Category Archives: News

I have been over to Northampton again to visit Coopers snooker club
My instructions where to re-cover the match table with Strachan 6811 30 oz all wool cloth

The main reason for the re-cover was that the cushions where splitting , this was caused by two things
Sharp angle of undercut from a previous fitter , which is only rectified with a new set of rubbers and cut to modern undercut  with flat face all the way into the back angle of the pocket
all sharp rubber to be sanded to remove sharp edge .


The above photo’s of the way I undercut and finish the sharp edges of rubber off , before I recover the cushions
the other reason for splitting cushion cloth  was the iron has also been rubbing against the cushion cloth , this has now been rectified with instructions to all who iron the tables to be 1/8th of an inch away from the cushion when using an iron  .

the finished table , new Strachan 6811 tournament cloth fitted and checked for level .
I was also asked to re-cover three cushions on two other tables that had split cushions and one with cloth coming out of slip
and also to level an american pool table frame put the slates on level and fill slate joints , and  re-fit the old bed cloth back on and re-spot .
I am now suffering as I tweaked my back lifting the slates onto this american pool table , and I have now taken the next day off before the weekend to rest it , and rearranged that working day for later in the month .
I have a full size Snooker table to dismantle transport and install next week in Scotland , so the rest is necessary .

the type of slates that damaged my Back , not thick or heavy like a full size snooker table , but I had to lift these up from the floor and this is where the damage was caused
I normally lift off a piano trolley and pivot the weight not actually lift it .
A three to four day rest is going to give it time to repair itself though and I will be ready for Scotland next Tuesday and Wednesday for a dismantle transport and install of a full size snooker table
that was actually a Free table that was advertised on my web site

Nest week we have this full size to dismantle and deliver in Scotland which was advertised for Free .
from ground floor bungalow to upstairs above a Garage , with the help of an extending beam  fork lift for the slates !

Something like this

Today I have been over to a members club in Bloxwich close to Walsall and Birmingham
the Members club have  a very nice upstairs room with 3 period pre 1900 snooker Tables
these tables had been totally renovated with new cushions and pocket plates in 2008

The far table was my first to be worked on , this table had thin slates and I would say was circa 1890
I stripped down the cushions and payed close attention to the sharp woodwork that was causing split cloth on the center pockets where balls where impacting as they went down the slate fall
I filed and rasped the sharp edge off and sanded the wood too , I stuck two pieces of tape on top of this filed and sanded wood angle  before I re-covered the cushions , the cloth will now last far longer before a split appears .

although the slate joints where not too bad , I did improve them by surface filling with easy sand car body filler to make a much better blend of joint .
I also checked the level and found it to be good on this table

The table has just been finished and tomorrow I will also re-cover the table furthest away from this one

the balls being set up for play , I re-covered this table in the new light weight Strachan 6811 29 oz cloth
I did panic a bit when I unwrapped the cloth as the supplier had only put 4 cushion strips in the pack , a quick phone call informed me that this new 29 oz 6811 tournament cloth came 6 inches wider than normal
and that the other 2 cushion strips had to be taken off the side of the bed cloth to make up the 6 required for the re-cover
The new cloth went on very well , I found it easy to stretch , and that it had a finer shaved closer nap than the 30 oz that I normally use .
I am awaiting feed back from this re-cover from the players before I could recommend , but it all looks good for fitting it .
I will add further photo’s later of the 2nd re-cover .

the second table, both tables had some sharp edges to the end of the cushions , these where being caught as the ball went down the center pocket
and with hard ball and sharp wood the result was splitting cloth .

I sanded the sharp edges to the cushions with a file and sand paper , this rounded the sharp edge away and the cloth will now not split at this point in the future
I always look out for this on cushions , especially on replacement cushions as all three tables had been upgraded with Brand new modern cushions in 2008 .

the Strachan 6811 29 0z light weight Tournament (new for 2015) is extra wide and you have to take two cushion strips off the side edge .

the 2nd table I re-covered was a an old Roberts table circa 1880’s / 90’s  with octagonal legs and had three munting slate supports in each of the three sections ,
the other two tables have two muntins per section
in fact all the three tables in this room  are very old pre 1895  Billiard tables which would have had finger brass top pocket plates on , they have very thin just over an inch slate thickness ,
I think these tables where chosen because the snooker room is upstairs and the slate would have been half the weight of 2 inch thick welsh slates of the day .
the Padmore table at the other end of the room , I can date the start date of Padmore’s to around 1830 when they moved from London to Birmingham
This firm still lives on today , under the Thurston Umbrella of companies of Padmore / Clare/ & Thurston brought together by Clare’s of Liverpool and now based in Liverpool
Based on leg design I would say the center table is the oldest table in this room but the other two tables are within a few years of it

On this visit the Centre table which does not get as much use as the two outside tables did not require any work but the level was checked
This club is called St Johns Snooker club and is based in Bloxwich and they are looking to increase their membership

 

here is a link to the face book page https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.699270330122868.1073741842.442976969085540&type=3

but if you live in the area or close by then I can highly recommend this club please contact Keith for membership details on 0775 696 4101
they are based on Victoria Avenue Bloxwich WS3 3HS
*Please note the Club is none alcohol as it is in an annex of the Main St Johns church , but that is a good thing for serious snooker players , there are a few century break members at this club

 

 

August 18th 2015  we have just had an update feedback on the thinner 29 oz cloth we used on these two tables

Players feedback as follows on the 29 oz Strachan 6811 tournament cloth

Mick Faulkner  = cloths are superb fast and accurate control on screw shots top class job

Steve Barton  = Knocked in an 88 Break on 1st session on cloths very very nice lovely and fast nothing at all to criticize  , They are just perfect

Riley Parsons  = Sensational ! they are just perfect for knocking in yet more 100 breaks

Jack Harris  = They are the best tables I have ever played on

Mark Thomas ,  = Perfect can’t fault them in anyway

Stuart Langford  = Best I have ever played on

Keith Myatt = even for me , the 2 new cloths are far more reactive than the 30 oz table and very very fast .
Playing on 30 oz is no longer enjoyable .
Everyone wants to play on the 2 tables with the 29 oz clothed tables .

the two juniors Jack and Riley , have now transferred from Ladywood SC to St Johns SC so that they can play on these 29 0z cloths.
They have  both been selected to play for ENGLAND U18s and have both already had 3 or 4 centuries each on the new cloths .
As you can see , these tables are perfect and fitted the same.
Assuring GCL Billiards and Geoff of our Business in the future and looking forward to seeing you when the cloths are due their 12 month re-stretching of bed cloths
Kindest regards and thanks for your attention to detail and being a perfectionist like myself.

Keith Myatt ( Secretary St Johns SC )

 

 

 

We visited Sawley near long Eaton to re-cover a 7×4 supreme winner pool table

we have a regular agreement with the land lord to re-cover this table every 6 months , photo above with cloth stripped off slate and cushions

The finished table re-clothed in Strachan all wool fine napped 6811 Pool Cloth
inside of table also had a good clean out and ball rails washed down also side door and ball flip out tray and coin mech serviced

I have worked at the Kirby Cross snooker club on and off  for near on 40 years , and in that time for at least three maybe four different owners
they did try out a different firm on the last re-cover but have returned to Geoff  Large who now has his own firm  GCL billiards for this water Damaged table caused by a burst pipe from the upstairs flat .
Rachel Phoned me in the week and asked for a quote and if I had any time ASAP , I am fully booked out for work for all of August so I agreed to come in on Saturday to do this work as it was the only free  time I had .
I would really like to tie in most local club’s as possible to Me , I am based in Long Eaton at Junction 25 of the M1 and this club is just off junction 27 of the M1, so we are under 30 mins away 
the table in question is an old George Wright circa 1910 , with very large bulbous reeded legs , as you can see at one time they had 5 or 6 tables in this room and the other tables are stored underneath these two .
that’s around three ton of slate , two sets under and one on top , the floor has been well supported underneath !

I spent a good 4.5 hours in recovering this table , I paid attention to the slate joints as I could see they where out of true and had been filled very badly with soft filler which was coming out of the joints
I checked table for level and filled the joints with soft sand car body filler , this made a very good improvement , balls will now glide over the joints without jumping or rolling off .
I also replaced one net Free of charge on this table .

after I had finished I tested the cushion bounce  , although not as lively as some tables there is a few years life left in them , I got a 7 cushion rebound by throwing the ball around the cushions at an angle and 4 runs up and down ,
this will increase to 4.5 runs once the cloth has been worn in a little and the new cloth on the cushions are not pinching the rubber tight as the cloth slackens off in the two weeks to a month, then the rebound will increase .
all tables that have been freshly re-covered will have tight cloth over the rubber , this will restrict the rebound value for a couple of weeks .
Ex professional Gary Wilkinson still has a knock around in this club . it was the club he learnt how to play the game in as a youngster in the 1980’s .
Both tables that are left have had at sometime a replacement set of cushions with BCE extra bow pocket plates fitted , the tables cushions are not steel cushions as used by professionals , but they are pretty good for standard wooden cushions .
If they require new rubber going forward then maybe on the next re-cover ? but for now i think they will be OK .

I have been over to Northampton for the past 4 days
The first two days I had 7 pool tables to re-cover at coopers in Northampton
Two in the main bar that are used for Matches in 6811 tournament 30 oz Strachan all wool cloth
and 5 in the side pool room in 6811 Strachan club cloth

the first two tables at Cooper in Northampton being stripped down

The ball rails where showing a lot of muck had collected and where overdue a good clean out .

A close up of what that muck really is , look at the edge of the rail where the ball makes contact and you can just see the formation of greasy wax build up , a combination of sweat off the players hands and dust
over the years if this build up the balls will stick , the players will then start lifting the table up and banging it down resulting in broken feet and then you are unable to level the table , and in some worse case scenario a Broken slate bed !
All caused by a dirty rail system and sticking balls .

after vacuum the inside of the cabinet and rails we wash the rail system down to remove all muck and dust

when we remove the bed cloth we find the dreaded spray on glue over spray , this will result in a lump under the cloth so must be removed before any new cloth is applied to the sale bed .

we take every staple out of the cushions, speed fitters are notorious for just stapling over staples so do not really strip your table down ,
they glue over spray on glue with even more over spray and attach even before the two sides are ready to be contacted together .
loose cloth and lumps under the bed cloth are a clear sign of speed fitting , at GCL billiards we can work to a fast system but we are just not as fast as some speed fitters ,
and that is because  we always take very staple out and remove glue over spray and clean the ball rails out .

Almost finished these two , just waiting to iron them , then clamp lids back down and check level .

three more done in the side room

5 done in the side room in total , plus dismantled two to take over to the sister club in Wellingborough , another american pool table is replacing these two for Northampton Coopers snooker club
I have to return later this month to re-cover a full size snooker table in the main hall .

an so onto Wellingborough , this photo shows the american pool table being stripped down to take over to Northampton

the first two tables at Coopers in Wellingborough  where the two that where taken over from coopers at Northampton
The Coopers at Wellingborough have just acquired the Northamptonshire county pool team  , and part of the agreement was to have at least 8 Pool Supreme Winner Pool tables
You may notice from the photo’s that the tables are staggered all over the place , this was because they had all american pool tables at one time and they where zig zagged down the hall rather than spaced evenly
There will be space for 9 tables and maybe 10 , the electrician is going in at the weekend to move the lighting chains from the very High Ceiling of this old cinema building .
they will also be having a lighting upgrade to twin tube florescent fittings.

this is the way I glue the bed cloth and slate , I use a center section of old cloth that is being taken off to put in the center of the new cloth fold over and glue , this is to protect the new cloth from glue
My glue is only half inch on the top edge and on the side only of the slate , at no point is glue put on the playing area of the slate ,and that makes for no fouling of the area that a ball has to roll over ,
unlike spray on glue that you have no control over , the glue I put on goes where I want it to go .

Coopers Wellingborough , enough room for 10 tables with plenty of space around , I will take some more photo’s later in august when I return to re-cover two snooker tables .
I have replaced 4 sets of cushions for new cushions and also replaced three to four sets of ball runners with the latest type as used on new Supreme winners
these are on the older Mahogany cabinet  tables .
I am well and truly tired after this job , I would like to say I have the weekend off , but I have to work most Saturdays now we are that busy

I have been over to Sandiacre which is two miles from my home
I was told my clients  had an old pool table that they wished to put back into use for an upcoming party / Wedding
it was in a very sorry state when I arrived , this premier late 1970’s / early 80’s model had the feet broken into the underneath of one leg making leveling impossible.

the first job was to fix the broken feet and I fastened two pieces of new wood under this leg and re fixed the adjustable feet

Cushions re-covered and re fixed to the upper frame and cleaned out of internal ball runs

The slate put back in and new Strachan cloth fitted

the finished table , level and ready for play with a new set of ball provided

We offer a range of three colours in this grade of cloth , Green / Burgundy red  / or Royal Blue

I have been over in Derby this week working on a few tables in the Cueball club .
Danny has got hold of some second hand Riley cushions that are much better than the current cushions on some of the tables woodwork wise and bounce wise
so we have been stripping down the old tables and improving them by means of a re-cover in match cloth and these upgrade of cushions.

The first table to receive cushion upgrading and brand new Hainsworth Match Cloth

Second table stripped down and ready for new bed cloth

The second table finished new Hainsworth Match cloth fitted , and better Riley cushions with silver slide in panels on this set
A new set of nets and leathers where also required for this table .
Ongoing improvements are being carried out to the tables at the Cue Ball Derby during the summer by  GCL Billiards .
We have another table to do tomorrow and another three sets of Riley cushions  to fit to other tables throughout the club before the Winter league starts up
Cue Ball Derby are not standings still or stagnating , they are improving the tables as a long term investment , nobody likes to play on slow none responsive cushions and bed cloths
So Danny has invested in a roll of Hainsworth Match Cloth which is a thin fast cloth , much thinner and faster than the normal 30 oz that you see in most clubs

Although this Match cloth on all tables  is costing the Club more money ,it is all part of the plan to give the Cue Ball Clients the best possible playing conditions
most clubs have the standard cloth fitted to most of the tables with just Match cloth fitted to a couple of match tables , the Cue ball Derby wanted to offer their clients the best on every table and still charge the standard rate for normal thickness cloth !
the Air Con which had been off line for a few days  has also been fixed and I must say it was most welcome when I was fitting the cloth .

so if you fancy a game of snooker in an air conditioned club this summer playing on top class cloth and cushions visit The Cue Ball Derby
sited under Roller World on Mansfield Road DE21 4AW , tel o1332 360924

The Cueball Derby also have a superb Pool hall , where the tables are well used and maintained to a high standard .

We have been to West Bridgford Arena to day to work for Rushcliffe Council
the Rushcliffe Arena is closing for two years , they are knocking the old Arena complex  down and rebuilding a New one that will take two years to build
Snooker has been part of the old Arena for many years and Rushcliffe council still wants to put the two tables back in the New build in two years time.
So it was decided to put the two tables into storage at one of the Councils works Yards in a disused office.

The snooker room at Rushcliffe Arena , with two modern 1980/ 90’s  Metric sized Thurston snooker tables .
Cushions taken off and bubble wrapped and bed cloths now about to come off too .

Now the bed cloths are off we can take the shades down and bubble wrap them too

one table on plus a set of cushions off the other table and the two shades , and we are just about to take them the 2 miles down the road to where we are storing them
This van will take 1.6 ton including Driver and passenger so we are still under weight
one of these metric snooker table weighs 1 ton exact.

all we left for our second trip later that day was to finish the dismantle and bubble wrap of the other  frame and load with slates onto van

Both tables where put in a disused office in the council works Yard , stacked neatly and ratchet Strapped for safety ,
I am returning tomorrow Morning  to put another ratchet strap and two eye hole screws in the wall
To give extra safety in making sure the boards stay in front of the parts  .
and if we have two old dust sheets we will also place these over the entire two tables and tape them up .
The tables will be here for two years storage and will not be put back together until July/August 2017
Rushcliffe Arena have used GCL billiards in the past for re-covering work so we where the local natural choice to Dismantle move and store of these tables in the correct manner.
Geoff at GCL Billiards has been moving and storing tables for 40 years
if you have a table that you require collecting and storing or even set back up , then contact
GCL Billiards for a quote.