Category Archives: News

Just waiting for prices from supreme to confirm if it is worthwhile keeping these in stock , they look good in the Dark grey finish .

We had a job come in this past month , a client of mine was a bit worried about a 10ft table that he had bought from a Midlands firm which appeared to be badly fitted and important slate bearing parts missing …. yes there where no inner slate supports or muntin’s as we call them in the trade .
the table was suffering from out of level and bad slate joints , the slates where badly leveled using thick card between slate and frame .
My advice to him was to at least make sure that who ever sold him the table the chance to put the table right , they did send someone out to try and rectify the joint problem , but was fobbed off that this table did not require slate bearers , the firm in question made an offer to my client for his money back in full , which my client gratefully accepted .
He then asked me a recommendation of what make and type of table would be best for him , my advice was a Karnehm and Hillman 10ft .
my client found one reasonably priced on Ebay second hand but in very good order apart from cloth fade and dirty leathers and nets .
I was instructed to pick this table up for him from a village not far from Dover , and transport it over to my clients home near the Malvern hills .

the frame is up ,we had to do one important improvement to the table frame  .

The improvement was to cut out the fixed muntin slate supports that did not touch the slate,
and fit adjustable brackets so that they could be adjusted upwards to touch and support the slate bed , a very simple procedure that took just 20 to 30 minutes 
the leveling done and the slate is slid on , 5 sections in this 10ft the same as a full size
the fine leveling is now done next and slate linings fitted to tack the cloth to .
then we fill the slate joints and blend in , no slate joints to show through cloth .

cloth laid on ready to fit

cloth fitted , now ready to mark out and iron , before the cushions are bolted back on .

New nets and leathers fitted to bring back to as new condition .

finished table showing new nets and leathers fitted

Cleaning up , you may have noticed we protected our clients cream carpet with Blanket wraps as we worked around the table .

balls set up ready for a game , my client was very happy with his table and the installation , I went through the set up with him step by step showing what we had done ,
also those adjustable slate bearer muntins and how to adjust if he gets a problem going forward with slate sagging .
I do not think he will ,but at least he can sleep in the knowledge that this table can be adjusted if this happens .
and I am only a phone call away to instruct him to do this himself or have me do it at a later date when the cloth is do a re-stretch .
I had some previous experience with the Midlands  firm that supplied the first table to our client and they did make  a habit of fitting tables without the adjustable bearers even though the table supplied came with them .
like this example of a table they also supplied yet I went over and retro fitted these to make the full size table better as the balls where rolling in from each side of the table .
adjustment upwards of this centre slate support  could rectify a problem of sagging slates and should be fitted either as a fixed support or adjustable like these .

Been over to a Retirement village in Milton Keynes the other week to re-cover a full size snooker table .
the table was a Titan import type and had the adjustable slate bearers , although these had not been wound up to the slate when erected ?

Cushions off and the strip down is started , plus re-covering of each cushion .

this table having at least 7 years use had become very dusty under the bed cloth .
that is Chalk dust .

cloth off and clean slates and check slate joints .

the cloth quality is the much asked for and used , Strachan 6811 tournament 30 oz pure new wool cloth .

another satisfied client , table also checked and adjusted for level , plus those adjustable slate bearers adjusted right up to the slate to do what they are supposed to do ,
SUPPORT  the slate from sagging in the middle .
Who ever first set this table up from new just forgot to go under the table and wind those bolts up to take the beams up to the slate bed in the center of the table .

this is what I mean by adjustable slate bearers .

and if a table does not have them I can retro fit them .

Last week I visited  a Home near Scunthorpe to re-cover a 7ft snooker table made in the 1980s by a firm from the north east .
these tables lack the cushion retaining slips that you would normally find and instead are screw off blocks .
Not what I like and really should not be done when all it takes is a rebate slot and  cushion slip wood insert to be made on construction  of the table .
If I was doing a re-rubber I would change the blocks to slip blocks , but this work was just a re-cover on site .
to make matters worse they screw the blocks over the cloth then glue and shape the rubber and over the screw heads !
result is  difficult to find screw heads to take the blocks off to re-cover this table , but we managed it .

the table as I found it , original first recover and faded cloth .

blocks off and staple new Grey Strachan 6811 cushion cloth to cushion back wood , this is how these tables are meant to be re-covered .

this is how i would expect to fit a normal cushion cloth , a slip or bead of wood is hammerd into a slot and traps the cloth
this wood is called  a cushion cloth retaining slip , note the word slip it is meant to slip in and slip out thus making re-covering a cushion easy to do .

fitting the bed cloth and trimming the waste off .

the finished table re-covered in Strachan 6811 tournament grey cloth

my client was very happy with the result and I did explain about the screw off blocks and the normal slip method .
and he watched me complete the work .
I have had a few clients ask me for Grey cloth , this is the third I have done this year .
and have an 8ft to do in the same cloth this month too .
but it is not always readily available , and can sometimes be a delay in getting hold of this Strachan cloth .

For the past two weeks I have had a chest pain that came on and it was not going away .
the pain  was upper chest and into left arm and today it got so bad I had to do something about it , after the Client who I was working for today commented I looked in a bad way .
He even offered  to take me to the Hospital in Newark , but I declined .
So it was no surprise that when I finally got home the pain got worse , and advice was sought by my wife , and after contacting 111 and consulted an on line Doctor who just sent the ambulance once  he had heard the symptoms .
Lucky for me it turned out to be a torn muscle or trapped nerve around my chest or neck region which the nerve endings also travels into the arm , hence the arm pain as well as chest pain .
so got the all clear that it is not a big problem and I can go about my work as normal , but to take it more easy .
I do have a high blood pressure reading and few other problems , but all in all not bad for 63 year old .

NOW GONE claimed for FREE ……

YOU MISSED A GOOD DEAL FOLKS , due to owner requiring room for other purpose and quick it was offered for FREE .

Table now claimed for FREE , new owner is arranging for GCL billiards to collect on 7th of November for 9th of November delivery to Dormansland in Surrey .
We do get these FREE tables for disposal now and again , due to room being required , this mainly due to house sales or recently purchased house which is the case with this one ,  and if not claimed for FREE we recycle them as another alternative , so we and the current owner where delighted that someone took a fancy to it as it was clearly too good to recycle .
this table is a very well made Riley Imperial .

ORIGINAL ADVERT .

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Just getting some more details about this Mahogany Riley Imperial full size snooker table , but another one that has to go from a Private seller ….NOW FREE !!!!!!
A Riley square leg looks modern so around circa 1970s onwards .

Table is free ….. all I know is the table has to go space is required .
looks like the cloth has faded and worn a bit so will at least require a re-cover and the expense of removal delivery and set up .
register your interest and i will look into it for you .
This table is Private owned it does not belong to GCL billiards .
if you would like a quote for GCL Billiards to collect and deliver and set please ask Geoff .
This table is near Wakefield …Yorkshire .

Just a few words and Photo’s of my recent trip to Castlefranc in southern France to carry out a re-cover of 10ft billiard table level and sort the slate joints out .
I was met off the plane by Simon  my client as arranged although I was a little early coming out of arrivals ,
and I was wandering around for 30 minutes before we found each other , and Toulouse airport is a very large one .

Simon and Sara have a traditional large French town house in the center of Castelfranc which is around one and a half hours drive from Toulouse airport .
Simon and Sara are keen vintage car owners and racer’s and hill climbers  and own a variety of classic and vintage vehicles .

The side courtyard Garden steps up to the front door and above Balcony , the double doors on the ground floor is where Simon has the Billiard table located .
Simon calls his man cave the Cave du snooker or in french , La grotte de billard .
I did point out to my clients that there is no such thing as a snooker table and that snooker is a game played on a billiard table , and my job title was billiard fitter .
So having arrived i was shown my room which contained of course a 4 poster bed with ensuite , and views over my alarm clock from the window .

every morning at 7am  the bells rang out waking the village up for work .

Simon’s water damaged Billiard table , the cloth had shrunk and came under intense pressure and gave way in two places by ripping .

Simon’s table was manufactured around or just before circa 1900 , manufactured by Thomas Padmore & sons of Birmingham but formerly of London .
Thomas had passed on and in 1871 his sons John and Edwin Padmore expanded and moved to 118 Edmund Street.
you can read up on the History of Padmore & sons from the snooker Heritage web site ,
Padmore’s where amalgamated into a trio of billiard firms of Clare and Padmore & thurston group around 1966 , they are now just known as Thurston .
Thurston being one of the oldest of Billiard firms .
please read this link for the full History of this group of companies .
http://www.snookerheritage.co.uk/company-histories/thos-padmore-sons/

the table is finished and myself and Simon pose for a photo at the end of the day .
Brand new Strachan 29 oz tournament cloth , with a new set of leathers , there where a few problems but we overcame them .

with a full 4 to 5 hours to kill before I had to be back at Toulouse Airport there was the chance of a walk around Cahors .
above the bridge over the River Lot .

Stunning Bridge spans this river at Cahors

It was just 3c temperature during the last night .
The temperature was just rising at this time in the morning and was around 18c at this time of day , and by the time we got to Toulouse airport it was 24c
When I arrived back in Birmingham it was overcast raining and 13c .

My hosts for the three days Simon & Sara , who I must thank for some fantastic prepared food .
Beef slow cooked in wine was superb , and the chicken cooked in a brick the next evening was also very nice .
of course when in France ,  endless supplies of red wine and the cheese board with some very tasty tangy cheeses .

Simon and Sara are keen Vintage Historic car racers , here is Simon in his 1930’s Riley .
and you can catch a video of Simon and Sara and Sara’s father Clifford , on you tube .

I have a trip out to a village near Toulouse France and have a small job on Monday the 18th before I fly out on Tuesday the 19th September 2017.
I will not be back to answer emails or the phone calls until late Friday the 22nd of September 2017 .
Please do not try the mobile number as it will be out of use until I get back from France.

now and again a little trip to the continent is required , I do not take many of these job’s on .
they take much of my valuable time traveling rather than working on the stacking up back log of work here in the UK .
But Billiard fitters are very hard to find in France , and unless based over there any work is expensive .
I charge a day rate and that rate is based on the work I may miss out on here in the UK while working abroad and if Flights take up a days rates then I’m afraid i have to charge for the days flying too .
plus any expenses such as air flights insurance and taxi’s transfers from Nottingham to Birmingham or any UK Airport  .
plus accommodation and food .
This week I am flying from Birmingham to Toulouse in the south of France to do an insurance job on a water damaged table .
this is only one days work but it will take up three days with the traveling and flight times .

as you can see traveling to the south of France is a fair distance .
and one I would not do by car van or train today , mainly because of migrants damaging the van , but also the hassle of road tolls
As for Trains how long will it take to travel from Nottingham to  London then across to say Paris then onto the south of France .
and I have been asked to do this from one client , thankfully not this one .
Toulouse is right down in the lower mid left of France , not far from the border of Spain .
I do not like driving on the left anymore , I have done it many times in the past , but as you get older you find it more tiresome .
I may have another job in the south of France later this year or early next year .
It all depends on costings . and if I am too busy pulling the back log of work that is always coming in .
I have a couple of days left in November which will have to be local work then my next days is in December .