We have re-visited the Baulkline snooker club just up the A50 from Derby
This time we re-covered the other table to bring it up to a good playing standard for a competition that they are running in July.

Myself stripping the cushions of old cloth and carefully removing the cloth retaining slips.

this two table venue is something different , rather than the noisy music and loud banter you get with multi tables clubs this is run on quietness being the main object ,
A more relaxed way to play snooker or billiards , the tables are bookable on line .
Very warm in winter the club has excellent heating system

The finished table , both tables have now been re-covered in Best West of England Strachan Tournament 30 oz cloth

Not many people know this , but it is recommended that you have the bed cloth re-stretched tight after 12 months of having a new cloth fitted.
the reason is to speed the table up as a tight cloth has extra speed over one that has slackened off a bit
the other reason is cue stabs can cause a L shape rip in slack cloth , the cue tip can dig in and ruck up loose cloth , tight cloth tends to glance a cue tip off with the only damage being done is some nap removal but no rips.
here is a table we have just re-tightened the cloth on after 12 months.

Can you spot the unusual design on the end cushions of this table ?
The answer is 8 bolts instead of 6 , not many of these tables around
the manufacturer Padmore’s of Birmingham used to state you get a better bounce from 8 bolted end cushion rather than the normal 6 bolted type.

Padmore’s are now incorporated into Thurston after Clare’s of Liverpool , Padmore’s of Birmingham and Thurston of London algimated ,
today they have used the oldest name within that group to trade under which is Thurston’s

This Full size snooker table is located in a village hall near Burton on Trent Staffordshire
by having the cloth re-tightened the table is now playing faster and the level was also checked and adjusted.

I have been over to Derby county training Ground complex to re-cover and supply some balls and cues .
They have two pool tables the main one is for the players this table was having problems with the ball runs inside the table being broken
I replaced all 6 ball runs and this has now sorted the missing balls inside the table scenario.
The cloth they chose was in Club colors of Black.
The whole complex was being given a new coat of paint and the cabinet of this pool table was also painted black , it used to be light Oak finish

The black cloth is not one that is normally asked for , but we did supply the club with two packs of Black chalk , this is because if they carried on using blue or green chalk the cloth would have looked a mess.

White walls Black doors and carpet with matching black table and Black Strachan super pro speed cloth .
we could have supplied a white ram logo in the cloth from our Artscape cloth supplier but we did not have time to organize this for them due to they required re-cover in short space of time  , but maybe next time ,
Artscape cloth is not low cost though as the extra work of imprinting designs doubles the price of a re-cover .

We have just re-visited another local club that have GCL Billiards maintain their cue sports tables
it was not long ago that I was here recovering 3 other pool tables so the 4th one has been brought up to a good playing standard too.
Stapleford cue club has been trading for many years in Nottingham and Derby shire border .
they have a regular clientele and many pool teams play out of this club and they expect the best cloth and tables to play on .
There is a very good ambiance about this small /medium sized club , many large clubs just do not cut the mustard , in winter there is good heating and in summer Air conditioning
Bar meals are available too .

the finished table , re-covered in Strachan 6811 cloth all the pool tables are tournament,standard Supreme winner the choice of Professionals .

we do not do half a job , we also vac out all the dust in the cabinet under the slate

The cabinet is now also clean inside ,

We also wash down the ball rails , this stops balls sticking inside the table .

and we then check and adjust for level
I have been visiting Stapleford cue club repairing and maintaining the cue sports tables for over 30 years .

We have been called in to snag a few table repairs prior to re-opening today .
this old Riley snooker club has had a bit of a face lift and 8 Brand new Supreme pool tables installed and has been re branded the 3 counties snooker and pool sports bar.
My work was to replace 2 bed cloths which had been damaged and also one snooker cushion re-cover plus level all the pool tables and fit Racking skirts.

the match room table , this table had a L shape rip that the builders had managed to do , the manager was not impressed , and the main reason it ripped was the cloth was put on slack with tacks every 12 inch apart .

as can be seen the tack holes where 12 inch apart , slack cloths will ride up in front of a cue stab and the result is always a L shape tear

the L shape rip , the last thing our client wanted was to open today with two tables out of use , this slack clothed table had to have a new bed cloth fitted , and all my tacks had at least 4 to 5 inch apart and the cloth was put on tight .
but we managed to salvage some of this cloth for cushion cloth for the next time the tables have a re-cover .

The other table which is situated just outside the match room had water damage from a pipe burst in the ceiling , this resulted in another new bed cloth and one cushion being re-covered.

Downstairs in the main sports bar area , there are 8 Brand new supreme winner pool tables in Black pearl finish and green strachan cloth .
there is a raised darts area and a lounge area with Large screen TV’s fitted around the room .
A lift is soon to be recommissioned to get disabled members upstairs to the darts area and the snooker area where there are 11 full size snooker tables .

We are increasing our pool table rental sites within our local area .
We have just acquired a new site in Chilwell near Beeston Nottingham for a client who has a chain of pub’s where we also have pool tables sited .

we offer the best Latest edition Supreme Winner pool tables , these are the same type used for major professional and international tournaments around the UK
If you require the best tables backed up by a good time served billiards fitter for maintenance and best quality re-covering in top grade cloth .
then please contact Geoff at GCL billiards
12 month rental contracts start at just £15 per week fully maintained . WE DO NOT CHARGE VAT !
We also offer 6 monthly recover contracts at £18.50p per week  no vat to pay , please compare us with your local fruit machine operator who’s average charge is £22.50p per week plus vat

the internals of a supreme winner

Latest editions have solid chrome dicast corners and alloy cushion trim and come in the none reflective Black pearl if in stock , Black pearl is the one most people ask for , but we also do a nice oak cabinet version .

one of our Oak finish tables located in Worksop

we also maintain large snooker club’s tables such as these 4 supreme winners in Stapleford
we use Strachan and Hainsworth top quality wool  cloths , and we can also use Strachan super pro speed cloth , the choice is your’s
A club set of balls and a match set of balls plus 4 cues are supplied with the table and the coin op can be set on anything you require although the majority charge 50p per game .

Contact Geoff on 07753466064 or email c.large@btinternet.com , if we cannot answer the phone please leave a message I will get back to you , it may be that I am driving or lifting heavy snooker slates up or downstairs

The last couple of Days I have been at  a Club in Hucknall near Nottingham
My work was to dismantle down to the frame work and move the tables to one end of a long room to make space for a pool table at the other end .
My first day on site involved the actual move of the tables and re level with slates back on and the joints filled back in , at the same time the club members moved the Lighting shades and rehung them .

The start of the dismantle , you may notice that the tables are very far apart with much wasted space .

One Snooker table moved about 1 foot towards the camera and then leveled and slates back on .
The other table has had the slates removed and is about to be moved around 6 foot towards the other table .

club Members re positioning the shades , as a billiards firm we are not allowed to disconnect or connect electrical mains items , our public liability insurance also states we cannot do this
a qualified part P electrician is required by law to do this or the members can do it as was the case with this club .
To be honest I could do it as it is just the same as connecting a plug , but the law states I cannot . and to stay in line with our insurance we stick to this ruling .
but I did give advice on how to move and align the shades by the use of a center line and  a plumb bob .

the finished tables ready for play , the pool table is being located at the far end just inside the doors with good cue room all the way around , there  is a 14 foot  4 inch from the playing end of the table to the glass doors ,
enough for a 4ft wide table with 5 ft of cue room both sides .
the club is now looking forward to welcoming a pool team into the club , the snooker tables required the bed cloths re-stretching anyway so the club has saved this costing as it is in with the table move’s.