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| Cut the 6' x 3" boards into 24" pieces, these will be used to make the overhang edge around the octagon ring. Line up the overhang boards w/ the octagon pieces and make sure that they fit flush together. | ) |
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| Use a biscut jointer to cut 3 biscut slots in each piece. (note: In my prior poker tables, I used 1 3/4" nails and wood glue to attach the overhang boards to the octagon pieces, so if you do not have a jointer handy, this is an alternative). | )
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| Use plenty of glue and you'll have a very strong connection when using the biscuts. Clamp together for 60 minutes and let dry overnight. Repeat for all 8 pieces. | )
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| Now it's time to cut the 22.5 degree angles on each side of the boards. The amount of material that is removed here will determine the overall table size. The cuts that I made left 23" on the long side of each board. This should equate to a table that is approx 58" across. A cut leaving 20" would make a table about 54" across. Use a stop on the opposite end so that you cut the angled end at the exact place on each of the 8 boards. |
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| To cut the other side of the board, again use a stop on the opposite end to assure that each board is the exact same length. Cut all 8 boards, and you should have eight pieces with 22.5 degree cuts on each side. | ) | ) |
| A 2 3/4" hole saw is used to cut out the holes for the cup holders. I am using stainless steel cup holders from Casinosupply.com. If you chose to use the black drop in cup holders that they also sell (link here), you will need a 2 7/8" hole saw. When cutting out the hole, do not cut all the way through, so to aviod rip out on the other side. Cut the hole from the top so that the bit on your aubor just breaks through the bottom. Then flip the board over and finish cutting the hole from the other side. Once the hole is cut, use some 150 grit sandpaper and sand out the hole. No need to make it perfectly smooth, but remove any large splinters. |
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| Use 2 biscuts and plenty of wood glue to join together 2 of the octagon pieces. As shown below, I used this clamp setup to assure that all surfaces of the 2 boards are tightly clamped during drying. The smaller clamp between the cup holder hole and the chip area hole secure the upper half of the joint, while the larger clamp that goes from the chip holder hole to the work bench brings together the lower section of the joint. Clamp the smaller clamp first, and then use just enough tension on the large clamp to bring the bottom of the joint together without separating the upper joint. A well rung out sponge is good for removing glue that seeps out of the joints. Join 4 sets of 2 boards together and let dry. |
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| Use the same clamping technique to glue two of the quarter pieces together to form half of the octagon ring. | ) | ) |
| Finally, you can glue the two halves together again using the same clamping technique. Note: For the joint at the top of the ring, which will be the final joint to glue, I glued in the biscuts into one of the 2 boards prior to glueing the other joint together (you can see this is the third picture in this step). This was done because once the glue dries on the opposite end, you will not be able to spread the remaining joint appart far enought to slide the biscuts in without risk of pulling the ring apart. Use a clamp on the unglued joint to keep the ring steady. Once the bottom joint dries, rotate the ring and glue the final joint. |
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| A picture of the octagon ring all glued together. | )
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