Category Archives: News

Danny at the Cueball club in Derby asked me to come in this week to carry out various re-covering of snooker and pool tables plus one full size re-rubber .
this well known local Derby club is well attended and the cloth on some of the tables will require a re-cover well before the normal two year wear expected from these Hainsworth cloths .
over the past 4 years Danny has improved the tables exchanging over cushions for better manufactured ones , and fitting new cloths and also nets and leathers , plus now we are getting into having a table re-rubber  every now and again .
Running a club this size you have to keep to a strict code of table improvements on a regular annual basis
where some of the tables will last longer than others , the main first six to seven tables get excessive wear and tear , and it is these tables that you have to keep on top of , or you may lose clients to a rival club very quickly as snooker and pool players can be some of the most demanding of clients to provide for .
and with Snooker and pool leagues are in on various nights being played the players often call in to practice on other off nights to keep on top of their game .
so Danny makes sure that the tables are looking their best , with regular brushing and ironing and then the annual recovering and maintenance of which I am very happy that he chose GCL billiards to carry this work out .

this is table 8  , a match table for one of the teams playing out of the Cueball club Derby .
this table has had new Northern rubber fitted and a shade opening up of the corner pocket openings especially at the rear of the opening after the slate fall .

a shade over 3.5 inch at the fall , this pocket used to close to near on 3 inch at the rear where the leather of the pocket plate is
it is now opening out to 3.3/8ths to 3.5 inch approx .

this is table 9 , and a favorite table of Cueball manager Wayne ( nickname Storm ) again  a match table
having Hainsworth Match cloth fitted to the 2 inch slate bed  for speed with it’s very close shaved nap and thin cloth .
the cushions having Hainsworth Smart cloth fitted to them , this is because putting thin cloth on cushions is very bad for wear and tear ,the thin cloth will split easy that is why we use a slightly thicker but still a short nap in the smart cloth for cushions .
you may notice that the lighting at the cue ball is all modern high frequency white light tube fittings  , this makes for a brighter playing surface and less shadows of balls and under cushion shadow eliminated .
these are the next best things for lighting a snooker table up , they mimic the crucible lighting in Sheffield .

not all cloths are easy to fit , on these thin match cloths you have to use a G clamp around the center pockets .
on club cloths I can just fit without the G clamp , the G clamp protects the cloth from being ripped when stretching and makes for getting the wrinkles out much better around that very hard to fit center slate fall . .

the very Bright pool room where I have also been working re-covering some of the 6 pool tables .

this room gets very busy on match nights and also on none match nights .
looking for somewhere to play snooker or Pool in Derby with plenty of free parking the size of a football field !
Bar snacks selection of beer and wines and friendly atmosphere then visit
The Cue Ball club
Under roller World
Mansfield Road
Derby
DE21 4AW
Phone 01332 360924

Now and again my rental stock comes back in off site , it maybe a change of landlord or the takings do not cover the cost , but at the end of a contract they sometimes do come back into stock .
it is my policy to sell on tables that have come back in and replace with new stock , this way my rental stock is kept up to to latest spec tables that is being produced by Supreme
I first put this table out for rental in Nottingham in 2014 , it has come back in after this time and although it is in mint condition still
My policy of selling on and replacing with new stock is crucial to keeping GCL Billiards as first choice for Rental tables .
some times it can take up to 8 weeks to replace the tables as supreme have constant orders coming in all the time  , so we have constant orders going in as we expand our rental sites and stock

I only had two oak tables out on rental most of our stock are Black pearl  , this one has now been sold to a local pub in Sawley near Long Eaton Nottingham Derby border  .

Supreme are running at full steam to produce more tables , but there is always a waiting list for tables as they cannot produce them fast enough

these three went out to one rental site in Coventry  , I do not normally rent out over 15 miles from my base , but this site looks after the tables very well , and I must say our Rental arrangement does work well with this site which gets a re-cover every 6 months

I have  just received my new price list for Strachan 6811 tournament snooker cloth

A new grade has been added ,  the new cloth is 29 oz grade and has been treated with spill guard , this cloth has just been introduced and is supposed to be faster than the 30 oz version and has stain resistant properties , although my experience of scotch guard is that it is not 100% stain proof . = faster version of 30 oz

our most popular weight is the 30 0z  as pictured below = the most used cloth in the industry , proven track record of speed  ball control on nice short nap and long life and all 100% wool cloth

and there is a heavy weight version of 32 oz  =    longer lasting but will play slower than the other two grades again all 100% wool cloth no man made fibers.

What ever cloth you require GCL billiards can supply and fit to customers preference , we always carry a stock of the 30 oz Strachan 6811 tournament so we are ready to recover , but other special weights are normally ordered and  into stock  for use within 24 to 48 hours during week days .
We are getting very popular and we would prefer if you booked your table re-cover well in advance of you requiring the work completed , as we can sometimes be fully booked out for 4 to 8 weeks in advance .

I have this week started the re-covering of five full size Riley Imperial square legged tables
I have had repeat business with the Ivanhoe club for a few years now , they where my first club to have GCL billiards in to maintain the tables when I started the firm up 4.1/2 years ago .
they have stuck by me and I have a good working relationship with the club .

Two of the five tables with cushions undone ready to strip down

as you can see this is a very long L shaped room with high seating on the sides of the room for viewing of play .

I was intrigued to find they had found an old photo of when they had just two tables installed in the club in 1965 , this was before they extended the room
these two tables where oak , the other tables put in after the extensions where mahogany .
two of the  windows in the back ground are now trophy cabinets , you can see them in the second photo down .
since this photo , Riley Services had in 1999 replaced all 5 sets of cushions with new modern type .
note also the old Gold Hartley engineering metal shades , these where endorsed by Joe Davies and had bulbs sideways to prevent the element dazzling players when they stooped over the table
when they had the other three tables in they upgraded to all new shades , and have recently got rid of these for the more modern white light High Frequency office lighting that modern players crave for ,as you can now see above the tables I am working on today .

Every time I visit I replace one set of pockets on one table and use the old nets or leather to patch up the others if one or two require replacing
I intend to fit a new set of nets and leathers to one table on re-clothing and the next set on re-stretching in 12 months time , that way a table will get a new set of nets and leathers every 5 years  on rotation .
using any good second hand ones coming off for other table nets or leathers that may have worn out .
these tables get re-covered every 24 months and a re-stretch half way through the cloths life to stretch the corner pocket runs away from the falls and thus making the life of the cloth last longer .

all five tables viewed from Entrance end of the room , I was asked to open up the pocket openings of the first table as it had extremely tight pockets and members often refused to use it
I made  a template from the second tables pocket angle  and transferred it to the first to make the pockets the same on both tables .
now you cannot keep the members off it !

and the view from the bottom end of the room with 4 tables completed .
I have just one more table to re-cover tomorrow which is the far right in this photo .
the original two tables put in in 1965 are the lighter oak framed tables in the center of the room
*** click on any photo to enlarge

New Strachan pure new wool napped 6811 tournament 30 oz cloth  cloth complete with new replacement Nets and leathers on table 3

I was recommended to this club in Bloxwich Birmingham to sort their tables out
the club is just around the corner from St johns snooker club where I had re-covered two full size snooker tables and recently went back to re-stretch them after 12 months .
Keith who had got me in at St Johns had recommended me to the Bloxwich Memorial club which is just one street away .
this is what I found on strip down

all four full size snooker tables had been bodged , the slips that retain the cloth in where too small and thin so they had nailed them in rather than make new thicker retaining slips
so with Keith helping me strip the cushions down and removing the nails which where every two inch in some cushions and 1.5 inch long
this took a huge amount of time to do and caused problems on one particular table as you will see

the cushion block where the rebated shelf is for the rubber to sit on on this table was that badly effected by nailed in slips that the block was coming off the cushion
the bounce would then be reduced as the blocks are not solid against the cushion surround that is bolted to the slate bed .
above you can see daylight through the gap in the block , I re-screwed the block back onto the cushion and this rectified the problem

all the 4 tables then where treated to a new thicker cloth retaining slip , this will hold the cloth in the cushion rebate slip slot tighter and without the need for nails to hold it in .
the piece of thin wood is called  a slip , because it is supposed to slip in and out on re-cover yet be tight enough to hold the cloth in
sometimes when you get people sitting on cushions this forces the rubber off the block and pulls the cloth out of the slip , and that is why you get irate Club owners shouting at people who sit on snooker table cushions .
as it is Costly to get a fitter back to sort this out . So do not sit on the cushions when taking shots or watching other people on the next table.

I was also fitting new nets and leathers to all 4 tables , here you see a nice tight fitting leather and those newly re-covered cushions and bed cloth.

over time chalk dust will vibrate to any impact area such as spots or especially under the end cushions
here you see compacted slate and chalk dust which sits just under the end cushion , this causes a ramp for the ball to lift as it hits the cushion , causing ball jump off the end cushions
just take some sand paper and sand this away off the slate , this is a few years worth of compacted chalk dust on these tables , which where re-covered by a Local well known firm in the Birmingham area ,
they are well known for this bodge it and scarper work , they ripped this club off big time , the bed cloths where put on very slack with a tack every foot around the outside of the bed , I put them in every 4 inch and the cloth is put on tight if I was fitting it
these cloths where then re-stretched by this Cowboy outfit some 5 weeks later at extra cost , and they just removed two cushion off the side of each table and took around 10 tacks out pulled and tacked back fitted the two cushions back and then scarpered .
A fitter like myself could spot what they had done by the bolt holes in the bed cloth , being double down one side yet still aligned on the other ends and side .
so they ripped the club off on the re-cover bodged the slips by nailing in , put slack cloths on , then 5 weeks later ripped them off again by bodging the stretching of the bed cloths .
I came across another table two days after finishing these tables that had gone through the same process by the same firm and this had substandard cloth fitted to it !
.so this is not a one off 4 tables here and one other all in the same week in two premises
this is a common practice with Cowboys like this , they will not change their ways , they are in it for a quick Buck , they do want naming and shaming but legally I can only put well known local Birmingham firm you do the detective work to work out who it is .
Any way back onto the job in hand .

End of slate sanded to remove those compacted chalk areas , the slate joints where all filled with car body filler then sanded as one bed to give a smoother transition from one slate to the next .

Bed cloth is now being fitted tightly

The Brand of cloth used for this job was Strachan pronounced Strawn
Tournament 6811 30 oz 100% pure new wool napped cloth , this will give durability and a medium paced table
you can fit thinner cloths or even thicker cloths , the thinner a cloth and shorter the nap the speed of the cloth is greater , but it will not last long
Thick cloths will last long but are very slow , this sits between the middle grade and the fast grade of cloths , there is also a 29 oz version that we use now and again if the club is not used much , but this club is used very often hence the 30 oz used .

the first table completed looking splendid in it’s Strachan Tournament cloth with new nets and leathers fitted , a Burroughs and watts rigidus framed table , *note the middle legs being close together and  off set spacing , this is because the under slate bearers are right on the slate joints rather than twin or single central slate bearers on a standard table .

all four tables now completed and ready for the coming season , all have new cloth and new nets and leathers
the tables are vintage manufactured the first square legged table is a Riley , the second large turned legged table is an Orme & Sons , the last two tables are Burroughs and watts Rigidus framed tables , none had name plates on , but as a fitter who has been working on these types of tables for over 40 years you get to know the makes and models of Snooker tables .
the cushions have been sorted out with new cushion cloth slips fitted making future work very easy to do unless you let the cowboys back in !
The bed cloths are fitted tightly and should be ready for a re-stretch half way through the cloths life around 9 to 12 months time
I would like to thank Keith who helped me for the three days I was at the Bloxwich Memorial club and the committee for having the good foresight to get someone in who could rectify the faults they experienced with the Local Birmingham firm who fitted the cloths before .
Stick with Geoff at GCL billiards and you can rest in the knowledge that your tables will be maintained correctly .

just been over to Leicester this morning to re-cover a torn pool table in a large insurance firm  call center .
the table was bought new only a few months ago , so it was a surprise to find that the cushions where actually second hand having been swooped over
between leaving supreme and the firm that supplied the table
why they do this I do not know as I will inform any client if I find something that should not be there like these old cushions

As you can see I was stripping a table that was supposed to be brand new and had burgundy cloth on
the staples underneath had been left in from a previous re-cover and that cloth was green as you can see remnants trapped under the old staples
I of course also stripped these staples out of the cushions

cushions stripped of all staples leaning against the wall next to the chair and now to strip and fit the new bed cloth

cloth off , this slate has not been re-covered before so it was obvious that someone had took new cushions off a new table to sell
and had replaced them with secondhand ones and just covered them to match the new bed cloth

the new bed cloth and the slate has had the external edges glued ready for attaching the cloth to the slate bed .

the finished table complete with ball racking cloth to one end .

the slate carried the date it left the quarry works 24th June 2015 , this table was supplied brand new 4 months ago , it was only recovered because of this

lets see how long it takes them to tear it again

We are well known at GCL Billiards for our excellent to detail and craftsmanship of maintaining snooker and pool tables around the UK and beyond , what some do not know is that we also rent pool tables to the pub and club premises of Derby and Nottingham area’s.
We have around 20 pool tables located local around our base in Nottingham / Derby that we rent out which include full maintenance and re-covering of cloth on a regular basis .
we are aiming for around 40 tables local to use , we cannot manage anymore than this with our regular Snooker and pool table re-cover business running very busy at the moment , we try to blend the work of both venture’s together , this way we remain fully booked out most of the year , we just time our pool table rental re-covers to slot in on slack days or if busy on a Saturday .
you can have the option of one or two re-covers per year at £65 per month or £80 per month which works out at £15 per week or £18.50p per week over 52 weeks  . We do not charge Vat .
we only rent to good reliable properties mainly pubs and bars but also super market canteens and Hotels that sign up to an initial 12 month rental and in the case of two recovers then every 6 months after that .
This week we have had 5 of our tables come up for re-covering .
3 in Coventry that get re-covered every 6 months and the other two very local in Derby and Chilwell .

the three tables in Coventry being treated to a top class Strachan 6811 Re-cover .

the pool table that is located in a local pub in chilwell also being treated to a Strachan 6811 cloth re-cover , this site also gets a re-cover every 6 months .

we only use top quality cloth on all of our re-covering , branded Strachan cloths are the most popular and the most asked for is the 6811 grade .
players know this grade of cloth and it is the best selling cloth in thew world and is made from 100% pure new wool with a short medium length but fast pace of napped cloth at around 28oz. per Metre square.
we can also do the 30 oz tournament but we find this a little slower than the 28 oz .

almost finished , just got to mark out and iron and also clean the internal cabinet and rail runs plus ball eject system of all dust and grime .

another of our superb Supreme winner tables located in a sports bar in Derby , this room is in the basement for the pool team to have a quite area to play in
they have two pool teams playing out of this Bar in Derby and they are interested in having another table from us for the main bar area upstairs .

the sports bar in Derby always ask for Strachan super pro speed cloth
this is a napless cloth and woven from a mix of 70% wool and other man made fibers , it is very fast to play on
we do not get a lot of people ask us for speed cloth in fact in all of our 20 rental sites this is the only one .
But we aim to please so we get it in special just for this site.

the finished table in Strachan Super pro speed cloth , all cleaned out and leveled up as they do move it around when they have a function on
I also replaced a coin mech spring and supplied a new set of balls and cues plus chalk on this yearly re-cover .

I have been over to the Arches snooker Venue in Coventry where we have three of our own stock rental pool tables that we re-cover every 6 months
The management used to have their own tables in the pool table area but decided to sell these and rent and to have all maintenance included in that rental , and for tax reasons this works out much better for them .
GCL billiards installed three brand new 7ft coin op Supreme Winner in Black ash two years ago , and we have been re-covering them every 6 months since .
I also bought an extra three brand new sets of cushions to cut down on re-cover time just for this venue when re-covering the tables  . we just exchange the cushions over and strip down when back in the workshop re-cover then box back up for next time in 6 months m this saves us a round 3 hours on site .
this is the only tables where we swap over cushions , on single table rentals we re-cover on site totally , we do not recommend that you exchange cushions on any tables unless you have specific new sets only being used for that tables as is the case with these three tables .
we often strip down other fitters work on clients own tables where they have swapped over the original cushions for very old falling apart and rubber going hard cushions which is not good for the owner or client if renting .

the three tables with slate to one side ready to strip the old cloth off the slate beds

the slate beds now with the old cloth removed and cleaned ready for new cloth to be attached

we use the Strachan 6811 pool cloth for these pool tables , this cloth is 28 oz and faster than tournament yet is still 100% pure new wool the same as tournament cloth .

all the bed cloths have now been fitted and baulk line marked out in white tippex , at the arches they use the D too so we have added these to the baulk line .
you may notice that this room has Black walls and ceiling , this is because this room is also dual function use .
They have Rock bands and tribute bands perform at weekends and on some odd week nights too
in fact tonight there is a band on and the tables where being moved to one side and covered over and sectioned off to protect them while the bands perform

the large stage at one end of the room , at the other end we have a DJ desk and mixer sound control box
as soon as the band is finished the room cleaned those tables are back in use in double quick time around 10  minutes  a table to have back in position with lights above and level .
they have perfected this to a fine art , so if you are ever in Coventry and at a loose end , head off to the Arches Industrial Estate at Spon End , you cannot miss it , turn where the Nissan Garage is
you will find a yard to the right under the railway arches , at the far end is the Arches Venue for snooker Pool and Live Bands .
with bands such as Four fighters a tribute band for the Foo fighters and also Kirvana , Fred Zepplin , The Fab Beatles , Bon Giovi , and many more booked in this year .