How would you finish/line these pockets?

[jwciv]

Antique Oliver Briggs table with tapered pockets. Should I cover the nailed leather pocket edges with the extra table cloth? Find matching alligator leather and use that instead? Something else?
Let me know if you need more pictures or more info.
Thank you

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

I don’t have a great picture of my old 8’ and it may not be possible for your table but I replaced my pockets and this is what they look like. As well your cloth is lifting at the pocket. I would try to find a mechanic to fix your table. Nails should be nowhere near a pocket.

 

[GoldCrown]

I don’t have a great picture of my old 8’ and it may not be possible for your table but I replaced my pockets and this is what they look like. As well your cloth is lifting at the pocket. I would try to find a mechanic to fix your table. Nails should be nowhere near a pocket.View attachment 887368

Ditto on the nails. They will nick/ruin the ball set.

 

[jwciv]

Thanks for the reply.
The cloth is not lifting, I believe you may be seeing the shadow from the rails.
The red alligator leather, I will pull those nails and could glue it in place?
For the leather pocket “fingers”, there is no underside to tack them to, I could use something like what bigkahuna did with his jockstrap leathers, see below.

Post #44: https://forums.azbilliards.com/threads/diary-of-an-antique-brunswick.87941/post-1439069

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

I finished my new table pockets with a french cuff like this.

You can buy this from home depot Pipe hanger strap

and if you have some extra cloth you can glue the plastic strip to the edge of the cloth, staple it to the slate frame and then fold it over and glue or staple it on the underside. Makes for a very clean look.

 

[jwciv]

I would like to do something like that, but I really don't have undersides to glue/staple to (only the the underside of the rails).
Two pics of the corner pocket are below. Below those two pics are a couple pictures of the pocket construction. Hopefully these better show/explain my situation.

Top side pic of same pocket

Corner pocket construction

Side pocket construction. Top piece of lighter wood is glued into place, bottom piece of darker wood is part of the slate backer/frame

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

OH! That's why it looked like the cloth was lifting due to the angle of the insert. Man that is very different. Is that the way the table was designed? Or was it an alteration due to issues with the slate? And I see why you can't do the cuff treatment.

 

[jwciv]

OH! That's why it looked like the cloth was lifting due to the angle of the insert. Man that is very different. Is that the way the table was designed? Or was it an alteration due to issues with the slate? And I see why you can't do the cuff treatment.

as far as I know it was designed this way, all the pockets have the wood inserts. It's a turn of the century Oliver Briggs table, the slate is from J. Magann and Co

 

[garczar]

For old table stuff call Derrick at BilliardRestoration or Ken at Classic Billiards.