Category Archives: News

Today we have been re-covering table 2 at the Nottingham Snooker Academy.  The cushions on table 2 had a crack in the woodwork and rather than just re-cover them, I suggested we fit a good condition set of second hand steel block cushions manufactured by Burroughs and Watts,  table 2 being an early Riley table with 1.5 inch thick Welsh slate. there are many burroughs and watts steel plates fitted to differant make’s of table , Burroughs and Watts around the turn of the Century offered the cushions as an upgrade to any table haveing a 12foot by 6 foot 1.5 inch wide slate .
And in fact gave the cusions an extra wide cushion bolt slot of around 3 inch , so that the many differant slates with bolt holes in diferant positions where catered for  , and made fitting the cushions an easy upgrade. you just have to watch out for the depth of the hole down the slate from the top surface to align up.
The bolt slot is also used when aligning the centre and corner pocket openings to be uniformed to each other. slotting steel cushions is ok , but if you come across slotted wood cushions then these are to be avoided if possible , I was offered two 10 year old wood cushion sets from an old Riley’s Club that had closed down the other day , but turned them down because they where slotted.

The cushions are in exceptional condition for their age which I guess to be around 1910/20 , but may require a re-rubber in about two years time.  But the main thing was to solve the cracked cushion.  The cushions had been re-blocked and re-rubbered only two recovers ago, but we do not know when.  It could have been in the 1980’s or 90’s by the look of the rubber that is on them.  We also fitted a new set of leathers and nets.  The pocket openings are slightly over 3.5 inches at the fall, making this the second match sized pocket table in the club.

Photo of strip down of steel cushions and the old cushions on the floor that had just been taken off

We recovered the cushions and the slate bed in best Strachan West of England 30 oz 6811 tournament cloth.
Take a look below at the steel cushions from the rear before the wood frieze is put on , why they call them Steel Blocks is a little misleading , as the steel is actualy fitted behind the wood block that the rubber is glued to,you can see the many wood screws in the steel plate that are screwed into the rear of the wood overhang  block that the rubber is glued to and the cloth is stapled to  , they should be called steel Plate cushions , this plate is 3/8th thick steel , and the noise the ball makes as it hit’s the rubber is not as loud as the thud on a normal all wood constructed cushion the steel tends to muffle the sound  , the angle of the rebound is also more accurate as wood has tight and loose grain unlike the steel which is solid all the way along it’s lenth, the steel being more uniformed in it’s response of ball rebound , at the end of the day you get a little more bounce from a steel cushion but if the wood cushion is a heavy wood like Cuban mahogany or Oak then there is little differance.
they are a little harder to work on than a normal Wood cushion , and many fitters do not like them , GCL billiards are used to these cushion’s having many years of experience working on them ,where some firms charge extra for working on steel block cushion’s, GCL billiards charge the same price for steel cushions as re-covering or re-rubbering  normal wood cushions.

The finished table.

The table being played on as soon as I had finished it.

Barry and Steve are the first to try it out. Steve then took me on and he made a 46 break and completely annihilated me. I think I will stick to fitting tables and not playing on them. I am sure the members of the Snooker Academy and The Embankment will really appreciate the quality of the steel cushions.  These type of cushions are still played on today by the world’s top snooker professionals.  Burroughs and Watts were the first firm to patent the steel block cushioned table, but they called it the Steel Vacuum Cushion around 1895 and apart from the wood blocks not having the vacuum holes behind the rubber, the design is still the same over 100 years later.  Only the shape of the pocket plates have changed.

Today I was in Nottingham recovering two Supreme Winner pool tables in Strachan 6811 All wool cloth .
Our client got caught out the last time they where recovered by Speed pool table  fitters who used spray on glue to put the bed cloths on , which came off the slate a day later.
GCL billiards use contact adhesive to firmly fasten the clot to the slate and it stops on for the lifetime of the Re-cover.
just take a look at the shocking way the previous firm had fastened the cloth to the slate  .


After a good clean of the slate bed to remove over spray from the previous re-cover , we re-covered the table in Olive Green 6811 tournament cloth

The finished table
And to round things off we supplied two new Peradon Fitted dust covers , as the old one’s where falling apart

If you require a top quality re-cover using the best cloth and fitted by a qualified time served Billiards Fitter who takes their time and do it right , then contact GCL billiards by email c.large@btinternet.com or my mobile 07753466064 to speak to Geoff direct .

We also hire pool tables out in the Nottingham / Derby Leicester area , we offer the best deal which includes regular re-covering of the tables for Winter and summer leagues , again call GCL Billiards if you require a table on hire / Rental. we have very competitive rates for contract hire. We stock both the Supreme Winner or the more expensive top of the range supreme Prince , we call our Hire / Rental operating arm of GCL billiards , Double 8 Pool

Looks like my 38 years in the trade is now reaping rewards as they have found out I am now self employed and are coming over to the fitter that has always done their work .
Another club in Nottinghamshire that I have visited many times to work on their tables , this time the Secretary of the club contacted me to give a quote as the outgoing firm did not offer a new contract  .
She was most surprised to find out that I had set GCL Billiards up 14 months ago and the firm was doing very well , even in the summer months when cue sports work is supposed to be thin on the ground .
I have just three more social type club’s in this area to come on board to make this Nottinghamshire town a total GCL work zone for snooker table maintenance .
we are slowly but surely building a reputation for quality work , and if youre club is due any work on their Cue sports tables , be it Snooker , pool or even Bar Billiards , then give us a shout by phone 07753466064 or email c.large@btinternet.com ask for Geoff Large.

This photo show’s the centre pocket opening ,the wood block work on this steel block table was crumbling around the undercut of the rubber as it bent around into the pocket , and unsightly gaps where there , just as a temporary measure we filled the gap with filler and shaped it to give a nice tight fitting block to the slate bed , we still have another table to do at this club next week , and to show the gap just look at the photo after this , we are recommending new blocks and re-rubber in two years time which will solve the crumbling wood  block  for good  , which was caused by use of large 3/8th and 5/8th tacks in the 1960s , as fitters in those days did not use staple guns , large tacks just destroy the woodwork under the cushion.


the last photo is the finished table , a burroughs and watts steel block cushioned table circa 1920s , they have two identical matching tables at this club .

notice all those metal and plastic cue cases hanging on the far wall , all club’s used to be like this when I first started 38 years ago , when club’s closed down , cue’s are often left by members who have passed away , the club’s either gave the cues away with the table or has a blind auction , a pot luck auction so to speak  , you may end up with a £5  pool cue in one of those cases or an £800 antique hand spliced record break peal cue .

continuation of Blog post ……

The second visit to the club today to re-cover the other Burroughs and Watts steel cushioned table , this one was in much worse condition with the cushion block crumbling , we are looking to re-block and re-rubber this table in two years time , so we did a quick repair job for the client , we would have liked to do the proper job of re-blocking this time round , but funds from the club prevented us doing this , so we are staggering the tables so that this table gets new blocks next time and the other table will get new blocks the re-cover after , of course new rubber will also have to be fitted at the same time .

the crumbling cushion block , this was caused in the 1960s when they used tacks to fasten the cloth to the table , it should have been replaced on the last re-rubber ( Before my time ) but was overlooked , the blocks have been filled in to make the shape back up just to get them through the next two years , and the table is due a re-rubber now anyway , so in two years time it will be sorted .

The finished table , both levelled , and the cushions when covered do not show any signs of crumbling cushion blocks, The client is very happy with the work that GCL Billiards have done.

Note the odd looking table shade lights , these where a custom made light for the club when it re-located premises to make way for a new Tesco, the lights are covered with a Brown velvet type cloth , They are not my cup of tea  , the architect / project manager   who designed the room also put Air conditioning units directly above these shades you can see on the far table the flush vent in the ceiling above the shade  , this one leaked within the first 3 months and caused water damage to the shade and table cloth  , if only they had asked me about such things , putting air con above a table is asking for trouble they always leak condensation and to put it above an electrical item is just not on  , although the lighting looks the business and blends in with the décor , there are much better options out there that are made for the job , but I must not complain too much , they did make the right choice and take the Burroughs and watts match play tables with them rather than replace them with modern rubbish. and they have kept faith with me as a billiards fitter who will always strive to improve their tables condition.

This job is one that I have been going to for many years , unable to get A firm to come in and recover the tables , GCL billiards was contacted for quotes for a maintenance  contract , we called in to service the tables first and then give a report on the condition , that was two months ago , it was arranged with us to start the recovering in august and just have a recover and stretch agreement and they will call us if they require any service visits in between as an extra.
this agreement has saved the Club around £200 per table on their old quote , and they are highly delighted with the work .

The Bonus for this club is they have the same grade  of cloth fitted, Strachan 6811 tournament  , by the same fitter who has done the work for the past 30 odd years , but at  a much lower service quote .
GCL Billiards will work with you to find a more competitive quote using the best materials. just phone Geoff on 07753466064 or email c.large@btinternet.com

all that requires doing now is to replace those old fashioned Hartley engineering billiard lights for the 2 new High Frequency twin tube soft white light , lighting units .
I will be writing to the club to recommend doing this , as many club’s in Derby have gone down that route of replacing the old lighting for the new.

The start of the recover and the finished recover with players on the table .

 

 

 

the old and new , nets and leathers replaced , looks like the old leather still had cigarette smoke in from before the smoking ban

and the new net and leather

The middle pocket opening

the right hand table now finished

 

This week we also visited a table that we re-covered a year ago , we contacted our client  and reminded him that his table was due for a stretching of the cloth and new nets and leathers as we had recommended a year ago , The table had only a few games played on it since the re-cover  , but the cloth did stretch 1 inch from each end and 1/2 an inch on the sides , the old leathers where rock hard and the brass plate was showing , the table now plays faster with it’s re tightened cloth and the pockets look very smart with their new nets and leathers fitted right up to the woodwork .
I often hear of people say that snooker cloth should not be stretched , that is a myth spread by people too tight to pay for it , all cloth will slacken off with time , and it is custom in our industry to recommend a re-stretching of the cloth to not only speed the travel of the ball , but to also prevent rucking as the cue stabs the cloth , this rucking can sometimes cause a rip in the cloth by the cue ferrule cutting into the gathered cloth , and it normally is a large L shape rip , to help prevent this always have you’re table bed cloth stretched at least one time in it’s life span , we recommend after one year. We also clean the slate of chalk dust , especially around the ball position spots , people bang the balls on the spots , this vibrates chalk dust towards the impact and crushed it , this then builds up to a small mountain (Lump) under the cloth at the spot which we remove when the bed cloth come’s off.
The only cloth I do not recommend for re-stretching is Strachan No 10 and Hainsworth match , as these cloths are ultra thin , we fit them and just let them wear out and this will not take long as they are thin cloths already, it is not unusual for these type of cloths to only last 6 months in club use , and a year in private use.
Any other grade of cloth such as tournament or club or Smart  made by these two firms should have a re-stretch at some point in it’s lifespan , we also clean the slate of chalk dust and check and adjust level at the same time .

We removed the old Baulk line with Acetone , and remarked the new Baulk  about 1/2 inch further back so that it covered the old baulk which had moved back because of the re-stretching , this made the re-stretch that much neater , although the baulk is now 1/2 inch further back it is a trade off , neatness or accuracy of marking out to match spec. I always ask the client what he prefers , marking to spec or neatness of table , most choose the neatness .

Would you know the baulk was 1/2 inch out ? …………. I doubt it

The table after the re-stretching and new nets and leathers fitted

We are this week completing a job of 6 K steel american  nine foot pool table’s that we transported from Mansfield Rileys that had closed down to a town in Derbyshire , we set two tables up with part one of the work , but the room  bookings for the other part of the Room for other use prevented us from installing the other 4 tables , now those room booking’s have been completed we are free to get on with phase two , the install of 4 K steel tables .
When we arrived we found all the parts that we carefully stacked in order had been moved and all mixed up because of room decorating  , although these tables are universal and any part will fit any table , I have been trained to always keep a table together , that way it always goes back up with no problems .
so we set about sorting all the parts out on the floor to make sure we where putting the tables back together as they came apart

First photo is of all the frames set out for identification and ready to assemble

Second photo is of the 4 frames set-up and in position allowing for cue room and a few tables and chairs ,and  the first set of slates on the far corner table

the next photo is of the tables all level and the slates are on , the joints have been filled with soft sand Car Body filler for nice smooth slate joints , and are now ready for the next job of putting the new cloth on , we have made a start of stripping the cushions , our plan is to do two tables tomorrow and two the next day , we will not rush and get the tables done in less days , we like to get the tables right we spend a lot of time on the level of the table before we move onto the re-covering ,  we are not speed fitters .
we will add to this job description report tomorrow with more photo’s.

The next 2 photo’s are the tables with the cloth being put on , the slate beds have been recovered and we are laying out the cushions to attach the upper cushion shroud before  fixing to the top

the finished job looking from the bottom end

As you can see we got the tables perfectly in line to each other , nothing spoils a room more than tables not being in line with each other , let’s hope they fit the lighting in line too which is going up tomorrow.

Another view of the finished tables form the window end , at this end we had to move the tables again after we had recovered them , they wanted to put a TV lounge at one end of the room , by moving the tables for them we created enough space for our clients to do this ,We have special lifting jacks and heavy  duty trolleys for moving these tables in one go within a room, if you have this type of Sam k steel pool table DO NOT TRY and lift these tables you will do damage not only to yourself but also the slate bed which is tied down with bolts to the frame , a few photo’s of the American New York skyline a route 66 sign and maybe a Murial of the statue of liberty will give the room the american feel they are looking for , I  was at the Range superstore in Nottingham the other day and noticed they have plenty of american themed photo’s some 4 foot by 4 foot a  Murial of the New York skyline in day and night , so have advised they get down there and buy some , they where very keenly priced . a few TV screens are also being dotted around the room and a jukebox .

We have collected  a winner supreme pool table for renovation in Derby , the finish of the cabinet is called Brushed alloy , someone took a T cut and tried to make the top surround chrome ? they made a right mess of the top surround , we had a choice silver wrap fablon or silver spray paint , we tried the fablon but it did not look good , so we decided the spray paint was the best way to go.

A photo of the table before we cleaned it up

The cabinet was OK , but it did have a few scuff marks here and there which we could not do anything about , but we sprayed the top with a silver alloy finish paint , renewed the cushions and recovered the table in 777 Strachan cloth , we gave the entire table a thorough clean out , the feet where clogged with dog hairs , and the inside was like a rubbish bin had been tipped up inside it .
it is amazing what traffic film remover can do to spruce a table up , just by a good clean and degrease the table now looks presentable.
We where doing the table up for a sporting organisation in Derby , we like to do our bit for the local community and renovated this table at cost for them, after we inspected a table they all ready had on site which was falling to bit’s and new parts where not available as the table was made in the early 1980’s , we suggested a low cost option to replace at cost , which they agreed to do . and we are sure they will always contact GCL Billiards for any future re-covering work .

A photo of the winner supreme pool table after we renovated it in Strachan cloth and new cushions , plus coin mech and new door locks.

We  donated Free a set of rules a cover & new set of balls and cue’s plus triangle brush and 12 chalk

Two days work this Friday and Saturday to complete a re-rubber and re-cover of a full size snooker table in Loughborough, we have been really busy  and this job has been on hold until this week as we could just not fit it in , so we put a Saturday into the job to complete it .
The table is a Riley square leg that the owner bought with the property , the last recover was done in very poor unstamped no brand cloth , the slate joints where showing through the cloth , and the table was out of level , the pocket leathers where also worn and showing brass pocket plate that the balls where getting chipped as they where striking the pocket plate.

First job was to strip down the table and inspect for any faults , there where two that stood out , no6 cushion has a loose cushion rubber block and the slip was nailed in making the block come away from the cushion body , a loose rubber block will cause a dead spot on the cushion and the slate joints where bad  , we removed the rubber and screwed the block back onto the cushion body , then we re-rubbered the table using Genuine Northern rubber made in Retford Nottinghamshire .

as you can see the two photo’s above , the block has  a gap at the rear of the cloth retaining slip rebate slot , after the gap is now closed up as we screwed the block back on to the cushion body using 2 inch screws every 8 inch .


the above two photo’s of the re-rubber in process , the blocks have been stripped of all rubber and the new rubber is being attached using good quality contact adhesive , the next process was to cut the new angle at the middle and corners from a template for 3.5/8th wide at the fall , and to undercut but leave a flat face on the rubber into the pocket opening , we take great care in getting the rubber to be smooth and flawless on the pocket openings . the single staple is just a precaution to stop the rubber coming off the block in the back of the pocket opening as we part remove the rubber to tuck cloth behind it , we then use a 2 inch cloth tape to stick to the top of the rubber and the block , this will help keep the rubber inplace when players sit on the cushion , which they should not do but it happens.

The new angles have been cut and the cushions re-covered , a ball in the corner opening shows the distance of the space between the jaws which is 3.5/8ths at the fall , the new pocket leathers will now protect any new set of balls that our client wishes to use.


the slate joints on strip down had a large step from one slate to the next , after levelling this was reduced , but was still a problem on one half of the joint , so we feathered the joint with car body filler , when sanded down this gave a perfect slate joint , and now no slate joints will be visible in the cloth , it was that bad before that  ball would roll down the joint rather than over it . the table is now playing very well and the level is very good , as is the speed of the Strachan 6811 tournament grade cloth .


The finished table , our client spent a good amount having the table renovated to this standard , He used to go down the snooker club to play , but now will save a few £s playing at home , the average spend  per visit to a snooker club is £30 per person for a nights session of snooker and drinks @ £6 per hour , say twice a week in winter once in summer , so around £45 per week x 52 = £2340  , a pack of 20 beers from a supermarket is £15 x 52 = £780. looks like our client is going to save himself a few bob.