I have just been over to a warehouse in Leicestershire , I was asked by a firm of Importers and shippers of Chinese Goods , mainly hot tubs and leisure goods to the UK .
to have a look at two types of pool tables they had ordered and to show the wharehousemen how to re-cover the slate beds so that they could part assemble them before loading and delivery .
the cushions came already covered , but the slates did not .
They had a bit of a problem in that these slate beds are designed to be screwed onto the frame directly through countersunk holes that had to be filled over with filler then re-covered on site .
the frame comes flat packed and has to be assembled like this , it looks like they are using the same design of legs normally found on twist bar football tables .
there are 4 chrome twist feet to be placed on the end of the legs for leveling , I decided to dry fit without these on as we where just demonstrating today not actually fitting it to be played on
I placed the slate on then assembled the flat packed cushions and surround skirt on top of a Blanket so we did not scratch the top
Those chinese flat pack instructions take some reading , I went by the photo’s in the end .
The slate had holes where countersunk screws where to fasten the slate directly to the frame , I worked out that these holes could be filled with car body filler this made part assembly and covering of the slate bed before delivery possible
My Client who had ordered 40 of these type of tables did not realise that he would have flat packed tables delivered and was shocked to find out he had to assemble them fully and also fit the bed cloths !
He contacted GCL billiards to find a solution to part assemble them as drop off time per item is normally done in 30 minutes , they also deliver Hot tubs and would have a part load of pool tables and hot tubs to do multi drops around the country
He did not want any delays in flat pack assembly of the pool tables .
the ball return was a simple piece of hardboard down each side incorporating both a slot in the frame and a slot in the skirt surround of the cushion skirt , one end has to be left off to get these in then put the end on which has the ball acess hole in .
I see many of these types of tables for sale on Ebay , my own personal feeling is they are not the type of table I like to work on .
there are many designs of tables some easy to errect and re-cover , some hard to re-cover .
to re-cover this table for example it is a two man job and therefore twice the expense of labour .
the second table we erected was a little different in design but almost the same format and it had a table top and table tennis cover for it .
My advice to my client was to sell the 40 tables and when he requires more to ask a table fitter for advice on the type of table to supply and deliver with ease .
When I get enquiries for pool table re-covers I try and ask the Client for a photo of the table before I take the work on .
The two tables above are low cost tables that I would recommend my client to look at next time he thinks of stocking tables that are easy to assemble ,
they come in just a few parts
Main body with cushions surround , two or four legged versions , and slate bed , Two men could assemble these in 15 minutes on site easy
A much better solution than the imported chinese table . and they come already covered slate bed and cushions .
