Monday and Tuesdays work, strip and re-rubber with best Northern Rubber made just down the road at Retford, a Cox and Yeman full size snooker table in North Nottinghamshire close to the Lincolnshire border.
We then re-covered the bed and cushions in best Strachan 6811 Tournament grade cloth. We also sorted out a contact in Ireland for our client who had some original Cox and Yeman rosettes which are used for cushion bolt covers. These are made from bronze but there was not a full set.
We sourced a foundry in Retford who cast some new rosettes, then sourced a new tap and drill set to re-tap a new thread into the original Cox and Yeman cushion bolts and supplied new brass securing screws for the rosettes.
You may also note we replaced the coffin shade with new high frequency soft white lighting, which really lights the table up.
We like to feel we went a little further than most billiard firms would do, to source original Cox and Yeman rosettes with the help of a billiard firm in Ireland (thank you Gerard) and then to find contacts and suppliers for the owner to make some new ones from a mould of the originals. It was a task that we where happy to complete.
Look at the following photos of the table with the new rosettes fitted.
We completed this work over two days taking our time to make sure all the work was completed to a high standard. The pockets where also opened up to 3 5/8ths at the fall when we cut the new rubber pocket openings.
Below: some very strange pocket plates on this Cox and Yeman. Large horse shoe designed corner pocket plates with screw lugs and the centre pocket plate has large tapered square lugs.
Below when viewed directly from above the opening, the size of pocket is 3 5/8ths at the fall. The table before the re-rubber had different sized pockets from 3 3/8ths to 3 1/2 inch. The owner was having difficulty in getting good breaks on the table. We fitted the lighting a few weeks back and this improved his game, but with the new pocket openings I am sure he will be getting above the 50 which is his highest break so far.
Below a ball in the opening of the fall to show how it measures up. We try to aim for 3 5/8th pocket openings but after the fall on these standard cushions the opening narrows to 3 1/4 inch. We do get a few people trying to compare a standard wood cushion with a steel block opening. We have to point out that some cushion’s woodwork will not allow for the rubber to be cut back after the fall to the same size or larger as was the case with this table.
Below: the original rosette. All the new ones were cast from a sand mould taken from this rosette.
Below: the new brass rosettes covering the cushion bolt heads. This design of bolt cover was only used by Cox & Yeman.
Below: a side view of the table showing the rosettes. These are the new brass ones cast at a local foundry in Retford for very little money.
Below: the re-rubbered cushions being re-covered and new slips fitted. Note the slate joints have been raked out of old crumbling plaster of paris and filled with soft sand car body filler.
Below: the new high frequency white light lighting.
Below: the finished table
Customer’s photo of finished table with balls set up
And customers comments about the work GCL Billiards Carried out
Geoff
I just wanted to drop you a line to thank you again for the work you did on my table. We’ve played about a dozen frames on it so far and I am extremely pleased with it. Playing on the new table is a completely different experience: it is very fast and the cushions are much more responsive than before. Of course my position play is now all over the place because the white ball no longer ends up where it used to – but I am sure I will get used to the new speed. It has become, by quite some way, the best table that I have played on.
I look forward to seeing you for a restretch in a year’s time.
Best wishes
Steve
