Are you tired of looking for a shuffleboard table that fits your budget and also has all the features that you need? Well, guess what, I bring you good news! Did you know that making a shuffleboard table is also a very viable option? Not only will you be able to build one at a fraction of the price of store-bought tables, but this gives you more room for customization according to your own personal requirements!
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Contents
Costs of materials required for making a shuffleboard table –
Obviously, these costs may vary as it depending completely on the type and quality of materials you buy. But the most common materials used are :
A maple sheet for the tabletop, costing $400 to $600, depending on the length
3 sheets of hardwood plywood which can cost up to $150
A nice trim which costs $20-$30
Leg levelers cost about $20 to $30
Finishing materials which include friction minimizing coating and veneers can cost up to $250
Other hardware like nuts and bolts costing $20
The estimated average cost of making a shuffleboard table comes up to $800 to $1400.
Tools required for making a shuffleboard table –
To build your own shuffleboard table from scratch, you will need the following tools:
- A table saw
- A miter
- An orbital sander
- A surface planer
- A drill
- A biscuit joiner
- Some clamps
- Some sawhorses
- A bandsaw
- A carpenter’s square
- A leveler
- Some sandpaper
- Some nuts and bolts.
These tools are the ones that are mostly used for basic carpentry work.
Making a shuffleboard table –
A basic shuffleboard table has 3 main parts: The playing surface, the legs, and the climatic adjusters.
The playing surface –
The first step would be to choose what dimensions you want your shuffleboard table to be. If you want to follow official shuffleboard table measurements, you need to cut the maple sheet according to that. Sealing the top surface with the finishing product would be the next step.
Before that, it’s a great idea to use sandpaper to smoothen out the tabletop.
The idea is to have minimum friction on the tabletop. Then curling rings should be made with paper using the appropriate dimensions. Once all this is done, it is time to get on the cradle or the undercarriage. Also referred to as the box.
Once you have finished assembling all of this, then lay some OBF material inside the box. Carpeting the shuffleboard table is a great idea as well. This can be done with the help of a staple gun.
The legs –
Depending on how high or low you want the shuffleboard table to be, you can choose the dimensions of the legs accordingly. This part needs to be highly precise, as the legs are what the entire table relies upon.
Construction of the legs is a crucial part of ensuring that your box does not fall over or malfunction while you are playing. Wood is a common route of making legs connect to the table.
Add the leg levelers and you are all set to assemble the shuffleboard table. These leg levelers allow you to even out the playing surface in case of an uneven floor.
Once the legs have been fixed to the tabletop, it is best left untouched for 48 hours.
The climatic adjusters-
These need to be bought separately and installed. This is a very important feature as it protects your table from warping due to fluctuating weather.
The total time for making a shuffleboard table is approximately 64 hours, but the effort is so worth it, especially when the result ends up being your own personal shuffleboard table!
