Need Help With Thomas Aaron Rails.

Al Coholic

Wrap it like it's yours.
Silver Member
I'm having a problem with removing feather stripping from a POS Thomas Aaron Pool table.

When I started pulling out the feather stripping on the third rail,
the urathane coat on the top rail started to chip off.

I don't know if it was the last installer that hacked this up,
or if is just a shitty design from the mfg.

Has anyone out there ever worked on an Aaron Thomas Pool Table?

Thanks,
Todd....
 

Attachments

  • small_00005.jpg
    small_00005.jpg
    17.7 KB · Views: 344
Last edited:

scruffy1

New member
Silver Member
LOL!! Definitely a POS! We encountered this same thing on quite few of their tables. The problem was they are inserting the feather strip BEFORE
spraying the finish coat and we all know how thick these Chinese made finishes are. So the finish is now holding the strip in place! We had to try
and slide the strips out from the ends and then take a small piece of wood covered in sandpaper,insert it into the groove and sand the finish back.

In my opinion, it is a manufacture issue. Since the strips are plastic, there is no fitting them. He got away with getting them in but coming out is a different story. No one wants this to happen but on these poorly constructed
tables, this is what happens.
 
Last edited:

Al Coholic

Wrap it like it's yours.
Silver Member
The Feather strips I encountered on this table were not plastic,
They were bolsa wood.

The hard part now is now that I got the rails done and fixed the top of the chipped rail, the customer changed her mind on the felt color.
Now I have to strip them and do it again.

Not looking forward to this.

I saw in another post, someone was using a feather strip removal tool.
Have you ever used it, and am I going to encounter the same problems?
 

Dartman

Well-known member
Silver Member
The Feather strips I encountered on this table were not plastic,
They were bolsa wood.

The hard part now is now that I got the rails done and fixed the top of the chipped rail, the customer changed her mind on the felt color.
Now I have to strip them and do it again.

Not looking forward to this.

I saw in another post, someone was using a feather strip removal tool.
Have you ever used it, and am I going to encounter the same problems?

It would seem you addressed the over-urethaned problem on the first go-round and if that's the case
why would you have the problem again? Let's not pay to much homage too a glorified screwdriver (featherstrip remover).
To be on the safe side I'd suggest bring a set of real strips, not balsa, which you should have with you anyway.
 

A-1 billiards

FELT WRIGHT
Silver Member
The Feather strips I encountered on this table were not plastic,
They were bolsa wood.

The hard part now is now that I got the rails done and fixed the top of the chipped rail, the customer changed her mind on the felt color.
Now I have to strip them and do it again.

Not looking forward to this.

I saw in another post, someone was using a feather strip removal tool.
Have you ever used it, and am I going to encounter the same problems?

The removal tool wouldn't be any kind of solution to your problem. It could very well make it worse! Your problem is the excess finish (usually lacquer and stain mixed and sprayed together) sticking to the embedded feather strip. Use a new utility knife blade and run it back and forth between the strip and the rail cap at a 45 degree angle to break the seal between the two. Then slowly remove the feather strip. This should prevent any further lifting of the finish on the rail cap.

The areas where the finish has come off can be filled in with the furniture repair sticks (color matched) available at your local home center or woodworking outlet store.

Jay
 

Dartman

Well-known member
Silver Member
Just a technicality but why didn't the strip come out along with the cloth you removed or was there no cloth on the rails?
 

Al Coholic

Wrap it like it's yours.
Silver Member
Just a technicality but why didn't the strip come out along with the cloth you removed or was there no cloth on the rails?

There was cloth on the rails.

The strip came out in Pieces.
It Looked like the last installer inserted broken feather stripping without
replacing it.

No when you say real strips, What do you mean?

I have always used basswood.
in my past experience, the plastic ones crack,
and the rubber ones come out to wavey.
 
Last edited:

Al Coholic

Wrap it like it's yours.
Silver Member
The removal tool wouldn't be any kind of solution to your problem. It could very well make it worse! Your problem is the excess finish (usually lacquer and stain mixed and sprayed together) sticking to the embedded feather strip. Use a new utility knife blade and run it back and forth between the strip and the rail cap at a 45 degree angle to break the seal between the two. Then slowly remove the feather strip. This should prevent any further lifting of the finish on the rail cap.

The areas where the finish has come off can be filled in with the furniture repair sticks (color matched) available at your local home center or woodworking outlet store.

Jay

That sounds like a winner. Thanks.
 

Dartman

Well-known member
Silver Member
There was cloth on the rails.

The strip came out in Pieces.
It Looked like the last installer inserted broken feather stripping without
replacing it.

No when you say real strips, What do you mean?

I have always used bolsa wood.
in my past experience, the plastic ones crack,
and the rubber ones come out to wavey.

I don't understand the removal of the strips causing the cap to chip if the strips were wrapped in cloth but that's neither here or there now. Seems you have a handle on the deal.

Good strips are basswood.
If you get involved with flexstrip (rubber) you need a seam roller so you get no waves.
 
Last edited:

Al Coholic

Wrap it like it's yours.
Silver Member
Good strips are basswood.
If you get involved with flexstrip (rubber) you need a seam roller so you get no waves.

I can't afford a steam roller right now, so I think I will start looking for basswood. LOL... :grin-square:
 

Jim Vondrell

Accu-Level Billiard Svc
Silver Member
Ive installed quite a few new Thomas Aaron tables. Alot of problems after a couple of them you knew you needed different slate screws and different featherstrips. The strips where actually just to fat for the groove they where hard to get in and out without cloth. They would send 2 extra strips in the rail box which i always found odd. The strips where broken because after they beat the hell out of them to get them in they cracked along the way. If you sanded them down a bit before putting them in you where good but i would replace them with strips from muellers which ive always found to be the best. Im glad i don't install new tables like that anymore.
 

TableTek

New member
Silver Member
I know, it was a joke. 19 years of sniffing 3M Spray adhisive does funny things to the brain.

Just wait till the effects of 3M#10 catch up with you? The last guy I talked to had been using it for 27 years and now he travels the country in a box truck with no indoor plumbing! heh
Rob
 

Al Coholic

Wrap it like it's yours.
Silver Member
Lmao

Just wait till the effects of 3M#10 catch up with you? The last guy I talked to had been using it for 27 years and now he travels the country in a box truck with no indoor plumbing! heh
Rob

:grin-square: :grin-square: I Think I know who You are talking about... ;)
 
Top