DIY Gift for Dad: Mini Pool Table in a Tin

Today’s craft is geared towards the men in your life! Every man can use a little break from work for some stress relief. This mini pool table is a perfect DIY gift for dad and is the perfect size to slip inside a desk drawer- maybe for an impromptu game with a co-worker?

Supplies needed to make your own pool table DIY gift for dad:

• Aluminum Tin
• Casting Plaster (Plaster of Paris)
• 8mm Metallic Silver Beads (or any 8mm bead)
• Clear Plastic Bead Tubes
• Aluminum Floral Wire
• Wooden Dowel
• Washi Tape
• White Paint & Blue
• Self Adhesive Felt Sheet
• Pliers
• Scissors
• Glue Dots

The first thing you will do for this DIY gift for dad is prepare your tin for plaster. Plaster makes a good base for the mini pool table. It is heavy, and dries flat and smooth. The pool table needs corner pockets- so I used bead tubes to create hold space for the holes in the plaster.

Place a glue dot in each corner of the aluminum tin.

Place a bead tube in each corner, using the glue dot to hold it upright and in place.

Prepare your casting plaster following the manufacturers directions.

You will need about 2-3 cups of prepared plaster for your tin. Pour the prepared plaster into the tin.

Fill the tin to approximately 1/2″ from the rim of the tin. Gently tap the tin to bring up any bubbles and to settle the plaster evenly.

Allow the plaster to dry on a flat surface. When the plaster has hardened, remove the bead tubes. I did this by twisting the tubes until they were loosened and then lifting them out. Do not be alarmed if part of the plaster cracks a little. This is okay. We will be covering the plaster surface with felt.

Clean out the side holes as much as you can, removing any loose plaster.

Using the lid of the tin as a template, trace around the perimeter of the tin onto the backing of the self adhesive felt. Cut the piece where you have it marked.

Using the bead tubes- trace around the perimeter of the tubes in each corner of the cut felt piece.

Cut around the marked areas- make sure to cut slightly smaller than your traced area so the plaster will not show in the corners.

Peel up the backing on the felt.

Adhere the felt piece to the plaster in the tin, smoothing out any wrinkles.

Measure your dowel to fit inside the tin.

Using pliers. trim the dowel, and sand any jagged edges.

Paint the tip of the dowel white, and one of the 8mm silver beads (this will be the cue ball!) You could also add stripes to half of the beads with paint or a sharpie marker to mimic the look of pool balls.

I put the bead on a pin so I could paint it easier. When the paint is dry, paint the tip of the dowel blue- to mimic the look of a pool cue.

I also wrapped the dowel in some washi tape to make it look finished.

To create a triangle rack for the pool balls, I used a piece of floral wire. Lay the beads out and bend the wire to fit.

Make sure the wire overlaps a little, and add a glue dot to secure the wire where it overlaps.

Now your mini pool table DIY gift for dad is ready to be racked up and played!

Everything fits neatly inside the tin, ready for any extra time your man can find in his day! Wrap it up and your DIY gift for dad is checked off the list!

Are you making a DIY gift for dad this year?

About Shaunte

Shaunte is a 30-something, chocolate-loving, SAHM from Utah. She has been scrapbooking since 1997, the dreaded era of photos cropped with deco scissors. Since then, her work has evolved into a clean, linear, photo-focused style. Her favorite subjects to scrap are her husband and five kids (never a lack for subject material there).

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