Last year, some newbie had the balls racked with one of those things and he ran 626 balls.
What triangle is the best rack for one pocket ,straight pool
- Thread starter deanoc
- Start date
Last year, some newbie had the balls racked with one of those things and he ran 626 balls.
Perma-Rack
It's the best racking system I've ever used. Made by AZBer "Side Pocket".
Here's his video explaining it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4xeLOTO2Ug&feature=share
Here's his site:
http://tackletamer.com/perma-rack-see-video-below/
I used his template a bit differently. I used it to draw permanent circles on the table, and used that to center the donuts. I figured it'd make replacing them easier if they got damaged. I also colored the donuts to match my felt before applying them.
Dead. Tight. Rack. Every. Time.
I play straight pool just about exclusively at home, and it works great. Here's a video from tonight so you can see it in action. The donuts show up on camera because they are shiny, but in person you can hardly see them:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92tcyG0drBg&feature=youtu.be
It's the best racking system I've ever used. Made by AZBer "Side Pocket".
Here's his video explaining it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4xeLOTO2Ug&feature=share
Here's his site:
http://tackletamer.com/perma-rack-see-video-below/
I used his template a bit differently. I used it to draw permanent circles on the table, and used that to center the donuts. I figured it'd make replacing them easier if they got damaged. I also colored the donuts to match my felt before applying them.
Dead. Tight. Rack. Every. Time.
I play straight pool just about exclusively at home, and it works great. Here's a video from tonight so you can see it in action. The donuts show up on camera because they are shiny, but in person you can hardly see them:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92tcyG0drBg&feature=youtu.be
Plastic film racks are never used to play one pocket.
The Delta rack is made from aircraft aluminum and maintains a perfect triangle as they age. I bought one when they first came out and it's as perfect as the day I bought it.
I would recommend that you opt for the sound dampeners as the rack is quite loud without them. If your Delta rack does not have the sound dampeners you can retrofit them easily enough. Apply double sided sticky tape to the recessed outer side panels. Cut out (3) 1/16 inch thick leather strips to fit the recessed side panels and attach them onto the tape. It makes a huge difference in attenuating the rack noise.
The Delta rack is made from aircraft aluminum and maintains a perfect triangle as they age. I bought one when they first came out and it's as perfect as the day I bought it.
I would recommend that you opt for the sound dampeners as the rack is quite loud without them. If your Delta rack does not have the sound dampeners you can retrofit them easily enough. Apply double sided sticky tape to the recessed outer side panels. Cut out (3) 1/16 inch thick leather strips to fit the recessed side panels and attach them onto the tape. It makes a huge difference in attenuating the rack noise.
Previous poster’s video link mentioned the visible cloth wear behind the racking area from frequently loading/sliding the rack into position. Reminds me to likely start loading off to either side and sliding the rack up diagonally to spread/retard the wear (?).
P.S. This also reminds me of an old trick: In addition to reducing/moving the wear dimples inside wood Diamond racks, some used to install large/bulbous plated tacks under the three corners to raise the rack off the table surface and somewhat reduce drag and resulting cloth wear, though the tacks will eventually leave streaks.
P.S. This also reminds me of an old trick: In addition to reducing/moving the wear dimples inside wood Diamond racks, some used to install large/bulbous plated tacks under the three corners to raise the rack off the table surface and somewhat reduce drag and resulting cloth wear, though the tacks will eventually leave streaks.
I like the Bill Westly wooden racks - very solidly built - I have one for a few years now and I love the quality - best rack I've ever used.
http://www.billwestleyracks.com
http://www.billwestleyracks.com
One old-time standard technique to prevent the "sliding the triangle" wear is to attach a sort of bib to the back of the triangle. When placing the triangle, you put the bib down first and load the balls into the triangle on top of it. When you slide the balls up to the rack area, they roll over the bib rather than the table cloth. You can use old table cloth for the bib.
There is a small problem if you are playing 14.1 and the break ball is below the rack. You can mark the obstructing ball or slide the triangle in from the side ignoring the bib.
In the British pool games, it's quite common to have a patch of cloth attached to the table that you flip over the rail and onto the surface when racking. Like this:
https://youtu.be/yxbksemGp5M?t=258
Wouldn't work for straight pool, though.
I think rack wear is more common and a bigger problem with nap cloth, which is quite vulnerable to wear and tear. For instance, in snooker, the spots tend to get worn out. So many places have the rule that you never "plop" the ball down on the spot, but rather put it beside the spot and then carefully roll it into place without any downward pressure. Otherwise the spot gets worn into a divot the ball sits in, which causes the ball to jump, shots to be missed etc. That will eventually happen, anyway.
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So in that case the table wears the bib rather than the triangle.
I suppose it would work for 14.1 in that you just wouldn't put the cloth up when a ball was in the wrong place. I suppose the cloth will interfere with getting the balls from the ball return if it's not put up on the table.