One of the largest Pool tournaments is coming to the Towers Snooker and Pool Venue , on Botany Avenue Mansfield from Monday the 28th to Friday the 30th of October
And it is FREE to watch , Geoff Large of GCL billiards was especially contacted to carry out the refurbishment of the playing surface of 9 of the 15 pool tables located at the Towers Venue
and I thank Jules goodyear for recommending me and for passing on my Details to Harvey Elmhirst one of the the tournament organisers , and Chris Walker Towers Director .

The first four tables being treated to a new playing surface , the cloth of choice and recommended by Geoff and Jules Goodyear ( Current Nations cup senior pool singles champion and also England Team A champion )  is the New lightweight 29 oz Strachan all wool6811 TOURNAMENT cloth , we have been getting rave reviews on the lighter weight 6811 tournament for both snooker and pool tables.

The slates have been cleaned of all dirt and dust and  any loose glue removed around the edge and the slate edge and under edge of cloth is glued with contact adhesive
The dry time before stretching the cloth on is around 20 minutes per table bed .
The cushions have already been stripped of all staples taken out , reclothed in the same 6811 tournament 29 oz cloth and refastened back to the frames .

the slate beds have now been re-covered .

at GCL billiards we do not do half a job , we also clean the inside of the tables , we vacuum all dust from the main body and wash down and degrease the rails of wax residue which is a combination of sweat off hands
and chalk and wool residue shedding from cloth as can be seen further down this ball rail  , if you let years of the build up you are asking for balls to stick , resulting in player picking the table up and dropping it to free the balls .
the bad thing about this is you can get broken feet , or worse a cracked slate bed .
Cleaning the inside of the table is part of a re-cover . and is part of GCL billiards code of practice to do this .

all nice and clean and ready to accept balls rolling down without the risk of getting stuck,  and also nice clean rails will not deposit the muck back onto the nice new cloth you have just had fitted .

Packing sagging slates !
Many pool table fitters pack under the slate bed to get the dip out , my theory of this is it leaves a gap unsupported along the slate between these beer mat packers
I have been fully trained as a Billiards fitter and work on full size snooker tables , I put some of the theory of that training into how to support the length of the slate bed in a pool table if shimming to get level
I use the centre ball rail return gully uprights which is the main support for the slate bed if anyone sits on a table overtime the carcase will begin to sag down between the legs  , the centre uprights also distort and sag.
my way of packing or shimming  is to run a length of thin snooker cloth down the top edge staple in position , then run a further shorter length on top in the middle  , what I am doing is building a gradual pyramid to lift the bow or sag out of the slate , on bad tables this can take three strips each one smaller in length than the previous strip  , but normally it takes just two strips , like in the above photo.
My own personal theory into using beermats is don’t , they cause too many problems , if you pack too much you can distort the top lid bend the clamps or distort them and also make the hinge side rattle
I have checked the tables I have re-covered and used the strip cloth method of leveling the sagging slate , and removed all the beer mats that where previously put there by someone else ,  I staple my strips of cloth in place so it will not move or fall into the main gully like loose beer mats can .

three more tables going through the process of playing surface refurbishment at the Towers

It is important when re-covering cushions to take every old staple from the previous re-cover out , this makes for a neater re-cover plus a build up of staples can lift the cushion above where it should be , ball Rebound can be effected
too high and the cushion is dead , too low and the balls jump , you do not get the full bounce out of cushions if they are too high .

the final part of any pool table re-covering and refurbishment is the Leveling of the tables
I use an old Mercedes car side jack that I have converted to move around the table with ease to lift and drop the tables down for access to the table leg feet
I move in 1/4 turns each foot , I then try a few balls around the table
Good cloth which is looked after will Run very fast and true , cloth that is neglected will fluff up shed and you may get what we describe as cardigan arms ball fluffs appearing or clumping of cloth .
a simple rule of thumb is every 10 hours of use Brush then Blocker and Iron , and even if the club has ironed the tables early that day  if it’s match night Iron them again .
the Iron setting of a Dowsing Iron with thermostat for this type of Strachan 6811 Tournament cloth is the hottest setting N0 9
if you are using Hainsworth Match cloth then setting number 8
keep the iron off the cushion rubber by about 1/8th ” ,  heat will make the rubber go off and you will end up replacing cushions due to dead bounce from early rubber deterioration

As photo  from one end of the room

one of the Black pearl cabinet finish Supreme winner pool tables , fitted with the new 29oz Strachan lightweight Tournament cloth

and  a table in the white Pearl finish , notice all the tables have racking cloths fitted , if you are a Pool Player there are a few rules to think about and get used to doing or not doing here are the 6 most important .
Rule one =  always use the racking cloth
Rule two =  never sit on the table the slate will distort and sag
Rule three = clean hands never eat greasy crisps or nuts when playing pool
Rule four = keep drinks well away from the table
Rule 5 = Respect the table keep tips and ferrules in good order and never dig into the cloth with your cue and keep tip well chalked .Green chalk for Green cloth , do not use BLUE chalk .
rule 6 = cue cases opening on the table some have sharp hinges or catches that can damage the cloth open the cue case on a side drinks table never on a pool tables playing surface .

If you like the way I go about my business in maintaining pool and snooker tables and you have a venue or a table of your own then please contact Geoff Large at GCL billiards
contact details are ….c.large@btinternet.com or phone 07753466064 or home 01159725355

Interested in going over to check this event out then please contact the towers Snooker club or just turn up , its FREE for spectators .

Upstairs room at the towers has another 6 Supreme winner pool tables

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 .

I have been over to Derby to adjust the pocket openings on a riley Aristocrat
The old openings where 3.3/8ths at the fall which is too tight
My clients friends where reluctant to come round and play on his table .

This was the problem , these templates would not fit into the openings at 3.3/8ths at the fall

after carefully unstapling the cloth on the corner pockets I put the cushions back onto the table in the correct place , using a centre template to centre the side cushions up .

by carefully taking the staples out I peeled the cloth back to reveal the rubber openings
I then placed the corner template over this and traced around it , then cut the slivers of excess rubber away  , around 1/16th each side .

the middle pockets where ok and fitted my centre templates perfectly

After trimming and rasping and sanding the angles , I carefully turned over and re stapled the cloth back on
this photo is of the under cut template showing a perfect fit to align perfectly with the slate fall

The corner template is now a perfect fit in all 4 corner pockets and a shade over 3.5 inch , the balls are much more inclined to fall now and the jaw  rattle is reduced ,
a ball is a little forgiving when resting in the jaw and is inclined to fall in but only just , before they where almost impossible to fall in if slightly rattled on entry to fall , I have not made these openings massive like some club tables you play on , they are what I call just above pro size pockets by about 1/32nd of an inch .
the worst thing you can do is expect normal players to play on very tight pocket openings they will just walk away from that type of table as the game is no fun for them , by slightly opening the pockets up they will start to build more confidence and make higher breaks .
I have been adjusting a few tables recently to have slightly larger pocket openings . some require pockets openings at 3.3/4 wide but most go for 3.5/8ths , this one is between 3.5 and 3.5/8th .

The table finished and ready for play , the room that this table is locate at is above some industrial units in Derby , my client rents the room out to include all electricity , he has a toilet and fridge and tea making facilities.
It is one way of having a few mates round for snooker without having to wait or booking of a table as in a snooker club location .
so if you do not have room for a full size snooker table at home then consider renting a room like this unused office space above a normal running garage business which would only store rubbish in it .
It is a win win situation for both Garage owner and Snooker fanatic .
the work is fiddly and very time consuming as you have to take it steady and carefully cut and check before rasping and sanding , this is not a DIY job and you should refer to a qualified Billiard Fitter for this very experienced hands on work

We have been over to Coopers Snooker and Pool club in Wellingborough
The work we have just completed
“full size snooker tables recovered in Strachan 6811 tournament 30 oz cloth

and three 7×4 Supreme winner pool tables also recovered in Strachan 6811 tournament 30 oz cloth

the UK pool area now has 10 supreme Winner pool tables and is now used as the main Northampton county pool team venue
an impressive room , an  ex cinema with very high ceiling which made hanging new electric match lighting a risky job , so best left to Electricians who can work at Heights off scaffolding .

In august we help recover and relocate some of the Supreme winner tables for coopers from their sister club in Northampton
they had nine tables back then so had room for one more which they sourced from another firm .
They then had the electricians move all the lighting and the tables had to be relocated , a job they did themselves , then they asked the fitter from the other firm who installed that 10th table to look at the other tables and level them .
the above photo shows what he did , packed under the slate with beer mats , this is taboo , and can cause cracked slates or even warped corrugated slate where the slate sags on the gap between the packing .
on the three tables I recovered I put right what this fitter had done , and made much better way of rectifying dropped slates or sagging slate as some call this , normally caused by people sitting on the next table they are playing on .

one of the other tables he leveled by placing beer matts under the slate in different places , you may notice where he is placing these beer matts on the two centre ball return  tunnel supports , which run the entire length of the slate from end to end

and my way of packing is to support the slate gradually by stapling thin strips of cloth then a shorter piece of thin cloth over that , if a third is required then attach that , the slate is then gradually supported it’s entire length
There is no air gaps under the slate between the support and the slate so no risk of a cracked slate and no risk of corrugation of slate
I have given much thought into getting the slate bow out of the carcase on these tables and , I believe my way to be the best solution
I put this down to my Time served Billiards fitter experience of 40 years , the other fitter I think is just  a pool table engineer and not a proper Time served Billiard sfitter trained in the art of working on all cue sports tables
If you can understand how the slates on a full size snooker table must be supported it is no difference in pool tables there must be support on it’s entire length and no gaps between slate and frame , and not wedged with beer mats like the above pool table engineer did , a common thing I find when on my rounds .
The solution to keep tables level is to stop people sitting on the tables , the average male is 12 to 14  stone put this in the centre of the table and it will sag down and deform the carcass of the pool table which in turn the slate will also follow the shape of the now sagging carcass  , so if you see people sitting on pool tables tell them off and point them to this report .
Also , if a pool table engineer places too many beer mats under the slate the top surround cushion clamps will be sprained and cause rattling clips and hinges .