Building a table light...

daimion

daimion

Something Clever...
Silver Member
Hey fellow AZers! i have a question concerning lighting for my GC3 table.
A friend of mine is a carpenter and as a gift to me for my new poolroom wants to make a table light, just like the Diamond table lights.

He asked me to get any information on them so he could build it to proper specs.

So here i am asking anyone that has information on the specs of the diamond light for a 4.5/9 table that would be awesome. thanks so much everyone!
 
good question

Im building one for mine , seems like someone posted some specs and pictures once.
 
light

is it a 9 ftr??

go get a 4 bulb 4 ft fixture x2 then make a housing around it to match the table.ill try to find a pic for you
 

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i would love to see what the specs are.

and yes its a 9 ft GC3 table.

yours looks pretty modern compared to what friend had in mind.
 
daimion said:
here is some basic information

http://www.diamondbilliards.net/Accessories/Lighting/tabid/71/Default.aspx

does anyone know how high a light should be from the table slate?
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Here's the WPAA recommended light information:

The correct way to hang a pool table light is a matter of opinion. There are unknowns to take in to account so we'll give you the basics. The main goal is to adequately light the entire surface of your table including the top of the rails and also allow enough room to shoot and maneuver under the light. With most fixtures the distance from the bottom of the lamp shade will be 36 to 42 inches above the playing surface. The length and width of your fixture and pool table will need to be taken into consideration. It helps to have a second person give you feedback on the effectiveness of the light while you raise and lower the light.

Most players agree that a fluorescent bulb whether a tube style or energy efficient bulbs provide the most even lighting across the playing surface.

The World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA) has a set of standardized rules for billiard lighting. This may be a bit of overkill but just in case you're planning a big tournament, here it is.

The bed and rails of the table must receive at least 520 lux (48 footcandles) of light at every point. A screen or reflector configuration is advised so that the center of the table does not receive noticeably more lighting than the rails and the corners of the table. If the light fixture above the table may be moved aside (referee), the minimum height of the fixture should be no lower than 40 inches [1.016 m] above the bed of the table. If the light fixture above the table is non-movable, the fixture should be no lower than 65 inches [1.65 m] above the bed of the table. The intensity of any directed light on the players at the table should not be blinding. Blinding light starts at 5000 lux (465 footcandles) direct view. The rest of the venue (bleachers, etc.) should receive at least 50 lux (5 footcandles) of light.
 
great information you 2! now we need to find out what to put in the bugger along the lines of bulbs and ballasts? (sp?)
 
Here's the light I just built. Its going to have diamond style light diffusers in it after I hang it. I used 7 fixtures with 14 t8 bulbs that are 5000k brightness. They make brighter bulbs, but I'm already at such an overkill level I didn't wanna over do it, lol. I can always take a few bulbs out if I need to, but it would be hard to add em later. It was actually pretty easy to build. I started with a 4x8 sheet of OSB, screwed 2x4s around the edge with about 1 1/2 inches outside the edge of the osb. Then flipped it over and screwed 5 inch 2x4s to the corners. Next, I screwed the laminated pine boards to the edges and lastly, I installed the fixtures. I still have to put some 1x2s around the bottom to hold the diffusers and stain it, but that won't take long.

Joe
 

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thats pretty sweet. are you splicing the cables or do i spy a power strip in the middle of the lights? also i see you said 4x8. is this for a 9ft table? if not, will it accommodate for a 9 which longer pieces?
 
We were going to splice all the wires and put a big junction box in, but then we realized that we were drinkin too much beer and over engineering it. It was just a lot simpler, and very effective using a power strip. Also, the power strip has a built in breaker, so if a surge or something happens, it will hopefully save my lights, lol. I am going to use this light over a 9' gold crown 2 table I recently bought, and believe you me, it will have PLENTY of light.

Joe
 
Now you need four friends to lift it, a dedicated circuit to supply enough power and a few oven racks to put under it. You can probably cook dinner with that thing! :thumbup:

Best,
Mike
 
2 x 8foot fluorescent will give you about 90 foot-candle. 2 of these spread out width-wise would be fabulous and very even. Then you just build a nice enclosure around it.

If your going to do bulb style go for a 4 light fixture and use compact twister style fluorescent.

I would suggest not using 4foot fixture because both ends will be darker and leave shadows.

Nick
 
don't know how much this will help, but I did take a picture of one at the Derby... 9 ft'er.
diamond light.jpg
 
daimion said:
Hey fellow AZers! i have a question concerning lighting for my GC3 table.
A friend of mine is a carpenter and as a gift to me for my new poolroom wants to make a table light, just like the Diamond table lights.

He asked me to get any information on them so he could build it to proper specs.

So here i am asking anyone that has information on the specs of the diamond light for a 4.5/9 table that would be awesome. thanks so much everyone!
Click to expand...


The most important thing to keep in mind is weight, whatever wood you use for the frame keep it light weight, the light fixtures and wiring doesn't weigh much.

JIMO
 
i would imagine using wood is almost a must? i read somewhere someone said you have to paint the inside white>? is plexiglass good? if not, what is a light wood to use for this?
 
can someone take a photo of the inside of a diamond light? i would like to get a good look at the guts of these bad boys! thanks again!
 
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