Buying a pool table?

Here is some helpful advice before you buy

Partners Billiards and Bowling is a distributor for billiard tables and recreational products made by Canada Billiards. We also sell a wide variety of billiard related products. Our installers and sales professionals have been in the business for 25+ years. Here are some helpful hints on what to look for when purchasing a new or used pool table. A table purchase is an investment both in property value and your personal leisure time. A table when properly set up will provide hours of entertainment for you, your family and friends. A table where the balls tend to roll towards one of the corners when not leveled properly will only become excuses not to play.

POOL TABLE TYPE

There are basically two types of cabinets available. The traditional style, which have netted pockets that are visible and are more commonly used in households and the competitive or contemporary style which have aprons (outer panels) under the rails surrounding the outside of the table and bucket type pockets. These are seen mostly in pool playing establishments or in a games room. There are many other designs but for the most part, they all play the same, styling and colour is up to your taste. Most tables are not just a recreational piece in the home: it is a fine piece of furniture where colour, styling and whether or not the cloth matches the curtains or carpet can be deciding factor in your purchase.

SIZE

There are several sizes of tables to consider when buying a table. Measurements are taken from the edge of the rail cushion where the ball contacts it to the cushion on the opposite side.

PLAYING SURFACE SIZES ARE:

Snooker Table – 6’ x 12’ (140”x 70”), 5’ x 10’ (112”x 56”)

41/2’x 9’ Table – measures 50”x100”

4’ x 8’ O/S Table – measures 46”x92”

4’ x 8’ Table – measures 44”x88” (this is the most common table in homes)

31/2’ x 7’ Table – measures 38” x 76”

A 9’ table is considered the competition regulation size that the pro’s use. The size of this table can be intimidating to most recreation players. If you have the room and like the challenge, this is the one to get. There is also the ‘oversize’ 8’ table and the standard 8’, which represent 80% of the tables sold. The 7’ is the traditional ‘bar table’. The size of a table to buy depends on your room size and personal requirements.

ROOM SIZES

9’ Table – needs a room 13’8 x 17’10

8’ O/S Table – needs a room 13’6 x 17’4’

8’ Table – needs a room 13’2 x 16’10

7’ Table – needs a room 12’8 x 15’10

These measurements are based on the use of 58” length cues. There are shorter cues available in 36”, 42”, 48” and 52” lengths if you have a room smaller than the requirements or have obstructions. The shorter cues are ok for the occasional tight spot when your cue ball is against the rail but if it is used in 50% of your shots during a game, it really hampers one’s proper pool stance for consistent play performance.

CUSTOMIZING THE TABLES

‘Custom’ could mean anything from picking out the style of legs, the colour of the finish and cloth. You can also choose and supply your own finish and colour for the table. There are many different colour and types of cloth also.

SLATE

This is the playing surface under the cloth. Slate is a type of rock that can be polished very smoothly and is extremely durable. Most tables come with ¾” or 1” slate. There are even tables available with 1-1/4” to 2” slates. This represents less than 1% of the tables sold. Most of the tables will have a three-piece slate configuration, single piece slate tables are nice but are extremely heavy and difficult to move. Just one of the three pieces on an 8’ table can weigh 225 pounds. If the slate is ‘backed’ or ‘framed’ (it has a layer of wood attached to the bottom side matching the perimeter edges of the slate), it is more resistant to warping and adds to the overall stability of the table. Properly setup, a three-piece slate table will perform as well as a single piece unit. On lesser expensive tables there can be materials using various names such as ‘permaslate’ (aka Slatron), plastic honeycomb and particleboard which is substituted for the heavy slate. These substitutes can be and are actually more tedious to set up due to the excessive flex characteristics that they have versus genuine slate, which have virtually none. For the money, the only advantage to this type is weight savings. Just the expansion and contraction of the particleboard due to the exposure to the humidity is enough to warp the boards, so slate is best. It is also important the slate be precision-machine leveled at the factory.

BRAND NAMES AND CONSTRUCTION

You can’t go wrong with brand name tables. The best tables are solid wood construction with bolt type fasteners, metal brackets for the legs and 1” to 2” thick beams. Smaller tables should have at least 1” beams. Plywood is used in some tables, as is particleboard. Although plywood doesn’t look as sturdy, it is said to have one the best frame designs in the pool table industry. On the sides of a table are panels with or without carved designs. It is most likely a veneer if it does not have these carvings (plywood or particleboard with thin sheet of the finish wood adhered to the surface of the panel) and solid wood if it has carvings. Some table frames are stapled together. Again, not as good but it does the job. The more intricate the designs, the more it will cost.

RAILS

Rails should not be exposed to extreme or prolonged sunlight as they will dry out and become hard prematurely causing performance loss. A top quality grade A rubber should be used in the manufacturing of the rail.

CLOTH

The thickness of the cloth determines its quality and is graded by weight. A 21oz. material is sufficient, 22 oz. being the top graded cloth. Simonis cloth (both brand name and a different type of woven cloth) is considered the best and is generally used in pool establishments and in competitive play. Both types come in a variety of colours.

ACCESSORIES

You will want to be sure and get accessories when purchasing a table. You should have at least 3 or 4 cues in different weights (18 oz. to 21 oz.) and possibly a short cue for shots where the standard cue is too long when space is a problem. A triangle ball rack, cue rack, table brush, table cover, chalk for the cues (matching the colour of the cloth) and a cue bridge should be on the list of items needed.