Forum for Building a Pool Table?

rexus31

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I have issues with my garage floor. It appears you have built a slab on your floor (first image) for your work. Am I correct? Was your floor also in need of leveling/repairing? If so, what material did you use? (regular cement, leveling cement, something else?)

" No offense, but if you want a pool table I recommend picking up a solid, well maintained used …"
No offense taken! I'm here for opinions, suggestions, and such. Buying a used table is my Plan B if I get cold feet, or if I find it just isn't doable for whatever reason.

My garage floor is the original slab poured in 1930 when the house was built. It slopes and has a couple peaks and valleys, but the table is dead level. Adjustable feet on the pedestals allow the table to be leveled on virtually any hard surface.

From my limited woodworking experience, the most important thing (as others have pointed out) is having flat, square boards to work with before any cutting is done. A pool table may look simply put together but there is a ton of engineering and precision that goes into a properly built table that will play perfectly and last a lifetime. I thoroughly enjoy building things and took great pride in building the custom table lights I've built but I don't think I would attempt to build my own table and I have access to a full blown woodworking shop with all the commercial grade machines needed to execute the build at a high level. I certainly wouldn't even entertain the notion without the proper tools to perform the job. You can work around the no joiner/planer (raw materials cost goes up in having someone else flatten/square your lumber) but having a saw that cuts straight some of the time is a non-starter. You need precise cuts every time without fail. Otherwise, you'll be spinning your wheels, frustrating the hell out of yourself and have an end product that isn't very good.
 

iusedtoberich

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Back to the jointer and planer, when you buy lumber from a lumber yard, you can get it rough sawn, or surfaced 2 sides (S2S), or surfaced 4 sides (S4S). You pay more as more sides are surfaced. The problem is, even if you pay extra for an S4S board, when you bring it home, it will be warped to some degree.

For example, when you go to HD, all the wood there is S4S. How long do you have to hand pick through their whole stack to get one that looks straight? At one extreme you have the 2x construction lumber. Those are S4S and some will be like bananas. At the HD other extreme their highest grade solid lumber will be poplar and then oak, both S4S. They will be an order of magnitude straighter than the 2x construction lumber. But you will still see non-straightnes on those boards.

That's why as Ssonerai stated, much of the work in building something is getting the wood to be flat and square as a first step. Then proceeding from there.

Another issue is wood often has built in internal stress. So you could have a perfectly straight board, then you rip it in half to make two parts, and now both parts are warped.

Anyway, those are things that come up if you are working with solid wood and want to build precise items.

From the plans you showed, it looks like most of the construction is sheet goods, save for the rails and the legs. I couldn't tell if the beams were solid wood or laminated sheet goods from the picture.

PS, what happened in the past 18 years?:)
Ha ha, no judgment. I used to make a woodworking project several times per year from about age 11 to 18. I had started a brazillian cherry hope chest for my mother when I was about 17 or so. Hand cut dovetails throughout. Then the pool bug hit me like a fein. And I didn't touch it for 10 years, and every week she'd ask me when I'm going to finish it (it was almost done). Finally finished it 10 years later. Pool is disruptive!

IMG_3905.jpeg
 

Bob Jewett

AZB Osmium Member
Staff member
Gold Member
Silver Member
... High level from a woodworker (and took him 10 years...)(search his older videos from 10 years ago to find the rest of his series on the build):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tf5rZ-ydic4...
For a serious pool player I see two things wrong with that table. He only has his "diamonds" every two diamonds (one per rail section) and he has metal thingies along the rail (corners to be added) where you can contact them.
 

iusedtoberich

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I think the only way a serious pool player would attempt to build a table was if he wanted to start a pool table manufacturing company.
 

skogstokig

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
a decent lunch box planer isn't expensive. you can make jigs for it to use it as a jointer (see youtube). haven't tried myself as i have a jointer-planer combo machine
 

Mr. Dogg

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Did you search YouTube as well?

I've watched videos about such things such as shimming/leveling and cloth installation, but not for the complete construction.

lol - One of those videos reminded me of pool table plans I found online from an old 50's or 60's Popular Mechanics (er sumthin') magazine. I've been trying to find it again to post here for laughs. A woman built it for her husband. The bed was plywood, and the rails were made from tubing insulation, and … Well you get the picture. lol
 

Billiard Architect

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Bob mentioned it before. Have you checked out the link in my signature. It's thorough and free. Plus I can answer any questions you have.
 

Mr. Dogg

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
...having a saw that cuts straight some of the time is a non-starter. You need precise cuts every time without fail.

That's one of my major concerns. I'll do what I can to remedy my saw issue, and if I can't fix it, I'll have to do what was suggested earlier: Realign the saw with each and every cut. Or maybe I could find a good used DeWalt.

My garage floor, as it is, is not usable for this project (rolling hills & valleys), but it can be remedied by pouring a slab similar to yours.
 

CocoboloCowboy

Cowboys are my hero's
Silver Member
Yeah, understand that, but this isn't ONLY about having a table; it's also about the pleasure and pride in building my own. Frustrations and problems are, unfortunately, a part of it, but if I can pull it off, it will be worth it. If I give up on the idea of building it, I definitely will buy one.

Well I took all the industrial art classes offered in Jr High & High School, I was not great with tools. I have 10 thumbs.

Remember in Jr. High another kid decided to build a small sail boat in Wood Shop Class, the teacher let us partner. When the boat was finished it was nice think it was only 10 or 11 Feet.

Took us two semesters to complete, and we both got "A's" in the class. The other kids sail board was a skif on his dad big sail boat that was like 40 Footer.

I get you want to build your own Pool Table, it will be unique, and there is a pride in say I built that, and pointing to the finished product.
 

Mr. Dogg

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I think the only way a serious pool player would attempt to build a table was if he wanted to start a pool table manufacturing company.
… or to make a little extra retirement money by selling a few tables per year. … and having a table of my own making. Pool isn't my life; it's just another interest. Other interests are making my house nice, having a good lawn, … Yeah. I'm a boring kind of guy. lol

Besides the pool player's perspective, there's also the woodworker's perspective. (I'm not a full-time expert woodworker, but I'm not a stranger to woodworking, either.)

I enjoy pool, always have, but I'm just now getting to the point where I'd like to play the game at a level above what I have in the past. "Serious" is a relative term, I guess, and I doubt that I'm as "serious" as what you may consider serious. I'm just looking for some fun in my retirement.
 

Mr. Dogg

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
… and there is a pride in say I built that, and pointing to the finished product.

That almost brought a tear to my eye. :)

I'd also like to hear a boastful, "My dad built that!"
edit: oops... That one did bring a tear to my eye.
 
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Mr. Dogg

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Bob mentioned it before. Have you checked out the link in my signature. It's thorough and free. Plus I can answer any questions you have.
Yes, I have. I saved that link and put it in a folder of related stuff. Thanks.
 

jeephawk

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
… or to make a little extra retirement money by selling a few tables per year. … and having a table of my own making. Pool isn't my life; it's just another interest. Other interests are making my house nice, having a good lawn, … Yeah. I'm a boring kind of guy. lol

Besides the pool player's perspective, there's also the woodworker's perspective. (I'm not a full-time expert woodworker, but I'm not a stranger to woodworking, either.)

I enjoy pool, always have, but I'm just now getting to the point where I'd like to play the game at a level above what I have in the past. "Serious" is a relative term, I guess, and I doubt that I'm as "serious" as what you may consider serious. I'm just looking for some fun in my retirement.

Fun to dream. Seems like more of a "throw it against the wall and see how many responses in gets" kind of thread at this point. No way you are making and selling a few quality handmade pool tables a year, lol. Do you have a table now?
 

Mr. Dogg

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
No way you are making and selling a few quality handmade pool tables a year, lol. Do you have a table now?

I can't argue with that. You may be right, you may be wrong. I don't know. The people who wrote the book said it takes about 120 hours. If I assume putting in 8 hours a day, every day, that works out to be about 2 weeks. I'm highly doubtful that I could do it that fast. If I triple that estimate, 6 weeks still isn't too bad. How long it would take to find buyers is a question I've considered, too. I've wondered if the local billiard store would buy them if I do a good enough job, or if they only buy from big names, and if they'd pay enough to do me any good. As far as putting in building time, being retired is something I have on my side.

Nope. I don't have a table. Some day, I will. One way or another. I'll build it (first choice), and if that fails, I'll buy a good used one.
 
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HNTFSH

Birds, Bass & Bottoms
Silver Member
I've wondered if the local billiard store would buy them if I do a good enough job, or if they only buy from big names, and if they'd pay enough to do me any good.

Unlikely, market forces are against you. If you want to build your own table. go for it.
 

jeephawk

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I can't argue with that. You may be right, you may be wrong. I don't know. The people who wrote the book said it takes about 120 hours. If I assume putting in 8 hours a day, every day, that works out to be about 2 weeks. I'm highly doubtful that I could do it that fast. If I triple that estimate, 6 weeks still isn't too bad. How long it would take to find buyers is a question I've considered, too. I've wondered if the local billiard store would buy them if I do a good enough job, or if they only buy from big names, and if they'd pay enough to do me any good. As far as putting in building time, being retired is something I have on my side.

Nope. I don't have a table. Some day, I will. One way or another. I'll build it (first choice), and if that fails, I'll buy a good used one.

I'd say just get one and start playing, but I firmly believe people should do what they want.

From experience, underestimating individual carpentry skills is something to be very cautious of on any DIY project. If you have those, and the proper tools/equipment you can do about anything (I don't, lol).
 

Jimmorrison

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I think it's a great idea. I have a suggestion. Find the best guy in your area, offer to work for cheap. With the understanding, you get to learn. After about three months, you will know.
 

Bob Jewett

AZB Osmium Member
Staff member
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The authors had a website called pooltableplans.com that seems to have disappeared in December of 2017. The contact info listed at that time was:

PoolTablePlans@aol.com
(615) 685-4336

They encouraged possible table builders to contact them.

...
The email still works. They have some books left but not the "build your dream table" book.
 
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