deep dual cup holder from Smackdogg.com. The product description defined that the width of the cupholders were 4" wide in diameter. There was a 1/4" lip on the drink holders, so the openings were to be cut at 3 3/4" in diameter.
I used a roll of tape as a tracing template, simply removing enough tape so the roll was exactly 3 3/4" in diameter.
To determine the placement of each drink holder, I measured to determine the internal circumference of the racetrack. The measurement was 155". With 10 drink holders the distance between the exact center of each drink holder was 15.5".
Each tracing for the drink holders were placed 3/4" from inside of the racetrack. You don't want to center these in the middle of the racetrack because the rail will overlap the racetrack by 1.5".
The table will really only seat 8-9 people comfortably, but the layout would look goofy only using 9 drink holders... so 10 drink holders were traced.
Inside each circle a point is highlighted for a starter hole, and a gradual starter cut line is drawn into the outer cut line of the drink holder.

CUT DRINK HOLDER HOLES IN RACETRACK
A 3 3/4" hole saw can be used here and will create a nicer cut, but a jigsaw will work just fine. It's just a little more work.
Utilize your 'C' clamps to keep the racetrack from moving.
Drill starter holes on the highlighted points inside each circle.
When using the jigsaw, it is important to stay on the cut line. If you go to far outside the cut line the hole may not be able to hold the drink holders.

CUT DRINK HOLDER HOLES IN BASEBOARD
Secure the playing surface to the baseboard with the use of the T-nuts. Lay the racetrack over the playing surface. It is important to mark which side of the racetrack is up. You will apply the polyurethan to this side.
Trace the drink holders onto the baseboard using the racetrack as a template.
Inside each circle a point is highlighted for a starter hole, and a gradual starter cut line is drawn into the outer cut line of the drink holder.
Drill starter holes on the highlighted points inside each circle.
Using the jigsaw, cut holes in the baseboard using the cut line.

CLEAN AND PREPARE THE RACETRACK
Define a place wear the ractrack can reside undisturbed and sand the surface of the ractrack with a course grit sandpaper (60)
Brush of any sawdust that has collected on the racetrack.
Use a clean rag and apply mineral spirits to clean and prepare the surface of the racetrack.
Allow 45 minutes for the mineral spirits to dry... relax and enjoy some Celebrity Poker Showdown.

APPLY POLYURETHANE TO THE RACETRACK
1st coat of polyurethane:

Sand the surface of the racetrack with a 60 grit sandpaper (this ensures an even surface and proper adhesion).
Clean the surface of all dust.
Apply a very light coat of polyurethane for the first coat.
Use a clean brush and go with the grain of the wood.
Brush lightly at a 45 degree angle.
Make sure there are no airbubbles. Bend down so your eyes are at the same level as the racetrack surface.
Allow 3 hours to dry.
2nd coat of polyurethane:

Sand the surface of the racetrack with a 120 grit sandpaper.
Clean the surface of all dust.
Apply a heavier coat of polyurethane for the second coat.
Use a clean brush and go with the grain of the wood.
Brush lightly at a 45 degree angle.
Make sure there are no airbubbles. Bend down so your eyes are at the same level as the racetrack surface.
Allow 3 hours to dry.
3rd coat of polyurethane:

Sand the surface of the racetrack with a 180 grit sandpaper.
Clean the surface of all dust.
Apply a another coat of polyurethane.
Use a clean brush and go with the grain of the wood.
Brush lightly at a 45 degree angle.
Make sure there are no airbubbles. Bend down so your eyes are at the same level as the racetrack surface.
Allow 3 hours to dry.
4th coat of polyurethane:

Sand the surface of the racetrack with a 220 grit sandpaper.
Clean the surface of all dust.
Apply a another coat of polyurethane.
Use a clean brush and go with the grain of the wood.
Brush lightly at a 45 degree angle.
Make sure there are no airbubbles. Bend down so your eyes are at the same level as the racetrack surface.
Allow 3 hours to dry.
5th coat of polyurethane (optional):

Sand the surface of the racetrack with a 320 grit sandpaper.
Clean the surface of all dust.
Apply a another coat of polyurethane.
Use a clean brush and go with the grain of the wood.
Brush lightly at a 45 degree angle.
Make sure there are no airbubbles. Bend down so your eyes are at the same level as the racetrack surface.
Allow 24 hours to dry before use.

My drink holders finally arrived so I had to see how they looked in the racetrack.