Can't see the Diamonds

YOLO

YOLO

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I still use the diamonds for reference (less than I use to too but still do on occasion) , and am trying to get my wife to use them to help improve her banks and kicks, but the 9 foot tables we have been playing have sloped rails (Gandy's I think?).

Is there a specific reason they are sloped to the point where you can't see them when down on a shot?

Just asking...
 
I am asking for my wife for the most part, I kind of like it when the CB is pinned against the rail :)
 
First time I've ever heard of people using the diamonds whilst down on a shot. But yeah they're sloped to aid cueing when the CB is near a rail. I wish all tables were sloped.
 
I can't see the f%$&rs either. Sorry I'm no help. ;)

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YOLO...Try putting a piece of chalk over the diamond she's trying to sight through. That should help.

Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com

YOLO said:
I still use the diamonds for reference (less than I use to too but still do on occasion) , and am trying to get my wife to use them to help improve her banks and kicks, but the 9 foot tables we have been playing have sloped rails (Gandy's I think?).

Is there a specific reason they are sloped to the point where you can't see them when down on a shot?

Just asking...
Click to expand...
 
YOLO said:
I still use the diamonds for reference (less than I use to too but still do on occasion) , and am trying to get my wife to use them to help improve her banks and kicks, but the 9 foot tables we have been playing have sloped rails (Gandy's I think?).

Is there a specific reason they are sloped to the point where you can't see them when down on a shot?

Just asking...
Click to expand...

Gandys are old school....from the days when many pool halls had no rugs
or ashtrays.
The sloped rails were to discourage players putting their cigarettes on
the rail.....drinks also.
The owner of one company from the 70s confirmed this to me.

For me, Diamond rails are perfect...they took the bugs out of a Gold Crown.
If you need to see the diamonds when you're down on a shot....
...it may be time to reconsider your approach to this game.
 
hang-the-9 said:
Just don't do it in a game, that's marking an aiming point and is a no-no.
Click to expand...

In a big tournament, where the real rules apply, putting a chalk on the spot you are aiming, as long is it is not on the actual rail (the rubber part), is allowed, actually.

In local bar tourneys, money games etc this will of course will get you in trouble.
 
Autist said:
In a big tournament, where the real rules apply, putting a chalk on the spot you are aiming, as long is it is not on the actual rail (the rubber part), is allowed, actually.

In local bar tourneys, money games etc this will of course will get you in trouble.
Click to expand...
Well, no. Although it may not be perfectly clear, the intent of rule 6.16 (f) was to forbid placement of chalk (among other things) as an aiming guide.
http://www.wpa-pool.com/web/index.asp?id=121&pagetype=rules#6.16
 
Hey, Yolo, diamonds are only the shape of the little devices inlayed into the rails of a pool table. Some are dots.
Do you know what their real name is? :smile:
 
pt109 said:
If you need to see the diamonds when you're down on a shot....
...it may be time to reconsider your approach to this game.
Click to expand...

Tell me, O' Wise and Arrogant One:

How is aiming for a diamond any different than aiming for a fraction of a ball, a shadow, a reflected beam of light, a spot on the wall?

It may be time for you to reconsider your approach to this forum.


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Diamonds and sloped rails

pt109 said:
The sloped rails were to discourage players putting their cigarettes on
the rail.....drinks also.
The owner of one company from the 70s confirmed this to me.
.
Click to expand...

This is why rails are sloped:
Remember centennial (and anniversary) rails? They were flat rails.
These rails were normally wood (rosewood or walnut) - but Brunswick started using formica. Remember this was in the late 1940's and the technology was not advanced as it is now.

They found the Formica wanted to 'lift' because of the 90 degree bend. It would also have a tendency to 'crack'.

When Brunswick introduced the Gold Crown, they sloped the rail to eliminate the stress on the Formica. That plus their method of attaching the blinds eliminated Formica deterioration.

It all but hid the 'sights' but Brunswick had already lost its desire to build the best - it was more about the bottom line - and this style of rail was pretty easy to build.

Other companies followed Brunswick's lead since they were by far the most influential table company in the world.

That's what I had been told back in the day. . . . .

I preferred the centennial flat rails but think the slight taper of Diamond rails is better suited for actual play.

Mark Griffin
 
Mark Griffin said:
This is why rails are sloped:
Remember centennial (and anniversary) rails? They were flat rails.
These rails were normally wood (rosewood or walnut) - but Brunswick started using formica. Remember this was in the late 1940's and the technology was not advanced as it is now.
They found the Formica wanted to 'lift' because of the 90 degree bend. It would also have a tendency to 'crack'.
When Brunswick introduced the Gold Crown, they sloped the rail to eliminate the stress on the Formica. That plus their method of attaching the blinds eliminated Formica deterioration.
It all but hid the 'sights' but Brunswick had already lost its desire to build the best - it was more about the bottom line - and this style of rail was pretty easy to build.
Other companies followed Brunswick's lead since they were by far the most influential table company in the world.
That's what I had been told back in the day. . . . .
I preferred the centennial flat rails but think the slight taper of Diamond rails is better suited for actual play.
Mark Griffin
Click to expand...


Hey, Mark. You know how Formica got it's name? It came from Canada where the president of a countertop manufacturing company dedicated it to his son Michael, who was lost while trekking in the Yukon wilderness.
At the kid's funeral one of the employees remarked, "So the new product is for Mike, eh?" And it stuck. :smile:
 
Personally I have no idea (other than to trust what I read) about why GCs, (older) Gandys, Murreys I believe and some others had sloped rails in the beginning. I do know that many (if not most) great ideas often happen while trying to achieve something else. I say "great" because I tossed a little after buying my GC-IV as to should I have gotten a Diamond instead.
Talking to other shooters who play on my table they all agree that the slope of a GC is so much better than a flat rail because when the CB is sitting on the edge, it places the fattest part of the bridge hand below the shooting surface and allows a near level shot at the CB with the shaft of the stick. I used to wonder why I seemed to shoot (a little) better on a GC than I did on the Diamond tables. I realized after I got my GC that it was the flat rail shots that were throwing me on the Diamonds over the GC. It just suits my bridge hand better on tight rail shots and I always get consistently cleaner more controlled contact on the CB.

As to the OP's question of sighting at the diamonds... set your stance for the shot then straighten up high enough to where you (your wife) can actually see the diamond--- as you lower back down to a point to where it is just out of sight visualize a spot in the distance (on the wall or a window casing, whatever) that is inline with the diamond. It's good training for her to use the diamond system to get the geometric angles set in her mind. After some time it will become natural to see the angles without them. I still use them on 3 rail bank shots, a few trick shots and anytime that I have a (perfectly angled) full table bank shot into a hanging ball.
I have 4 different ways to make a full table shot when the CB is CORNER-HOOKED at a hanging ball just 4 1/2 feet away. It all depends on the lay of the table as to which one that I choose but 2 of them require the use of the diamonds and I will make those shots more times than I will miss.
 
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Almost, Tramp Steamer.

Formica was originally invented to replace electrical insulation. At the time, this insulation was commonly comprised of "mica", the mineral. Thus, Formica was a substitute "for Mica."


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Mark Griffin said:
This is why rails are sloped: ...
Click to expand...
The story I heard is that it caused cigarettes placed on the rail to roll away from the cushion.

I do agree that by the introduction of the GC Brunswick had little interest in building a good table. Thus all the design "mis-features" of the GC.
 
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