Half-Size Pool Table

In this Instructable, I will walk you through the steps I used to create this half-sized pool table, perfect for a personal game room. I am a student at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and used Fusion 360 to help me come up with the design and dimensions as well as a template to cut some of the shapes.

1. 51"x27" board that will not warp easily
2. 12 foot long 2x2 (or a few shorter ones)
3. Flat reed for basket weaving
4. Fabric (not too thick or the balls won't roll well)
5. Jigsaw
6. Table saw
7. Drill and screws
8. Scissors
9. Plastic shopping bags
10. Weather stripping tape for doors and windows
11. Double-sided tape
12. Staples
13. Printer (optional)
14. 1.5" diameter Pool balls and a small cue stick
15. Hot glue

I started this project by designing it in Fusion 360. This helped me to work out all the dimensions, as well as enabling me to easily make templates to cut out the pocket holes.

Start off by cutting the pocket holes into your 51x27-inch board. To do this, print out the 'pocket dimensions' PDF on 8.5 X 11 paper and cut out the provided templates. Or, use the dimensions provided on the PDF to create your own template. Trace the corner pocket template on each corner, and the side pocket template at the center points of the long edges of the board. Once you have marked the holes, cut them out with a Jigsaw.

For the rails, on a table saw, make a long rip cut along the 2x2 so that it is 1 1/2 inches wide by 1 1/4 inches tall. Then make a long angled cut along the side of the 2x2. The blade should be 30 degrees from its usual vertical position. For the exact dimensions of this cut, take a look at the 'rail dimensions' PDF provided. Once that long cut is complete, chop the 2x2 up into six pieces as shown in the PDF. The two end pieces will both have 45-degree cut ends. The four side rails will have one end cut at a 45-degree angle and the other at a 10-degree angle. HOWEVER, two of the side rails will have their left ends cut at a 45-degree angle, and the other two will have their right ends cut at a 45-degree angle. So, after all the cutting, you should be left with three sets of two identical rails each, for a total of 6 rails.

To make the balls bounce off the rails, I tested a few different materials and ultimately settled on Weather-stripping tape. All you have to do is stick it onto the front edge of the rails (right above the angled cut). The tape stuck well, but over time I might have to reinforce it with a bit of super glue. I did not add the tape to the angled parts of the pockets.

Now that all the cutting is complete, it is time to add the fabric lining. To do this, place double-sided tape around the perimeter of the board. Then, with a friend, stretch the fabric over the board. In my experience, the tape held quite well, and I quickly screwed on the rails to clamp the fabric down immediately after taping.

I did not get a good picture of this step, but I lined up the rails with the cut pockets and clamped them in place. Then I drilled pilot holes and screwed the rails on from the bottom.

Next, cut the fabric around the pockets so that a ball can fall through. I made a series of cuts almost up to the edge of the holes (make sure not to cut the fabric on the top surface), and then I hot glued and stapled the "flaps" to the underside of the board. (make sure not to get any hot glue on the top surface of the board, as that could affect the way the balls roll.

For this next step, I had some flat reed from an old basket weaving kit lying around, so I bent and glued it into place. This turned out quite nicely. I was able to squish a roll of tape into the pockets to clamp the basket weaving material in place as the glue was drying.

I repurposed plastic shopping bags for the pocket baskets. I cut the bags into strips (like this instructable) and tied/stapled the strips to the pockets. Then, I used a fishing net weave to complete the pocket (similar to this instructable), except in a circle rather than flat. then I tied the end together and cut off the excess.

Purchase a set of 1 1/2" size pool balls, and a small cue stick to go along with them. Set the game on a level surface in your game room, and enjoy!