While posted on Facebook, I figured I'd give a progress report here....

As I posted previously, I acquired an older Caesars Palace Blackjack Table at a garage sale here in Las Vegas. The intent is to clean it up and do a little restoration and use it as a desk for my chipping hobby.

At the garage sale it was un-assembled, so this gave me an opportunity to clean it up and assemble it. With the assistance of a friend here in Vegas, we removed the felt. Underneath was a layer of synthetic padding, about the thickness of the felt layout. It was in a state of deterioration, so we decided to remove it and toss it.

We removed the wads of bubble gum on the underside of the table, which included a chunk that could only have been placed there by a dealer! We also removed the tray that holds the chip tray cover and wooden rails used to hold the drop box. Both sides of the table were sanded (my first time with an orbital sander, which is a great time saver!).

The felt (which really seems to be a felt material) will be cleaned, but since there are no drink spill stains or cigarette burns, I am not convinced the felt saw any action. However, the table has seen a lot of use, as evidenced by the gum and the many staple holes from several layout replacements.

At this point we assembled the pieces to get some measurements.

Next up is to get a plexiglass sheet cut to size, as a cover over the felt, that will also let me place a few playing cards on the felt. We considered using tempered glass, but making the cut-out for the chip tray will be much easier with plexiglass. We are undecided about using a wood veneer to cover the outer edge, or to try to acquire a padded bumper/rail. Opinions are welcome!

Since the table is 39" high, which is 10" higher than the "standard" 29" desktop height, and I don't want to cut it down, I'm hoping that my 24" high slot machine stool (which is built for long term comfort) will be compatible.

Here are few pics of the project to-date...

My Advisers. Paul and Pam

Synthetic padding layer under the felt. Stapled around the edge of the padding, with the staples being driven into the surface of the table.

Close-up of the deteriorating padding.

Assembled without chip tray..

Assembled with chip tray.

24" high stool.

Thanks for looking

Jim