Tag Archives: snooker

Posted in News

Shocking pool table recover, but it has now been sorted

 


Yesterday I was called out to re-level a Pool table that is based very local to me here in Long Eaton about 1 mile away, the table was a Supreme Prince with the round legs , when I got there I could not believe the state of the last recover , the bed cloth was almost off the slate , they had used inferior spray on glue and it had not stuck , I explained to the owner that in my opinion , the charge for leveling would be better put towards a full recover as the cloth was also inferior low grade.

They gave me the go ahead to recover the table , when I removed the cushions and cloth I was even more shocked to find that they had rerubbered the old cushions in old snooker rubber that had been removed from a full size table , not realy shocked at that because it can be done for a lower cost option than brand new cushions,but more so that the rubber was not in one piece , they had used two bits of rubber and the joint could be seen through the cloth, also the rubber was falling off the wood, and they had recovered over three sets of staple, this fitter was not hanging around he was in and out within a hour maybe less?, I always take every staple out of the cushions and tape the rubber just as I would a full size snooker table . this makes for better easier recover on the next visit. and I always do a job with the intention that I will be the one coming back to do it again, it is never a bodge it and scarper job like the last fitter.

I had with me another set of Supreme cushions with the modern blue Rubber on although they where a used set but not very old, they where 100% better than the set that I took off , I then proceeded to take the cloth off the slate , I moved the slate over to one side and the state of the inside of the table was a mess, they had spray glued the slate in situ , and the overspray had gone all over the ball pocket runs and inside the table , also the inside was full of muck and old bits of recover cloth from previous recovers.

I vacumed the table out , washed all the ball rails down , washed the alloy ball tray and inspected the coin mech, I then recovered the slate making sure that it was done with good contact adiesive which was not the sprayed on type, the cloth will now stay on,I then noticed that the legs where also loose, so retightened the nuts back up to stop the table wobble,I then turned my attention to the slate dip.

Pool tables are not made in the same way as a Snooker table , they have a 7 foot lenth span and the body of the table tends to dip in the middle this will also make the slate dip in the middle, some people pack the slate with beer mats, this is not a good idea because you are then leaving parts of the slate unsupported and the risk of slate breakage is always there, I use thin strips of cloth staple placed on the main long middle supports I build them up gradual to form a pyramid , this way the slate is supported along its total lenth and the dip is rectified making level of the table much better.

It is a bit of trial and error getting the dish out of the slate , the slate may have to come out two or three times before you can get it level, but once done it is much better to play on, the customer’s asked me to recover the table in the same cloth and in the same way as the local snooker clubs pool tables which are also in this pubs league,of which I also maintain with regular recovers for summer and winter league, this snooker club is regarded as having the best pool table in the league by most players, I would also now put this table as one of the best to play on in the league provided that they brush and iron it every day like the snooker club , that realy is the secret of a good table , the  brushing and ironing. if you leave a cloth without maintenance it will form balls of fluff and ridges in the cloth , the brushing will remove dirt and the iron will keep the cloth flat and fast to play on,

Now thats not the end of the story when I had finnished, the landlady told me who had done the last recover, I was shocked to find out I knew the Guy , I know they can produce better workmanship than this ! she aslo informed me that they had paid for brand new cushions on the reciept, not bodged two piece old snooker rubber, needless to say she is pursuing the matter.

Posted in News

Repeat Bookings for Recovers

Today I had a repeat booking from a client.  They were delighted with the standard of work and quality of materials used and also the way I went about doing the recovers,  taking my time and refilling the slate joints, checking and adjusting table level, replacing the odd net here and there etc.

The client has a multi tabled club in the midlands and in July I recovered two snooker tables and he has just rebooked me to recover another 2 snooker tables in September, with the possibility of doing 2 recovers of snooker tables every 2 months . I got this repeat work not only for the standard of workmanship but also for the price structure I have put in place for multi tabled clubs.

Another repeat booking also coming in for August for a customer in a private house.  Add to this two pool table rental agreements of 2 years for two separate clubs.  These pool table rentals will of course be backed up by a good service schedule of having the slate out, vacum inside cabinet, wash down internal ball rails and wood work including ball tray, clean outside cabinet and ball window, remark or recover (which ever is in the contract), check coin mech + springs and lubricate mech, last of all recheck level of table.  This makes for a trouble free table. A yearly or 6 monthly recover option is also available.

Geoff

Posted in News

It has been a busy week + Pool table rental information

Just about a full week, with fitting adjustable muntins on Monday in Beeston.

Tuesday stretch two bed cloths and relevel at Beeston, plus sold my old small van on Ebay. Buyer collected in the evening.

Wednesday picked new larger van up at Dealers in Long Eaton.  Meeting with Bank in Arnold then deliver leaflets to clubs around Arnold and Nottingham and start workshop clear out.

Thursday, finish off workshop and get ready for pool table rental stock coming in.

Friday, recover full size snooker table at Moira near Ashby De La Zouch.  Relevel fit one net. I was really pleased to get this job as it came from a recommendation by a club that I did work for the previous week.  Around 40% to 50% of work is through recommendations in the Billiard cue sport trade.  Do a good job and you will always get repeat work, that is what Mick Robb used to preach to me when I was learning the trade 37 years ago, and it is what I preach to any person that works with me .

Saturday, I have to go over to look at a local club’s pool tables to see what work they require.  The tables are old with rock hard cushions, and they may want to rent or buy new tables, or they may try and get another years use out of them …we will see.  Whatever the choice, I will not push them into a sale but give them the choice and price structure of each option.  I may get Saturday afternoon off? , but the phone is ringing and enquiries are coming in and in this recession I am not moaning.

I carry a stock of table cloth packs for recovering snooker and pool tables and also rubber for full size and small sized tables, nets and leathers plus pool pockets so I am always ready to go, even at short notice .

I do have spare days in August still so if anyone requires any maintenance like recovering  re rubber or table moves etc then please get in touch. If anyone requires a pool table rental within my area of Nottingham Derby Leicester Newark and Lincoln then also call for details.  I only use the Winner Supreme pool tables as used by the Top pro players here in the UK.  It is the ideal table for inter pub league pool. I always maintain the tables to a high standard and fit the top cloth strachan 6811 every year or six monthly depending on contract . I also call and service the tables within the contract so your rental table is always maintained to the highest degree.  The level of the table is something I realy strive to get correct, as there is nothing worse than having a pool table out of level during a league season.

By only using the winner supreme I only have to carry one stock of spares such as cushions pockets and runners , plus trims etc. Some rental firms have a mixture of tables this can cause problems when maintaining.  The winner supreme is in my opinion the best table on the market for the player and the Rental sales operator .

Remember if you cannot get me on the Business phone 01159725355 then try my mobile 07753466064 if no answer please leave a message I will get back to you. Or email me at mail@gclbilliards.com

Many thanks

Geoff Large ( time Served Billiards fitter ) NBSA approved .

reading this through a link to my blog page ?  please visit our web address http://www.gclbilliards.com

 

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 .

 

Posted in News

The Snooker forum , I would advise you to join .

I have for a few years ( from august 2007 ) contributed to the snooker forum , the link is www.thesnookerforum.com

If you join this forum you can read most of my posts under the FORUM section and look under TABLES section down the list , I have answered many questions regarding Billiard Tables my name on there that I post under is my own name Geoff Large , I get questions from all over the world on the subject of type’s of tables and history etc from , France / Germany / Spain / USA / Canada / China and Thailand / Australia / Bulgaria / latvia even Dubai to name just a few countries . but mostly here in the UK. , also questions about buying a table what to look for , lighting , heating , Room size etc .

another name to look out for on there is an historian he uses the name 100-uper , I not only give information but also learn about subjects regarding Snooker /billiards and pool that I have not heard before , I think it is impossible in life to know the entire subject about billiard tables , I am always learning , take Dave Gibsons lazor ball ramp , I have never seen one of those before . and 100-uper has knowledge about  the history of firms and dateing tables etc , he has a vast collection of Books advertisements and photo’s etc .

I have struck up a common friendship also with other Billiard table fitters that also contribute to the snooker forum , so if you have a night to read through the snooker forum under tables section , I am sure you will find it an interesting read .

Just sign up , it’s free www.thesnookerforum.com

 

 

Posted in News

Adjustable Muntins retro fit


New muntin slate support fitted .

Today I have been in the workshop custom making some adjustable brackets for converting a standard table to incorporate adjustable slate supports, these are called centre muntins in the billiard trade.

I have two tables in the same club to retro fit these parts to.  I will be taking photographs of the finished job next week and putting them in my photo gallery on this site.  Many tables in the 1980’s had soft Italian slate being used on them unlike the older thicker welsh slate.  It is not as good or as dense as welsh slate.

The modern method of making the table frames ignored the traditional centre muntin slate support being level with the side frame to stop slate deflection.  This resulted in many tables being sold where the slates would sag down in the middle over time.  Today tables are made with adjustable slate muntins which support the centre of the slate across its 6 foot span and stop any deflection or ‘sag’ as it is commonly known.

This is a photo of the underside of the table before I fitted the retro adjustable muntin supports. as you can see nothing there to support the slate from sagging in the centre of the table .

The two tables in question should have had the adjustable slate supports in them, but they were just not fitted at the time of installation.  This has resulted in the tables playing out of true and the balls rolling in from each side is the result of sagging slates.

My custom made muntin brackets will rectify the problem.  It may not be able to rectify it in one go, so I may have to call a couple of visits to tweak the centre muntins by a simple 1/4 turn of 6 bolts that will take the sag out of the slates.

This photo shows the new Muntin’s fitted underneath the slate , note the adjustable nut for screwing the muntin upwards to support the slate.
If you are having problems with snooker table level, please get in touch.  I am sure I can find a solution for you.

Posted in News

Dave Gibson’s Gadgets and levelling snooker tables

I visited Beeston Snooker Hall yesterday and got talking to Dave Gibson, owner of Beeston Snooker Hall since the 1960’s.  Dave has always been one for Gadgets.  Many people would think “why would he want one of those”, but I have known Dave for many years and he is always interested in electronics and the technical side of Snooker.

On this occasion he was showing me his self-made ball ramp with laser for testing speed of a table cloth and also bounce of a cushion.  The device also shows that a true level table can still roll out with nap and also natural slate warp dip spots.  The laser pointer that is installed in this Ball ramp really shows the ball rolling off, yet my engineers level and also electronic digital level – which are very accurate pieces of equipment – show the slate at that point is true.

I was very impressed with this gadget (I should not really call it that as it is a nice bit of scientific equipment).  We were talking about the pro tables on TV.  I am sure even those would show a ball rolling out on the thin match cloth with this bit of equipment when the fitter had got it spot on for level,  This device also confirmed that I got the recent bed cloths that had been fitted tight as the speed was as good as worn out no nap table cloth.

When I am recovering tables in many snooker clubs and halls I often overhear players comment after a bad shot “the table is not level it rolled off a mile”.  What players have to take into consideration is strength of nap, length of nap, thickness of cloth, temperature of table, finger drag marks in cloth and sweat off hands on cloth.  All these can take a slow ball off its intended direction.  Did you also know that when a ball strikes another ball the force is also transferred down the ball towards the cloth.  The same is also true when a ball strikes the cushion, that is why you get track marks along the edge of the table and around the pocket openings and also on the black and pink spots which wear indentations in them quicker than the other spots because people always go for the highest scoring ball.

In Dave’s Snooker Hall he also has large fans that can cause a down draft on the table.  Just like a current in a river these down drafts leave a current of air rebounding off the tables and also players as they stand underneath them redirecting air flow.  Players do not really look into the outside forces of a ball rolling off.  They always blame the table being out of level.

True out of level tables ?
When we get a table that is truly out of level it may be just a simple jack up and re-shim the legs to even it out, or it may be warped frame work which may incorporate a rather expensive full strip down, slates off and reshooting of the frame level.

In recent years (the 1980’s onwards) some modern table manufacturers have not been manufacturing the tables correctly in that the inner muntins (slate supports) are not in contact with the slate.  This causes the softer Italian slate to dip in the middle.  I refer this as a slate sag issue caused by no support in the centre of the slate.  I have devised a way of rectifying this by using adjustable muntins.  Brackets are fitted on the underside of the framework in the centre and three square and true floating muntins are used with adjustable bolts to tighten and adjust pressure to the centre of the slate upwards.  Over time a little 1/4 turn of the adjustable muntins will cure the slate dip.

If you know of a table that has this issue of balls rolling from each side towards the centre of the slate, I can retro fit these adjustable muntins to any table without taking the slates off.  Please get in touch for a quote.

Geoff

Posted in News

Special rates for Snooker and Pool table recovering in August

My first half a month trading as GCL Billiards , and I have been pretty busy , 8 Full size Recovers , 1 table dismantle and store , 2 stretch bed cloths , 1 open pockets up and recover cushions , + 2 more recovers just been booked in ,

Now is the time to get a special rate for a Recover from GCL BILLIARDS rather than waiting for the Winter Season to Start , so Why not email or Phone Me to get your quote now .
August is always a slow month for Billiard fitting it is the last month of the summer before the Season realy kicks off for Pool and Snooker .
I expect September and October to be realy busy with clubs all requiring Recovers or cloth Restretching at the same time , avoid disappointment , Have
your Table Refurbished in August , the Players will be better prepared for the Winter by getting used to the New cloth a few weeks before .

After a recover , New cloth will be slow with plenty of nap on from new , unlike the worn out cloth that is now approaching the end of its lifespan , the old cloth must play like glass and be very fast , players like fast cloths but on a worn out cloth it is very difficult to control the cue ball for back spin and side swerve , this is down to the cloth having no grip unlike a new cloth with good nap direction , a new cloth has to be played on and the players will adjust their game based on a few weeks of play , they will be better prepared for any snooker or Pool league .
I always check and adjust the level if required when Recovering , the slate is also cleaned off from all chalk dust ,and the joints are checked for gaps and filled .
this is something that speed fitters are renowned for not doing , one thing you can be sure of the time and effort will be put in on each table by GCL BILLIARDS .

Volume or speed work is not a word I like to hear , you never rush a game of Snooker and Billiard Fitting is the same , I also treat all my customers on an Equal footing , I do not go by their house post code or what Car they Drive to assess the price to be charged , my rates are all the same for everyone . but of course multi tabled snooker clubs may get a better rate for repeat work .

Geoff