Vintage Sears table question

Kito

Registered
I know this is going to be a long shot getting a response but here it goes. My folks passed away and they have a mid 1970's Sears 8' slate pool table that we used to play on. I believe it is the Riviera II model with ball return. As I recall it really didn't play that bad considering my Dad, brother and I set it up ourselves. The only real complaint was the horrible rubber on the rails. They seemed dead from day one. Besides that and the occasional ball getting stuck in the return tubes, we really enjoyed this table. My question is, has anyone worked on these older Sears slate tables before?. I am thinking about restoring it with new rail rubber and cloth so it will play fairly tolerable. A friend wants to buy if I can do it. Anyone know if the rubber on these can be replaced and what profile they would be?. Has anyone already done what I want to do and if so how did it play afterwords?. Thanks
 

realkingcobra

Well-known member
Silver Member
I know this is going to be a long shot getting a response but here it goes. My folks passed away and they have a mid 1970's Sears 8' slate pool table that we used to play on. I believe it is the Riviera II model with ball return. As I recall it really didn't play that bad considering my Dad, brother and I set it up ourselves. The only real complaint was the horrible rubber on the rails. They seemed dead from day one. Besides that and the occasional ball getting stuck in the return tubes, we really enjoyed this table. My question is, has anyone worked on these older Sears slate tables before?. I am thinking about restoring it with new rail rubber and cloth so it will play fairly tolerable. A friend wants to buy if I can do it. Anyone know if the rubber on these can be replaced and what profile they would be?. Has anyone already done what I want to do and if so how did it play afterwords?. Thanks

The top rails are made out of particle board, unless you feel like building new rails....the table was a disposable table the day it was sold.

Glen
 

Kito

Registered
Thanks for the reply Glen. I reckon since they are particle board rails it would be hard or impossible to change out the rubber without damage? I would be doing the work myself.
 

Club Billiards

Absolute Billiard Service
Silver Member
I don't know the Riviera specifically, but I've seen a lot of those Sears tables that didn't even have rubber...they had more of a foam padding that wrapped around the front of the rail.

Many of them are built in a way that they're not even really meant to be recovered. The table just isn't worth putting the money into it, unfortunately. I hate to say that because it sounds like it might have sentimental value, but if you're talking about selling it anyway...you could buy a new one for what you'd have to put into cloth and rubber.
 

Kito

Registered
Thanks Josh. I wish I can look the table over better but it's in Illinois and I'm in NC. I do remember that it had Italian slate. I know the Sears tables nowdays are crap. I was just wondering if the 70's versions were better. I actually read somewhere on the internet that some Sears tables in that era were built by Brunswick....but you can't believe everything you read :). It kind of reminds me of an old Brunswick Bristol table I had....a bunch of particle board and metal brackets.
 
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