I'm looking into trying to build a game table similar to this. I went by the local lowes to check some prices and get some ideas on how to tackle this project.

So far I am thinking of buying a 4'x8' sheet of this particle board type stuff sold as sub flooring. Then I was going to get a 4'x8' sheet of pine plywood, cutting a 3'x6' rectangle out of the center (for the 3'x6' sheet of lexan/plexi I was going to get) and glue it to the sub flooring stuff. Then I could just paint my grid lines on there, set the lexan/plexi in the recession, and be good to go.

While I'm not completely new to DIY work, I am a novice (at best) when it comes to woodworking. Any help you guys can provide would be great.

 

3/4" cabinets grade(multilayer) plywood would be stronger than particle board, and easier to get a smooth finish on. It should be sealed on all sides, including edges with sanding sealer or polyurethane. The picture showed plexiglas over the whole top, which would be simpler, but more expensive. But cutting a 3x6 hole in the sheet will weaken it considerably.

 

I was just going to use the particle board as a base. The entire table top will be covered in plexi with 1ft of nicer plywood running around it.

My main question is whether or not I would run into any problems just gluing the 1/4in plywood to the particle board.

I'll mess around in paint some and see if I can give yall an exploded diagram of what I am talking about.

 

Why use two sheets of material when one will do the job??? But yes, you could glue the two together. However, particle board and plywood expand/contract differently, so you could have problems with separation or warping downstream.

 

Here is a very rough sketch of what I am talking about.

 

How would you suggest I do the job with one sheet? I can't figure out how to recess the plexi into the table top without adding another layer, or cutting a lot of material out of the table top, which I fear would not be a good idea on a table this large...

 

God point about inlay. If you are going to be laminating layers, use the same materials, plywood on plywood.

 

Did you end up cutting a hole in the plywood?

An easier solution might be to just nail some trim pieces around the 3x6 plexiglass. Kind a like a door frame. That way you'd have a few inches to put your 2-liter of Mt.Dew on.

 

I agree. You could use 1x6's and end up with nearly the same coverage. I'd also suggest running a 1x2 piece of trim around the outside of the table to hide the edge of the particle board.

Depending on how you're going to be holding the table up, using 3/4 plywood for the base instead of particle board will be a lot stronger. Particle board has very little strength and will sag easily. If you use it, you'll need to build a frame underneath it.