Ideal Components:
Now that you have Skimmed through the Glossary, here’s what to look for:
Slate: A slate-playing surface is recognized and approved by the BCA as the only playing surface sanctioned for tournament play. Genuine quarried slate is extremely stable, durable and can resist temperature and humidity fluctuations when precisely honed and surfaced. It should be a dead flat playing surface providing you with that true roll. Look for manufacturers to give measurements that specify the level of precision. Some manufacturers use synthetic slate, so watch out for use of prefixed or suffixed slate words, i.e., perma-slate.
Slate thickness does affect the manufacturing cost of a table, but not the playability of your table if it is properly supported and installed. It is recommended that a minimum of ¾" thick slate be used. Tournament sanctioned tables use 1” slate per BCA regulation.
Pool table slate can come in 1 or 3 piece configurations. Coin operated Pool tables are usually 1 piece slate tables. The advantage of a 1 piece slate table would be that it is much easier to level for the average person. Most will come in 3 pieces as it is easier to transport.
Slate can come with or without a wood backing connected the underside of the slate. The BCA requires that slate have a wood backing for a table to be tournament ready. You can also staple the cloth to the sides of the wood backing in order to stretch the felt tightly. The alternative is gluing the felt to the slate on the outer edges of the slate. This can alter the playing surface of the table after being re-covered or moved.
Slate that does not have wood backing should sit on the frame of the table directly. Some pool tables will have a slate frame liner that is attached to the top of the frame of the table. The slate should line up directly on the liner and the felt can be stapled onto the liner itself. The biggest problem is that the shims that are used to level the table will separate the slate from the slate liner. Other cheap tables will have an MDF top, but can be of good quality too.
The slate should be fastened by screws into the frame or frame liner of the table. There may also be screws that line up down the middle of the table. This can help if the slate has any warp, but slate that is true will not need them. Professional pool table installers can also drill holes with carbide bits if they need to pull the slate down.
Cushions/or Bumpers: Look for the natural gum rubber content in the cushion to be in the range of 65% or higher. Cushions, such as the Pro-Am K-66, that have a 72% natural gum rubber content will provide years of accurate, consistent and lively table play. They allow for the best reaction of the pool balls and are less likely to dry rot over the years. The higher percentage of live gum rubber, the better and more consistent the rebound will be. K-66 cushions are required by the BCA for tournament pool play and have been thoroughly tested for accuracy and speed.
Live air space is another thing you should look for on a cushion. It is on the rear side of the cushion. It also helps control the accuracy and speed of the rebound. It gives the cushion the ability to breathe throughout and maintain its consistency. Without the pocket of air space, the cushions are more likely to harden over time because it cannot breathe. If you are buying a new table it’s more than likely equipped with the K-66 so there is no need to ask the salesperson about it.
Blind Rail: The blind rail gives a finished look to the top portion of the pool table. The blind rail receives a lot of abuse during table play. Players lean on it to make a shot and constantly bump the blind rail. The blind rails should be securely fastened to the side of the top rail. Ask how the blind rail is attached and what type of material is used.
Rails: A two-piece cross-laminated hardwood oversized rail design will give you a component that will resist cracking, cupping or warping. Look for MDF or other high-tech composites to be appearing in the market.
The sub rail or rail liner is a part of the rail that is not visible when the pool table is assembled. The sub rail attaches to the bottom of the visible top rail or rail cap. It is also where the rubber bumpers attach to the rail of the table. The sub rail also attaches to the slate when bolted down. You should look for a solid wood sub rail. Solid wood will give you the best support. You may see MDF or some other high-tech composite here as well.
The Rail Cap is the exposed top of the rail on the pool table. It should be made from solid hard wood so that it may resist the scratching and hitting of pool cues and balls. Some less expensive models will have veneer or laminate on the rails. Laminate can be a very durable substance to resist scratches.
Standard profile rails are a common type of rail found on pool tables. These rails usually have leather pockets that are exposed to the outside of the table. Most of these have rail caps that are about 4 3/4 inches.
Wide profile rails are a little wider than that of the standard profile rails. They measure around 6 inches wide, give you a larger area to place your bridging hand during play, and give the table a nicer look as it is a piece of furniture.
Commercial profile rails are usually made with a veneer or laminate. On the less expensive tables, there will be plastic pockets, which can actually last longer than leather.
Another critical part of the top rail is the hardware used to fasten the rail to the slate-playing surface. One fastening method is a rectangular floating nut plate embedded inside the rail. These nut plates, along with a 3/8" hex bolt and dome toothed washer, provide the ultimate downward torque and tensile strength, eliminating vibration.
Sights are the markers on the top side of the pool tables rails. While playing pool, many players use the sights for reference points for aiming bank shots. These sights do not structurally affect the play of the table, but are used for shooting, and provide aesthetic enhancements. Pool tables come with round or diamond sights. The diamonds should line up. This is where custom tables add their bling.
Frame Cabinet: It is worthwhile to look at how the table fits together when examining the frame cabinet of the table, The more rigid and sturdy the frame cabinet, the less chance the slate will shift or pop out of place therefore not be level. If the frame support system is designed and engineering properly, the frame wall thickness is not all that significant. The only reason for a thicker frame wall is to ensure that the table panel will not sag from all the weight.
An accurately designed frame construction should have interlocking center bracing and cross bracing anchored directly to the frame cabinet wall. Some manufacturers will support the interior bracing with scrap wood blocks. Although it costs more to manufacture, a combination of steel-timber connectors and/or special alloyed hardware anchored directly into the frame and bracing will give superior strength. This method unitizes the frame cabinet. Steel and/or other alloys will maintain its original shape and strength characteristics forever.
Cloth: will generally be a wool/nylon blend for the most pool tables. A quality cloth that is a blended 75% wool and 25% nylon 19 to 22 oz. fabric will give you excellent playability and durable wear. Some lower end pool tables will use a synthetic nylon such as Taclon® or Tadlon®. Tournament tables are covered with cloth of no less than 85% combed worsted wool and no more than 15% nylon. 100% combed worsted wool fabric is preferred.
Legs: You will find different methods used to fasten the legs to the corner brackets:
- T-nut design will have holes drilled into the top of the leg and inserting a plug with a T-nut on the bottom side of that plug. That plug is glued into the leg of the table and held into position with dowels to let the legs become bolted to the frame with bolts.
- Lag bolts will involve putting a wood screw into the leg with the end that is threaded protruding from the leg. The frame is fastened to the leg with a nut.
- Threaded inserts involve drilling a hole into the top portion of the leg of the table. An aluminum barrel is then inserted into the hole. The insert is screwed and glued in the opposite direction of the threaded bolts.
Quality pool tables will utilize a large heavy gauge 3/8" lag bolt or machine bolt with a heavy gauge fender washer. Rigidity is the key factor between the frame and the legs to eliminate movement. The larger the base, the more balanced the table will be and will evenly distribute the weight from the playing surface to the floor. Quality will dictate price and there are quite a few options out there.
Now you are armed with the basic knowledge to make your purchase. Sure, we could have covered information pertaining to the various wood or veneer finishes and styles of cabinets but you do not need us to tell you what your style or taste is ….
Knowing the manufacturer and retailer is another important aspect of your pool table purchase. Both should be experienced and reliable. Recreational room games should be their primary business. Make sure they are authorized dealers of the brand you ultimately select as this would be pertinent to any warranties attached to your purchase. Many retailers will have a particular product they feature. For example, here at Rec-Rooms.com , we feature Shelti Pool Tables which offers durably constructed tavern style tables for your home. We hope we have provided enough information so that you may make an educated, hassle free decision about your pool table purchase. Whether you choose a storefront or an online retailer you may need to think about taxes, shipping and delivery and set-up costs. In some case, you may not have to pay taxes or worry about the shipping if you do elect to purchase online. Delivery and set-up can be two separate services. Make sure to double measure your doors or other entry points available for delivery and set-up prior to making your purchase!
FUN FACTS
The word billiard is derived from the French word 'Bille" meaning ball, referring to a game involving ball and stick, and "art" meaning the art of playing the game. Exact historical accounts are very ambiguous, although the French have given new meaning and life to the game, refining, evolving and popularizing it, they cannot claim to have invented it. Billiards was played as an out door lawn game, resembling golf or croquet, in Northern Europe during the 1500 century.
The first actual evidence of billiards was found in the 1470 inventory of King Louis XI of France in the form of a billiard game board. However, lawn games were thought to have originated from bat and ball games played as early as the 1300 century. Historians are unsure about the reasons for the evolution of these games. Whether it was purely for entertainment or served some social or religious purpose in ancient times is still hotly debated among historians.
Billiards graduated to indoor games and became popular among aristocrats and commoners in France by the mid 1500's. Billiards a game of subtle physical deliverance, profound concentration and mental agility allowed fair play and equal footage to players of both sexes. By the mid 1600's, the table version similar to today's games appeared. The innovations of the cue, in the 1700's, lead to the disappearance of the mace that was initially used. Soon, billiards acquired its status as a scientific game with precisely designed equipment, manufacturing plants for tables, standardized rules, etc.
The leather cue tip initially designed by Captain Minguard for protection of the cue added a new dimension to the game. By 1850's, billiards spread to most of the world. In 1826, England's John Thurstion changed the wooden game board to slate. By 1797, new fabric replaced cotton or wool to improve smoothness and friction. Balls evolved from wood to ivory to the present Colloidal coated plastic form by 1869.
The first public pool hall was built in England during the end of the 18th century. The pool hall featured one billiard table with one pocket. The biggest pool hall in history was built in Detroit in the 1920s; it featured more than 100 tables in addition to an exhibition room attached to a 250-seats theatre hall.
The first world championship in sports history was the 1873 World Billiards Championship. William Cook won the title. John Roberts was the runner up.
The first woman Champion who won the World Billiard Champion title was actually a man. The woman billiard champion, who was known by the name of Frances Anderson and for outplaying (almost) every man and woman in both the American and European billiards world throughout the first centuries of the 20th century, came out as a man that was born under the name of Orie and created quite a stir on the 1920s billiards circle. |
