Tag Archives: GCL

Posted in News

Another case of bad cushions fitted to a pool table and GCL Billiards sort it out!

Today (Saturday) I have been over to Leicester to re-cover a 6ft Supreme Prince pool table.  The client bought the table from a Manchester based ebay seller who refurbish tables.

On stripping down the table I found that the cushion rubbers were different to each other.  This set of cushions were a miss match from other tables, just put together to make a sale without having to renew the rubber.  There was a mixture of black and red rubber on this table.  The client was complaining that the cushions were not responding and that at least one had almost no rebound value.  Also one end cushion woodwork was crumbling.

This was a case of taking the cushions back to our workshop and totally renewing the rubber and fixing the crumbling cushion.  With new rubber fitted and woodwork made good, the table was then re-covered using genuine Strachan pool cloth.

GCL BILLIARDS WILL NEVER BODGE IT AND SCARPER.  We always do the job right, unlike the person who sold this table to our new client.  We had to make two trips to put this table right, returning the cushions on Sunday!

And we didn’t charge the client any extra and that’s because we want repeat custom.  The next time this table comes up for any work, I am sure GCL Billiards will be contacted as the cue sports firm of choice, because we care about our reputation.
Clip Art Graphic of a Billiards Eight Ball Cartoon Character
This experience should be a warning to anyone looking to buy a second hand pool table, always ask about cushions and try the table out to see if there are any dead cushions.  The table came in at £395 + delivery when bought off ebay, but add a £185 for Strachan quality cloth re-cover and a new set of rubber fitted and shaped at £80 and the total paid will come over £660.  Just a little more and the client could have bought a brand new table.

Another thing to look out for is fitters arriving to re-cover a table with cushions already covered and ready to fit.  They take your good cushions away only to leave you with bad cushions.  Always on a re-cover insist they recover your cushions and refit them.  GCL Billiards always re-cover the client’s own cushions.  We only swop cushions over if they require renewing with new rubber or total new cushions from the manufacturer of the table.  We then have cushions in stock for such a change over, but always leave one uncovered for the client to inspect that it is new rubber.  I also stamp every cushion that we re-rubber with a GCL Billiards stamp and date it.
long Bennigton rubber off

Posted in News

It’s all happening this week two tables sold off blog site, table moves and light unit fitted + more

The for sale section on GCL Billiards’ blog (which are all FREE advertisements) is working, at least for 3/4 sized tables, two sold within the last week.  GCL Billiards do not make a penny from these sales, we just hope we get the work for moving and setting up the tables.

The new high frequency cool white lighting is receiving plenty of interest from people for use above their cue sports tables.

We also have to finish off the last two American pool table moves from Mansfield to Alfreton this week.

Servicing on Friday and working on Saturday in Leicester recovering a pool table.  We really are that busy and it’s summer, a time when it should be slack in the cue sports industry.

We have more work coming too, table instalations, re-covers, re-polishing, re-rubber work, nets and leathers etc.

Our sister company, Double Eight Pool Tables, have rental tables coming up for their 6 monthly and yearly re-covers.

It will soon be August and then September when the work really picks up for the winter leagues.
welbourne 9ft 2
elston Gent table
Both the above tables have been sold from our free advertisement service for clients who recommend GCL Billiards as the firm to move the table once sold.
derby f new lights
New lighting is the way to go.  Most clubs have now seen the light and are ditching the old coffin shades to make way for a much better lighting system for cue sports.  The high frequency cool white lighting reduces shadow.  The white light is better for the eye and your game gets better from using it.  It is also better for the fitter’s eye when he is re-covering the table.  After years of working under bad light I can now see so much better when working under these new lights.  Also the lighting is hung higher above the table, which also lights up the surrounding areas for the cleaner.  We aim for 5 foot above the playing surface as the optimal height to fix the lighting.

Ask Geoff about the new lighting system at c.large@btinternet.com  or phone 07753 466064.

Posted in News

GCL Billiards and snooker are very busy in Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire, Derby and Leicester

What a very busy month March has been for snooker and pool table work and April looks like being the same as orders are coming in for even more work. Starting off in march we went to London. We have then been to the East coast Linconshire, also Lincoln, Wragby, Bardney, Leicester, Nottingham, Stapleford, Beeston, Mansfield, Newark, then over near Melton Mowbray, back to leicester, then to Hinkley and Nuneaton and we now have some work in Derbyshire at Barton on trent, plus possible work back towards the East coast again.

We are solid right upto the 12th of April and just starting to fill the rest of April in. Although we are very busy, the workload is not going to make us rush jobs in order to make extra money. When I started GCL Billiards it was with the determination to take our time with clients tables and make sure we do a good job. Most of our work is by recommendation and Geoff has been in this trade nearly 40 years. We are now picking up some nice work for large organisations. Repeat work is also coming back to us, but we do not intend to get any larger as an organisation, prefering to offer good quality service and materials and also good value for money is our aim.

Together with our pool table hire business we are doing very nicely, slowly but surely we will get to a point where we will have to turn custom away rather than spoil a good reputation by doing speed work to increase profit. But that is a long way off yet. If you have a cue sports table that requires work, then please get in touch with GCL Billiards on email c.large@btinternet.com

Wragby table perfect slates
Wragby, a very good level set of Welsh slate

pool 6ft before
The sort of job I am called out to do on a pool table, they really let loose on this table in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire

pool 6ft after
The table after a re-cover

stapleford recover door
Another full size re-cover in 6811 Tournament cloth, with new leathers fitted in Stapleford, Nottinghamshire

pool 7ft jaques
A Jaques home play pool table

Posted in News

Back to Lincoln for new pro snooker light installation in log cabin

log cabin lights fitted
Today I have been back over to Lincoln to install the new pro lighting to the table I put in the Log cabin about two weeks ago.  The owner phoned our contact/agent in lincoln for GCL Billiards to come over and install ASAP.

It was a very tricky install because of the low roof and those beams.  The lights had to be fitted directly to the beams and a strengthening wood plank put up between the beams to support the lights and keep them together.

The Owner was delighted with the new lighting, there was no way a coffin type shade would have fitted to the roof without it being too low.

Cost of the new lighting starts at just £240 for a full size plus miles travelled to fit.  This lighting install with travelling costs was quoted at £310 fitted with two spare tubes.  Two photos below before lights were fitted.  Note that we covered the slate bed of the table with blankets as well as a heavy duty cover and we check for level and adjust after fitment of lighting.  Our pricing for these lights is very competitive.  You just have to check what they sell for on ebay to find out we are the best solution for pro snooker lighting.

We also give a discount for two lights fitted in the same club on the same day.
log cabin fitting lights
Barton table in Log Cabin

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

GCL BILLIARDS for a Pool table Recover in Lincoln , Derby , Nottingham , and Leicester

We are getting very popular in the 4 counties of Nottinghamshire , Lincolnshire, Derbyshire and Leicestershire and also parts of Yorkshire for a local firm to carry out pool and snooker maintenance , demand for GCL billiards experienced Billiard fitting is on the up in the run up to Christmas and into January , Bookings for a Re-cover or new cushion rubber on pool tables  is our most popular work even though we are fully time served billiards fitters trained for full size snooker tables, and you can be assured all our workmanship is carried out in a professional manner to NBSA standards , many of our clients giving testimonials of our work .

we are experienced in all types of tables , from very early 1970s made pool tables to the modern tables of today such as the Supreme , DPT , Omega , and Sam tables as well as the Hazel grove super leagues of past and present design .


we offer the best recover and re-rubber service , second to none and do not overcharge for this service , our fitting team have over 37 years experience in maintaining Snooker and Pool tables , we use our recommended by professional Players, Strachan pool cloth, in grades of 777 and 6811 pool or 6811 tournament , also american speed cloth , all in a variety of colours , we can also offer Artscape cloth with a custom design , a logo for example , youre local sports team , or company logo ?

so if you have a pool table that is ready to be revamped to a high standard , then please contact GCL BILLIARDS for youre table to get that professional Re-cover or  Re-rubber ,
Many cue sports clubs as well as pub landlords and Private housholds use GCL BILLIARDS to maintain their prized cue sports tables . we go beyond what normal pool table maintenance firms do , always making sure youre table is cleaned out and level and ready for play before we leave , we are not a hit and run firm we do not have a timescale or have to cover as many tables in a day as some fitters are required to do , we aim to stay in the cue sports trade maintaining tables for many years to come , and only good workmanship and good feedback will guarantee that .

Posted in News

2 more pool tables at Newark receive the GCL BILLIARDS treatment of professional Recover and full internal clean out of rail system


Two out of these 6 Winner supreme pool tables received a recover and full internal degrease and clean of internal ball rails and ramps by GCL billiards Yesterday , some of the best pool players around the counties of Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire play at this venue in Newark town centre , just like more snooker clubs these days , Newark cue club has gone from a fully 8 snooker table only club to just 4 full size snooker tables and 6 winner supreme 7×4 pool tables all with the new pro lighting  , along with an excellent Professional 3 board darts Room that has just had it’s wall dismantled to open plan it up into the main club .
The pool players are off to play in a tournament at Great yarmouth this weekend , good luck to all the players taking part .

as can be seen here when you place a £20 note under the Electronic level it is showing 0.1 out of true , when the note is removed the reading is 0.0 , I use a combination of an engineers level and this digital level to get the best results when re-leveling a Pool table

we have had a massive influx of orders for re-covering pool tables , and I guess that is down to the winter leagues just starting , we are that busy that I am having to work weekends and evenings to catch up . the hire of pool tables is also busy with another pool table ordered for two weeks time in a local pub , the current hire people just cannot maintain the table to the high standards of the pool teams and pub managers / owners , the Landlord expressed his disapointment in failed call outs to put the table right , this has resulted in GCL,s gain and their loss .
We are true Cue sports people and we only maintain Pool and Snooker tables and that is why we are so thorough in what we do as we are not side tracked by having to put Juke boxes or gameing machines right , we do not deal in coin slot gaming machines only cue sports tables . and we also include two recovers a year in our rental agreement . Backed up by a time served Billiards fitter who knows how to get the table performing level and trouble free .