Pool table standards...

[Hatcherjob]

Having recently moved in to a new flat with a spacious living room, I spent £900 getting a proper 7ft slate bed 8 ball table installed. Should I expect this to run perfectly straight? I have only ever played pool on cheap Argos tables and at pubs, so I'm not part of the pool scene or belong to any club, therefore I have not examined pool tables. I'm certainly not expecting professional conditions and can live with a bit of a roll. My pool table has been leveled and runs straight in the entire centre of the table, but the balls veer away from the cushions and not in one direction. For instance a slow running ball will roll off about 6 inches from the top and bottom cushions. Please tell me this is unacceptable and I'm not being pedantic to expect it to hold better than that? Basically, shots down the rail have become almost impossible to pot.

When the guy installed it the first time he was happy it was level, yet I could tell immediately when he left that it was clearly skewed in areas. So I got on to the company and they sent the same guy who tested the areas and admitted it was skewed, yet the table itself is set perfectly level. So the company have agreed to make me a new bed. I'm worried about this one though given how far it was out. Additionally, I went to Thurston today and tested a very similar table and noticed roughly the same problem. Is this just a regular thing with pool tables? Unless they're professional, expect balls to veer off, not mm's, not cm's, but inches?

[maryfield]

Common fault, slate sags in centre. It's because the legs are too far apart, being in the corners of the cabinet. Geoff Large recommends adding a number of strips of cloth, stapled to frame beneath the centre of the slate. If you remove slate from cabinet you will see the centre ball run made of 3/4 inch mdf. The cloth is stapled on the top edge either side of this ball run, where the slate sits. You build up the height with ever decreasing lengths of strips. You may need four or five strips. The idea being the slate is supported on the cloth.

Begs the question that why has even the most popular manufacturer, Supreme, not engineered a solution to this inherent design flaw. The manufacture, Superleague, had a Tournament levelling system comprising 4 adjustable cast iron slate supports which compensated for the cabinet sag and could be adjusted up and down with a 50p coin. Costs obviously come into play, but not acceptable.

[Master Blaster]

Chipboard, MDF, all common in pool table construction, awful materials. Frames made out of birch or even softwood not uncommon. The slates are too thin as well, hence the sagging that Maryfield notes. Then we have the lift-up versions where the cushions and frame lift up on two hinges; great design flaw! I think the only pool tables being made properly are the Chinese 8 tables by Star, but the cost of one if you can get one must be many times that of a Supreme. What a name, Supreme, like chicken supreme from a can.

[DeanH]

silly question maybe, but with a sagged slate would not the side rail balls go INTO the table and not out to the rail as the image shows?

Hatcherjob, did you get your new slate?
if not, have you mentioned further support to the slate when they do come with it?

[Hatcherjob]

silly question maybe, but with a sagged slate would not the side rail balls go INTO the table and not out to the rail as the image shows?

Hatcherjob, did you get your new slate?
if not, have you mentioned further support to the slate when they do come with it?

I'm not technical enough and too shy to mention that. I'll get what I'm given I suppose. Its been about 3 weeks since they told me I was getting the slate, so just waiting now. They might test out all their tables now and realise they all sag, which will be a problem for us both.

[Geoff Large]

If it is a Supreme table then the slate can be twisted if certain things are happening , some tables have tight clamps others loose this can twist a slate against any uneven support under the slate bed a common occurrence that I get out with strips of cloth , some have a center support edge that is already dipping in the center . supreme prince models often sag in the middle due to leg too far apart the winner is a much better table as legs are splayed and support more center section .
all these things can make a ball roll in different directions but the most annoying thing I have come across is over spray of spray on glue on the edge of the slate which ventures into the playing area , at one time even new tables had this .


have look at these examples of new slates stripped down and old ones that have been re-covered using spray on glue

http://gclbilliards.com/pool-table-r...on-you-decide/

I cannot say to a manufacturer that has a good product how to make tables I think it would upset them and maybe spoil my own contact with them for future purchase , but I can offer a personal opinion , I personally prefer only to use spread on contact adhesive and put it only on the very edge and half an inch under the cushion ,at no time is it on the slate that the ball rolls over
I would never use spray on glue as it is one of the most problematic thing I have come across that turns balls off as they roll close to the edge of the slate , I think what you have is a bad overspray slate bed , it can only be rectified by stripping cloth off and using acetone to remove all over spray glue off the slate , or replace with one slate bed that has no over spray .

[Master Blaster]

I've played league pool on loads of different English 8 tables. They're all crap. If you bump into it the balls move, something is wrong. They're made at low cost to fit in pubs to make the pubs some money, they usually have adjustable feet, lots of mdf and plywood and thin slates. Lift up lids and cushions. Very thin cushions that stop short of the inside of the pocket, stopping anyone potting down the rail at pace. You can put a nice cloth on and improve the speed but they're still Junk.

American pool tables can be a better built but still not ideal. The Chinese 8-ball tables look superb and hopefully that game takes off. I'd love to play pool on one of those Star pool tables from China.

[Hatcherjob]

I've played league pool on loads of different English 8 tables. They're all crap. If you bump into it the balls move, something is wrong. They're made at low cost to fit in pubs to make the pubs some money, they usually have adjustable feet, lots of mdf and plywood and thin slates. Lift up lids and cushions. Very thin cushions that stop short of the inside of the pocket, stopping anyone potting down the rail at pace. You can put a nice cloth on and improve the speed but they're still Junk.

You have confirmed my fears and thank you for the valuable input. I was pretty hot on my last MDF table and thought I would become a prospect on a proper 8 ball table. The truth is that I'm disillusioned. Ok, I'm not as good as I thought I was on tighter pockets. But also, my god the table is difficult. As you say, any pace down the cushion and you've no chance. I have struck just the white ball at medium pace (if that) directly down the cushion and it simply ricochets and jumps out of the jaws. Even shots away from the cushion are often rejected if you touch any bit of the inside jaw at pace. And the middle pocket...well, even if you pot it true, if its at pace it jumps back out.

Coupled with the skewed cloth, it is mightly difficult to make total clearances on this table. I actually think my old cheap one was better.

[Hatcherjob]

Just an update on this... I was visited yesterday by the fitters who could not diagnose the problem last time, but have now discovered that the timbre support in the centre under the slate bed, was buckled under the weight. This was the suspicion when looking underneath the table, we could see that the belly of the cabinet had bowed in the centre. The fitter told me that this had been a common problem in the past as the beams were too thin, so on newer models like mine they have doubled in width. Unfortunately in this circumstance this has still not proven strong enough.

[andi mack]

so what have they said they are doing about it?

replacement support? replace table?

[Phil C]

I'd expect it to be fixed asap perfectly. Lot of money spent.

[Hatcherjob]

Yes, I received a phone call today telling me that they will send somebody down to see if they can reinforce the support with some handy work. Just waiting to hear back when they can fit it in now. I've had overhead lighting waiting to go up for a while, so I'm keen to get it sorted quite quickly.

[Hatcherjob]

And another update... They sent down an expert fitter who told me the table had been set up very badly. He practically took it apart and started again. He and his colleague ironed the cloth several times and rubbed the "ball run line" by the cushion with a ball. Made a big difference alone. He then 'packed' the table with things that resembled beer mats around the table, so he could arc the slate bed so that the balls ran towards the cushion. He told me this should settle down with luck over the course of a week, with the hope that the areas by the cushion remain flat, whilst the centre becomes flat again. The balls are now clinging to the cushions, a bit too much, but again it will hopefully settle straight. I have the option to recall him after a week of playing if it still isn't right. I have to say these guys were first class and I was thrilled with their dedication, the main fitter really cares for perfection.

[DeanH]

hope this is the solution for your table
so the slate was not properly supported (probably before you got it) and had sagged in the middle - now they have reset the whole table frame and have added supports under the slate middle - slightly too much to allow for settlement in the near future.
going back to your previous posts - what worries me is that you mentioned several people had said basically "oh that is how they go and accept it" and other tables you tried were the same
Question - did any fitter at any time use an engineer level?
the type Geoff has mentioned is short in length and can tell the difference when a tenner is placed under one end
if they did, did it not show the change in level?

let us know how your table gets on

[Hatcherjob]

Question - did any fitter at any time use an engineer level?
the type Geoff has mentioned is short in length and can tell the difference when a tenner is placed under one end
if they did, did it not show the change in level?

Yes, thats exactly the tool he used and exactly the same phrase about a tenners difference! He set it so that the areas at the top and bottom cushion were set dipping to the cushion. Its amazing how such a small variation can make such a big impression on that device.