Posted in Sold

Oak set of Riley Snooker cushions for sale fully renovated re-rubbered and ready to fit to a period Riley Oak table

Anthony Hamilton’s snooker cushions from his riley table that was once installed in his Fathers house for him to practice on in the 1980s/90s
Kirkham old cushions stacked up

I have just fitted a set of steel cushions to a table that was renovated in December 2013 , the cushions that have now come off are in A1 Condition woodwork wise and rubber and cloth wise , they come complete with riley pocket plates with Brown leather and nets fitted.
the cushions come in a clear light oak finish sealant that was applied by the owners.
The owners Brother has his  own Carpentry shop and is a professional Skilled Carpenter , he did a lot of wood work renovations to this set of cushions which by the way once belonged to Anthony Hamilton the snooker player from Nottingham
Kirkham set of old riley cushions and pocket plates
above you can see the pocket plates with the nets and leathers till attached and the slide in panels with the riley nameplate in the centre of it, these slide in to hide the bolt fixings when on the table .
Kirkham old Riley cushion on top of steels
in this photo it shows one of the cushions resting on top of the newly fitted steel block cushions that the owner has now upgraded to , there is nothing wrong with these cushions they have new rubber on , they do not require re-covering as the cloth has hardly been played on ,
kirkham-recutt-new-rubber-corner-pocket-610x457
the cushions in December 2013 having the new rubber angles cut to size .
the finish is natural light oak with no stain at all in the wood , note the 1/4 sawn oak figuring in the wood grain pattern ! it really is quality timber that you would not find on any modern snooker table .
kirkham-finished-table-610x457
the cushions as they look on the table , they have some very nice quarter sawn oak that is figured on the cushions see photo’s !
The steels are a bit less noisy on rebound thud , and the rebound slight better , but with these cushions being solid oak they have very good rebound value too .
If you have a Riley table that has old worn out oak cushions and you are thinking about having them renovated , then here is the best offer you are going to get , just £350 for the cushions complete with pocket plates ready to fit ,and they will just bolt straight onto any Riley welsh slate table with 5 bolt holes on the side cushions and 6 bolt holes on the end cushions , built before 1960s . by 1970s they had moved onto Italian slate with 6 bolt holes in every cushion , this set will only fit tables with side cushions that have 5 bolt hole’s and 6 end cushion bolt holes so please make sure they fit your table , if uncertain ask Geoff .

If you are unsure bring a side and end cushion along to compare the bolt hole spacing’s .

They are collect only from near Derby , direct from the seller’s home . He may even show you his fantastic basement snooker /games room and the table they came off .
Contact Geoff on 07753466064

or email me at         c.large@btinternet.com   ask for Geoff .

at £350 you are really getting the cushions for free as the work gone into to these cushions would cost you in the region of £500 to £600 + what ever the woodwork repairs came to

Re-rubber £325 and they where also re-blocked for the rubber to sit on new wood .
Re-cloth cushions £180
wood work repairs and sealing ?

Posted in News

Alternative Iron to use on Pool tables …LOW COST at just £29.99p from Decathlon Stores ( please note *** GCL billiards do not stock this iron )

Now and Again I Like to give out cost saving idea’s for cue sports enthusiasts who have their own pool tables
It is not all about making money from every idea that come’s my way , passing on some cost saving items goes a long way in establishing my good intent and shows we are a caring Firm towards our clients.
I am not too bothered about stocking items to sell , I would rather just concentrate what I do best and that’s maintaining snooker and Pool tables
here is one little Gem that came my way from another person who told me about them and the news is quickly spreading around the cue sports forums about this little iron .
so it is not really a secret anymore .
Ski Iron
AVAILABLE FROM DECATHLON UK ONLY AT £29.99p
here https://www.decathlon.co.uk/waxing-iron-id_8319488.html
This smaller lightweight iron is used to melt wax onto Ski’s and snow boards , but some people have been using them with good results on smaller snooker and pool tables
they are thermostat controlled but would recommend that you wipe them onto the ball racking cloth before you attempt to iron your table , just as a precaution of scorching or dirt wiping off the face plate
I always do this with my full size Dowsing billiard iron too .
ski iron plate
the face plate is around 6×4 inch , it is a bit smaller than a proper Billiard iron and I would only recommend it’s use on small tables such as 7×4 Supreme winner pool tables
these irons are available at Decathlon outlet stores around the UK , I think they may now have a rush on them , so phone a pre order up for collection to make sure they have them in stock .
they are the lowest priced ones I can find with an oblong plate and thermostat heat control .
if you run a club at just £29.99p they are a useful back up if your dowsing billiards blows its thermostat
there are many private owned pool tables at home that do not get ironed because the owner cannot afford the £200 price tag of a genuine Dowsing billiard iron .

Remember this iron is not for sale from me , but from Decathlon stores around the UK , my nearest one to Nottingham and Derby is just off junction 26 close to Ikea at Eastwood .

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/swix-new-waxing-iron-id_8319488.html

Posted in News

Pool table Rentals / Hire in Nottingham and Derby Area , then try GCL billiards for latest model of supreme Winner Pool table .

 

 

There Is a shortage of Supreme pool tables coming out of the factory due to demand at anmytime of the year .
we have managed to secure two for our rental stock and these will be available for rental / hire on a 12 month basis from December
They Will be in stock from november 25th ready to rent
these will be added to our portfolio of pool table rental sites
winners stabbo new type metal corner chrome plate
All our pool tables come in Black pearl cabinet finish and Green cloth as standard
They are the latest Green badge supreme Winner 7×4 coin operated tables .
brand new winner supremes
This was a local pub in Stapleford in Nottinghamshire  that had two pool tables on a rental contract from GCL Billiards
Melton Cricket cloth off slate
On a rental contract your table re-covers are all in with the price of  the rental agreement
two re-covers per year one every 6 months at £18.50p per week over 52 weeks, and this works out at £80 per month
a set of replacement match balls every year and 4 cues plus box of 12 chalk and spare tips .
we also give two sets of balls out on first install one set for normal play the other set for match play .
who offers this much back up on pool tables ?
cueball pool room busy
We used to offer two different types of rental contracts but because of ease of working out contracts and invoicing we now only offer the set 12 month two recover contract .
it all depends on how busy your pub or club is to how long a cloth will last , but with our now standard 2 re-covers a year we are sure the cloths will last .
we ask all our rental customers to look at cloth wear as we do Car tyres , the more we use it gets the quicker it will require replacing
there is no set time scale to a table cloth lasting , it is all down to traffic of players using the table
we get some clubs have tables recovered every 6 months and others will last a year , but because of ease of servicing we now only offer our 2 re-covers per year at  every 6 months
all our table sites are now going over to this type of contract and it makes it easy to invoice as every site pays the £80 per month set fee ., and NO vat will be added .

Posted in News

Your no 1 choice for pool table recovers is GCL billiards in Nottingham Derby and Lincoln Leicester plus Northampton

We cover a wide area for pool table recovering in the Midlands
We are well known for being very thorough and not just recovering and out the door quick .
We take our time and clean the internals of the table , also taking out every staple in the cushions
We do not staple over staples , or use low cost quick to use spray on Glue
We find using the comb spreader is the best way to glue contact adhesive to the slate and the under part of the cloth , it bonds very well and will not come loose.
Towers white pearl winner finished
Our feedback from this table was very good in fact we do not get bad feedback as we like to do all our work right in front of the client so they can see what a thorough job we do cutting NO corners .
Towers ball rails process of being cleaned
we clean out the table and also wipe down the ball rails and internal slope
Towers re-covering of slate beds
we have our own method of glueing cloth to slate bed which we know is the best way  ,
none of our glue is anywhere near the playing surface so the ball will not roll off on glue applied on top of the slate
coop north every staple out
when we strip the cushions of old cloth we take every staple out
coop north match dust crap on rails 6

we would never leave your table with muck on the ball rails for balls to stick to , and that muck also gets transferred by the ball to your new cloth
leaving a table like this is bad news for the owner , speed fitters who charge slightly less and try and pull more work into a day by doing very little to each table do this .
coop north glue spray on by supreme on slate
a typical problem we find on spray on glue cloths is overspray onto slate , a slow ball towards this middle pocket will suddenly stop or change direction
rip before showing very slack cloth rucking
we get our cloth on tight , unlike this freshly recovered bed cloth that was put on by another firm
leicester pool recover Baulk level 0.0
we also level to a high degree of accuracy , but sometimes we do come across bowed or twisted slate beds or body of table ,
we do try and sort this out for you and have a good track record of improving the leveling of the table .
Newark pool table x 6 area
From large clubs
prince-7ft-red-1024x768
to family owned tables
Sam K steel
We even do American pool tables
kelso bed cloth fitted (2)
and full size snooker tables
if you want your table recovering in good quality cloth by a time served billiards fitter then contact Geoff at GCL billiards
We have many recommendations of approval

Posted in Sold

For sale Karnehm and Hillamn 10ft snooker table fully stripped and refurbished and choice of colour of polish . And cloth choice !

We have a trade seller who refurbishes tables in the North of the UK , totally re stripping them and you can have a choice of colour shade of the woodwork .
GCL Billiards have allowed this trader to use their web site to further their coverage of the sale for this table and maybe a few more full size tables will also be advertised such as BCE steel Block Westbury and Riley Aristocrat steel block tables and normal cushioned Riley Aristocrats .
If you are located closer to GCL billiards than the trader , then you may ask the seller for Geoff at GCL billiards to install the table for you .
these tables that this trader is renovating are for people who wish a more tailored bespoke service of a fully refurbished table rather than to  buy second hand and take the table as is .
So therefore the price of the table will reflect the time and materials gone into the refurbishment , it is not the lowest cost option to buy a table like this when second hand ones can be bought but 10fts are much harder to locate and these K&H tables are rated Highly because they used the best materials to build them  , you are really buying a new table when they are refurbished like this .

This 10ft Karnehm and Hillman table is made from top quality Brazilian Mahogany not Philippine mahogany lookalike wood , and also has hand floated slates ,and adjustable muntins to prevent slate sag is also being put into the build of this refurbishment
Take a look at the photo’s of this Buckingham tulip model legged table .
Chris legs strip kh 1

The legs being hand stripped

chris kh stripped end legs 2

End panel and legs stripped and put back together to show the clean wood before stain choice

Chris cushions stripped kh 3

All the cushions and buttons stripped and ready for stain

the table will look like this one below but will be Brand new totally re polished with new ball and accessories with brand new cloth choice of Hainsworth or Strachan  branding, and you have a choice of stain colour.
10ft K&H paul bristol 2
Also new Northern rubber
the cost of this table will be as a new table of this Quality should cost when leaving the Factory at £3000
Fitting and delivery to be priced accordingly .
please do not confuse the Quality of these UK made Karnehm and hillman tables with low cost brand new tables being sold on Ebay for around half the price ,
these Ebay sellers will trick you into thinking their tables are UK made out of Quality wood when in fact they are imported from China and India .
like this OAK Chinese table below , this was supplied by a UK firm and they told the buyer it was UK made , when in fact it is low quality wood made in either china or India.
GCL Billiards will always inform you of the type of table you are buying in our private sellers adverts , our reputation is always at risk if we give the wrong information out so you can be assured this K&H 10ft is the real thing a proper UK made table made from high quality wood .
caravan finished table
Above,  bad quality oak 10ft Chinese table at half the price of the K&Hillman. the Chinese table  looks good but plays awful .
Below The added benefit of adjustable muntin Brackets will ensure the slates remain flat and true
Adjustable muntins K&hillman 2
Adjustable muntins K&hillman
adjuster bracket
For contact details of this seller please contact Geoff at     c.large@btinternet.com      and we will pass on your inquiry .
A choice of lighting at extra charge could also be arranged from standard twin tube High frequency lighting to the Brass reproduction electric gas lamp .
Chris lighting fancy brass

oak 9ft viceroy fitted new GCL lighting by dextra
cox & yeman lights

Posted in News

Advertising Costs for GCL billiards through sponsorship or Google or Yell , we aim to reduce our outgoings to save on increasing prices .

We feel some advertising performances are just paper down the toilet

Due to feedback from Customers we have decided to cut back our outlay of advertising through Yell from next year .
we find this the most expensive yet the least productive avenue of contact for GCL Billiards from our feedback when we questioned our customers of where they found us
Most say through Google direct to web site and a good percentage of returning customer , but also a large amount from referrals from our regular clients .
I have been monitoring our performance this last month and we have had just one enquiry through Yell .


we do not have money to burn on advertising that does not perform for us .
the one yell enquiry we got last month was at 12 o’clock one Sunday evening for a table to be booked to play on , WE ARE NOT A SNOOKER CLUB !
So we are taking steps to cut back our advertising with Yell to the one free local Nottingham listing , this will become effective from August 2016 when our current contract with Yell expires . until then we will still be advertising in Derby and Lincoln areas .
PLEASE search for us on Google you will find many references to us on there with direct contact to our web site without going through a third party advertising agencies web Business Listings  , we are one click nearer going through Google rather than through Yell
and if you are looking for a firm that works on maintaining Cue sports tables such as snooker and pool table re-covering , you will not have to troll through a cue maker or various snooker club listings all piled under one section to find us .
nbsa_logo_150x70
We like to offer sponsorship to the local leagues so we do support both Derbyshire Institutes league  and Nottinghamshire snooker leagues NBSA through advertising in booklets and donating the odd trophy .
by doing this we are also recommended to all the snooker clubs that are in those leagues .
we find this direct contact with our local clients much more rewarding than advertising on third party search engines .

I am not saying Yell does not perform for other advertisers , it just does not perform for us . we find our listings is lost in an area covering other types of businesses and not direct to what we do or what people are searching for when looking for re-covering or table moves . or being replaced as a top listing because they offer a silver gold listing payment for the higher system , just a way of getting people to pay more to be listed higher , we are established so we do not need to do this anymore and good feedback and recommendations are a better way of feeling we are the firm for you rather than sponsorship to Yell for 2nd or 1st placement .

we also find that saying how long a Firm  has been advertising is not always the best way to rate them , we for example have only been advertising with Yell for 4 years but someone who has been with them for 15 years because of the large logo stating this makes them look a much better organisation even though I have been personally fitting snooker and pool tables for 40 years .
So as from next year the best way to find us is through Google or direct if you know we exist by googling direct by name of GCL billiards , just type snooker recovers nottingham when you are looking , or your Home town plus recovers snooker  / pool ,
we do come up on google on the first or second page listings,  if not maybe the third page if we have not done work in your area recently or in the past .
If your area or town is mentioned on just one post in our web site we should come up on Google .
this is not down to paying smart people doing things to keep us there , it is based on the number of people who are searching for Snooker or pool table recovers and clicking on our web site when it comes up we do not pay to enhance our hits on our web site it is down to clients looking for us .
They have either heard of us through another person or have stumbled upon us because we have done work in their area and we have mentioned that on our reports on the web site .
Google is a powerful advertising tool and the best thing is it’s FREE .

Rear view of van Igor

Posted in Sold

Full size George Wright looks really good condition from photo’s large bulbous legs fluted circa 1920s, in West sussex

 

Private sale direct from the owner

Here we have a very nice large legged mahogany George Wright , a sought after maker in the art of billiard table manufacture .
The table is located in West sussex .
George Wright sussex Lucie RH12 cloth condition looks good
Cloth condition looks very good .
George wright leg close up lucie
this brighter photo shows the leg in nits full glory , slide in concealed knee panels hide the frame bolts
and the large turned  leg which was turned from a 10 inch block of wood has flutes carved into the leg
Flame veneer to side frame by the looks of it too .
George Wright lucie iron balls brush triangle
the table comes fully equipped with the most important piece of maintance kit that you require the IRON
one ball looks faded in this photo so expect to buy a new set of balls if you are fussy
Brush , triangle , billiard ball set , box of chalk and all rests are with the table .
George Wright sussex cloth plus leg lucie
close up of cloth shows no track marks int he corner pockets which means the cloth has seen very little use , but a close inspection will be required to be fully sure .
We are awaiting the price on this top of the range period full size  billiards table .
but offers can be made now !

contact                c.large@btinternet.com

for details

Posted in Sold

SOLD SOLD SOLD …..Very nice Oak Birmingham billiards full size snooker table for sale in Lincolnshire. £500 Bargain .

Now SOLD to a person living in the Spalding area and booked in for removable and fitting  before Christmas just in time before we where fully booked out .

 

We have a client who wishes to sell there very nice condition Light Oak Full size Birmingham billiards snooker table
please have a look at the following photo’s , this table would look great in a modern building or even a period one
it is finished in the much desirable light Oak , which is all solid oak wood ( No Veneer here )
birm bill oak table lincs 1
The table has very attractive turned legs with archways between .
Birm bill oak lincs end shot
the slide in cushion panels have flutes in them , the table comes with all rests and hooks that you can see on the table , a cover , Scoreboard , lighting , balls and cues .
birm bill oak table lincs leg
just look at the solid light oak finish , this table would have cost around £4000 when new and that was only 7 years ago
It will require anew re-cover which can be done on dismantle and set up
The price for this table is just £500 for a very quick sale .
GCL van outrside warickshire home sept 2015
If you would like a quote for the dismantle load and delivery and unload and assemble ( Hopefully on Ground floor ) then please get in touch with Geoff at GCL billiards for a quote .
this table is based in Lincolnshire so would be an ideal buy for anyone in Lincolnshire / Nottingham / Derby as these area’s are easier for us , but if you live further afield then that is no problem
We have days still to spare for delivery and installation  before Christmas if you wanted to get this table organised for your Christmas Present to yourself or Loved one.