The majority of Snooker / Billiard tables were made in Mahogany, so finding second hand cushions in oak is not an easy thing to do, finding them with steel cushions is almost impossible. But I managed to track a set down for my second cousin and old school friend Mick Kirkham.
Last Christmas I installed a snooker table that Mick had bought many years previously from Anthony Hamilton, the snooker player from Nottingham, and had it installed in an outside barn. This time he was having it put in a new extension basement purposely built for the table. Mick and his Brother totally stripped and renovated all the wood work on the frame and the standard Riley cushions, before I re-rubbered them and erected the table.
Here are a few photo’s of that install last year. Before I show the upgrade to Burroughs and Watts period steel cushions circa 1895.
Mick used a crane to load the slates into the basement before he capped a floor over the basement
When first installed Mick had the original set of Riley cushions on. He had heard of steel block cushions and he said if I ever came across a period set of steel cushions with oak surround he would upgrade to these.
Above photo: the table when finished in December 2013.
Again a photo of his original Riley oak cushions in December 2013 when I put new Northern rubber onto them and cut the pockets for this Riley table .
11 months later November 2014 , and above you see the same table but this time I have just fitted the steel cushions and had re-rubbered these cushions and re-cut the pocket openings and angles to Professional template size.
The above photo shows the cushions after this successful operation. I call this the dry run fitment to make sure everything aligns up. It is always best to re-rubber on the table the cushions are going on and not to guestimate the pocket openings on a work bench.
You will see we are protecting the bed cloth with sheets of cardboard during this fitting process.
This next photo shows the replacement second hand steel cushions on the table with the template fitted snug within the jaws of the pocket opening.
Note the thickness of the steel plate, on this early prototype steel set the plate is 1/2 inch thick, on late steels they are 3/8th thick. Also the end of the steels is angled on early sets and straight on later sets as the next two photos will show.
There are not many early 1/2 inch thick sets of steel cushions around so an even rarer find with this set.
In this photo my finger is pointing to the angle of the steel plate where it meets the end tack wood block. These end blocks are very difficult to make as you have to work to angles and rebates to make them.
As you cans see from this later edition steel cushion the angle is now not here and the steel is longer to almost come to the end before the end tack block is seen. You can also get other variations of steels with compound angles where the actual steel is also bevelled at the ends, this is how the modern steel block cushion you see on star tables today have evolved. Burroughs and Watts were experimenting as they went along in production, so it is easy to spot an early type built around the time they first used steels in the year 1895/6.
Early type had thicker steel and angles on the end.
I add this photo to show my fitting friends in Canada that you actually shave slips of wood down to trap the cushion cloth into the back routed out slot in the steel cushion and not use spray on glue contact adhesive
This photo shows the planed down slip inserted by tapping in with a flat thin plate into the rear of the steel cushion, that is what the slot on the rear of steel cushions is for.
Note the Strachan 6811 tournament cloth, this is what we recommend for good quality play and good life span. 100% pure new wool no man made fibre mix with this cloth, as Tina Turner sang, it’s simply the best !
The above two photo’s show the cushions fitted tot he Riley table, and with the templates in position fitting snug. We also fitted a new set of Peradon leathers and best quality nets.
When mick tried to strip the cushions of the oak Steel surrounds, they would not stain up light oak, this was down to the age of the oak and the stains it had taken before not coming out, so he stained it a honey oak and also re-stained the frame to match.
As you can see the table in 2013 with standard cushions and the table in 2014 with steel cushions fitted
This leaves Mick with a problem with what to do with a fantastic condition set of Riley oak cushions that will fit a Riley table with welsh slate and 5 bolt holes on the side cushions. I have instructed him to put them up for sale on my web site for £350 the set.
They come with new Northern rubber fitted in December 2013 at a cost of £325, all the wood work repaired some with new bottom mouldings, sealed and finished and come complete with the original pocket plates and nets and leathers.
Anyone who has an old oak Riley table with knackered cushions that require a re-rubber and also broken wood work, then look no further. These cushions would be a much better buy than having your old cushions re-rubbered and the wood renovated.
They come with all slide in panels and an end Riley name plate period to the table, and the cushion cloth has not had more than 40 games played on it.
I will be advertising this set of cushions for sale in the for sale section of our web site so if you are interested in them please phone Geoff on 07753466064 , it will be cash on collection from Ockbrook near Derby.
