Category Archives: News

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

 

 

I got a phone call the other week to book GCL billiards to call in and re-cover three of the 7 pool tables in this well known large Snooker club in Derby.
The Players and management where very specific in the type of cloth that they wanted the tables re-covered in
and Hainsworth branded cloth was the first choice , two of the tables to have Match cloth and the one table in the main lounge area to have precision cloth
these cloths are not a low cost option , but they where adamant that they wanted this cloth so it was arranged to get this cloth which is not one of my main cloths that we use.
I normally use Strachan branded cloths  on all cue sports tables.
But I must admit the cloths where very good to put on , they where a bit thinner than the normal cloth that I use , so I am very interested in seeing it’s wear qualities .
the Hainsworth match had a fine nap but felt a little coarse , the Hainsworth precision also had a fine nap but felt soft to the touch .
I am awaiting feedback from the Management and Pool teams experience of the cloth .
GCL billiards are happy to fit  any cloth that the customer ask’s for , and as always we always prepare the table before fitting , taking all staples out of the cushions , cleaning slate of any overspray of glue and applying by hand spreader new contact adhesive glue ( WE DO NOT USE SPRAY ON GLUE ) . Please read this link for the reasons we do not use spray on glue

https://gclbilliards.com/pool-table-re-covering-spray-on-glue-v-spread-on-contact-adhesive-glue-for-attaching-bed-cloth-on-you-decide/

We also vac out the table and wash and wipe down the ball run’s , you would be amazed at how many companies just leave all the dust and muck inside the table , and if  you think about it , the balls run on this grease and dust on the rail system and deposit it on the Brand new cloth just fitted , a no brainer really to clean out the table as well as re-cover it .
We also found a low spot on one slate bed , this had been filled by someone very badly , I sanded all the loose filler away and surface spread new filler , and then with a sanding block sanded the filler level with surrounding slate bed , it is now as good as new .
This large club was taken over two years ago , and the new ownership have made great stride’s in making it the No1 Club in Derby for cue sports.
GCL billiards take pride in that when they do a job they do it well , and with the top branded cloth that the club selected and the top class thorough workmanship , this club is only supplying the best for it’s members .
As can be seen from above photo’s , this Derby based club has very good facilities for pool and snooker , plus they have multi Darts board area and lounge.
they also have  numerous pool teams use the excellent facilities .
the tables are well spaced out , and they have plenty of cue room .
the tables used are all free play Winner supreme which are light timed charged for club members and visitors , these Supreme pool tables are as used by professionals in  competition and tournaments .

The snooker area

a photo of just three of the 9 dart boards available , 6 being cubicled like these .

I would like to thank the Management of CueBall Derby for using GCL billiards , we are a local firm and we think local Snooker club’s should give us a try , we aim to do excellent thorough none rushed work ,which in the cue sports industry it is hard to find a firm that sticks to these values , there are so many firms who rush work to get as much cash flow profit through the firm rather than a steady guaranteed flow due to good workmanship.
I based my firms value’s on my Old Boss John hopkin’s values  , he was well known in the billiards industry for being very fair and thorough and took pride in the family firm .
He always instructed the staff who worked for him to do the best unrushed job that we could do .
It helped that john was a church going man , and did a lot for the local church of which he is still a member at the ripe old age of 92?
I am not a church going person myself , but I like to think some of John’s Christian value’s rubbed off over the years I worked for him .

If you are a private one table owner or a multi table club owner , GCL billiards is a firm to trust in the billiards industry
we would be happy to quote for any work on your cue sports table , approaching 40 years as a billiards fitter Geoff large has  a vast experience in all cue sports work from a table install to re-covers , re-rubber or just servicing and leveling .
From small pool tables to full size snooker tables , we can also dismantle transport and erect your table for you .
We also offer a Private for sale section on our web site for people who are moving house and need to find a buyer for their table , please click on tables for sale to see a selection of tables being advertised at great prices direct from seller to buyer with no middle men fees , then just contact GCL billiards for a quote to relocate it .
We have re-located tables from Cornwall to Scotland and even in France .

 

We are at bursting point for work with tables to work on that have been booked in for weeks , September and October look to be a very busy months .
We are off to Devon tomorrow to pick up a 9ft snooker Table for a client from Peterborough , this will be then prepped and delivered mid October , this table was one sold through our for sale section direct from the selling client to our buying client who has commissioned the work for the table to come in.

this 9ft Enbild Grand duke model is based in Devon we are dismantling and working on cushions and pockets in our workshop before delivering to Peterborough.
Other work in , working in Newark on full size snooker and pool table , also Derby 3 pool tables and one full size, Grantham pool table , Nottingham snooker table , Long Eaton dismantle and remove plus install full size snooker table , Coldstream in Scotland , Dismantle and relocate full size re-cover possible re-rubber , Clitheroe install and re-cover full size snooker table , Melton install pool table and remove pool table , Castle Donington install and recover pool table , Birmingham , finish off install of snooker table for other billiards firm , Northampton re-rubber 9ft AM pool and re-cover , fit replacement cushions to two full size snooker and re-cover , and i have to fit in a 7 day holiday to tenerife too .
I have only just been away but my other half booked it so I have to go . I could have done without this Holiday as a long term colleague of mine who I worked alongside for over 30 years has just retired due to health reasons although he is still keeping his hand in on the odd job  , but he has passed on almost all of his work load to GCL billiards , so we are going to be extremely busy going forward .
And work is still coming in !

We have just completed some more work for Butlins in Skegness
this time we where working in the Green Baize , they have 16 Full size tables located in this room and all require some work on a rotating basis , they also have two table tennis tables and 6 dart boards plus a lounge seating area .
This time we where called to recover some of the tables and also check round all the tables for nets /leathers and nuts and screws on ball rails and repair as necessary .

The snooker in the Green Baize at Skegness Butlins is Free to play  , so the tables do get some heavy traffic over the year and need regular visits from GCL billiards to maintain them
we also get called out for emergency repairs , some of the Butlins Clients do get a bit rough with the cloth and accidents do happen .
Butlins are a valued client of GCL billiards and we always try and be as competitive as possible , but never cut corners , we use the best cloth and materials to maintain them and still take our time to make sure the work is done to a professional standard .
We have a very good relationship with Rob , Albert and Wayne at Skegness , we like to think we are trusted to do good work and we strive to maintain this standard , that is why we get repeat work and will always regard Butlins as a main Client .
We know other firms are always contacting Butlins for the work at Skegness , we like to think we have proved our worth as good contractors and a feeling of mutual trust has emerged over the last couple of years between the Butlins management and GCL Billiards  .
We hope to continue our working relationship with Butlins for many years to come .

I have been over to a country village in Derbyshire to help the owner improve his potting skills on his refurbished Riley Aristocrat Steel Block table.  I found a few faults with the table on inspection and recommended the following:

Open up the 3.25 inch pockets to just under 3.5 inch at the fall.  These pocket openings were far too tight and reminded me of the old billiard tables size of 3.25 inch pockets of Joe Davis’ era of the early 1930’s.

I also found one cushion bolt snapped into the slate and the level was not good enough.

Also they had fitted Hainsworth Smart cloth and the owner was complaining of very slow table cloth speed.  Not surprising it is was a little slow around the spot end as the end cloth was not tacked down for 2 feet.

The cloth looked a bit rough and the owner did iron this on a regular basis.  I recommended Strachan 6811 Tournament 30 oz.

So I got to work opening the pockets up on strip down, slicing off a fair amount of rubber in the pocket openings to my template standard fit.  These old Templates are not the current type as used by World Snooker but they are as near as you can get.  Apparently normal billiard fitters are not allowed to own a set of current templates.  So I used the old ones as a guide and found them to be just under 3.5 inch when covered in cloth at the fall.

A painted silver riley Aristocrat with cloth off.  Note just one bolt in corner leg.  I think this is a licensed copy of a UK made Aristocrat which I have noted have two bolts in the frame at the corner legs.
1 and 3/4 inch Italian slate

I always like to show my clients that I use the best Strachan 6811 grade Tournament 30 oz cloth , the embroidered writing with blue lines confirms this and also the transfer every 10ft on the underside of the cloth also confirms type of cloth and the weight  standard . Club 6811 has two red lines this higher grade tournament has two blue lines .
This cloth replaced the lower grade Hainsworth smart which was a bit too thick and the nap was not as fine as this 6811 T .

the templates used and the size of the pocket opening at the slate fall is a shade under 3.5 inch , with the cushions being steel block the rubber starts to open back up after the slate fall , normal older table cushions like the old Riley imperials have a tendency to close up to by a 1/4 of an inch as the rubber bends round into  into the pocket fall . some thing that Snooker players cannot understand and ask for the pockets to be opened up on normal cushions and I have to explain why they cannot do this , unless they opt for replacement modern cushions or steel block .
any way the owner is delighted with all his corner pockets being at Match standard of a shade under 3.5 inch and that the middle pockets where also to template , these where slightly tight too before I started the work.
if the middle pocket openings had been correct and both side cushions pushed apart by a further 1/8th then the corner pockets would have been even tighter  at around 3.1/8th at the drop , I always start from the middle pockets when looking at the correct pocket openings in the corner , get the middles wrong and you also get the corners wrong on steel cushions,  so the first thing to check if corner pockets are tight or too generous on steel cushions is the pocket opening at the centre pockets which should be 3.3/8ths if cut correct .
once the centre pockets are correct then you can adjust the corners to template or just below 3.5 inch for Match sized pocket openings. you do this by cutting excess rubber off and then hand rasp and sanding rubber to form the correct angle using templates as a guide.
If you want club sized 3.5/8th or above sized pockets you just take more off but keep the same profile as the template curve .

the side cushions being positioned so that the centre pockets are correct with the centre templates fitted into the opening , the Cushion bolt photo is showing that I rub candle wax over each cushion bolt , the main culprit for snapped cushions bolts is grit into the bolt hole and also thread binding , a little candle wax rubbed onto the thread makes for a lubricated thread , you may ask why not use WD 40 or oil , well the oil and WD40 will leach into the slate and you will get stains in the cloth around each bolt stud insert inside the slate .
Never be tempted to use any oil based lubricant on bolts on a snooker table , once inside the slate the oil will be there forever and your table will be ruined especially if you have under slate heating as the heat will force the oil upwards .
and I have seen it done a few times. Use Candle wax it is much better suited for the job.
I have still to get the snapped cushion bolt out of the end slate , this will be done in 6 to 12 months time at Re-stretch , I will order a slate insert and new bolt for this .
This will be a tricky job as the end slate will have to be turned upside down and the old lug drilled out , the hole to be cleaned of all debris and new insert threaded lug put in and car body filled over to keep inside the slate , I put melted wax in the thread and on the bolt when putting the car body filler in to keep threads from getting fouled with the filler .

A photo showing that the corner pockets although not the official templates they are not far out as the two balls show they are not generous pocket openings

a white ball on it’s own for comparison

The finished table.  My client will add a few words about the work at  a later date.  He has yet to play on the table and he is installing three tube heaters under the table around 10 inches below the slate bed on a trip out thermostat set at 25 degrees Celsius.  When this work is done the table will be even faster.  He did comment that it was already faster than the Hainsworth smart cloth that was used when he bought the table from a firm in Leeds.

I was really shocked that they had left him with centre and corner pockets so tight.  I did not have my camera with me for the first part of the work otherwise I would have taken photos of the pocket openings.  As for the snapped cushion bolt, they also chiselled some of the frieze bolt hole away resulting in a missing frieze bolt too.  We will sort all this out on the re-stretch and make the frieze a much better fitting to steel cushions.

This is the third time I have visited this club to Re-cover their Full size snooker tables
they seem to suffer cushion cloth split after around 18 months of use and play for 6 months with split cushions ?   , and after some research I found it was down to meticulous cleaning  of the tables , not really  bad thing as it is very hard to fine people so enthusiastic to look after club tables .
Just a little guidance on the cloth splitting  , and how it was happening and a simple adjustment of less pressure to the brush at the cushion angle is all that is required

I have got to know the person who cleans the tables very well and I have given him a new Pure Bristle Brush to replace the badly worn one so that this prevents the wood of the brush making contact with the cloth on the cushions .
this and the sharp angle of rubber is what was the cause .
I have sanded the angles a little too , a slight rounding off of the sharp edge will also help prevent cloth splitting of cushions .

The main room , 5 Riley Imperial Snooker tables Circa 1930s ? with New Cushions fitted by Riley Services in the 1990’s
this Venue is very well used and believe it or not snooker is less than £2 per Hour . the table’s get re-covered every 2 years for that and I always replace on one of the tables with new nets and leathers every time I visit .
Thus the nets and leathers are also kept to a reasonable standard of maintenance .