Portable Pool Table

In this Instructable I will walk you through the steps to make a decent quality, portable pool table. It won’t be to the standard demanded by a professional pool player, but for home use it is more than acceptable.

While I am calling it a Portable Pool Table, note that I didn’t call it a Light Portable Pool Table. A sheet of MDF weighs close to 100 lbs, so while the table is quite portable, it does take a bit of muscle to carry it. To keep the weight down and make relocation easier, it has no legs. I designed it to be placed on a readily available 6-foot folding table.

I designed this table to fit through our basement window so that we can have a few games with friends in the fresh air from time to time. Therefore, the size of this table is a bit smaller than a standard 4’x8’ table. Not to worry though, the dimension ratios are correct, so the play is predicable and familiar.

Enjoy!

Tools:

Angle Ruler (preferred) or regular ruler

Bastard File

Belt Sander

Canvas Stretcher (optional, you could use your fingers or pliers if you are careful)

Countersink bit

Drill Press or use the power drill

Drill, with assorted bits and drivers

Foam Painting Tools, Roller or brush

Hole saw, 4” (or you can use the jig saw)

Jig saw, and/or Scroll Saw

Level

Power Miter/Chop saw (preferred) with 60-tooth blade and/or fine-toothed hand mitre saw

Ratchet socket set or wrench set

Scissors

Screwdrivers

Square, small

Squeegee or foam brush for application of waterproofing (not necessary if you will only be using the table indoors) and paint

Stapler, power (preferred, unless you like sore hands) or manual type

Table Saw (preferred) or a circular saw with a guide; 60-tooth crosscut blade for smooth cuts

Utility knife

Window Squeegee (optional)

Wood Clamps, several, 4” minimum

Materials:

Bolts, 2-1/2” (4) for optional adjustable feet; nuts, washers

Canvas Stretcher (preferred) or pliers

Construction screws, 1-1/4”, 1-/1/2”, 2”, 3”

Contact Cement, water based

Cushion Facings, set of 6

Decorative screws for side trim, 2” (~50)

Decorative tacks for rail sights (18)

Electrical Tape

Feet, adjustable (optional)

Folding Table, 6'

Gate Handles (optional) 6-inch, metal (4)

Lag Bolts, 1/4” and washers

Medium Density Fiberboard (MDF) panel, ~3/4” x 4’x 8’ (1)

Paints, your choice of liquid, spray, or both

Pencil; marker

Pool table corner liners (set of 6)

Pool table cushions, K66 profile (set or 6)

Pool table felt (set)

Sandpaper; sanding belt

Staples, which match your stapler, 1/2”

Tape measure; a steel ruler would be handy too

Urethane, water based

Web pocket nets (set of 6)

Wood glue

Wood screws, #6 x 1/2” (18)

Wood shelving, laminated preferred, 3/4” x 16” x 96” or 3/4” plywood (2, maybe 3)

Length of MDF sheet after 2” cut from each end=7’9”

Width of MDF sheet=4’1”

Distance from edge of holes to outer edge of MDF sheet=1/2”

Distance between hole centers=3’8”

The 4’x 8’ MDFsheet I bought measured 49” x 97”, which was fine for my purposes.

The finished playing surface on this table will be approximately 40” x 80”.

(When I first drilled the 4” diameter holes for the pockets I had planned to leave a few inches of the base protruding out behind the head and foot rails and cut hand-holds in them. I changed my mind and decided to add metal handles, so I cut the extra 2” off each end.)

After cutting the holes and trimming the ends, smooth the top and bottom sharp edges around the holes and edges of the base using a bastard file. You could also use a router, or rotary tool with a very small Roundover bit for this purpose.

Building and Attaching the Frame

While MDF has a smooth finish, it is not very rigid. The frame provides rigidity and a method of keeping the base correctly positioned on the folding table underneath.

Cut 4” wide strips of appropriate lengths to make a rectangular frame to fit on top of your folding table, overlapping 1/8” on each side.

Screw the corners together with 1 1/2” screws. Cut eight 2” wide x 4” long pieces to protrude over the sides of the folding table, and screw them in place to the frame.

Turn the pool table base upside down onto the folding table. Cut 10 blocks of wood (mine were 3/4 x 3/4 x 4”) and use them to attach the frame to the bottom of the base. Drill pilot holes in the pieces, glue and screw them to the pool table base, then attach the frame to the blocks with screws.

Modifying the corner pocket holes

The “shelf” is the playing surface between the “mouth” and the “throat” of the pocket. After I cut the corner pocket holes, I realized that the shelf would be too long once the rails were installed. So I brought the lip of the pocket hole further out towards the playing area by cutting away a fan shaped portion of the base with my jig saw.

I made a mock-up indicating where the rails will be to determine the angles required for the corner pocket holes.

Cut off the Corners!

After I was well along in this project I realized that pointed corners were not a good idea for a pool table. I had to peel back the felt to cut an inch or so off. It would be a lot easier to do it here.

To make a 45-degree corner, mark 1” in from the corner on both the end and the side. Draw a line between the points, then cut along the line with a fine-toothed hand saw, or jigsaw. File smooth.

Waterproofing the Base

As my table was to be used outside on occasion, I thought it best to waterproof the MDF surface in case of an unexpected rain shower. I do intend to keep it covered while outside though. I used water-based urethane to reduce the amount of fumes and make cleanup easier. If you intend to only use your table indoors, you can omit this step.

Apply several very thin coats to the top surface using a window squeegee. A foam roller might work as well. The idea is not to leave any brush marks, bubbles or puddles that might interfere with billiard ball movement later on.

Also apply the urethane to all edges including the pocket holes. You could also do the portion of the underside which borders the edges, if you desire.

On commercially made tables the cushions are glued at an angle, allowing for the rail to be lower while maintaining the nose of the cushion at the proper height.

I did some bounce testing on both angled and vertically mounted cushions. I didn't notice a difference in ball motion so I decided to simplify the construction process by foregoing cutting the double angles and just attach the cushions at 90 degrees. This makes the rail a bit higher, but the cushion nose is still at the proper height. This extra rail height is noticeable, but has minimal effect on play. If you want, cut your rails with angles as shown in the drawing.

Procedure:

Cut the board(s) (shelving) into strips 2 1/8” wide and 4’ long. Assemble the blocks by fastening two pieces together with wood glue as shown. Clamp the blocks until the glue has set. Sand the top and bottom edges if necessary to provide a smooth, even edge. The width of the block is not critical, as later on you will be cutting the trim to fit, but the height must be 2 1/8” for the nose of the cushion to be at the proper height. You will trim the rails to fit between the pockets later, after you attach the cushions.

Gluing the cushions

Place the cushion between two scrap pieces of wood to hold it upright while you spread the glue.

Then apply glue to the top edge of the rail using a foam brush, and wait the suggested time before pressing the cushion to the rail.

Screw a piece of scrap wood to the top edge of the rail to make an edge to press the cushion against to keep it straight while you press the two surfaces together. Be sure to have the imbedded cloth that is on the cushion facing upwards before pressing together.

As this table is being made by hand, there could be slight variations in measurements, cuts, etc. Therefore, when cutting the rails to size it is necessary to measure and cut each one individually.

Note: LABEL the holes A, B, C, D, E, and F (on the underside of the base). As the assembly progresses, you will have many pieces that were made to fit in specific locations, and you don’t want to get them mixed up. Whenever you craft a new piece, LABEL IT! This applies to everything... rails, trim, pocket blocks, etc. I labelled the rails AB, BC, CD, etc., so there would be no confusion as to where they went.

I did my best to conform to the Billiards Congress of America specifications when building my table. You will notice that there is a range of acceptable measurements, which means that your measurements can be tailored to suit the size of your table.

BCA Rules

Shelf

The shelf is measured from the center of the imaginary line that goes from one side of the mouth to the other where the nose of the cushion changes direction to the center of the vertical cut of the slate pocket radius. (Got that?)

Corner Pocket: 1 5/8” min. to 1 7/8” max.

Side Pocket: 0” min. To 3/8” max.

Pocket Openings and Measurements

Pocket openings are measured across two points – the first being measured between opposing cushion noses where the direction changes into the pocket (tip to tip). This is called the mouth. The second point of measurement is at the narrowest point at the back of the facing. This is called the throat.

Corner Pocket

Mouth: 4 7/8” min. To 5 1/8” max.

Throat: 4” min. To 4 1/4” max.

Side Pocket

Mouth: 5 3/8” min. To 5 5/8” max.

Throat: 4 3/8” min. To 4 7/8” max.

For clarity, I will call the MDF base "the table" in this description:

At the side pocket, measure the distance from the edge of the table to the inner edge of the side pocket. Let's call that measurement "Distance X". Mark that distance at several places along the side edge of the table between the corner pocket and the side pocket. Draw a line from the corner pocket to the side pocket, connecting the dots. We'll call this "Line A". The nose of the cushion on the side rail will be directly over this line, aligned with the edge of the side pocket hole.

Mark that same measurement " Distance X" along the end of the table in several spots between the corner pockets. Draw a line connecting those dots. This will be another "Line A". These lines will be where the cushion nose will be positioned at the end of the table.

Repeat this procedure between all pocket holes on sides and ends.

Using an angle ruler (or regular ruler), draw lines representing the openings at each pocket. The measurements at each pocket should conform to the BCA standards mentioned above.

Then, place the rail on the table so that the edge of the cushion is directly above line A. Use a square to ensure you have the rail positioned exactly above the line. Use the angle ruler (or regular ruler) and a pencil to mark a cutting line on the rail at an angle to align with the edge of the pocket hole.

Subtract 1/8” from the line you drew on the rail to account for the thickness of the Cushion Facing pads which will be glued onto the ends of the rail once it is cut.

Cut one end of the rail

Wrap a few layers of electrical tape around the rail and the cushion for safety, adjust the miter saw to the correct angle, then SLOWLY cut the rail/cushion on the inner pencil line. Use a 60-tooth finishing blade, and always cut with the rubber on the outside. A coarser blade might grab the cushion and tear it off the rail. If you don’t have access to a miter saw, you could use a fine-toothed hand saw. It might be necessary to clamp a guide block onto the rail at the proper angle to ensure a smooth, accurate cut with a hand saw.

Once you have one end of a rail cut, take it back to the base to mark the cut at the other end. Whether the other end is at a corner or side pocket, the procedure is the same. Make sure the nose of the cushion is directly over Line A and that the opposite end of the rail that you just cut is correctly positioned at the other pocket. You might want to clamp the rail in place temporarily. Then line up your angle ruler with the pencil lines drawn on the base, again allowing for the thickness of the Cushion Facing. Make the final cut on the miter saw, following the same procedures as before.

Applying the Cushion Facings

Once all the rails have been cut to size, apply the Cushion Facings. These come as a set of 12 pieces; 8 designed to fit at corner pockets and 4 for side pockets. If you made your rails without any angles, like I did, the shape of these facings will not cover the entire end of the rail. However, once glued and trimmed, there are
enough small pieces left over to cover any bare spots where a ball might strike. Once covered with felt, everything will look fine.

Glue the cushion facings to the ends of the rails using contact cement. Once dry, trim around the contour of the cushion and rail using a sharp blade. I used a serrated utility knife blade and it worked very well. Apply the leftover pieces of facing to the areas not already covered, reapplying glue if required. It’s only necessary to apply facing where a ball might strike. Don’t bother filling in the space at the bottom next to the base. It will all look good once the felt is applied.

Note in the picture that there is a point of facing protruding slightly at the nose of the cushion. You don’t want that. I trimmed it off after the picture was taken.

Pre-installing the rails

Once the felt is on the base the lines won’t be visible, so it is a good idea to pre-install the rails so that the lines on the base can be used to position the rails correctly.

I made a jig to drill pilot holes in the base at a uniform distance from the edge. The holes are drilled such that the lag bolts that will hold the rails in place will be secured into the inner strip of wood. I wasn’t sure if the glued joint would hold as well as a solid piece of wood, but it probably would have been okay.

Drill three 1/8” pilot holes in the base between the pockets, at a distance from the base edge so that the lag bolts will be secured into the inner wood strip.

Making a jig as shown will make the job faster, easier and uniform. Drill a hole a few inches from the pocket at each end, and one hole in the middle between the pockets.

Once the pilot holes are drilled in the base, clamp the rail securely over the holes, exactly where it will be permanently placed. Using a 1/4” bit and drilling from below, drill up through the pilot hole and into the rail. Drill just far enough into the rail to accommodate the length of the lag bolts. Some tape on the bit to mark depth would help with drilling the proper depth of hole.

Measure for the Top Trim

Before you remove the rail, measure and make note of the distance from the edge of the base to the bottom edge of the rail. This will be the width measurement to use when cutting the pieces of top trim. Let's call it the "T" measure.

Remove the rail. Enlarge the 1/4” holes in the base by re-drilling the holes with a 3/8” or 1/2” bit. This will allow for some play to adjust the position of the rail slightly if required later on.

Applying Felt to the Rails

There are many excellent videos online explaining how to apply the felt to rails and pool tables. My methods were similar in some respects, but different in others. The videos offer many good tips on avoiding wrinkles in the felt.

Start by stapling a felt strip to the bottom of the rail, with staples approximately 1-1/2” apart.

Turn the rail over and fasten it to a scrap piece of wood with 1-1/2” construction screws.

Clamp the assembly to a workbench or to something solid to secure it while pulling the felt tight and stapling it. I used a pneumatic stapler to reduce hand fatigue, but a manual stapler would work too.

I used a canvas stretcher to pull the felt tight. (This one was a bit too big). You could probably use a large pair of pliers wrapped with tape if you were careful. There’s not much extra felt to grab onto with fingers.

The tricky part of applying the felt to the rails is the folding of the corners in such a way as to prevent wrinkles from appearing. Again, watch the videos online for expert tips.

You can cut extra felt off, and you can also bunch up the excess and “store” it in the hollow portion of the rail, once you install it on the base.

Before applying felt to the base, cut some 3/4” wide strips from leftover felt from the rails. Glue these strips to the inside front of the pocket holes, just to provide a bit of protection to the base from rebounding balls. Make sure the strips stay just below the lip of the pocket. You don't want a bump in the felt there.

As with felting the rails, there are lots of good videos online on how to do this properly. I will give you my version of how to do it.

Lay the felt out on the base with the “Face” label facing up of course, adjusting it until there is an equal amount of cloth overhanging all sides.

Staple along the length of one side, with the staples spaced approximately 1-1/2” apart. Leave a few inches unstapled in the middle and at each end for working on the pocket holes.

Then go to the other side, pull the felt quite tight using the canvas stretcher tool, and staple that side from end to end, pulling the felt tight with the tool as you go along.

Repeat the procedure with the ends of the base.

To dress the corners, press down the felt at a corner pocket hole and draw a line 3/4” in from the edge of the hole.

Estimate the center of the hole, and mark a dot at that point.

Cut slits from the center mark outwards to the drawn line.

Pull the individual triangle shaped strips tight underneath and staple them to the base.

Repeat the procedure for the other pockets.

Staple the excess felt to the underside of the table. This will give something to grip if the felt ever needs to be tightened in the future.

Trim the excess felt from the excess felt.

Installing the Rails

Do these steps for one rail at a time.

Take a #8 x 3” construction screw or similar, and poke it up from underneath the base through the 1/4” hole you drilled earlier for the rail lag screw.

Remove the screw. Take a utility knife and cut a half-inch ‘X’ where the screw poked through the felt. This will make it easier for the lag bolt to turn through the felt without snagging it on it’s way into the rail.

Do this for each of the three holes along one section of the base.

Place the appropriate rail (check the label) on top of the base, over the holes. Insert a lag bolt (with a washer) and line it up with the hole in the rail. Turn it until it is slightly engaged with the rail. Do the same with the other two lag bolts.

Tuck any extra felt at the ends of the rail in behind the rail, rather than underneath it. You want the rail to be as flat as possible on the bed.

Tighten all three lag bolts until they are quite snug. Do not overtighten.

On the off-chance that the rail needs adjustment in any direction later on, simply remove the rail and make the holes in the base larger with a 3/8” or 1/2” drill bit.

Repeat the procedure for the other five rails.

Attaching the Pocket Nets

At this point you are probably anxious to try out your new pool table. Go for it! You can do it without the corner blocks if you take gentle shots, but install the pocket nets first. Attach the pocket nets under the pocket holes using a stapler. Stretch out the net under the hole and staple each loop to the base approximately 1/2” in from the edge of the hole. Two staples per loop should hold it well.

I placed a thin plastic container from a bulk food store in each hole to make it easier to retrieve the balls. I cut circles from a foam exercise pad and placed one in each container. This softens the sound of the ball dropping into the pocket and results in a satisfying “clunk” when you sink a ball.

If you are not buying pre-made pockets, you will need to make corner and side pocket blocks.

Make a carboard template the shape you want the pocket block to be. I will assume you want yours to be similar to mine, but you can design it to suit your needs. Adjust it until it fits well around the pocket.

Cut twelve 5-5/8 inch square blocks from the same material as you made the rails.

Using the carboard template, locate where the center of a 4-inch hole in one corner of each square will be. Cut out the hole in all 12 pieces using the hole saw. For safety, clamp the piece down before attempting to cut the hole.

Round out the sharp corners of the hole with a scroll saw or jig saw. Also, round the outside corner with a 1” radius. I used the base of a small juice glass, but you could also use a compass. I forgot to round the corners and had to do it after the pieces were glued together. It's much harder to do it that way.

Glue and clamp the pieces together in groups of three.

Once dry, some sanding may be required to smooth the sides and ends, especially if they moved slightly during gluing. Use the belt sander for quickest results.

Using the jig saw with the blade set at an angle, shape the bottom two pieces at an angle which will deflect an incoming ball downwards into the pocket. If this is not done, hard-hit balls will bounce right back out of the pocket.

Sand the top and sides of the pocket blocks. The inside surfaces will not show.

Attach a section of old bicycle tire inner tube or something similar to the inside of the block using staples. (See? It pays to never throw anything out!) This will provide some cushioning and noise reduction when balls hit the back of the block.

Try the pocket liners as they are, but if they seem to interfere with a ball going into the pocket, cut them shorter. Also, file any sharp edges on the liners so as not to injure a person retrieving balls from the pocket.

The liners for the side pockets are smaller than the ones for the corners, due to different pocket angles.

Make a mock-up of what the finished pocket will look like to make sure everything fits. Then take it apart and paint it. Do the same for all pockets.

See the closeup of what the side pockets will look like. (Yes, my pool table is now outside!)

The side blocks are much smaller than the corner blocks, but the procedure to make these is the same as for the corner blocks. Make a template, cut the square pieces, drill a 4” hole in each, glue them together, trim them, sand them, paint them.

If necessary, cut or sand the “wings” of the blocks to fit against the rails. Make sure the edges of the block are not overhanging and are lined up with the edges of the base. Otherwise they will interfere with the side trim.

Paint the pocket blocks before attaching the rubber or pocket liner. I used metallic silver hammered-look spray paint and it came out very well. There is no need to paint areas that won’t be seen under the trim.

Once all the blocks have been made, attach them in their respective places. Drill two or three 1/8” pilot holes in the MDF base at each pocket location, then attach the blocks with 1-1/2” construction screws.

Top Trim

On the table saw, cut 6 strips approximately 4’ long by width ‘T’ that you measured earlier when first trimming the rails. The ‘T’ width on my table is 2-3/16”. Sand one side and one edge smooth as required.

Measure the distance between the pocket blocks precisely and cut the top trim piece to fit between.

The top trim will attach to the rails with small blocks that are glued to the trim underside.

You will need to cut 18 small attachment blocks, approximately 2” wide and 1-1/2” high. Measure the height you need on your table to make the trim strip level with the top of the rail.

Glue three blocks to each top trim piece as shown... one near each end and one in the center.

These blocks will also give you something handy to hold on to while painting the pieces.

Drill a 1/8” pilot hole in each block near the top. Insert a 1-1/4” construction screw in each hole and screw the trim to the rail, ensuring the trim is at the same level as the top of the rail. If serious adjustment is required, remove the screw, drill another pilot hole and try again.

Install 3 small adjustment screws at the base of the rail, under where the attachment blocks of the trim will be. Leave them protruding 1/8” to start.

I used #6 x 1/2” screws. The purpose of these screws is to provide a method of levelling the top trim strip. The felt and staples add a thickness to the rail at the top, therefore the top trim might not appear level, as in the picture.

Screw the Top Trim to the rail, then it check with a level. If adjustment is needed, remove the trim, adjust the small screw in or out as required, then reinstall the trim. Repeat for all six Top Trim pieces.

Side Trim

Cut 2 strips approximately 8’ long and 3” wide, and 2 strips approximately 4’ long and and 3” wide, for the Side Trim. This trim will be attached to all four sides of the pool table. It will cover the side pocket blocks but be beveled at the corners to reveal a portion of the corner blocks.

The top corner of each piece can be rounded (optional) using a router and a small roundover bit. Or, the corner could be sanded to make it less sharp.

Measure the trim pieces and cut the ends at a 45-degree angle so that when installed they will fit as in the picture. The trim shown is 3” wide. It hangs down over the bottom edge of the base by about 1/8”, which hides the felt from view.

Paint the pieces once they have been cut to fit.

I suggest you make a jig to make drilling uniform pilot holes in the trim easier. I used a borrowed drill press, but a regular power drill would work too for the trim.

On the table, measure from the center of the Top Trim thickness to the center of the table base thickness. Then drill the holes in the jig at the required spacing (in my case 2”).

Mark the trim with masking tape where you want the screws to be.

Put the first holes a few inches from the ends of the trim, then divide up the remaining length. On my table the holes in the end trim pieces are 13-1/2” apart. On the side trim pieces the holes are 16” apart.

Before installing the Side Trim, make sure that a level placed across the Top Trim and the Base indicates 90 degrees. Otherwise the Side Trim will appear crooked. If adjustment is required, slightly loosen the lag bolts holding the rail in place, and adjust the rail position until the level reads 90 degrees. Tighten the lag bolts.

Place the trim against the table in the correct position, and drill pilot holes through the holes in the trim and into the Top Trim and into the Base.

Fasten the Side Trim pieces to the Top Trim and to the Base using 2” pocket hole screws, repeating the procedure for each of the four pieces.

Sights

I purchased 18 fancy upholstery tacks at a woodworking store, and spray-painted them with the same paint as I painted the pocket blocks.

The sights must be equally spaced along all sides of the table. There are 3 sights between each pocket.

Measure from the center of one pocket hole to the center of the next pocket hole, and divide that measurement by 4 to determine the spacing. The measurement should be the same for all the rails.

The sights should be located on the rail midway between the nose of the cushion and the outer edge of the rail trim.

Apply masking tape to the rail and mark the positions of the sight markers on it.

Drill 1/16” holes in the Top Trim at the marked positions. For best results, use a jig. Modify a previously used jig by drilling a 1/16” hole in the correct spot.

Put a dab of contact cement on the nail part of a tack, and insert it into the hole. Repeat for all tacks.

Make the handle blocks

Start by cutting 24 pieces of 3/4” wood, approximately 2” x 3”.

Glue the pieces into blocks of 3 pieces each, clamping them until dry.

Place a handle on two of the blocks and drill pilot holes.

Screw the handle onto the blocks with 2-1/2” construction screws.

Repeat for the three remaining handles.

Drill pilot holes through the blocks where the screws will attach the blocks to the MDF.

Drill the holes where the attachment screws won’t interfere with the handle screws, as shown.

Countersink the holes with a larger drill bit to allow for the use of shorter screws.

Prepare the MDF base

For strength. the blocks must be glued and screwed to the MDF base.

Hold a handle assembly in the desired position under the MDF base and mark the edges of the blocks on the base with a marker.

Cut and remove the excess felt from where the blocks will be attached.

Rough up the MDF base where the blocks will be attached. Wipe off the sanding dust.

Attach the Handle Assemblies

Position the handle assembly against the MDF base, assuring that the handle portion is flush with the Side Trim, as in the picture of the installed handle, above. Insert a 2” construction screw into one of the pilot holes and turn it until it starts to grip the MDF. Do the same with the other hole. The goal here is to mark the MDF where the pilot holes will be drilled.

Back off the screws, leaving the tips slightly protruding from the block. Remove the handle block, drill the pilot holes in the MDF where indicated by the screw marks.

Smooth out any rough edges around the pilot holes. You want the blocks to be completely flat against the MDF for gluing.

Spread wood glue on the upper block faces, press the blocks to the MDF, lining up the protruding screw tips with the pilot holes. Tighten the screws firmly.

Repeat with the other 3 handle assemblies.

If you are planning to move your table around a bit, or take it outside onto the patio (as I do), you might want to install adjustable feet onto the folding table legs. You could use shims to level the table, but they are difficult to adjust, the table has to be lifted, and they can easily slip out of place. Why not add adjustable feet?

Buy them online in a set of 4. They are adjustable using the included hex key.

Before you continue, consider the table height

The frame under the MDF and the adjustable feet may make the table a bit too high for everyone’s liking. The BCA rules for the height of the playing surface indicate no higher than 30-1/4”.

This table is about 33 inches. Therefore, if you think this will be a problem, shorten the legs of the folding table before adding the adjustable feet. (Don't worry, you can still use the table at the picnic.) You might want to lower the table even if you are not installing the adjustable feet. I you don’t want to lower the table, skip the leg cutting step.

Cut the desired length from each of the legs. Use a piece of wood as a pen rest while marking the ring around the leg. That way the line your draw will be parallel to the floor.

Use a metal cutting blade in the jig saw, or a hacksaw to cut the legs.

Cut a piece of wood (hardwood is best) a few inches longer than the distance between the legs of the table.

Drill pilot holes and screw the adjustable feet onto the piece of wood, near the ends.

Drill 1/4" holes through the wood of the assembly and the table legs and bolt the assembly to the legs.

I used 1/4” x 2-1/2” bolts with washers and nuts.

You will see in the picture that I have not yet shortened the legs on my table.