OT Pool tables

[Fasttrack]

Hi guys - i know many of you are wood workers and i imagine many of you enjoy a game of eight ball or cut-throat.

I was thinking the other day about making my own pool table - i'm figuring on a "standard" size one; 4' by 8' and i was wondering what you guys could tell me.

Anyone tried making their own before? Money is, like always, an issue so the less parts i have to buy the better. Any clever substitutes for slate (remember this is for my entertainment only - not a tournment table or anything) or substitutes for buying pre-made bumpers? How about the "felt"?

I thought maybe with all the woodworkers out their with machine skills one of you might have a hybred table using metal and wood for a cheaper table (that still performs well).

Thanks!

[topct]

I always liked the old and really heavy tables. I do mean really heavy. Where some hip action can't jar it. Very quiet. You can drop a ball on it and it doesn't rattle. A top so thick and so well supported that it cannot bend. Or sound like a hollow core door.

Solid, heavy, like an old machine.

I would look for an old quality table that needed to be rebuilt.

[cuemaker]

There are plenty of websites detailing how people have made their own tables. Standard size is 4x8. Professionals and the more serious player prefers 4.5x9

An important thing to be aware of is what table will fit in the room. You need upto 5ft from any wall to the edge of table. Less is workable, more is always better.

As for the "felt", its not felt at all but a worsted wool cloth blend. There are many types. The better cloths are thinner and more expensive. I paid wholesale price for my 4.5x9 simonis 860 (considered one of the best) of $118 which is not installed.

I paid a professional installer $450 to put my table together, install the cloth and for new rails (putting rubber on the rails)

Table played like new even though it was made in 1983.

The hardest part of any table is making the rails (where the rubber meets the wood) Unless your a strong wood worker with patience, I would recommend you buy your rails assembled as there is some serious geometry involved that will affect the play of the table.

Another point is that I would recommend that you buy quality 3 piece matched slate. At least 1inch in thickness. Thicker for that solid table feel.

Do a google search and check some websites. The base is actually fairly simple and you can buy parts.

Also, used tables can be had for very cheap......

[tony ennis]

I'd get a used, basic, professional-sized table. We had some at the University that were great. Slate and leather pockets. Nothing fancy.

[speedsport]

Hey Fastrac,
Seems that people don't get ot do they?, right off jump street go by a $3K vintage slate table, right!. Do you try googleing "home made pool table""?, might be a good place to start.

[heidad01]

Fastrac,

Standard pool table is 4.5x9.0'. That is the officially standard as opposed to someone's basement standard. It never pays to build a pool table just like it does not pay to make a refrigerator. There is always ads for tables from people whao want to move and will basically take whatever for the table. You can get a good one for under $1000 and have it professionally set up and refelted for under $500. There is noway one can be made as pretty for as little. I play serious pool and belive me my friend, home made ones are not worth playing on. DavidH.

[BadDog]

I've got a 9x4.5 with 1" slate, heavy oak, thing probably weights at least a ton. I can't imagine I would be happy with anything less. But, Sears and others sell cheap tables that have pressed wood beds and probably don't weigh more than 400 lbs total. And I doubt you could build it for what you would buy it for. If money is the number one concern, with no concern for quality, that would probably be the best way to go. If you want to build your own with "reasonable" (TBD) quality, then it will cost more than a Sears table. How much, and what you get, will be based on how you define "reasonable". But as in so many other things, if you want "good for a reasonable price", you are going to be VERY hard pressed to beat mass produced slate/bumpers/"felt"(not really) and a retail table. To save anything significant (and then not that significant in my opinion) on cost, you are going to have to substitute MANY MANY MANY hours. If your skills are not up to the challenge, you are SOL, out almost as much as a retail table and wind up with junk that won't "play". Even if the are up to the challenge, unless the "I built that" feeling is your goal (if so, that's fine too) , I can't imagine it's a productive exercise. Just my opinion...

For a data point. My ex neighbor (still friends) is an accomplished wood worker with a wood shop equiped at least as well as my metal shop (we made QUITE the team! ). Now this is an accomplished wood worker who builds fancy inlay boxes of exotic woods, some cabinets, furniture, this-n-that as it strikes his interest. And this guy, after getting somewhat hooked playing on mine, HE went out and bought retail rather than build one...