Tag Archives: billiards

Posted in News

Steel block Burroughs and Watts Re-rubber and Re-cover in Leicester and Service contract information

B&watts oak steel finished table
Due to me targeting Leicester last month, an order came in from a club for a Re-rubber and Re-cover of a full sized Burroughs and Watts oak steel block table.  The rubber was past its best and the balls were bouncing upwards on impact with the cushion.  I gave a quote for a full re-rubber in northern rubber by Hainsworth made in Retford Nottinghamshire (the best you can buy) and fit.  You should really only trust this brand of rubber, it will outlast any imported rubber by up to 25 years of use, if kept at a good temperature and not allowed to harden.

If you buy imported rubber it may only last 4 or 5 years and that’s fact.

I allowed two days for this job, where some billiards firms will send two fitters or even one speed fitter and complete in one day, I prefer to allow the rubber to fully bond with the block and the contact adhesive to fully dry overnight before recovering.  This prevents the rubber sliding down off the block rebate.  30 years ago we would be fitting loan cushions and bringing the cushions back to the workshop for a re-rubber but today we fit on site.  Some speed fitting firms do it all in a day.  At GCL Billiards we do it over two days.

Some firms use low grade Taiwan / Chinese  rubber which may be canvas backed and allows to fit in one day as it grips better to the glue.  Northern rubber has no canvas back so the glue should be allowed to fully dry.

I always show my customers the logo on the Northern rubber and the date stamp that is also on there.
B&watts oak steel 1
A photo of the table showing the steel plate with slots for adjustment of pocket opening, this makes sure all pockets are the same size when fitting.  They do take more time to recover than normal wood cushions and you have to take your time when fitting them back onto the table to make sure they all align up with correct measurements of centre pocket opening of this B&Watts at 3 3/8 inch gap between cushion ends, then corner pocket opening at 3 1/2 inch at the fall.
B&watts oak steel 2
This set of steel block cushions has the makers name stencil painted on the reverse of the plate circa 1920/30.  This maker Burroughs and Watts were the first firm to patent the steel cushions and it was this invention that really put Burroughs and Watts on the map as a billiard table maker.  Thurston and George Wright, the two other leading manufacturers in London at that time, would have lost some valued customers to Burroughs and Watts over the years, including Queen Victoria who was mainly a Thurston customer and who had a slate framed and cushion capping (frieze) table which had Burroughs and Watts steel cushions on, installed at Osborne house on the Isle of White.
B&atts oak steel deluxe cover
The clients also invested in a new dust cover.  They where that impressed with GCL Billiards’ work that they have given the go ahead for a 6 monthly service visit and the other table at the side of this table is also having work done in the near future.  New accessories have also been ordered and maybe new lighting.  GCL Billiards would like to get as many local clubs enrolled into these 3 or 6 monthly maintenance visits.  We do not look at the visits to tie the firm and club together, it is more of a partnership in maintaining the tables to an acceptable standard.  We to know we have regular work coming in not only with the small service visits brushing ironing and tipping cues etc. but the main recover / rerubber or stretch bed cloths and levelling too.  The customer is safe in the knowledge that the work is going to be carried out to a good standard.  The club will get to know us from our regular visits and a mutual trust between client and GCL Billiards which can only be maintained by good workmanship and we will strive to keep to that standard.

Did you know that if a table meter takes £10 per day and you were to put £1 of that £10 away to one side for a year, you could have a new cloth re-cover every 12 months?  £365 is the average price for a recover using Strachan 6811 Tournament cloth.  But on average a table only requires a recover every 18 month to 2 years, with a stretch bed cloth at 9 or 12 months and two 6 month service visits.  Pick up the phone and give Geoff at GCL Billiards a call today, we will be happy to go over the figures for a 2 year service contract for your club or even privately owned table.

Posted in News

Sad News Dave Gibson of Beeston snooker Hall Passed Away

It is with great sadness that I have been informed of the passing of David Gibson of Beeston Snooker Hall in Nottinghamshire aged 78.  I have known Dave for many years since the 1960s aged 14, when I used to wag an afternoon French lesson at school in the winter months and go down the Billiard Hall with many of my school mates for a warm on the pipes that surrounded the hall.  Little did I know back then that I would be re-covering the tables in there one day as a time served billiards fitter.

Below is a photo of Beeston Snooker Hall – notice those large warm pipes around the outside edge.

Dave was always one for inventions and gadgets, and was keen to show people what he had achieved by experimentation or manufacture.  For Instance, before computer controlled lighting for snooker tables, Dave invented a timer with mechanical digital counters for hours and mins used.  Many of the internal parts came from the pinball and slot machine industry.  My own boss John Hopkin at Elston and Hopkin Billiards Ltd bought one in 1980 for our new 18 table Snooker Hall on Newark Street, Nottingham (now the Spot On club).  We also bought a cue sanding tipping machine that Dave had made up with a sewing machine motor and rotating sanding disc.

Dave had made in perspex a special marking out device for baulklines.  He experimented with heat and anti slate bow bars on his tables in the hall.  I was shown on one recent visit a ball ramp with a laser attached.  This ball ramp with measure of incline and adjustable incline was used to measure such things as ball travel on a cloth, rubber rebound value and distance rebounded and by using the laser light on the back of the ball as it rolled off the ramp, you could see the ball roll off due to nap or table being out of level.  Dave was a very clever man and was well respected in the snooker and billiard community.  He got to know many of Beeston’s Snooker and Billiards players by first name.

Dave always kept a good stock of cues and accessories at the Hall.  The above photo shows his range of cues on rotating tables for easy viewing.  This was another one of Dave’s inventions.  The photo below has another of Dave’s gadgets at the left hand side of the display case, but don’t ask me what it is for.  I think it is for some sort of game played on the table.

Dave sponsored the local snooker competitions and leagues over many years since the 1960s in and around Nottingham and Derbyshire.  He also purchased many trophies, one such trophy made out of bronze was very heavy and stood 4 foot high approx.

Dave was also a Committee member of the NBSA which is the Nottinghamshire Billiards & Snooker Association of which he was a valued member.

In the 1970s Dave came over to my uncle’s firm where I was working at that time.  I had just started work as a Trainee Billiards fitter back then and Dave gave me some useful information of where I was going wrong that day as I was having difficulty in recovering some cushions, so you could say he had some early input on my career as a Billiard fitter.

It was only recently (November 2012) that I jogged Dave’s memory of what he had taught me back then.  I think he was a bit chuffed that he had some input and could see that I had taken my training as a billiards fitter seriously and after 37 years was still at it.

David Gibson’s funeral is to take place on the 22nd of January 2013 at 11.45am at Bramcote Crematorium (Main Chapel).
My condolences to wife Kathy and family and friends too many to mention by name.

Geoff Large
Billiards fitter
GCL BILLIARDS

I attended David’s funeral today and what a turn out he had , a large number of friends and relatives seated and standing at the rear , Dave would have been proud that he had so many well wishers at his funeral .
and I know Kathy would like to wish everyone who attended a big thankyou for attending the Funeral .
A great send off for Mr Snooker as many knew him .

Posted in News

A couple of photos showing the correct undercut of rubber angle

Here are a couple of photos showing in photo 1 a not so good effort of finished undercut at the corner pocket.  This one more so because it is supposed to be a steel block match table.  I have seen much worse than this, but to point a few things out, the rubber at the top edge is too sharp and can cause the cloth to split if left sharp.  Yes rubber can cut through cloth quicker if not sanded slightly at the cut edge.  The undercut is convexed, it has been sanded but not at the back edge, where you can still see knife cut marks.

The second photo Below is of the correct way to undercut the corner angle, nice smooth lines no sharp rubber on the upper edge.  Undercut is concaved to allow for the round edge of the ball to slightly tuck under the lower flat face as it enters into the pocket on impact to the undercut and no knife mark cutting in the undercut at all.
This work was carried out by Geoff large a Time served billiards fitter of GCL BILLIARDS , over the years the art of cutting and shapeing the rubber has not changed much , but the angle and undercutt has been changed many times to suit the modern play and the governing bodies  , some fitters recutt the rubber to the old fashoned angles , if you want it done correctley to modern standards contact GCL BILLIARDS .

Posted in News

SPECIAL NEW YEAR OFFER: Pool Table Recovering in Nottingham, Derby, Lincoln, Newark and Leicester

We will recover in genuine Strachan cue sports cloth any 6×3 or 7×4 UK pool table and include a dust cover, a set of balls, 12 blocks of chalk, new triangle and a brush for just £165.  We have three main colours of cloth available – green, blue or burgundy.

This offer is for the month of January 2013.  Please phone 07753 466064 or email c.large@btinternet.com quoting GCLB3 offer recover/acesspack.

We can also quote as an extra for a new set of cushion rubber.  Please send a photo of the type of Pool table you have to c.large@btinternet.com

We also stock pool cues, rule sheets, cloth cleaning spray, other types of pool balls spots and stripes budget quality to high quality, also high quality reds and yellows and chrome free standing cue racks.  Plus we also do the new pro twin tube lighting.  If you would like to upgrade your order to include any of these please ask.

We do not just turn up, do a fast recover and scarper.  We clean the inside of the table and check pockets and ball runs etc.  We also level the table up and iron the cloth ready for play.

When looking for people to work on your Pool table we are second to none in the cue sports industry for recovering and re-rubbering all cue sports tables of any design or make. .
So book us in confidence that your table is in good hands and that the workmanship and materials used are of top quality.

We are time served billiards fitters with over 37 years experience on UK Pool / Snooker / Billiards and 8 ball cue sports tables.

We offer the complete package.  We are not experienced in one part of maintaing cue sports tables, we are experienced in all !

Posted in News

GCL BILLIARDS for Pool table recovering in the Nottingham, Derby, Lincoln, Newark & Leicester area

Two more Supreme Prince Pool tables get the full monty treatment of brand new cushion rubber in quality black rubber and new re-clothing with strachan best quality wool cloth.  We also vacuumed the tables out, de-greased around 3 years of muck from the ball rails and centre ramp, cleaned the side chute and flip out tray, checked battery power and that the electronic coin mechs were working fine.

One thing the Landlord expressed concern with was that the tables have never played level in all the years he has been there, so the slate was re-levelled by strip packing to take out the natural bow of the cabinet which over time had become worse.  We also removed many recovers of spray on glue from the top of the slate which was affecting the ball run down the side of the table.  The ball now runs true and the table was levelled by engineers level as well as digital levelled to an accuracy of 0.1 per square metre, that’s the thickness of a £20 note throughout the level of the table slate area.  Only a time served billiards fitter would go to these lengths of making sure a pub pool table was good for play and the good news is we do not charge more for this expertise.  So why choose a quick fit pool table recoverer over someone who takes their time and does the job right.

PLEASE BE AWARE THAT SOME FIRMS COME WITH CUSHIONS ALREADY COVERED AND JUST CHANGE THEM OVER TAKING YOUR CUSHIONS AWAY.  This can be a big mistake if you allow this to happen as good cushions could be swapped over with bad hard rubber cushions and this is what had happened to the above two tables including slate swap over.  At GCL Billiards we will only change over worn out sets of cushions and never just one or two cushions always the whole set.  If one cushion has gone hard the others are not far behind in doing the same, so best to replace the whole set.  All other good sets of cushions are recovered on site and refitted to their original tables, ensuring that if you have got decent cushions they are put back on your table.

To round things off we fitted our smart new green www.88pooltables.com bubble badge to the cabinet side.  This displays who maintains the table and contact numbers etc.

We know we are second to none in the refurbishment of Pool tables, so if your local pub or club is ready for a revamp of its pool tables please recommend www.gclbilliards.com the professional cue sports people.

The Landlord was highly delighted with the work we have carried out and the attention to detail of the cleaning of the inside of the tables to stop ball jams etc. and how we got the tables level.  Not all firms do this, but GCL Billiards and Double Eight Pool Tables always do it.

Phone us today to book your table in on 07753466064 or 01159725355.  Leave a message if we are busy we always get back to you.

Posted in Sold

Rilet Aristocrat NOW SOLD £2000

NOW SOLD !

A 1987 Riley installed table, this table was brand new when installed, so has only had one careful home owner, never been used in a club and therefore is as mint as you will find one.  The last one that came along in this condition sold straight away.

PLEASE NOTE THIS TABLE HAS STANDARD CUSHIONS AND NOT STEEL BLOCK TYPE.
IT HAS HARD WOOD CUSHIONS WHICH ARE VERY GOOD FOR BOUNCE AND ALMOST AS GOOD AS STEEL BLOCK REBOUND

The table is not as dark as this photo, look at the next photo for a true colour and wood grain.

The table has all the accessories required to play the game and to maintain the cloth in perfect condition.  The iron will be sold with the table if the seller receives the asking price which will be negotiated with the seller.  GCL BILLIARDS is only passing information on about the table, we would however like to be involved with the dismantling and setting up of the table as our reward for pairing the seller and the buyer together.

GCL Billiards has not inspected the table at first hand, but know of the family that the table is coming from and one of the brothers is a well known figure in snooker circles in the Nottingham area and beyond.

If the buyer chooses, a time served billiards fitter could be sent out to check over the table to be double sure it is 100%.  Things like cushion bounce, slate trueness and condition of polish etc can all be scrutinised by a profesional eye (allthough the photos confirm the condition).  There will be a cost to this service though to cover travel and time.

I do know that when the table was purchased new it cost over £4500.  The seller is looking for £2000 or offers in that region.  This does not include the dismantle and set up or any transportation costs, as previously stated they are willing to listen to sensible offers.

I am linking the blog for this advert to www.thesnookerforum.com in the tables section as this will help widen the search for a buyer for the table.

GCL Billiards do not charge a commission for the service of advertising client’s tables, all we ask is that you would consider us for the work of removal, delivery and set up of the table.  We are fully professional and have over 37 years personal experience in the art of billiards fitting.with many personal testimonials.

Please email c.large@btinternet.com for further information regarding this table , quote Aristocrat mint Newark in the heading .

The Table is NOW SOLD , after putting the table up for sale in MAY 2013 , we had no enquiries then all of a sudden within the same week in October 2013  we have two people after it .
Now it shows that these adverts do get noticed , and we still have a client who requires one in the same condition .

Geoff Large
Billiards Fitter

NOW SOLD !

Posted in News

Snooker table for Sale? Snooker table wanted? Free selling and buying service!

As a Billiards/Snooker firm we get a few phone calls from people wishing to sell a full sized snooker table.  We also get clients requiring a snooker table.  Over the years the market has changed in table sales, due to many clubs closing and large snooker club companies shedding clubs that do not pay.  The market is now flooded with full size tables and this reflects on the price that one can expect for a table.

At GCL BILLIARDS we do not buy full sized tables for resale, but we do run a service whereby if a person requires to sell on a table and a client is looking for a table we will put the two together to work out a sale between them.  This generates business for GCL BILLIARDS in the transport and any work required such as rerubber and recover etc.

Only this last week I had a phone call from a customer in MANSFIELD who wanted to sell on his table after many years of ownership.  I explained that we do not buy tables of that size but would look for a person to buy it from him.  I had just the person for him, a client in LINCOLN who had contacted me about 4 weeks previously.  I had been looking at tables on ebay for him, to try and find a good one amongst the many bad ones that you can buy.  I put the two people together and they have worked out a deal whereby the seller gets his room back for other uses and the buyer gets a good table for the right price.

We got the work of transporting and a re-rubber plus recover nets and leathers plus supply a few spares etc.  Everyone is happy at this result and nobody paid a commision for selling or buying.

We do charge an inspection fee though if that is required for peace of mind.  Such things as slate trueness and build quality, pocket openings, condition of rubber and polish, cloth condition and any problems I may see with the table.  The inspection fee covers travelling expenses and time and is calculated on the distance that I have to travel.  This is money well spent as a qualified billiards fitter’s eye over a purchase such as this will save money if you can avoid the bad buys from the good ones.

We do not charge a commission for putting clients together, it is a free service.  All that we ask is that the seller or buyer puts work our way in return for the free service.

******Please note********
I only pass on information about the seller whith his or her permission and normally only pass on emails or a telephone number for the first introduction, not the address.  Any table condition cannot be guaranteed unless inspected at first hand by a GCL BIILIARDS qualified billiards fitter.

An introduction is not a recommendation of the table but to find out if that table is suitable for the buyer’s needs.  I do of course study the table photos and if I think the table is not suitable to pass onto a future buyer, I will inform the seller of this.

Posted in News

POOL TABLE RECOVERING Sales and rentals

I have been giving this a bit of thought , GCL Billiards is a traditional name for snooker   tables  although the words Cue sports is often used to describe all type’s of tables , some customers that have a pool table think , well we don’t want to go down the route of getting a billiards or snooker firm in to recover our table , they will charge too much , and Clients with snooker tables may think steer clear of that firm they do Pool tables , we don’t want a pool table fitter working on our table , we only want a fully qualified time served billiards fitter . that is not to say that Pool tables are inferior to Snooker tables  , it is just that they are Recovered in differant methods and skills , A snooker table for instance should have it’s bed cloth tacked on , this will enable restretching at a later date , a pool table cloth is glued on unless it is an american pool table then it is stapled on , they do not require restretching , my method of glueing a bed cloth on a pool table is second to none , you will not have any issue’s with cloth coming off around the pocket falls, or even coming all off the slate due to very bad spray on glue being used , or a fittter being in too much of a hurry to wait for the glue to go off . A fitter should not use the same methods of recovering a pool table on a snooker table and thats where the divide come’s from , Club secreterys have made the mistake of not having a time served billiards fitter on the snooker table and the fitter has covered it the same way he recovers a pool table , and I have seen this over the years stapled and glued on bed cloths on a snooker table ? , Pool and snooker have their own way of maintenance schedule .

For this reason I am about to open a sepperate web site for pool table recovers ,sales and rental only , I will link the site to this one and vice versa , this way I am sure to capture both markets of which I am experienced in , I do not charge over the rates of a normal pool table recover just because I am a fully time served billiards fitter , I do not lower my standards for maintaining Snooker tables just because I also work on pool tables , through experience working in Pool and Snooker I know there is a bit of a divide when it comes down to the games .

What you can be sure of is that after 37 years experience of working on both Pool and snooker tables ,GCL Billiards will always do reputable work to the highest standard for both parties , I will update news of the new web site as soon as it is up and running .