Minimum Room Size

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EBSDallas

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Hello everyone; I'm new to the forum after being away from billiards for about 10 years or so, I'm ready to jump back in with both feet.

I've also just moved into a new house.

One of the criteria was that it have a room large enough for a table, preferably a 9' table. All of the room size recommendations for a 9' table call for a 14' x 18' area when using a 58" cue (58"+100"+58"). But it looks like it doesn't take into consideration any additional "stroke clearance" for shots off of the rail.

There are two ways to orient the table. One would place the table between two walls just over 20' apart. the other would place it between walls that are 24' apart. Placing it between the 20' walls allows me a little more flexibility for chair and television placement.

So my question is this: is 12" for stroke clearance enough?

Thanks for the advice.

Everett
 
EBSDallas said:
... There are two ways to orient the table. One would place the table between two walls just over 20' apart. the other would place it between walls that are 24' apart. Placing it between the 20' walls allows me a little more flexibility for chair and television placement.

So my question is this: is 12" for stroke clearance enough?
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My suggestion: go to a pool room and see how far back from the end of the table you would like the wall to be. Boxes on barstools will give you a temporary wall. Extreme case: take in a sheet of plywood and stand it up at different distances.

I'd be happy with 20 feet length-wise but make sure you will be before you commit to light placement and furniture.
 
EBSDallas said:
Hello everyone; I'm new to the forum after being away from billiards for about 10 years or so, I'm ready to jump back in with both feet.

I've also just moved into a new house.

One of the criteria was that it have a room large enough for a table, preferably a 9' table. All of the room size recommendations for a 9' table call for a 14' x 18' area when using a 58" cue (58"+100"+58"). But it looks like it doesn't take into consideration any additional "stroke clearance" for shots off of the rail.

There are two ways to orient the table. One would place the table between two walls just over 20' apart. the other would place it between walls that are 24' apart. Placing it between the 20' walls allows me a little more flexibility for chair and television placement.

So my question is this: is 12" for stroke clearance enough?

Thanks for the advice.

Everett
Click to expand...

Yes. When making bridge with the cue ball frozen to the rail, one generally needs no more than 4-6" of stroke clearance; 12" is more than enough.
 
Bob Jewett said:
My suggestion: go to a pool room and see how far back from the end of the table you would like the wall to be. Boxes on barstools will give you a temporary wall. Extreme case: take in a sheet of plywood and stand it up at different distances.

I'd be happy with 20 feet length-wise but make sure you will be before you commit to light placement and furniture.
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If you choose to go the extreme way as Bob pointed out above, make sure you use indoor/outdoor plywood. There will most likely be a lot of crying from management about you erecting a wall, albeit even a temporary one, in their room.
 
Neil said:
If you choose to go the extreme way as Bob pointed out above, make sure you use indoor/outdoor plywood. There will most likely be a lot of crying from management about you erecting a wall, albeit even a temporary one, in their room.
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Maybe D. Trump could have the room owner pay to build the wall. :D

On the serious side.. For a 9' table a comfortable size room is 15x20

.
 
I've got a 9' table showing up soon. My area is 30+' in one direction, but currently only 13'8" the other. That "other wall" is a couch which I would rather not move any closer to the fireplace.

This has to be a common situation. I'm assuming/hoping that I can stand/shoot in that narrower area if I can clear the top of the couch with the butt of the cue. (I've done some tape measuring on that and it looks like I should have 4" +/- clearance of the cue over the couch given a level cue 1" higher than the rail.)

Anybody have experience with this? Am I cutting it too close? I suppose I can always move the couch like 4" farther from the table, but what sort of clearance do you need just for your butt while you're shooting? Thanks in advance - Dan
 
dan-fox said:
.... but what sort of clearance do you need just for your butt while you're shooting? Thanks in advance - Dan
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Most players don't bring the tip back farther than the outer edge of the rail, so you can figure a minimum of the actual width of the table plus two cue lengths for the width direction. A 9' table is 50 inches nose-to-nose between the cushions plus about 6 for each rail plus 58 for your cue (unless you get a shorty). That's 178 inches or 14' 10". The common advice for width is 15'.

But this is a personal preference thing as some people don't mind using a short cue on rare occasions and others like plenty of elbow room.

I think most couches are short enough (I just measured mine) so that your cue stick will clear the back, but you might have to elevate a little extra on some shots. Usually you're elevated some anyway if the cue ball's close to the cushion.
 
So you are in a room 20' x 24', and if you place the table long ways in the 20' direction, you will have 12" of backswing with a 58" cue on the long ends. That is great!

The only thing that might come up, is if you are really tall, and depending on your stance, your back foot might be further rearward than the but cap of the cue, when you are down in your stance. That happens to me. In that case, you would have to get in your stance and see how much further the back foot is. But, with 12" of swing room, I think you will be 100% ok:)
 
Thanks everyone for your replies.

I'm glad to hear that everyone feels it's ok to place the long axis of the table between the 20' walls. It will make the rest of the room layout much better.

Thanks!

Everett
 
Bob Jewett said:
Most players don't bring the tip back farther than the outer edge of the rail, so you can figure a minimum of the actual width of the table plus two cue lengths for the width direction. A 9' table is 50 inches nose-to-nose between the cushions plus about 6 for each rail plus 58 for your cue (unless you get a shorty). That's 178 inches or 14' 10". The common advice for width is 15'.

But this is a personal preference thing as some people don't mind using a short cue on rare occasions and others like plenty of elbow room.

I think most couches are short enough (I just measured mine) so that your cue stick will clear the back, but you might have to elevate a little extra on some shots. Usually you're elevated some anyway if the cue ball's close to the cushion.
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IIRC I have 13' 8", not 15'. But as I said one of the "walls" is a couch (futon). I'm hoping to find a compromise, as opposed to feeding my couch into the fireplace.

Thinking more about it, I guess the question is "When shooting, which is farther from the table: the butt of your cue or your rear foot?" That can be answered by standing at a table, shooting, and having someone observe. I'm on it!
 
Bob Jewett said:
Most players don't bring the tip back farther than the outer edge of the rail, so you can figure a minimum of the actual width of the table plus two cue lengths for the width direction. A 9' table is 50 inches nose-to-nose between the cushions plus about 6 for each rail plus 58 for your cue (unless you get a shorty). That's 178 inches or 14' 10". The common advice for width is 15'.
Click to expand...
Thinking even more about it (perhaps too much?) nobody brings their cue tip as far back as the outside of the rail (the edge of the table). How would you support it? Why would you want to?

Shooting at a ball frozen to the rail you are elevated to some extent by necessity unless you're looking for huge top spin. I haven't looked lately but I'd guess the tip seldom if ever gets drawn back farther than the edge of the felt. That gets your 14' 10" down to about 14' 2" which is close to what I have anyway. And I did get a shortie cue with the table.

I'll stop worrying now.
 
dan-fox said:
Thinking even more about it (perhaps too much?) nobody brings their cue tip as far back as the outside of the rail (the edge of the table). How would you support it? Why would you want to?
...
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It's done with an open bridge and with the finger-tips pressed against the edge of the table. It allows as long a bridge as possible when the cue ball is on the cushion.
 
EBSDallas said:
Hello everyone; I'm new to the forum after being away from billiards for about 10 years or so, I'm ready to jump back in with both feet.

I've also just moved into a new house.

One of the criteria was that it have a room large enough for a table, preferably a 9' table. All of the room size recommendations for a 9' table call for a 14' x 18' area when using a 58" cue (58"+100"+58"). But it looks like it doesn't take into consideration any additional "stroke clearance" for shots off of the rail.

There are two ways to orient the table. One would place the table between two walls just over 20' apart. the other would place it between walls that are 24' apart. Placing it between the 20' walls allows me a little more flexibility for chair and television placement.

So my question is this: is 12" for stroke clearance enough?

Thanks for the advice.

Everett
Click to expand...
12" for stroke is definitely enough. 6" is nice. 3" is do-able.

Freddie <~~~ welcome to the forum
 
dan-fox said:
Thinking even more about it (perhaps too much?) nobody brings their cue tip as far back as the outside of the rail (the edge of the table). How would you support it? Why would you want to?

Shooting at a ball frozen to the rail you are elevated to some extent by necessity unless you're looking for huge top spin. I haven't looked lately but I'd guess the tip seldom if ever gets drawn back farther than the edge of the felt. That gets your 14' 10" down to about 14' 2" which is close to what I have anyway. And I did get a shortie cue with the table.

I'll stop worrying now.
Click to expand...

Unless your stroke is like Allen Hopkins, you will probably find you do indeed draw the cue back farther than the cushion on a straight shot across the rail.

But your issue sounds like the sofa, and based on your description of the height it is all about stance comfort and not stroking distance. As Bob said, try putting a spectator chair that far away at your local pool hall and see what the stance is like.
 
I once had my 9 foot Gold Crown in a 14 x 19 room and it barely worked. Another foot each way would have been great as long as we only put stools in the four corners. I would suggest 15 x 20 plus furniture space.
 
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