I’m posting this on behalf of my buddy, he hasn’t got his approval to post yet- I guess admin are too busy playing pool and that’s the way it should be!
....If I may I’d like to throw the problem into the forum and see if it elicits any new ideas or pitfalls that I didn’t think of. I’m half way through the project
already and of course I think my solution is the greatest solution ever devised. However, I’m 56 and have learned recently that there are people out there way
smarter than me (don’t ask about my mailbox key fiasco).
Background:
I play in a league with 9’ tables so I wanted a 9’ table in my basement. I only have 11’8” on the long rail sides so technically this isn’t enough clearance for even a 7’ table with a standard 58” cue.
So……. I went ahead and bought an 8’ table, telling myself that I would just use a shorty cue for the occasional shot. Well 40% of my shots required the shorty cue and within a
few days I decided to just move the cue ball by hand away from the rail. This of course negated any concept of positional play and I quickly found myself losing interest.
Then Covid shut us down and I had time to stare off into space and think a bit more about the problem. I could buy a smaller table (loser), buy a new house (nope), knock out a wall (What would the wife say?)
or build a device that could move the table into position depending on the leave of the cue ball. Obviously somebody on YouTube would have already designed such a thing so I cracked a beer and started searching.
Apparently this problem/solution is the only video NOT on YouTube. (teaser: we’ll fix that).
So, staring at the ceiling one night I summarized the following.
The solution needs to be integrated into the normal flow of the game. Ideally, you should forget that the table moves after a few games and just play as if it were a normal table.
This means that manually moving the table is not even being considered. That would affect the flow of the game and introduce human error into the equation (think mailbox key).
1: I need the table to move 12” left or right in order to have unimpeded play. Total linear motion then is 24”.
2: Table need to move into its new location in under 10 seconds. I chose 10 seconds because that’s the approximate time it takes from the instant
I hit the ball until I’m ready to bend over for my next shot. This includes pre-shot routine, staying down after the shot etc.
3: Table need to remain level at all times. My table is leveled now for the centre position. Will it still be level if it’s moved 12” away?
4: The balls can’t move at all. I know my buddy will call me out for cheating if the balls move even the slightest bit. He’ll say they always move in my favor when its my shot and against him when its his shot.
This probably would not have been a problem with the shag carpet that was originally on the table but we changed the cloth for a Simonis worsted cloth a few months back.
The friction coefficient is now VERY low and the balls can easily be disturbed.
5: Braking system: I weigh 200lbs. A rudimentary test with a scale between my belly and the table shows that I apply 15lbs of lateral force on the table when I’m stretched out over the table for an awkward shot.
Table needs to have the equivalent of an emergency brake applied when stopped.
6: Height: My table is 32” high. If I add some sort of mechanism under the table and raise the table X inches I’ll need to be able to lower the table by the same amount.
7: Control activation System: It seems obvious at this point that we are talking about some sort of electric linear actuator. How would it be activated?
Interrupt buttons, Hey Alexa MOVE TABLE LEFT, clapping, IR or Bluetooth remote control, etc. However its done it must not interfere with the flow of the game.
8: Noise: I don’t want the table to be heard over the background music. Mostly Burton Cummins and Gordon Lightfoot at the moment.
9: Lighting: My overhead lights are directly over my table. Lighting needs to be good wherever the table is parked.
10: Safety: A rogue motor powerful enough to move a 600 lbs table could wreak havoc on a table frame. Finished product needs to have safety features build in. E.g. Limit switch/homing sensor of some soft.
So, that’s the scope of the project. I purposely left out all my ideas because I wanted my fellow pool playing buddies (or just nerds as my kids keep telling me) to chime in with some ideas.
My current timeline will have the project completed in about 4 weeks. At that time I will post a “How To Video”. If you have a solution for any of the 10 listed problems then throw it in the mix. It’s not too late for me to change course.
Scott
....If I may I’d like to throw the problem into the forum and see if it elicits any new ideas or pitfalls that I didn’t think of. I’m half way through the project
already and of course I think my solution is the greatest solution ever devised. However, I’m 56 and have learned recently that there are people out there way
smarter than me (don’t ask about my mailbox key fiasco).
Background:
I play in a league with 9’ tables so I wanted a 9’ table in my basement. I only have 11’8” on the long rail sides so technically this isn’t enough clearance for even a 7’ table with a standard 58” cue.
So……. I went ahead and bought an 8’ table, telling myself that I would just use a shorty cue for the occasional shot. Well 40% of my shots required the shorty cue and within a
few days I decided to just move the cue ball by hand away from the rail. This of course negated any concept of positional play and I quickly found myself losing interest.
Then Covid shut us down and I had time to stare off into space and think a bit more about the problem. I could buy a smaller table (loser), buy a new house (nope), knock out a wall (What would the wife say?)
or build a device that could move the table into position depending on the leave of the cue ball. Obviously somebody on YouTube would have already designed such a thing so I cracked a beer and started searching.
Apparently this problem/solution is the only video NOT on YouTube. (teaser: we’ll fix that).
So, staring at the ceiling one night I summarized the following.
The solution needs to be integrated into the normal flow of the game. Ideally, you should forget that the table moves after a few games and just play as if it were a normal table.
This means that manually moving the table is not even being considered. That would affect the flow of the game and introduce human error into the equation (think mailbox key).
1: I need the table to move 12” left or right in order to have unimpeded play. Total linear motion then is 24”.
2: Table need to move into its new location in under 10 seconds. I chose 10 seconds because that’s the approximate time it takes from the instant
I hit the ball until I’m ready to bend over for my next shot. This includes pre-shot routine, staying down after the shot etc.
3: Table need to remain level at all times. My table is leveled now for the centre position. Will it still be level if it’s moved 12” away?
4: The balls can’t move at all. I know my buddy will call me out for cheating if the balls move even the slightest bit. He’ll say they always move in my favor when its my shot and against him when its his shot.
This probably would not have been a problem with the shag carpet that was originally on the table but we changed the cloth for a Simonis worsted cloth a few months back.
The friction coefficient is now VERY low and the balls can easily be disturbed.
5: Braking system: I weigh 200lbs. A rudimentary test with a scale between my belly and the table shows that I apply 15lbs of lateral force on the table when I’m stretched out over the table for an awkward shot.
Table needs to have the equivalent of an emergency brake applied when stopped.
6: Height: My table is 32” high. If I add some sort of mechanism under the table and raise the table X inches I’ll need to be able to lower the table by the same amount.
7: Control activation System: It seems obvious at this point that we are talking about some sort of electric linear actuator. How would it be activated?
Interrupt buttons, Hey Alexa MOVE TABLE LEFT, clapping, IR or Bluetooth remote control, etc. However its done it must not interfere with the flow of the game.
8: Noise: I don’t want the table to be heard over the background music. Mostly Burton Cummins and Gordon Lightfoot at the moment.
9: Lighting: My overhead lights are directly over my table. Lighting needs to be good wherever the table is parked.
10: Safety: A rogue motor powerful enough to move a 600 lbs table could wreak havoc on a table frame. Finished product needs to have safety features build in. E.g. Limit switch/homing sensor of some soft.
So, that’s the scope of the project. I purposely left out all my ideas because I wanted my fellow pool playing buddies (or just nerds as my kids keep telling me) to chime in with some ideas.
My current timeline will have the project completed in about 4 weeks. At that time I will post a “How To Video”. If you have a solution for any of the 10 listed problems then throw it in the mix. It’s not too late for me to change course.
Scott
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