Monthly Archives: March 2013

Posted in News

Pool table dismantle from loft 2 floors up to new games room in garden in Leicestershire

pool downstairs loft

Today I have been over to Leicestershire to help the owner bring down a 6ft pool table from the top attic floor of his large victorian house noted here.  When I got there it was obvious that the table had been put up there before the bannisters had been put in.  I got my rubber mallet and gently tapped out the mortice joint to the top rail of the bannister and removed the rails.  The table could now be brought down the first section of stairs.  The next obstacle was a bend and another bannister rail to take out and mule post.
pool down 2nd railoff

Then there was still another staircase after this 2nd bannister and mule post removal.  Finally getting the table to ground floor, we then put the table on a set of piano wheels and took it around the house to an outbuilding which is the new Games Room. For reliable and better flooring you can go on https://charlottencflooring.com/ and see the kind of floor you want.

I think we have demonstrated that GCL Billiards will do whatever it takes to get the job done.   Where other firms would refuse to do this, we accepted the challenge.  The bannisters went back together easily and now just require a rebated screw and a button to hide this to fix the top rail secure.  Then no one will ever know that it was removed in the first place.  The second mule post will have to be re-glued back in and the rails fixed back.  The owner of the house is doing this.

Below is a photo of the table after a re-cover in Strachan cloth in its new games room.
.pool table down in new room

Posted in News

Set up Orme and Son’s and refit cushions to new slate in Lincolnshire

Today we went back to Lincolnshire to finish off a table that I started to set up 2 weeks ago.  The problem that stopped me completing the job on the first visit, was that the wrong slates had been delivered by another firm for this Orme table.  But the slates that were supplied are one of the best for trueness that I have ever seen, so a very good set of 2 inch slates were used.  The problem when doing this to a table is it can result in the cushion bolt holes not aligning with the slate that was supplied.
Wragby Orme table finnished

The end cushions did however align up, it was just the 4 side cushions that were out of alignment.  What had to be done is a two part job to get the cushions to fit this table.  Because we are very busy at the moment, we could not find time to re-plug all the holes up on the cushions for our client in the month of March.  In fact we are fully booked until mid-April.  I could only find one date to fit it in, so the owner agreed that he would do the re-plugging and at a later date I return to redrill out and finish fitting of the table ready for play.
Wragby orme bolt hole alignments
Look how far out those bolt holes were!  The owner replugged the holes using large and small dowls glued in and touched up with stain.  I have bought some solid hardwood panels to cover the bolts and the original buttons will be put on these to match in by the owner.  I also replaced every bolt with modern hex head bolts to get the cushions nice and tight up against the slate and this has improved the rebound value of the cushions.

The owner is sending the invoice to the supplier of this table to get the money repaid that it has cost to put right on this second visit and rightly so too.  A lesson for anyone thinking of buying a table, if it is in pieces you will not know if it fits back together.  If it is in a warehouse with other tables, have the slates or wood work got mixed up with other table parts?  Has the supplier been using spare parts from a table to make another right?

It is always best to buy a table that is already up and running and then get a firm in to dismantle load and transport.  That way you can test the table before you buy, things like rubber rebound, the way the pocket openings are cut, the trueness of the slates.

GCL Billiards can also inspect a table before purchase to make sure everything is ok.  Any defects reported and a guide price to the table can also be supplied.
Wragby orme leg style circa 1899

The table is an old Orme and sons circa 1899.  I think the slates came from a Burroughs and Watts table, they are very good level slates.

wragby orme end plate IVORY
The old ivory name badge which states Established 1845.  The inclusion of the Prince of Wales dates the table late victorian circa I think 1899/90.
Wragby table perfect slates
VERY LEVEL SLATES.  In over 37 years billiard fitting it is only now and again that I come across slates as good as these, but then again they knew how to make quality slates in Wales.  2 inches thick and 1 ton in weight for all 5 pieces.

Posted in News

GCL Billiards and snooker are very busy in Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire, Derby and Leicester

What a very busy month March has been for snooker and pool table work and April looks like being the same as orders are coming in for even more work. Starting off in march we went to London. We have then been to the East coast Linconshire, also Lincoln, Wragby, Bardney, Leicester, Nottingham, Stapleford, Beeston, Mansfield, Newark, then over near Melton Mowbray, back to leicester, then to Hinkley and Nuneaton and we now have some work in Derbyshire at Barton on trent, plus possible work back towards the East coast again.

We are solid right upto the 12th of April and just starting to fill the rest of April in. Although we are very busy, the workload is not going to make us rush jobs in order to make extra money. When I started GCL Billiards it was with the determination to take our time with clients tables and make sure we do a good job. Most of our work is by recommendation and Geoff has been in this trade nearly 40 years. We are now picking up some nice work for large organisations. Repeat work is also coming back to us, but we do not intend to get any larger as an organisation, prefering to offer good quality service and materials and also good value for money is our aim.

Together with our pool table hire business we are doing very nicely, slowly but surely we will get to a point where we will have to turn custom away rather than spoil a good reputation by doing speed work to increase profit. But that is a long way off yet. If you have a cue sports table that requires work, then please get in touch with GCL Billiards on email c.large@btinternet.com

Wragby table perfect slates
Wragby, a very good level set of Welsh slate

pool 6ft before
The sort of job I am called out to do on a pool table, they really let loose on this table in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire

pool 6ft after
The table after a re-cover

stapleford recover door
Another full size re-cover in 6811 Tournament cloth, with new leathers fitted in Stapleford, Nottinghamshire

pool 7ft jaques
A Jaques home play pool table

Posted in News

Pool tables really looked after in this venue in Nottingham, recovered using 6811 Strachan cloth 2 to 3 times a year!

com 6811 used on these .

I was in this venue recovering these two tables only 5 months ago, so to get a call back to re-cover the tables again in 6811 Strachan cloth really means this venue likes to keep both of its pool tables looking the best.  The Landlord was holding a pool final night this Thursday so decided to have the tables done a little earlier than the normal 6 months for winter and summer league starts.
com 6811 transfer on cloth
On the last recover he had 777 Strachan fitted, this time he wanted to upgrade to Strachan 6811 grade cloth.  It is a much finer playing surface than the 777.  Where the 777 scores highly on durability, the ball rolls a little slower on this thicker cloth.  The 6811 is well known in the trade as the bench mark for good speed, playabilty and wear, using all wool construction.  Unlike other makes of mixed fibre cloth when ironed you will not get black marks on the base plate of the iron where the man made fibres of the mixed fibre cloth will melt onto the iron.
com perfect 0.0 for level
Again we strive to get the pool tables to the 0.0 level indicator on the digital level.  At 0.1 it would be just the thickness of a £20 note out of level.  Just look at the very short nap of the 6811, it really is one of the best cloths you can buy and probably the best cloth for a pool table at league standard.
com perfect level 0.0 end
If you require your pool table to be maintained to this quality, then give Geoff a call at GCL Billiards or email.  We also clean out the inside of the table, washing down ball runs and the flip out side of the door.  The build up of sweat, grease and dust from the cloth and chalk results in ball jams.  This may result in players picking the table up to jolt the balls free by dropping it back on the floor damaging the feet and legs and in some cases even breaking the slate.  A cleaned out inside of the table will prevent the players from doing this as no balls will jam and run smoothly on nice clean internal rail system.

Poorly maintained tables do not attract players, in fact you will find players will start to play at other pubs where they look after the tables, such as the one here.  Five months ago new rubber was fitted to these tables and that new rubber is now at its peak of rebound value.  As new rubber has to be bruised in to this state of play, it will take around 3 months of use to get those new rubbers bouncing to their full value.

The previous people who maintained the tables, used to swop the cushions over and take the new ones away.  This resulted in the first year, that these tables where put in new (2007), that they lost their brand new cushions and second hand cushions maybe over 5, 6 or even 12 years old where fitted.  They were a right mess, some were hard others soft, some both.

At GCL Billiards we always re-cover the cushions on site putting the original cushions back on the table.  We only change over if the cushions are dead like the last lot 5 months ago.  These cushions will be good for at least 6 years, maybe more, it all depends on heat on the rubber from sunlight through a window etc.

I have seen where the sun shines through onto a rubber on a side cushion 2/3rds up the cushion go rock hard, yet the other third is still bouncy.  This normally happens to the red coloured rubber.  There is a pigment in the red rubber that makes it go hard if warm sunlight shines onto it.  This red rubber is not used by Supreme anymore, but is still available to buy.  Please avoid using this, only fit black rubber of good quality.

I use two sorts of black rubber when I replace the rubbers on a pool table, standard good quality black rubber which is ok for 6 to 10 years and Northern rubber which may exceed 25 years of use.  The black rubber will not get affected by sunlight as much as the red rubber.

I always advise that when ironing, not to let the iron touch the cushions.  This will also shorten the lifespan of the rubber.

Black v red rubber
Posted in News

Fitting Northern Rubber to pool table cushions, fitting the best in Lincolnshire

Northern rubbered Pool cushions

This week I have been re-rubbering a set of winner supreme pool table cushions, ready to fit to a table in Bardney in Lincolnshire.  The client was very specific that he wanted this high quality rubber fitted.  I have two types of rubber that I fit to pool tables, one is standard black rubber and the other is this high quality (as fitted to full size snooker tables on TV) Northern Rubber.  This rubber is the best you can buy and is made in Retford, Nottinghamshire.  The rubber itself is much more expensive and I have to buy a full set of snooker rubbers to cut down.  Luckily for me I can get two sets out of each set of rubbers.

Northern rubbered raised lettering

As you can see from the above photo, there is raised lettering under the nose of the rubber.  This is your guarantee that I have used the best rubber you can buy.  Because I have to cut the rubber lengths in half, the top painted print stamp is also cut, so you will not see this on pool cushions as you would see in the centre of a 6 ft long snooker cushion rubber.

This set being dated October 2012, as can be seen from the cut off ends in the top photo.

Northern rubbered the stamp 2012

The above photo shows the rubber before I cut it in half for pool tables.  The red rubber in the background is well known for going hard within a few years from new.  It is not being used anymore by Supreme, they now use black rubber.  The dye in the red rubber was the main thing that made the rubber go rock hard, that and the warm sunlight shining through a window or warmth of the room.  The black rubber is much better and Northern Rubber should be good for at least 20 years.

Northern rubber the old stiff rubber

The last photo shows just how hard the rubber had gone, note the black Northern Rubber has just drooped down from my hand where as the red rubber (which you can see is also starting to crumble and crack) is like a stiff pole.  The ball hitting this would just die and not rebound.

The cost for standard black rubber to be fitted by GCL BILLIARDS at the same time as a re-cover is just £100.  fitting new factory supplied cushions complete but not Northern rubber is £120 exchange if good wood or £140 if old cushion are no good  ,  The cost of best quality Northern Rubber is much higher and so the cost is £165 if fitted at same time as a re-cover.  Both re-rubber prices are exchange price, we take your old cushions to refurbish with new rubber if they are suitable , if not suitable allow £20 extra  .  Once the new rubber has been fitted and pocket openings shaped, you will have your pool table back to performing as if it was a brand new table.

prices correct at time of posting but may vary if materials and costs increase

Please make sure that if you have any other firm in for re-covering, they do not exchange your cushions on a re-cover.  You will probably end up with dead cushions and your nice newly rubbered cushions will be sold on as a replacement set.  I have seen this done many times.

At GCL Billiards, the only time we swop cushions over is when they are being replaced with a new or re-rubbered set.  Don’t get caught out, we always stamp any cushions we re-rubber with a GCL Billiards stamp.

Posted in Sold

Thurston full size snooker table for sale in West Sussex

Another full size snooker table for sale, this time in West Sussex.  Please contact the owner direct, Bruce Allamn, tel: 07939 138539.  Estimated value between £500 and £1000, buyer to discuss offers with seller direct.

If you want a quote for the dismantle and set up please contact GCL Billiards by email to c.large@btinternet.com giving full details of move, ground floor to ground floor and distance to be moved etc. for an accurate quote.

The polished woodwork looks in very good condition from the photos and all the tackle seems to be there.  It may require a re-rubber and a re-cover, if so GCL Billiards can quote for this.
Thurston 1
Thurston 2

Posted in News

Two Recovers of snooker tables in Nottinghamshire and what a mess they were in!

SC Tables before recovers
For the past two days I have been to a local club that has two tables.  The first table is used by a local snooker team who had moved to the club from another club.  They were not happy with the table so decided to self fund a recover out of their own pockets.  The club then decided to have the other table done at the same time.

What a mess they turned out to be, the cushions were falling apart, they really need two new sets of cushions and pocket plates fitted, but at this moment in time they just wanted me to recover them and try to make them playable for the next two years at least.  They pointed out the sagging pocket plates on both tables, which turned out to be a very poor maintenance by the last two firms who worked on them.

They should have made good the woodwork, by filling in the crumbling wood around the pocket plate holes and lugs.  The pockets then would have kept their shape and not been loose.  But this was not the only poor job they did, the cushion cloth retaining slips were all nailed and stapled  in, on some cushions every 2 inches.  This is very bad practice, as the time it took them to nail the loose slips in, would have took the same time to plane down new tight fitting slips.  So yes you could say cowboy for this job when it was last done.

Here are a few photos of the crumbling woodwork and bad attempt of trying to pack those pocket plate holes up.

Nailed in slips?  A message to the last fitter if he reads my blog, they are called slips because they are meant to slip out, not be nailed in!  One set took me 2 hours just to strip the cloth off them.  When these so called fitters nail in slips they can do a lot of damage to the wood blocks that the rubber sits on.  One of the problems after time would be loose blocks, as the nails split the block away from the cushion body.
SC nailed in slips on stripdown
Below: What a mess.  Look at the holes and you will see where the last fitter tried to pack the pocket plate pin lugs up with cardboard
when all he had to do was refill the hole and drill new holes.

SC what a mess pocket plate holes
Below: A photo of the other set of cushions.  The tacks over the years have really nibbled away at the wood.  This is why we now use thin staples for attaching the cloth.  Believe it or not I have seen worse than this on other tables.  Also note the ragged knife marks in the undercut of the rubber angle.  If you have read my previous posts on how to undercut rubber, then you will see this is not good.

SC w2hata mess cushion rot
Below: The repaired cushion end.  The large hole has been filled using a simple car body filler and then sanded and drilled for the twin lug pocket plates.  It took me about 1 hour to fill all ends and redrill.

SC pocket plate holes after filling
Below: A photo of the refixed and level plus tight fitting pocket plate, which should now last until the next time it is recovered.  I have asked them to think about new cushions next time, as I think rerubbering these cushions is a waste of time effort and money.

SC pocket plate now fixed and tight
Below: Both tables after recovering.  The far table also had new nets and leathers fitted.  What should have taken me 5 to 6 hours per table, turned out to be 8 to 9 hours per table.  I lay the blame for this on the last fitter, very bad workmanship, no effort to try and improve those sagging pocket plates and nailing in all the slips which I replaced all 6 on both tables.

SC both tables after recovering in 6811T

Below the level is just 0.1 out and thats the thickness of a £20 note as the next photo shows
SC table 0.1 out of level

Sc table 0.0 with £20 note under

And finaly LEVEL ! The engineering bubble level is very accurtate , but The digital level gives me that bit more information that the eye cannot see .
at the end of the Day the thickness of a £20 note on napped cloth is not going to effect the ball , so as long as I can get the table within 0.1 then I am happy
I include leveling as part of the recover . also cleaning of the slate for compacted slate dust especialy under the end cushions and on the spots .
SC tables 0.0 for level

Posted in News

Local snooker players playing snooker in more than 70 clubs for Charity

Two amateur snooker players have pledged to play a frame in more than 70 social clubs around the county in a bid to raise money for a children’s charity.

Jon Sully and Steve Burrows, both members of Nottingham Billiards and Snooker Association, aim to raise at least £1,000 for When You Wish Upon A Star by the end of the year.

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