Category Archives: News

We have a another new local site we are supplying  a Brand New 7ft  coin operated Supreme winner installed this Saturday .

I was called out to try and rectify a warped slate on a table which was heavily packed underneath the slate with Beer mats by the previous fitter in an attempt to level it ., and after explaining the cost of S/H and new tables my client became interested in Renting a Brand New table as their current table was over 10 years old and showing it’s age .

a typical bodge is to pack under slate with beer mats , I have a much better way of rectifying dipped slates .
We went through what a second hand one would cost or a Brand New one , then I explained about our Rental offers which include two re-covers a year at Winter and summer league starts  and new set of balls and cues and chalk every year .
They will now pay  a rental of £18.50p or £80 per month and every bit of maintenance is included including a re-cover every 6 months in better quality Strachan 6811 cloth .
They where paying £400 a year for two re-covers from the other firm and still playing on table that was showing it’s age at over 10 years old .
the pool team had started to moan about the table .
The Rental Supreme Winner in Black pearl table would be brand new latest edition  , I also explained that after taking into account what he was paying another firm for his table to be recovered twice a year in Club cloth , We would re-cover in a better quality Strachan 6811 tournament cloth  and a new set of balls and full maintenance of coin operation , nothing to pay extra after taking into account putting it against their tax bill as an expense to the business and the tax relief it was easy to see the deal suited them .
I suggested they advertise their table which had only just been re-covered , Which I believe they sold very quickly , and have now arranged for the New table to be installed this Saturday .

Two of our Rental supreme winners in Black pearl  tables that where installed at a local Stapleford pub .

there are a few differences from an old table that have been improved upon on the latest models , for example the slotted new ball rails means less of jump back out of pocket falls that you used to get with the old ball rails .

an older type ball rail of the Supreme winner , it is possible to have new rails fitted to old tables though .

also the latest editions have solid cast metal chrome corners , you can tell the difference from the older plastic chrome corners this metal one has raised lettering .
and thinner slimmer alloy trim behind the cushions .

The older plastic ones eventually lose the chrome plating and you can see the Supreme writing is sunken into the plastic and has no raised letters .
you may notice that the old ones can sometimes have black plastic trims just behind the cushions which break easy and the table always looks a mess , the later ones have alloy trims .
My client was very lucky that I had a spare Brand new one in stock , there is a 6 to 8 week waiting time for new tables to come out of the Factory , my next batch are due in on 31st of August .
I buy my Supreme winner 7ft coin op tables in pairs and they normally get installed within a few weeks of coming into stock as rental tables .
we are expanding our local sites as we go along steady and slowly increasing our superb two re-cover rental solution to pub landlords .
the word is getting out around the local pubs and clubs and we have new clients monthly inquiring about our pool table rental terms .
At GCL billiards we are a Maintenance company for Full size snooker table / American Pool tables / and UK pool tables .
I am aiming to set a limit on the amount of Rental tables we can operate along side our Cue sports table repair business .

We are slowly getting towards just over half way to our target of 40 local tables out on rental contracts .
May I point point out we are fully cue sports maintenance only table fitters , and do not operate gaming machines or football tables , therefore you have our 100% concentration on maintaining your Pool table and not sidelined to repair other types of amusement machines .
You have to ask yourself when looking for a pool table rental company , Would you want a one arm bandit mechanic to work on your pool or snooker table or a fully qualified time served Billiards fitter with over 40 years experience maintain it ?

our standards are that much better than the one arm Bandit fitter .

We are very busy for the next 6 weeks pulling in all the work that has been booked in
I have some days left in August to fill in .
Never been so busy .

local work

every type and make of table booked in

including Butlins Skegness.

and the odd small table .

and some of my own rental stock to re-cover on the pool table side of the business .

the odd table relocated .

From Stately mansions

and even Grander Mansions

to the odd club house on Caravan Park .

we may be booked out for the next few weeks but we are worth waiting for as this table above shows
above the finished table
from this when I arrived below photo .

We are closing for two weeks back the 20th of June for phone and emails to start coming in again
please do not email or phone message during the next two weeks no one will answer .
I am not taking my phone or lap top or tablet with me …..BLISS …..I NEED A BREAK !

enjoy the Elections Saga , I’m out of the country and already voted by post .

now and again I get small tables to re-cover , not my favorite type of tables to re-cover
but you take the rough with the smooth and pull one in n ow and again .
I would much prefer to work on sectional slate bed tables above 8ft size than tables of 5ft /6ft and 7ft type and even some 8fts made the same way .
So this table I took on and found a few problems that I have come across before ina  modern Dining table with one piece slate bed .

First of all the strip down , bed cloth off and cushions stripped for re-covering
These small tables are wood screwed on cushions , believe it or not I came a cross a 10ft made the same way the other week !
it is OK for small tables like this to be wood screwed , but table’s above 7ft and maybe some 8ft should all be sectional slate bed and bolted into slate bed bolts for the cushions fixings .you get a much better bounce with proper bolted into slate bed cushion bolts .

on Snooker tables there should be a rebated slot on the rear of the wood block that joins the wood polished surround of the cushion to trap the cushion cloth in
on this table it had screwed on blocks over the cushion cloth which was stapled behind the block for fixing .

a photo of a proper slip fitted cloth , note the thin slip of wood fixing the back edge of the cloth to the cushion .

The slate bed had a few streaks of Marbling , this is natural marble vein going through the slate sediment before it was crushed and formed many millions of years ago .
this slate is Italian and the table was made the 1990s /2000.
it is estimated that welsh slate was formed 400 million years ago . and it is not uncommon to find minute sea creature fossils trapped in the slate when an old billiard table two inch slate is broken

I managed to re-cover the screwed on cushion blocks and cushions because they did not do the trick of putting the rubber on over the screws , I have had a few of these tables to do in the past
it is pot luck if the person screwed the cushions on under the rubber or below it .
if the rubber was over the screws then i would have had to take the whole set of rubbers off and refasten the rubber .

The Original cloth was not in bad condition when comparing it to other tables I have recovered , but my client was not happy with the low quality thick fluffyness of the cloth
and required nice fast short napped Strachan 6811 29 oz cloth , this was the last piece of 29 oz I had in stock .
and only enough for a 6ft bed and cushions .

I will not disclose who I did this work for as it is unfair to start finding faults on their table and saying where it is .
but I like to inform people who may be looking for a dining table and to see the pitfalls of buying one that has not quite been made correct .
My client knows about these faults as I pointed out what could have been better made to him during strip down and re-cover and leveling .
my client actually inherited the table with the House so it cost him nothing but wanted it playing better .
He knows if he wished to upgrade to a proper made Riley Diner table what to now look out for .

a few things that would have made this table much better .

1)….Slip rebates in cushions so it could be re-covered with ease .
2)… Anti Bow beams under the slate bed to stop the slate bowing in the middle
3)… Large penny washers for the cushions screws
4)… higher quality bag nets .

the above table is a copy of the original Riley Dining dual height lifter tables like this one showing the Anti bow beams and lifters which they should have incorporated into their effort of a dining table . .

the modern Riley table is made like this now

I prefer the old type and especially the barley twist leg designed one

A very nice one I renovated in Lincolnshire recently

the same table with it’s solid oak table tops on .
some tables have a differnat type of anti bow mechanism , like this Burroughs and watts anti bow adjustable threaded bar version .
a simple device of wood beam across the middle a bar stretched under and threaded at each end fixed by bracket and adjusted with nuts lifts the center of the table up if it is sagging .

WE are closing the emails contact system and the phones down including texts and mobiles for just over two weeks while we are away on Holiday .
we have many bookings taken for work booked in for when we get back , so please expect a 4 to 5 weeks time slot before we can arrange to book anymore work in from June the 20th
by 4 to 5 weeks I mean it is into the last week of July and beginning of August for our next free time slots .

We are off to Lanzerote for a well earned two weeks in the SUN .
My Daughter and the Dogs will be holding the fort while we are away , but she will not be answering emails or telephone calls while we are away .
My decision to take no phones with me is so that I can have a well earned two weeks rest without the worry of when I can fit you in and time working out what materials I need to get in  , or miles to travel between job’s when I should really be taking a well earned break from all that .
so if you want me contact me after JUNE 20th PLEASE ….it will be bad news if you want me quick I’m afraid we are that popular now people know who we are and what we do , but contact me after the 20th and I will see if I can fit you in somehow .
maybe  a Saturday if local .

so just a few more working days then we are  off on holiday , our first big break of the year and well earned as my muscles and back have been tested this year .
as I get older my back legs knees and arms and wrists take the damage of lifting heavy slates and tables and stretching cloth .
so going to relax and take in few Bars and restaurants while I am away and not think of Work .

I have been trying to replenish my stock of Strachan lightweight cloth ,  I was informed  it was around the 29 oz weight a slightly closer shaved finer napped cloth of the standard 30 oz version for a quicker speed of ball over the bed cloth .
but it looks like they have stopped production of it for the time being .
I normally  only fit 30 oz weighted 6811 tournament Strachan cloth as my most supplied and fitted cloth , but was introduced to the lighter weight cloth last year by Peradon my UK stockist when they where short of the 30 oz stock as an alternative , and I had some very good feedback on this weight of cloth , which was supplied extra wide for some reason ?
I decided to try it out at a club in the West Midlands area .

as you can read about here http://gclbilliards.com/bloxwich-near-birmingham-and-walsall-in-the-west-midlands-two-full-size-snooker-table-recovered-in-29-oz-lightweight-6811-tournament-strachan-all-wool-fine-napped-cloth/

Enough for me to start recommending it to my clients with the slightly thicker 30 oz cloth fitted to the cushions .
I used my last two bed cloths this week in Sleaford Lincolnshire , and tried to get some more in for a job I have on next week that I promised to recover in this lightweight cloth .
I was told it is unavailable from the mills ?
I had the unfortunate experience of phoning my client today and informing him that I could not get the lighter weight cloth anymore , he was not pleased as he has been waiting 7 weeks for me to become available for next week , he declined the 30 oz cloth , and I only stock the No 10 match cloth to order due to it being much more expensive .
so it looks like I have either lost one of my clients or we may be able to rearrange another day for a re-cover in a match cloth at an increased price due to it being an expensive cloth to buy , or fit Hainsworth match also an expensive cloth  before my Holiday in two weeks time .
Some times things are beyond my control .
I do not manufacture the cloth and I am in the hands of my supplier , I always keep a good stock of the Strachan 6811 Tournament 30 oz in stock and also have a stand by wholesaler if Peradon cannot supply , sadly neither can supply me with the 29 oz lightweight version for next Monday .
I was phoning around right up to Saturday morning trying to find a 29 oz lightweight bed cloth but to no avail .

***** 22nd June 2017 ***** Follow up I have made contact direct with WSP Textiles this morning who manufacture the Strachan cloth in Stroud in the west country .
and the good news is they have sorted the manufacturing issues of the 29 oz cloth and have started production back up ,Hopefully by Mid June production will have caught up to demand .
and once back from my holidays I can get it into stock again .
LESSON LEARNT ….BUY EXTRA STOCK .