Category Archives: News

Due to Illness , I have took Yesterday and Today off to catch up on office work and making sure I am organised for taking in work from February onwards
placing a 2016 year planner on wall and filling January and almost all of February up with work .
But the phone does not stop ringing , I even had a couple knock on the door today to enquire about a pool table purchase.
Please phone before calling if It was not for this illness I would have been out working on tables .
we do not keep Tables for sale at my home address so it is important so you do not waste a journey to phone and not just turn up .
We have had many table move enquiries in the last week over 20 in fact .
I will not be able to accommodate all of them due to work already booked in for February but have explained they could be done in March and April .
sadly most require them moving and transporting within a week and we just cannot let other people who have booked work in down to accommodate them .
This week we have managed to sell from our tables for sale section for a private seller a full size snooker table

This Burroughs and watts table with rigidus frame and steel cushions sold for just £500
it really is a buyers market at the moment with so many tables coming up for sale
People who are desperate to sell have to realise this and let go , this is one reason that GCL billiards prefer to not enter the buying and selling of snooker tables
we prefer to just advertise and hope we get the work of dismantling and transporting of the table then erecting it at the new owners property which we quote for .
I have a an enquiry for a table to go to Israel , I am working with the buyer to locate the right table for him  .
If you have a steel cushioned Burroughs and watts that is attractive in flamed mahogany and large turned legs then get in touch with GCL Billiards .
My buying client may be interested in other tables , but he is looking for one in pristine condition for shipping over to Tel Aviv .
We are very active in our maintenance of snooker and pool tables recently taking on re-rubber and re-covering of full size snooker tables .

We also make very vast improvements on bad work that was done in the past on your table .

We also have a stock of tables for pool table contract hire , if you have a pub or club that requires an high end professional pool table for league Pool then try GCL billiards
we prefer to use our two re-covers a year contract , this enables a new cloth to be fitted at the start of each pool season of Winter and summer leagues .
we are very competitive and we are 100% cue sports maintenance fitters , we are not sidelined by Fruit machines and video game machines
If you require a pool table on Contract hire then talk to the Experts in this field and not a coin slot operator who deals in multi coin op machines and maintains table very poorly
We always clean out our machines when re-covering and adjust for level

a clean ball side tray , balls will not stick or jam if maintained correct

If you have a snooker table that requires professional transporting or even bubble wrapping for storage while building work is being carried out
then contact GCL Billiards , we pride ourselves in doing the job right .

together with our Storage solution partner Jonills Removals of Nottingham we can also arrange for your table to be dry stored providing we have enough room
sometimes it gets very busy and the warehouse can get full sometimes . Storage charges by jonills for a full size snooker table is just £12 per week .
but we can store tables on customers own property if they require this .

We have just completed a re-rubber and re-cover of a full size snooker table in Bagworth near coalville Leicestershire
our client contacted us stating they had bought a table off a well known Snooker firm in Leeds
now playing surface renovation and fully renovated do mean different things and anyone buying a renovated table should always ask , has the rubber been replaced ?
it was obvious this table that something was wrong with the rubber , bad bounce inconsistent from cushion  to cushion , badly cut angles all different from pocket to pocket
and pocket openings that where different sizes to each other .
on strip down this is what we found

This mess is what we found under the cloth on the cushions , very bad undercut nailed and stapled on rubber that could be hit with a ball
and part of the undercut was missing !

so we stripped all the rubber off the cushions and set about making good a bad job .

the new Rubber we use is allways Northern Rubber we use no other brand ,
made in the UK now owned by Hainsworth , Northern rubber is located in Retford Nottinghamshire .
every set shows the date of manufacture , this set July 2015
the set that came off was dated May 1983 which makes it 33 years old , and it had started to harden up so was ready for a re-rubber.

as you can see this is how to cut angles on a Full size snooker table , proper undercut
clean sanded and rasped to erase any knife cut marks , and just to show I have added two examples of what I took off just underneath this finished cushion
I have just fired one retaining staple into the lower undercut to anchor the rubber into place when tucking cloth behind the angle rubber  , the ball cannot touch this one staple
the face is also flat the same depth as the front of the rubber all the way into the back of the pocket opening .
Click on any photo to enlarge .

I raked out the soft plaster of paris in the slate joints and filled with a good quality soft sand car body filler ,
this is more resistant to coming out during ball bounce on cushions vibrating the slate
a common occurrence with plaster of paris

The pocket openings are set to B&SCC template size with these falls they are 3.5/8ths at the fall

the corner template in position a nice tight fit

the Centre pocket template in position also a nice tight fit , our client complained of having very large openings on the centre pockets
and when I checked them before I started they had a gap of 3/8ths on my template so way oversized and also very odd cut angles .
but as you can see they are now set correct .

The finished table which had a Riley square legged frame and BCE cushions with match pocket plates of the 1980s circa .

Another view of the finished table re-covered in Strachan 6811 30 oz Tournament cloth

the cloth I recommend and most used and sought after by Thousands of snooker players and Pubs and clubs around the UK
there are thinner finer faster cloths but this one has all round Qualities such as life span of around 2 years , short medium length nap made from 100% pure new Merino wool
The most used grade of cloth in the World .
The same Brand as used in most World snooker Tournaments by World Snooker .
The cloth that was fitted by the leeds  firm was Hainsworth smart , not a bad cloth but the Strachan 6811 is a better choice and only around £30 in price upgrade over the Smart , make sure you have a choice of cloth when you buy a table and take advice from an independent source like Geoff at GCL billiards about cloth qualities speed and life span , make sure the cloth you choose suits your play and your pocket and expect good life span from it , sadly there is not a thin cloth that lasts , speed is to sacrifice life span , too thick a cloth and you are annoyed with the slowness of the table , this 6811 Tournament grade  is well known for it’s balance of both speed and a reasonable life span depending on how much it is used of course .
Our client is very delighted and watched as his table was slowly being refurbished to a first class playing one .
I am sure He and his Son , will have many happy hours in the Snooker shed at the bottom of his Garden .

A link to Strachan cloth grades
w.wsptextiles.com/strachan-snooker-cloths-product-range

We have just visited a regular client of ours who has a re-cover of their pool table every six months
we strip all staples out of cushions and re cloth in 6811 Strachan pool cloth .

The table a Supreme Prince 7×4 ready to be stripped of cloth

in just 6 months use the ball tray has signs of wax dirt build up from sweat off hands and cloth shedding
a very dirty side ball tray

The same ball tray after washing down in hot water with a little detergent , now the balls will not stick on any muck
the same clean out for the ball runs is also carried out

The finished table , our client was complaining of coin not being dropped into cash box yet balls are being dispensed resulting in free games
this is a very well known trick that people know about , if the side spring breaks on a coin mech then the anti draw back system will not work , once  anew spring was inserted the coin mech was anti cheat once again ….much to the disappointment of the players who knew this trick .
if you have this problem it is a simple fix contact Geoff at GCL Billiards for recovering and repairing of your supreme pool tables .

We have just completed the relocation of two full size snooker tables for Warwick University
The tables where in a building on another part of the campus and these where annex type buildings that are due for demolition
the tables are now resited within the main Campus in an upstairs location just above the Students Unions Bar
A much better room that is warmer and with the Bar being close by more practical , the tables should now see much more use

the old room , an annex on a smaller side part of the main campus . too far away from the main Student population

the new building where the tables are now located on the top floor above the Bar .

Floor plan of the New Students Union building , this is very Central to the University and makes an excellent choice for the location of the two Full size snooker tables
the tables have also been re-covered in New Strachan 6811 tournament 30 oz  cloth  .
We completed the work over two days just two men as we had use of a lift at the rear of the building to get the heavy slates up 3 floors .
The work went very smoothly and the Students union are delighted with the way GCL billiards went about organising the table’s dismantle and relocation .

We are the best option for pool table contract hire .
we have no competition of Pool table hire firms local , that can maintain a Pool table like we do .
we are 100% cue sports with no interest in gaming or juke box or prize machines , which means your pool table gets our 100% attention to detail .
this makes renting a table from GCL Billiards the best options we know how to maintain these tables to a higher degree and recover in the best materials .
where normal fruit machine engineers just swop over cushions and slates or use nasty spray on glue that does not properly bond the cloth to the slate
we always make sure your cushions are rebounding correct and your slate is true and the cloth fitted correctly.
we have 40 years experience in maintaining and re-covering pool and snooker tables
We re-cover for some of the best Clubs for the best Pool players in the counties of Derby and Nottingham and Northampton Lincoln and Leicester , we also have tables in the Coventry area .

Even when we do not hire clubs tables , We have a large cliental of snooker and pool table clubs that use us to maintain their tables like  Hunters Bar Grantham .

and some of these clubs have county pool teams playing in them  this one is The Cueball club Derby

another one of our regular clients Newark cue club a well known attended club that has recently upgraded and increased their pool Tables to 8.
this club also has a reputation to having first class fast and true playing surfaces , that is well ironed and cleaned on a regular daily basis by the owner.
Big money pot matches can be viewed on line at this club Live.

A recent refurbishment of 9 tables for Towers snooker club Mansfield a well know county pool tournament venue for Nottinghamshire Black ball .

another venue where we maintain the pool tables is Stapleford cue club with 4 pool tables and 6 snooker tables .
 
Installing three of our Hire tables to Arches snooker Venue in Coventry

our latest pool table hire site for December 2015 was a local football club in Collingham near Newark

another venue that we maintain the pool table’s for is Coopers Snooker club in Northampton with 6 pool tables

and another county venue is the sister club of Coopers in Wellingborough that have 10 tables !

the first table we hired on a contract was to North Notts arena in Worksop and that was nearly four years ago and it is still going strong with two re-covers a year maintenance contract .
we have a come a long way since we started GCL Billiards , we have built our rental pool table hire business along side our already well known Maintenance and re-cover business of Snooker and pool tables .
With over 40 years personal service as a time served Billiards fitter , Geoff large is second to none in maintaining your pool table .
We have three pool tables in stock ready to hire , please get in touch with Geoff for more details on 07753466064 or email c.large@btinternet.com

We do not own a snooker or pool club , but if you do require to find a club to play local to us , try Stapleford cue Club they are the closest snooker club to me 2 mile down the road .
Stapleford Cue club is situated at
148 Derby Road behind the pizza hut take away .
Stapleford
Nottingham.
NG9 7AY
tel 01159 394 504

if you are very close to Derby then try
Cueball
under rollerworld access to right in carpark
Derby DE21 4AW
tel 01332 360924

other side of Nottingham then try
Newark cue club
41 Barker Gate
NG24 1UA
tel 01636 612030

I get many phone calls asking if we are open to book a table to play on ?
We are not advertised as a snooker club , we are a Billiards /Snooker / Pool table or as a collective a Cue sports table MAINTENANCE company
This means we work on tables repairing or maintaining them .
our other business is long term contract of coin operated pool table hire to pubs and clubs we do not own our own club .
I am sorry to say it is getting beyond a joke at how many people phone us up sometimes at 12 to 2am in the morning and Today ( Christmas Day ) of all days to ask what time we shut or are we open today.
we suspect these are Taxi Drivers knocking off work or taking a break and wanting somewhere to play snooker or pool .
I do not know of any all nighter snooker clubs most close at 12pm at the latest .

but just to refresh what we are about .

This is what we do

If you require to book a table try Stapleford cue club they are the closest snooker/pool club to me
AND THIS WHAT A SNOOKER CLUB LOOKS LIKE

stapleford cue club

Cueball in Derby pool room and plenty of full size snooker tables

Newark cue club 41 Carter gate Newark Nottinghamshire NG24 1UA ………….tel 01636 612030 for booking to play on pool and snooker tables .

Hunters Bar Grantham 1 Union Street , Grantham next to lidl’s , NG31 6NZ……………… tel 01476 579493
Hunters bar has 7 UK pool , 4 american pool , and 6 full size snooker tables to play on .

To all our clients

Happy Christmas and a happy new year from Geoff and Carol at GCL billiards
we are back open for business on the 4th of January , we only have 3 days left in January spare !
We have become a very busy Firm thank you for your custom in 2015 and we hope to have repeat business from you in 2016 or beyond .

We have been over to Long Clawson near Melton Mowbray this week
We dismantled this table around July 2015 time
We found that it had missing centre cross member structural wood and also the adjustable slate muntins that support the slate we reported this on our site on July 9th 2015
https://gclbilliards.com/who-set-this-table-up-with-missing-parts/
I am glad to say our client agreed for us to make a new cross member bearer and also fit adjustable muntins and new thicker slate tack linings .

as you can see the centre cross member and slate supports have now been fitted

this was how we found the frame on dismantle on July 9th 2015 , no inner frame work at all !

the slate supports are adjustable with a spanner , and tighten up against the slate to stop slate sagging
these should have been on from New , the table is a Titan oak 9ft supplied from a Liverpool fitting firm .
although there are a few main billiard firms in that area that are 100% trustworthy as in any area there are those that can let you down .
there are many fitters around Liverpool and Manchester and Leeds and Sheffield ,  Some are good ,  some work on their own and fit badly ,
these fitters who fitted this table were hit and run merchants , they took my clients money and left him with a badly fitted table which was shocking work .
He was not to know as what client gets under a table and checks or knows what is supposed to be under there , they knew this and fitted this table knowing those parts where missing .
The cushions where not bolted up tight and had bad bounce the slate lings where thin bits of cladding and the cloth was stapled on and not tacked on like a proper Time served Billiards fitter would do .
the frame was loose and rocking because it had major structural parts missing .

we replace the thin cladding that was screwed around the edge of the slate for cloth tacking
with proper tack lings we can now fit with proper bed cloth tacks .
the photo shows the new linings on the slate and the old thin cladding that we took off for comparison

a close up photo of the completed table
you may notice that there is a swimming pool in the back ground , we did notice that the slate cushions bolts had  abit of rust on them
we coated all these in wax to stop the thread biting and cross threading in the future
the pool is another room away from the table but is has archways into the room allowing any condensation or damp air to enter towards our snooker table
it is not ideal for a table to be located like this , as the cloth acts like a sponge ands will soak up any damp conditions in the air .

the completed table , set up correct , with all correct missing parts fitted , leveled and brushed and ironed ready for play  the table above is now playing 100% correct ,
if you are worried about where to find a suitable fitter who will not rip you off like these did , then contact Geoff at GCL Billiards for a quote or a firm to buy a table from .
, even if you do not have GCL Billiards he will point you in the direction of good firms who care about their reputation .
there are still a few of us around .