GC III playing field question...Help please,

Dana Point Val

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Hi guys, I'm new here and I think I'm an age old case of having my table re-cushioned and clothed by my local billiard shop and then stumpling on this great forum and realizing how ill informed and unknowledgable I have been concerning my own pool table. So first off I want to thank all you guys for the wealth of information you guys are sharing. Reading past threads on what really goes on just behind all that green cloth has been an eye opening experience! Seeing some of the old school craftsmenship, attention to detail and intregraty in someones craft shown on this forum has been refreshing to see.

I bought my table about 8 years ago out of the Pennysaver, I was looking for a 9' GC, an older one. I didn't know a I from a V or the differences in them, I just knew I wanted an older one. I love the look of them and I love playing on them. The guy told me he had put superspeeds on it and Simonis cloth, both which I was aware of at the time from playing in leagues and tourneys, but that's about all I knew about pool tables themselves.

So know eight years later I decide to call the shop that moved me before and have them redo the cushions and cloth. I simply figured if I told them I wanted Simonis and Superspeeds I would be set. Unfortunatly I came across this forum after the fact :angry:

I decided to take some pics as they were redoing the table just for the hell of it because by the time they were here I was starting to get online to try and figure out what kind of GC I had and then stumbled on the forum.

So here are some of my concerns and the things I am questioning after the fact and having been lurking the forum for the past week:
(I'm a newbie, so please forgive me if I give the wrong descriptions)

1. I think I have a GCIII (pocket castings, attachment bolts to threaded inserts in the rails) Bronze color on pocket castings underneath, the top of them have worn out I guess. Not sure about the feet, it look like the bronze color is completely worn off of them, is that common?

2. I think the guy before did a hack job shimming the pockets.
Now I wish I would have had a rail extension done, but it would not have mattered cause this guy was not a Mechanic and I don't know if he would have known what a rail extension was if it bit him in the ass.
Again because of my ignorance, I figured the guy would make the pockets the same size as before (about 4 1/2 in the corners) but he didn't. He cut the cusion flush to the wood and added one 1/8" facing. He never checked the angle of the pockets or the distance between the wood, etc. so now my pockets are 5" to 5 1/2" in the corners and 6" on the sides and feel like buckets. He never asked me what size I wanted the pockets or anything else!

3. My playing field was undersize before they started and it is still undersize afterwards.

The PF measures 49 3/4" x 99 3/4" from tip to tip.
The distance between the laminations is 54" x 104"
The sub rails (I think you call them) are 7/8" thick.
The old cushions had the Superspeed label on them just like the new ones and they look the same, I asked for k55's but I'm not sure, from the top looking down they measure 1 1/4" from the back to the tip of the cushion.

Is there something wrong here?
Am I using the right size cusion?
or is this the size playing field I'm supposed to have?

Anyways, sorry for such a long first post, I appreaciate any help I can get.
Thanks again, Val




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PF should measure 50 X 100
Novel way they narrowed the pockets previously with a piece of facing behind the cushion, LOL.

Go around all 6 rails and measure the nose height of the cushions so we have the additional dimension.
 
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WOW!!! that after work does not look much better then the before!!! But, in good conscience i would not of left those butchered up rail extensions in there either. You need professional help!!!
 
The cloth is Simonis 860 and I get about 4 1/4 to 4 1/2 rails of roll with no ball jump, if that helps.
Now I'm wondering if I should be using a K66 cushion (1 1/8 wide I think) to get to a 50" x 100" playing field?
But I thought I read here that the GC III came with K55's? I'm confused, anyone have an answer?

Thanks, Val
 
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Call me, I'd be happy to discuss your table with you:grin:

Glen 702-927-5689

PS. Where are you located?
 
I'm assuming you live close to me in Dana Point, CA. If so, I'm sure Glen (RKC) will tell you the same thing I'm about to say. You need to contact Donny Wessel; I'm not even kidding about it. He's SDBilliards here on AZ. You can PM him here or find his contact info on his website: http://www.sdbilliards.net/

He did my table and I'm right here in your area. You can also PM me if you would like more info.

BTW, that's a nice room you have there.
 
Glen, I want to thank you for taking the time from your busy schedule and enlightening me with the facts and history of my GC III rails and cushions. I look forward to meeting Donny to help fix the problem and can finally sleep at night knowing that my GC III will be playing at its fullest potential!

Thanks again,
Val


Thanks for the info DPP, I'm on it :grin:
 
Glen, I want to thank you for taking the time from your busy schedule and enlightening me with the facts and history of my GC III rails and cushions. I look forward to meeting Donny to help fix the problem and can finally sleep at night knowing that my GC III will be playing at its fullest potential!

Thanks again,
Val


Thanks for the info DPP, I'm on it :grin:

Cool. Now when are we going to get together to shoot some? :grin-square:
 
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