Category Archives: News

The past two days have been spent up in Clitheroe in Lancashire .
My client Mark has been working on the woodwork of the table for a few months and was waiting for a relocation of his family business to incorporate an upstairs area for his full size snooker table.
Mark was looking for a table back in February of this year and just happened to view my web site and one took his fancy from the for sale section which links sellers to buyers direct with no middle men fees .
the table had just been placed up for sale when Mark spotted it and he knew it was the table for him , here is a link to that original listing .
https://gclbilliards.com/very-nice-thurston-full-size-snooker-table-for-sale-in-radlett-hertfordshire/

Mark purchased the table direct from the seller , no middle men fees where added,  it was a direct no fuss sale.
Mark then used GCL billiards to collect the table for him and deliver it to Clitheroe .
we where instructed to re-rubber the cushions and return them so that Mark could sympathetically restore the table’s woodwork.
when Mark had relocated the family business we where instructed to return to erect the table and re-cover it in Strachan 6811 tournament cloth .
and here are a few photo’s of that work .

With the frame put together and level ready for the slates which where leaning up against the far wall ready to go on .

the 5 slates being placed onto the frame , we center the center slate up on the frame and then pin together the slates making sure we keep the overhang equal on both side and ends

The 5 slates all located together , the cloth tack lining is screwed around the outside edge , and the fine level of the table is done , the slate joints have had a skim of car body filler to make the 5 section bed a seamless  12ft long bed of slate.
there will be no slate joints showing through the cloth on this table.
the slate is 2 inch thick welsh slate and the table is of  Thurston manufacture circa 1896 . one of the first concealed pocket plated tables when all Billiards firms moved from top plate pockets to concealed plate pocket fixings.
This early concealed pocket plate had an unusual fixing method where one end of the plate screws into the end cushion and the side cushion is a square lug push in fixing , the center pockets are square lug fixing on both sides .
This makes for a tricky screwing up of pocket with the ball rail attached , but back when this table was made it would have had just ball bags on for Billiards not ball rails for snooker , snooker was not the main game until after the 1930s.
it was all billiards back in the early days , and is why all tables should be called A Billiards Table and not Snooker tables .
and my job title is billiards fitter .

the bed cloth fitted to the now level table

the cloth of my choice and of most of the UK’s clubs  , the very popular for wear yet speedy 6811 Tournament Strachan 30 oz all wool cloth
I often get asked why not thinner match play cloth a used on TV or other companies equivalent like Hainsworth Precision or Match cloth
the brand that is used on TV is Strachan and it is an all wool cloth with no man made fibers that are supposed to make a cloth last longer, but in my opinion will not .
This 6811 30 oz has been the main cloth used in clubs up and down the UK since the 1980’s / 90’s , it is not thick but then is not too thin , if you use a thin cloth then expect it to wear out in under a year even in home use.
this 6811 tournament will last a minimum of 2 years and maybe up to 10 years depending on how much it is used in home use , in a club around 18 months to 2 years is the norm .
Be aware of inferior cloths , GCL Billiards do not fit sub standard or low grade cloths .

the main design that attracted Mark to this table where the very solid large turned legs , We both thought these where mahogany when we picked the table up .
Mark got in touch with Peter Clare at Thurston to see if he could delve into the firms records of Thurston’s and see if they have any information about the table from the serial number stamped into the frame
Peter informed mark that it had Walnut legs and the table was made circa 1895/6 , but I can see a flame in the side wood that must make the frame wood used a flame mahogany like what you would get on say the back of violins
some times referred to as fiddle back mahogany .
The Walnut legs where extremely heavy  , you may also note the key slots in the legs located near the frame bolts  , this is for the cover plates called Knee panels to us billiard fitters , they simply just slot onto these key slots .

the finished table , ready for play , originally this table would have had buttons over the bolt holes in the cushion
when we picked the table up , someone had screwed flat panels over the bolt holes you can see these in the first photo in our selling clients house before Mark bought the table   ,
Mark is having new buttons made for this table to return it back to it’s original looks.

and what the player sees when he is down taking a shot , these old Thurston tables if found in good condition like this are very sought after , they where made in a time when money was no object , I doubt you will find craftsmanship like this in china where most of the worlds cue sports tables are now made , solid Walnut legs , top quality flame mahogany , double bolted frame , high quality Welsh slate , the Chinese may copy us but they cannot produce quality like this .
and what makes it even better , these tables can be picked up at very keen prices at the moment , but finding the right one is the key to a trouble free purchase .
we actually have one of these type Thurston tables up on our for sale web site for FREE yes FREE , and here is a link to it
https://gclbilliards.com/category/for-sale/

not as good woodwork wise as Mark’s table but for Free you cannot complain , if any one is interested in this old table then click on our for sale section for more details , get in touch with Geoff at GCL Billiards and he will pass on the details of the seller to you
the only part that is missing off Marks table is the original Ivory name plate , if any one has one please let Geoff know and Mark will be happy to pay you for this .
it should look something like this photo below , but in better condition . and maybe have a Victorian name instead of Edward V11 as she would have still been on the throne when Marks table was made.

just had  a look back through some photo’s of Thurston ivory name plates and I think that Marks table would have had a name plate very similar to this one below .

T

We have been called in to re-stretch a bed cloth on one of two snooker tables situated in this club .
at the same time we where also instructed to fully re-cover the other table in West of England Strachan 6811 tournament grade cloth 30 oz weight

I have personally worked on one of  these tables for just 0ver 34  years ,  the far one is a George wright with very ornate reeded legs .
The one in the foreground is a 1980s Metric table by Thurston , this was when all the B&STA billiard firms got around a table and agreed to start to make the full size tables in metric size
Thurston jumped the gun and started ordering the slate in metric size and started to produce them , then on the next meeting all the Billiards and Snooker Trade Association members voted not to make them .
So the only metric tables you will find is these Thurston made ones .
these tables are around 2 inch shorter than a 12ft standard full size table and around 1.5 inch shorter on the width .

the finished tables ready for play
with the new modern lighting this is one of the best clubs with two tables to play on in the Derby Area.
***note the Long bench seating slightly raised like the old billiard rooms of the past
There are not many clubs offering a modern room to play snooker  like this still going .
this club always keeps to a good maintenance regime on their snooker tables .
a re-cover every two years and the other one re-stretched bed cloth at the same time .

I very surprised at the condition of the rubber cushions in this older type 7×4 pool table .
A table of this age usually  has hard rubber or crumbling rubber , this table was very good for bounce .
the make of this table ,   maybe an early supreme mk1 ?

Our client has owned this table for over 10 years , he is just building a very large Garage with room at one end for the pool table.
the photo above of strip down of table , we take every staple out of the cushions , even those left in from previous re-covering that speed fitters have just stapled over

at GCL billiards we take our time to make sure the next time we call to re-cover the cushions , they will strip down faster because we have taken all the pervious staples out , and also used easy remove 4mm staples in the cushions and not the 6mm that where used by the previous firm
Why use long staples that you have to dig out , with 4 mm staples when pulling the cloth off the cushions most of the staples come out or stand up ready to be pulled out by pliers .

the finished table re-cover in best 6811 Strachan cloth , we also checked and adjusted the level of the table .
To finish off our client invested in a fitted Peradon black fitted cover , these covers are best quality and not your usual Chinese / Taiwan fall apart thin plastic rubbish .

I have been over to a client who starting to use us on a regular basis .
this being the 4th time I have visited this club .

On this occasion we where instructed to re-rubber the cushions of this older BCE American pool table which had gone rock hard over the years due to ozone contamination of the red rubber of the original cushions .

the BCE 9ft American pool table stripped down , cushions have been re-rubbered and re-covered in /Blue cloth as can be seen in the back ground , the old rubbers still laying on the old cloth .

The bed cloth removed from the slate beds , the joints checked and the table levelled , and the make of the new cloth we are about to fit
I always recommend Strachan super Pro speed cloth for these tables , in my opinion it is the best type for this pool table .

the new cloth before fitting

the finished table , Strachan super pro is very easy to fit to these tables , unlike some all man made fibre cloths which are hard to fit , this part wool / fibre mix is made not only to look good and play good but also to fit nice and tight without wrinkles .

while I was over at this Northampton Club , I also took a set of second hand snooker table cushions over with me to exchange with a bad set they have on one of the full size tables
so by just fitting a bed cloth and taking the already recovered cushions with new nets and leathers fitted to pocket plates I had enough time to pull this work in  .
although it was 8pm by the time I got home .

the finished snooker table sporting a good second hand set of riley club cushions with new nets and leathers .

a shade over 3.5 inch at the fall on these riley Club cushions fitted to our clients table .

and how a ball looks in those jaws of the pocket , a table always looks better when at recover stage it has new nets and leathers fitted .

There are 8 full size snooker tables at this venue , 1 American 9ft pool table and around 10 Supreme winner 7×4 pool tables
I also maintain it’s sister club’s tables .

 

Looking for a firm to supply you with a new Supreme winner at the best rates which includes excellent maintenance program choice
We are increasing our portfolio of pool tables that we hire out on long term contracts to local pub’s and clubs in the Nottingham and Derby area .
Our table of choice is the best you can buy , the supreme winner 7x4ft as used in world Black ball pool championship 2014 at the Bells sports centre in Perth

the Bells Sports Centre Perth venue of the world 8 ball championship 2014
Look at the photo’s below of one of our tables in a Pub in Chilwell Nottingham , this table is having a Recover ready for the up and coming winter league
they will also require another recover for the summer league in 6 months time .

The slate out of the table with new cloth laid out and old cloth on top to protect from glue contamination when we spread glue to side of slate
we do not use spray on glue as this is the cause of many tables not rolling true with glue build up down the sides and in front of pockets the use of spray on glue is not good .
We apply the glue by comb spreader to the slate that is not in the line of play , so the ball cannot roll off a large clump of glue in the playing area,  as there is none applied by us to that area .

We also vacuum out the inside of the table , we then wash down all ball rails , this is where all grease and sweat from hands onto ball which then transfers to ball rail and build up like a black wax and makes the balls stick and stop on the rail
Firms who leave this are asking for trouble and this could cost them time and money being called out to a table that has sticking balls on the ball runs due to not cleaning them at every re-cover .
and the last thing a client of ours wants is down time on the pool table due to shoddy workmanship .
also the customer get frustrated with sticking balls in the ball runs and pick up the table at one end and bang it back down to free the ball , this can cause the adjustable foot on the legs to break , making future levelling of the table a problem .
Keep the inside of the table clean and that includes the pull out drawer ball flipper and also spray the coin mech with wd 40 to allow the coins to enter easy without jamming .

the finished table , new Strachan 6811 all wool fine nap cloth , cleaned out inside and also ball flipper tray cleaned and the coin mech lubricated to stop coins jamming .
and we then check and adjust for level . and refit a new racking cloth to the end of the table.
This well maintained table is ready for another Winter league season of trouble free use .

we listen to feedback from our clients , and one establishment phoned me to ask if I had any stickers to put on the table to remind customers to use the racking cloth as they where getting excessive wear around the triangle end of the table .
I started to look around and found hardly anywhere that would make me some at a reasonable price , in the end I looked on vista prints web site and found some bumper stickers , but had to order 50 of them to get the price below £3 per sticker .
Now not  a lot of companies would splash out £150 on stickers , but I like to give value for money with our rental tables and therefore supplied these to be fitted on the end cushion surround .
so now I have started to fit these onto the tables as we go around re-covering them , and the feedback I am getting is a high percentage now take notice and use the racking cloth , a little thing but effective .

this table is one of the best I have worked on for level , you get some tables that require a little shimming under the slate to get the 100% level that most teams crave for , this table has played true right out of the box and is a joy to work on .
some of the bodies that come out of the factory can be  a little out , and if  the slate is not sitting level in the table then a little shimming is allowed to fine tune the slate bed .
this table is bang on and this establishment knows they have one of the best if not the best table in their league , maintained by GCL billiards to a high standard  .
Geoff Large is a time served Billiard’s fitter , and has worked on many different types of cue sports tables , he has seen many changes in the way pool tables are manufactured over the years from chip board and ply to compressed fibre board of todays tables .

if you require a pool table re-covering or you wish to hire a pool table o contract  from GCL billiards in the Nottingham or Derby area  , then please get in touch with us , for a more personal service , we are not side tracked by fruit machines or video games , we are just 100% cue sport table maintenance  firm , we do sometimes offer pool table hire outside our area but this depends on certain factors  , please ask .

 

 

I was contacted by Brian who has a new winner supreme at his home , housed in a rather spacious conservatory .
He was looking for a high quality cloth for his pool table , and I had recommended the Strachan 6811 all wool cloth with fine nap to him .
Brian has all the kit for looking after his Pool table including a very expensive Full size Billiard table iron .
a must if you want to keep that nice fine nap flat for a speedy cloth yet retain it’s napped wool cloth to make that cue ball perform on side and swerve plus screw back shots .
try these sort of shots on nylon speed cloth and the cue ball will not perform , it may be a speedy table using man made fibre speed cloths but these all wool Strachan cloths have been proved to be the best for the type of cue sports played here in the UK.
Have a look at the following photo’s , Brian had some new cushions fitted although I did point out at just over two years old his old cushions where perfectly fine .

the Winner supreme with it’s new cushions placed in order and numbered , we always cover 5&6 cushions to the right as the nap on all side cushions should follow in the same direction as the bed , some speed fitters cover them in all one direction , this is wrong , so always feel the side cushions on your table and make sure the nap is going in the same direction as the slate bed nap , the end cushions nap should go to the left .

always make sure you clean the ball runs when the slate is being re-covered , as grease and muck from these rails transfer to the balls and back onto the nice new cloth you have just fitted , a fitter doing speed work always seems to leave this job plus all the muck inside the table floor , I have seen tables with many crisp packets nub ends , half eaten sandwich , plus other unmentionable food , used condoms if your unlucky , false teeth ? , old sticky sweets ..the list goes on , you name it I have probably found it in a pool table including a gold sovereign that had fell out of someone’s ring .

Again we find the spray on glue that was applied at the factory , these where a problem a few years ago , the recent ones coming out of the factory are much better , this one was a bad one , see photo below to see how it came out when cleaned off with nail varnish remover ( Acetone )

The slate has been soaked in Acetone and the old glue rubbed off to reveal a nice clean slate , a must if you want the ball to roll true up to the pocket fall , if I had left that old glue on like speed fitters do and again used spray on glue the table would have been unplayable , but they would have been down the road having extracted the cash for doing the work and no chance of them calling back to rectify it , and sadly there are a few firms out there that behave like this .

The cloth that was used , Strachan 6811 100% pure new wool cloth with very fine nap .

The finished table , looks inviting ! lets play pool .

Not finished yet though , we have to level the table , we never leave a job half done . by not booking too many table’s in for recovering  in one day we have that extra time to make sure your table is fully playable and that includes levelling within a thickness of a £20 note .

Double check of level using a good old fashioned Engineers level , and the more modern Digital level. 0-0 is bang on

What it looks like when the level is out by the thickness of a £20 note ….. =  0-1

If you have a pool table that requires the same care and attention I give all my clients , then go to the firm that cares about it’s reputation in the cue sport industry …GCL Billiards

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now and again I get emails from people who have had a table fitted saying they are having a few problems and how can it be sorted out  , now I am not going to embarrass the person who sent me this photo
And I will not name and shame the firm who sold him the table who have badly fitted it . but thought it may be a warning that low cost table fitting can not always be the best option. but in this case I understand it was not low cost.
but even if it was , there is only one way to put a table together and that’s the right way .
they say a picture tells a story , well this one certainly does.

First glance it is obvious that something is wrong here ,
the obvious one those blue double glazing plastic window frame shims should not be there in the centre of the slate , looks like this fitter also doubles up as a window fitter between snooker work .
The numbering indented into the supporting slate muntin , this is upside down so informs me the muntin may also be fitted upside down and therefore this may be the  reason of the very large gap that has to be packed to support the slate from dipping in the centre of the table.
Look further across at the side frame , I see more blue plastic shim and also thick wood or cardboard , this side rail of the main frame is supposed to be planed straight , most are good straight off the machine , some have to be shot with a long iron plane to get straight before the slate is put on .
Now and again you may see a playing card here and there which is acceptable on some tables , but to this extent of this thickness . it looks like they went so far levelling with shims under the legs then tried to get it level by packing between slate and frame .
Some may ask how to rectify this problem , well there is only one way start from scratch . table dismantled slates off and make sure all muntins are fitted correct , fit adjustable bracket to muntins to make  abetter table if possible .
Shoot side rails straight .
Level from highest leg , then put slates back on , Fine level and fill joints , sand clean and refit bed cloth , result is an expensive job to put right .
The moral of this story is use a qualified time served Billiards fitter

this is what it should look like , note the adjustable bracket , very little cost to put these in on a rebuild .
and no packing in sight on the far side rails , centre muntins adjust up to support the slate.

another conversion using adjustable brackets , this time recycled from an American pool table and used on this 8ft snooker table .
but a simple joist beam bracket from B&Q will do the job and use a bolt and two nuts , drill a hole and weld one of the nuts to the bracket

B&Q Diy bracket
And it is far easy to fit these brackets than messing round packing slate with window packing and chasing bubbles on the level