Mission Accomplished?

Well, I can't really say that the craps table is finished. It just reached the point that I had more important things (like a see-saw for the kids) to work on. Obviously, finishing wood is a real art, and I don't have it. I was needing multiple rounds of painting, sanding, cleaning, painting, sanding, cleaning, and I just couldn't get the finish to look anything like I wanted. I finally decided to just attach the pull clasps to get it looking like something more than a pile of boards. Here's that result:
But, really the edges still were very rough. One more round of sanding, cleaning, and painting, and I declared it "good enough." I put it together in the living room; here's the result:

Gee, in that light you can see the finish really isn't very good at all. I played a few rounds immediately: First throw was a craps 3, but then I made two 6s and a 9 in a row, with several placed 8s hitting during the 9 point. Then I sevened out on a 4 point. Not too shabby. I discovered that every time I throw the dice, I'm digging pits into the boards at the end, so it looks like I'm really going to need to buy that pyramid bumper to put on the ends. Oh well, the craps table budget is about tapped this month.

I took off the players' long rail so that the kids could play. My 5-year-old really got it, and was placing odds on his come bets before I knew it! We played about 2 hours. He was up about 400 on an initial stake of 185 after one hour, but then he started putting blacks on the field, and ended up with about 120. I started also with 185, but ended up with 250 by the end. Again, not too shabby!

I went to put the players' long rail back on, and the way I grabbed it the molding fell off again. That makes tonight the 3rd time I've glued that molding back on. Neither the brads nor the liquid nails wants to hold it, so I think I'm going to have to find some wood screws and see if they'll work.

Okay, so it's about time to plan the craps party! I figure I can get 8 players at $20 stakes with a 10-to-1 buy-in. Hmmm, how soon can I plan this?

Getting Closer on the Craps Table

I'm really pleased with how the craps table is turning out. I got all the molding around the outside cut, glued, and nailed. Then I primed the boards. I discovered that MDF absorbs primer like Ganesha drinking milk! After an extra run to Home Depot for more primer, I got everything primed and sanded:


The black glossy enamel paint then started to go on beautifully. I'm really happy with how things are turning out:


There's only one spot on a piece of molding that for some reason, the paint started to crack and bubble immediately on contact:

I'm not sure what's up with that, since I've handled all the boards the same. Evidently there was something on the molding. I'll sand down that location, prime and paint again, and hope that fixes it.

The pull clasps I ordered from Amazon.com never showed up. I went to Amazon.com, and they don't show any record of it having been ordered, and the credit card has no charge. I must have done something wrong during the order. Oh well, I went to Fischer's Hardware in Springfield and found the clasps I wanted, anyway. And that without shipping & handling!

The sides are only half painted at this point. Once they're dry, I'll turn them over and paint the other side. Then I just have to add the clasps, and it should be done! I'm hoping no other hiccups show up, and it'll be done soon.