Ok, this is my first instructable so I hope you like it and please bear with me as English is not my native language

I am a mechanical engineer who has for a hobby car audio installation and acoustic box fabrication and therefore woodworking is part of the deal. Sincerely woodworking is really satisfying

My brother is a huge poker enthusiast and always nagged me about building a table top, so long story short I built it.

Now let’s gather the materials, shall we?

- 1 sheet of 15mm MDF (244x122 cm)

- 1 sheet of 3mm hardwood (244x122 cm) [the kind of sheet used for pegboards]

- A few drywall screws shorter than 1.5cm

- DJ portable cabinet latches

- Oxite carpet [mostly used for car audio enclosure]

- Suede of any color you want (200x122 cm)

- Vinyl (200x122 cm) [the kind used for auto seat upholstery]

- 1 inch think foam (200x122 cm)

- Spray paint 2 cans at least

- Rubber paint [the kind used for household walls]

- Wood varnish

Finally the tools used

- Jig saw

- Sander (optional)

- Sanding paper (240, 600, 1200 and 2000 grit)

- File

- Screwdrivers

- Drill

- Upholstery stapler

- Router with bits (optional) for rounding the edges

Step 1: Cutting

First thing to do is mark where your cut lines will be

The circle part can be tricky and there is so many ways to do it but I went for simple and just screwed a drywall screw to the center of the circle and used a wire and a pencil to draw the circumferences.

I made two sets of lines which divide the table in three parts, the outside one is an armrest, the middle one is the racetrack to put your cards, chips or beverages and the inner part is where the game develops.

Please note that this table top is in two parts, you can either do it this way so it is easier to storage and set or make a full sized one, your funeral

If you follow my procedure I strongly suggest cutting both pieces at the same time to have a perfect symmetry and you can do this either clamping the pieces or just screwing them together as I did, please refer to the pictures

With the cuts made we can proceed to the next step

Step 2: Upholstering the Pieces

Now
we proceed with the vinyl, the foam and the suede

Simply extend the pieces and cut the materials accordingly with the design. Use you stapler and patiently work your way through each piece

I apologize for the lack of pictures while I was doing the suede, it is very delicate and I was in a hurry so I did not take pictures of it but the procedure is just the same as the vinyl. i would like to apologize for the lack of pictures in the finished pieces.

Step 3: Painting, Sanding and Finishing the Racetrack

This was for sure the most time consuming part because painting MDF is just hard if you wish to achieve a glossy look.

The first step is to paint with the wall paint (rubber paint) because it seals the pores in the MDF making the spray paint hold better. Two or three hands will suffice.

Then spray paint the hell out of it with light coats ALWAYS. I did it until I emptied the 2 cans.

After it dries apply the varnish and let it cure for 4 hours or until you are able to sand it, please refer to manufactures times.

I sanded it working my way from the 240 to the 2000 grit using soapy water. Then applied another two coats of varnish and finally I polished it with car wax.

I used a heat gun to accelerate the curing time.

Step 4: Upholstering the Bottom

After you assemble the pieces into the hardwood sheet using screws you need to upholster the bottom of the table top to avoid scratching whatever surface you put your top on. I used Oxite carpet, commonly used to upholster subwoofer boxes, using glue. Any carpet glue will work.

Now would be a good time to attach the latches that keep the two pieces together. Please refer to the pictures