Q:
A lady in southern Oregon writes that she had bought a pool table
years ago that didn't look so great but the playing surface was
in excellent shape. She said she got the table really cheap. Now
she has a crack in the slate. She's wondering what if anything
can be done for the table.
A:
You can fix most slates. How depends on the type of crack. You will
be working with either super glue or bondo and you will have to work
fast. These products need to be used in a well-ventilated area as
well. Also, any jagged pieces of slate can be very sharp. Take my
word on it! Be careful not to cut yourself.
For this, I am assuming that you have a single piece slate or
unbacked three piece.
1. If the crack is not all the way through the slate, simply ooze
some type of super glue (liquid, not gel) down into the crack until
it is completely filled and let it set. Use a razor blade or sand
paper to remove any residue.
2. If the crack has gone all the way through and you actually have
more than one piece you will have to get the slate on a flat surface.
I have the luxury of putting it on top of another slate. Put wax
paper under the area to be glued. Set the slate pieces tight
together and ooze the super glue down the crack as above. Make
sure they are as tight as they can go and use a pipe clamp to
hold them together if you can. Remove residue as above.
3. If the crack is angled through the slate somewhat horizontally,
you want to really make sure the whole area is covered with glue.
Let it seep in good and then put some kind of weight on it from
above.
4. If you actually have chunks or small pieces that have come off
the top of the slate you can glue these into place if they have
clean edges. If they don't, or the pieces are missing it is time
to get some bondo, the kind you fix car bodies with. Use the bondo
according to directions and work fast. Fill in the missing areas
and let dry. Sand to smooth.
If you have a three-piece slate with or without wood backing you
are probably going to need the help of a reliable tech in your area.
The slates will have to be re-leveled and set and that is something
you should have done by a professional. A wood backed slate may
have other potential problems that would be difficult to go into
here. You should call your tech anyway if you don't think you can
handle the problem. Slate is expensive to replace but it can be
fixed fairly easily if it hasn't completely shattered.
Q:
Sent over the internet by Erik Miller - I am a college student on
a very limited budget and was wondering if you would help me out with
a few tips on recovering a table. We have a 3 piece .75 inch 8'x4'
table and just need to cover the flat table and not the rails. Could
you just answer a few questions I would be very grateful.
1. Is the 3M spray adhesive a good adhesive to use?
2. I read where you do not want to glue the felt to the slate. Does
this mean that I am only supposed to glue the felt to the underside
of the slate and stretch it over the rest of the table, or am I
supposed to spray some adhesive down first?
3. Any stretching techniques or tips would be appreciated. If you can
answer any of these questions I would really appreciate it.
A:
The subject of do it yourself table recovering comes up around here
quite often. It usually makes me cringe because there are so many
things to take into account. There are different types of tables and
different types of players. For this writing I am assuming that you
are someone who actually cares a great deal about how your table
plays. I can't really give you a "How To" either due to space
restraints, but I can give you a run down that may help those who
already have a way with this type of work. It is a little like
getting a grandmothers recipe; a pinch of this, a dash of that.
You really have to see and do to get good at it.
Recovering a pool table is not like recovering a chair. Don't think
of your table as a piece of furniture. How your table is put together
and maintained is like tuning a fine instrument. The better that
the cloth is installed, the truer your ball will role and bounce.
Sloppy cloth makes for sloppy english. At the BCA trade show I was
witness to a trend in cloth from California; faux fur rails! I was
told it was all the rage. Maybe they use their tables for something
that doesn't include the kind of ball control most pool shooters
want.
First - bed covering. Clean off slate well, make sure there is no
glue or any other substance on playing surface. Cloth needs to be
tight on the bed so that atmospheric conditions and wear don't
contribute to slack. On a good three piece table with wood backing
you staple, pull, and staple the other side keeping the tightness as
even as possible (already you can see how experience comes in to
play). On a single piece slate I use a very good contact adhesive.
I glue the sides of the slate only. Then, I use a short 3" or so
roller to apply the glue to the edge of the cloth. I stick the
cloth to one side, pull, and stick to the other. On both applications
you need to get the cloth square with the table and stretch very
tightly and consistently. At the pockets, you notch the cloth, glue
in place or staple to wood.
Rails are where we are going to have the most difficulty. On tables
with feather stripped rails you are going to attach the cloth on the
visible side with feather stripping, draping it over and tapping it
in place with a rubber mallet. Then, you will stretch it over
starting at one end, stretch the cloth smoothly over the pocket area
(where the ball will not be in play) and staple. Continue to staple
along the bottom of the rail, pulling to snug but not so that you
miss-shape the rubber. Again tuck and smooth the cloth at the final
end and staple. Other rail styles will incorporate either glue
and/or staples. I am not able to detail every type, but look at
what is already there and use it for a visual aid. DO NOT ever
glue directly to the rubber. Do not use backed cloth on the rails,
even with the backing pulled off. The glue residue will ruin the
rubber.
I hope this helps somewhat and if nothing else, helps you understand
why a good service tech is worth every dime he gets.
Q:
I need some insight into the steps I should take to do a professional
recover using Simonis cloth. I have a standard 8-foot table with
1 inch slate. Tell me if this is a logical progression and if there
are nay "expert secrets" to consider. By the way, I am replacing
carpet with hardwood and that is the reason for the tear down, etc.
Balance table frame
Replace slate and level (any suggestions?)
Fill in screw holes in playing area (what should I use?)
Re-cover table (start on the end or the side? Staple felt how often?)
Replace rails and tack in pockets etc. - Any ideas would be helpful
from: mike@golfmediagroup.com
A:
If you are recovering a table with "Simonis" cloth, my best advice
would be to pay a seasoned technician to do it for you. Simonis is
a very expensive billiard cloth. I would hate to see you "screw
it up" and have to either throw it out or play on a less than
perfect surface. If you are serious enough of a player to want
this then you should "please, please" get an expert. If that doesn't
convince you, then go to the retailer where you got the cloth and
ask for a set of instructions. Many cloth manufacturers supply them
with their cloth. Simonis is put on as any other cloth (hopefully
without any glue!!!) To give you a really good set of instructions
here would take more space than the folks at "The Break" would be
able to give me.
Which bring me to my next couple of questions, the ones I ask
every customer who says they want Simonis cloth. "Are you sure
you want Simonis? Have you played on it much?" The reason I ask is
simple, a lot of people have heard of this cloth but don't
understand it. Simonis is designed for professional players. It
plays fast. Sometimes I run into people who say "my friend is a
really good player and he says it's the best." Well, it might be
for him, but it won't be for you unless you are used to it. If you
have played in billiard halls, then you have probably played on it
or a like cloth made by another company. If you are not sure, then
ask what is on the tables.
Simonis wears a little differently as well. I have had people call me
and tell me cloth that was installed only months ago is wearing
out ... sorry, it is just breaking in! Simonis gets more burnish
marks and many people don't like the look in their home. Often a
good 21 or 22 oz cloth will play just fine if you get an installer
who knows how to stretch the cloth the right way, and doesn't put
glue on your table. I have had folks call me wanting to find out if
I put some special cloth on a table at a particular location. They
want to get it on their table at home. Would you believe that often
it turns out to be the same cloth that they already have? I use
Simonis on most pool hall tables, I aslo use a good 21 oz cloth
on almost every home or bar table, I just stretch it right.
Unfortunately, I have not been able to contribute to this fine periodical in the
past year. Fortunately, it has been because I have had to spend a lot of time getting
our own retail business up and running. I have learned a lot! In doing research for
products besides our standard billiard offerings, I went to the internet. I needed to
learn about everything from darts to poker chips. The first thing I learned was that
there is so much misinformation on web sites that I thought my head would explode
trying to unravel it all. It became apparent that a lot of these businesses did not
have any clue about what they were selling. They just wanted my money.
For years now, the traditional way of retailing has been changing drastically. Many
businesses have felt the pressure of the warehouse store and the internet. Resellers
of high ticket items like electronics hired knowledgeable employees who could offer
the expertise and service that consumers needed to make a wise investment. I think
back to the first computer I ever bought. I went to a popular computer store that
offered many brands and had folks working there who could explain the differences
and help me decide which was the best for me. Then when I had problems, I could go
back and get my questions answered by someone who understood and who wanted my
business.
Selling merchandise this way is not the cheapest way to sell. Employees need to be
paid for their knowledge and time. They have to be more than cashiers. You have to
stock many types of merchandise to offer a wide selection; eliminating the ability
to buy at huge quantity discounts. Another secret; service and warranties don’t come
free. Manufacturers and venders will replace faulty products but they still have to
be received, repacked and reshipped. The time involved goes to overhead and thus the
final costs of merchandise. If a product needs service by a technician, that time
and any materials need to be paid for somehow; more overhead.
Deep discounts have to be paid for somehow: lack of selection, lack of quality, lack
of service. Ever see the line on beauty products that say the warranty is void if
not sold by a salon? That is because you may be buying something that is wrong for
you without the advice of a knowledgeable reseller.
Now we have the internet. Anyone with a computer can set up shop and sell anything
under the sun. The problem is you have no way of knowing which of these people
actually have any kind of knowledge of what they are selling. My mother used to
say that paper is flat and you could write anything you wanted on it, even lies.
Today’s paper is the web page.
This is where I finally segue into billiards. Many of you know that we have been
in the billiards service business for almost 20 years. About five years ago we
began to see a few pool tables being bought from both the warehouse stores and the
internet. Customers would call us to put them together. Many of these we refused
to work on. The tables were so poorly built that we would not take on the liability.
Others were complete knock downs that would take all day to put together and the
cost was so high that many customers would send them back. Then about 3 years ago
we began seeing the tables from the internet auction sites. Toss the dice…sometimes
they would come to the customer just fine but without any cloth. Other times the
customer received the table but it was the wrong style or the wrong size. We still
assemble these tables and it has just gotten worse. Bad hardware, bad finishes,
shipping damage, but the worst thing I have seen is that many of these so called
“power sellers” and the like have disappeared along with the lifetime warranties
they offered.
We also began retailing pool tables and accessories a few years ago and last year
moved to a full retail, bricks and mortar store. We hear the claims of internet
and warehouse prices all the time. We also see the buyers’ remorse after they talk
to us about details no one told them about up front. In order to defend our
business and our customers we started doing some more investigation. I want you
to be educated before you buy. If you have the facts and still want to buy this
way, fine. My experience, however, is that once people really weigh the pros and
cons they almost always end up buying from a billiards reseller who has expertise
in the field and can stand behind their product AND the installation.
THE TABLE
First, remember that buying a pool table is NOT like buying a kitchen table. If you
are buying what I call a REAL pool table; real slate, real rubber, real wood, then
it is going to be heavy. You are going to have a three piece slate which has to be
leveled and seamed. You are going to have very expensive cloth that needs to be put
on properly so that balls roll and bounce true.
BEWARE: Many internet tables are advertised as solid mahogany, cherry or
such. Most of them are not! This is where the knowledge of the seller comes in. We
know that most of these tables are imports from China, not necessarily a bad thing
but they are almost all made of maple or oak and STAINED a mahogany or cherry color.
Many of these sellers don’t know anything about wood, they are presuming or lying.
They may or may not be completely solid wood. What we have found is that one set of
specs for a site is being used to describe every table that seller has. Some of the
tables are solid wood and some of them are not.
To make matters worse, you can buy what appears to be the same exact table from
two different businesses and get two different quality levels. We found this out
first hand. A table offered on the internet appeared to be exactly the same as a
table we offered. Upon installing a couple for customers that had bought them on
an auction site, we found they had a lower quality, thinner slate; end rails that
did not come up high enough; mismatched wood with lots of filler and faulty
hardware. After asking our own supplier about this we found out that the same
manufacturer in China was building them under a separate contract for someone
else… a cheaper contract!
THE TRUE COST
No matter who you are buying from you need to know the actual costs. The table price,
the delivery price and the assembly price. Resellers like us will always have these
prices. They may break it out individually or they may have a combined price, but
you will be able to get the info up front. Many of the internet sellers, especially
auctions have these prices buried in the fine print or not at all. I have seen some
auctions that advertise “no shipping” but upon closer look they will have crating
charges or other charges tacked on. Warehouse stores and department stores may offer
inexpensive delivery but do not offer assembly. If they do…
BEWARE: We get many calls from these companies wanting us to bid on
assemblies. They always want the lowest bidder, not the best service. Many
people out there performing these services don’t have any experience with pool
table installation and are guessing. We recently reassembled a very expensive
table that a local “technician” put together for $350. He probably did $500 worth
of damage to the table and on top of that the client had to pay us close to $500
to fix what we could. YOUCH!
ACCESSORIES
Next cost, accessories. Every table needs balls, sticks, chalk etc. I can’t tell
you the number of internet sights that I have seen offering a “FREE ACCESSORY KIT
WORTH $500” or more. I say “NO WAY”. If you could tell what the quality of these
accessories were and then went to price them individually, you would be lucky if
you could come up with a fourth of that. Most of these cues are cheap ramin wood.
Two piece or not, they aren’t worth more than about $15 a piece. The chalk is the
cheapest on the market. The balls are soft polyester that will first loose the
cheap lacquer finish and then become scratched and marred in less than six months.
And who really wants a cheap thin plastic cover for their beautiful new table.
BEWARE: You don’t get anything for free. Look for cues that are made from
Canadian maple with leather tips, balls that are cast resin and polished like
Belgian Aramith and chalk that is fine textured like Masterchalk or Silvercup. If
the accessories are less than this, fine, but you will probably need to replace them
within six months. Bad cues with cheap chalk are responsible for a lot of rips
in cloth. Scratched up balls will wear the cloth much faster and don’t play
true.
WARRANTIES & SERVICE
Is there one? Most tables offer a limited lifetime warranty, even if they don’t
say “limited”. The warranty should cover at least the slate and the structure. Many
do not cover the rubber and most do not cover the pockets or cloth, these are
called consumables. However, a reputable dealer will offer a standard 90 day or so
guarantee that these will be free from manufacturers’ defects. Finally, the install,
this is usually up to whoever puts the table together whether it is the dealer or
an outside company. If there is a warranty, in effect, it will usually be limited to
cloth application and slate seams.
Here is where the types of companies split. Name brand tables have a company
besides your dealer who is enforcing the warranty, not that these are easy to get
honored without the dealer who wants to keep your business. “No Name Imports” also
have a manufacturer’s warranty, but these are between the dealer and the
manufacturer, so you have no one to go to but the dealer. It is one reason the
imports cost less. (I use the term imports here loosely, many of the so called
American tables are now manufactured, at least partially outside the US but they
have an American company here in the states that markets and labels them.) In the
end it is the dealer who is going to make that warranty work for you, look at the
fine print and ask if the dealer has his own guarantee that the product and service
will be honored.
BEWARE: Internet sites offer warranties too, but they say that you must ship
them the part at your expense. Then, if they deem that it is their fault they will
reimburse you and ship you the new part. Sometimes they say that they will
reimburse you for the expense of having a local tech disassemble and reassemble your
table but, as I said before, you have to ask yourself if they will even be around
after the sale!
That brings me back to where I started. When you are spending $2000.00 and up for
a decent table after you pay for the item, the delivery and the assembly, don’t
you want someone standing behind the product? The internet & auction sites have
people going in and out of business all the time. Often it is the same folks
“recreating” new businesses and avoiding their old customers’ complaints. One of
the biggest resellers of pool tables on the net a couple of years ago had it’s
site touting all the positive feed back it got and showed copies of articles written
about how wonderful they were. They are gone now and so are there warranties. In
the end it was nothing but a computer, a warehouse and a shipping clerk. No one
with actual billiards experience, no customer service. That’s bad.
At a warehouse or department store, you at least have the option of going back and
demanding a return or replacement if the product is not what you thought. Many of
them have very liberal return policies. That is good.
In my humble opinion, if you are even a little serious about having a nice pool
table that plays well, you will seek the advice and help of someone who knows
about pool tables. Someone who will help define the kind of table you need and
keep you from spending money on things you don’t need. Someone who will spare
you the embarrassment of bragging about the price you paid when the table plays
badly. Finally, someone who will be there when things go wrong. That is
the best!
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